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Chapter 449: Terminal Illness Cured Instantly, Kuma Weeps Holding His Daughter
Big Mom's roar echoed through the tavern.
Katakuri didn't even spare her a glance. He popped another of Blake's caramel donuts into his mouth, the sound of his chewing starkly loud in the ensuing silence. Big Mom raised her thick arm mid-air, veins popping. She desperately wanted to slap this rebellious son's head clean off. But she didn't dare. The oppressive pressure emanating from behind her was too suffocating. Garp's knuckles were cracking. Kizaru had picked his teacup back up, the dangerous halo of light dancing on his fingertips. Even Blake, behind the bar, was sipping his black coffee and watching her with a half-smile.
Swallowing hard, Big Mom forced her arm back down, her fat body slamming heavily into the chair, drawing a teeth-grinding creak from the wood.
"You traitorous ingrate," she muttered under her breath. "Let's see how long you can stay so smug."
"You don't need to worry about me. At least I won't be here wagging my tail and begging for mercy like a stray dog. You used to treat your family like tools. Now that the tools possess power you can't afford to provoke, what can you do besides throw a helpless tantrum?" Katakuri wiped his hands with a napkin.
Fuming with absolute rage, Big Mom had no choice but to grab the massive mug of dark beer on the table and chug it down. Watching this unfold, Brulee's trembling shoulders slowly relaxed. She realized that the invincible mother she had feared for so long truly meant nothing in this tavern. With the fake facade of a Yonko torn away, all that remained was a greedy, pathetic old hag.
Blake retracted his gaze. Family soap operas were fine for the first few minutes, but they got boring fast. He went back to scrolling through the system panel, searching for a suitable high-tier dungeon to open next month. Sitting on pins and needles, surrounded by malicious glares, Big Mom could only pray for the next month's high-tier dungeon to open immediately. As long as she could acquire that god-tier power, she swore to repay today's humiliation with interest.
Meanwhile, in the East Blue, Goa Kingdom.
The city, once seen as a paradise for nobles, had a new master. The Revolutionary Army's flag fluttered proudly in the wind atop the highest castle. The extravagant debauchery had vanished from the streets, replaced by a genuine, thriving vitality. The commoners wore smiles they had never known before. Inside a hidden mansion in the heart of the city, however, the atmosphere was far more intense than the bustling streets outside.
Within a spacious basement, Bartholomew Kuma's massive frame was half-kneeling on the floor. The Revolutionary Army executive, with a bounty of 296 million Beri, was breathing so carefully it barely made a sound. The Bible he usually held was tossed carelessly onto a nearby table. All his attention was focused entirely on the pink-haired little girl sitting before him. Bonney sat obediently in the chair. Her small face was marred by an eerie, bluish scale-like growth—the incurable disease known as Sapphire Scales. If exposed to natural light, the scales would spread, ultimately claiming the infected person's life.
To cure this disease, Kuma had willingly surrendered himself to the World Government to be modified into a mindless weapon of war. He was entirely prepared to sacrifice his own ego. But now, everything had changed. Kuma raised his massive, thick hands. Taking a deep breath, a gentle, golden-orange light blossomed from his palms. This was the S-rank reward he had fought tooth and nail to acquire from the Bleach dungeon: the conceptual rejection power known as Soten Kisshun.
It wasn't healing. It wasn't restoration. It was the direct, conceptual rejection of the phenomenon of "taking damage."
An orange-yellow shield of light fully enveloped Bonney's petite body. Fine beads of sweat broke out on Kuma's forehead. Activating this conceptual power drained a tremendous amount of stamina, but he didn't dare blink, terrified of missing a single detail on his daughter's face. Inside the shield of light, a miracle was taking place. The blue scales on Bonney's cheeks began to turn transparent. Like a video played in reverse, the scales flaked away and vanished bit by bit. The skin that had been buried beneath the scales regained its fair, rosy complexion. It wasn't just her cheeks; the blue marks on her arms and neck rapidly faded as well.
Bonney touched her face in astonishment. The rough, hard texture was completely gone.
"Papa, it doesn't hurt anymore!" The little girl's voice rang out, clear and sweet. She hopped off the chair and ran to the window, right into the sunlight. The light bathed her tender white skin, bringing no discomfort, and the Sapphire Scales did not return.
The muscles on Kuma's perpetually expressionless face trembled violently. Two streams of hot tears poured from his cybernetic eyes. He abruptly withdrew his power and pulled Bonney into a tight, desperate embrace, his massive frame sobbing in extreme, unrestrained joy.
"Thank goodness… Bonney… Thank goodness." Kuma's voice choked on his sobs. How many days and nights of despair, how much humiliation suffered under the World Government's blackmail? In this single moment, it all vanished like smoke. He no longer needed to beg that scientist Vegapunk. He no longer needed to endure the arrogant sneers of the Five Elders.
The steady sound of footsteps echoed from the shadows of the basement. Monkey D. Dragon, draped in his dark green cloak, stepped forward. The signature red tattoos on his face were stark in the dim light. Within his eye sockets, a pair of purple Rinnegan rippled with a profound, mysterious power.
"Congratulations, Kuma," Dragon said, his tone filled with heartfelt relief.
"Dragon, if you hadn't taken me to Foosha Village, Bonney might have already…" Kuma stood up, still holding Bonney. He wiped the tears from his face with the rough back of his hand. He didn't finish the sentence, but the profound gratitude in his eyes spoke volumes.
"Lord Blake, the shop owner, is the true savior of us father and daughter." Kuma looked down at his daughter, who was happily playing with his collar. His tone hardened with absolute resolve. "From now on, my life belongs to the Revolutionary Army, and to that man."
"Lord Blake's appearance has utterly shattered eight hundred years of World Government rule." Dragon walked over to the table to pour two glasses of water. Handing one to Kuma, he took a sip from his own.
"Mary Geoise is in complete chaos. Imu's immortal body was shattered by an otherworldly powerhouse during the martial arts tournament dungeon. The Five Elders don't even dare to speak loudly right now." Dragon's Rinnegan shifted slightly, his gaze piercing through the walls to look toward the distant horizon. He smirked coldly. "The authority and military might they were so proud of is nothing but a joke in the face of a true god."
"Are we accelerating our plans?" Kuma opened his Bible, revealing several of the latest intelligence reports tucked inside. His expression turned solemn.
Dragon turned to look at the massive world map hanging on the basement wall. On it, the Goa Kingdom was circled in red.
"Yes. The Goa Kingdom is just the beginning. Since Lord Blake has ripped a hole in the old era's order, we are going to tear that hole wide open." Dragging his finger across the Four Blues and the Grand Line on the map, Dragon continued, "The Marine's main fighting force is entirely concentrated in Foosha Village right now. They are frantically grinding dungeons to master those otherworldly powers. This has resulted in an unprecedented vacuum in defenses across the other seas."
"The commoners in several affiliated nations in the South and West Blue have already started rioting. They've heard about what happened in the Goa Kingdom and are refusing to pay the Heavenly Tribute to the Celestial Dragons." Kuma added.
"We must send people to support them. We will spread the spark of revolution to the entire world. And… we will also keep returning to Foosha Village." Dragon turned back, the oppressive weight of his Rinnegan making the air feel heavy. His voice carried a trace of zeal. "The power there is the ultimate weapon to overthrow the Celestial Dragons' reign."
"My Soten Kisshun can only be used on a single person right now. If I can continue clearing dungeons, perhaps I can acquire the ability to heal large areas, or even resurrect fallen comrades." Kuma firmly nodded.
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