Among the captured marines, the Angel Guard had taken two beautiful women...
Shura glanced at Hikaru's expression. Seeing that he remained indifferent, Shura let out a quiet sigh of relief and continued:
"Gloria thought it would be a waste of resources to send them to the mines, so the two female marines were brought to the foot of the sanctuary."
[Gloria is the captain of the Angel Guard.]
"We, your loyal subordinates, humbly request that Your Majesty accept these two female marines as concubines. This is a gesture of our unwavering loyalty."
"Hmm? Do I seem like that kind of person?" Hikaru feigned displeasure.
"Of course not! This was entirely our decision!"
"Well... since you all put in so much effort, I suppose I can't refuse. Bring them in—but don't make a habit of this."
"Understood! Your Majesty, there's also a survivor from the island you conquered yesterday..."
"Bring them all here."
"Yes, sir!"
Shura turned and gave Ohm a look. Understanding the silent order, Ohm bowed slightly and left the palace.
Hikaru enjoyed Nami's cloud massage for a while until Ohm returned with a few people.
Two female marines stood under the watch of angelic guards, while a weak-looking man was escorted by divine soldiers.
The reactions of the two women were intriguing—one glared with defiance, while the other looked timid.
[So, this is the so-called 'god' they were talking about? Hmm... I suppose it's not too bad...]
"Gloria, I didn't expect you to have such good taste~" Hikaru smirked, ignoring the sharp poke in his back from Nami. He studied the two women with interest.
He recognized one of them—Jessica, the wife of Jonathan, the commander of the Navy's G-8 branch.
She was a skilled cook, with blonde hair and striking red lips. Her cold expression contrasted with the deep allure in her eyes—exactly the type he liked.
But he wasn't sure whether she and Jonathan were already together at this point in time.
If they were... well, that could be interesting.
"As long as Your Majesty is pleased," Gloria said with a broad grin. She was a rather stocky and powerful woman, her physique comparable to the hulking Sad.
Hikaru waved a hand, signaling the angels to take the two female marines to the Zhaoyi Palace behind the imperial palace.
With that settled, Shura introduced the male prisoner.
"Your Majesty, this is Bellamy, a Spring-Spring Fruit user. Our scouts reported that he has a bounty of 55 million berries."
Bellamy… Doflamingo's man?
Hikaru's eyes gleamed with amusement. This could be interesting.
"Wake him up."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
One of the divine soldiers struck Bellamy hard, leaving two large bumps on his head. The impact jolted him awake, his face darkened with frustration.
"Bellamy? I heard you're one of Donquixote Doflamingo's subordinates. Have you contacted him through your Den Den Mushi?"
"No!" Bellamy growled, barely containing his anger—only to be rewarded with a firm slap across the face.
A crisp smack echoed through the room. His cheek reddened instantly, and the rage in his eyes burned even brighter.
"Your Majesty, we found this on him." One of the divine soldiers stepped forward, pulling out a Den Den Mushi resembling Doflamingo.
"Oh~ Lying, even when you're caught red-handed? It seems you haven't suffered enough."
With a flick of his fingers, Hikaru made the Den Den Mushi float from the soldier's hands onto the small table before him. The device automatically connected to its intended recipient.
Buru Buru~ Bogo~
"Hey, hey, hey, Bellamy? Didn't I tell you not to call unless it was something important? Don't tell me you failed to find the Devil Fruit—"
"Donquixote Doflamingo, your little dog got lost and ended up in my domain, causing trouble where he shouldn't have."
A moment of silence.
"...Who the hell are you?"
Veins popped out on Doflamingo's forehead. Whoever this was, they knew his name and spoke with complete disregard for his status.
"My name is God Hikaru. If you can't offer me satisfactory compensation, I won't mind paying a little visit to Dressrosa for some entertainment."
"...Oh?"
Doflamingo subconsciously reached under his table, pulling out Hikaru's bounty poster.
The Thunder-Thunder Fruit was indeed formidable, but the battle records listed on the poster were nothing extraordinary—certainly not enough to make him wary.
"Alright, alright. Why don't you join my Donquixote Family instead? That way, you can take whatever you want from us!"
"There's no need for recruitment talk." Hikaru's tone was dismissive. "Just compensate me with three Devil Fruits and hand over Baby 5, Violet, and Monet. Do that, and I'll consider the matter settled."
[Sugar is Doflamingo's trump card—there's no need to push for her.]
Doflamingo's expression darkened for a moment.
What arrogance. Hikaru wasn't just asking for compensation—he was trying to bleed him dry, treating him like an enemy to be looted.
"Your demands are excessive. These three are my precious family members. How could I possibly offer them up as compensation?"
"Bellamy's life isn't even worth a single Devil Fruit. You're clearly just looking for trouble."
"Heh~" Hikaru chuckled coldly. "If I don't receive my compensation in Paradise before I set sail for the New World, I'll personally visit Dressrosa to collect it myself."
Click.
He hung up without hesitation.
There was no doubt that Doflamingo was seething with rage, but that didn't matter. The real question was whether he was smart enough to comply.
Hikaru shifted his gaze to Bellamy.
"Go on ahead. Maybe you'll see Doflamingo again in your next life."
A bolt of white lightning shot from his fingertips, piercing through Bellamy's skull in an instant. The body convulsed briefly before collapsing, lifeless.
As the energy dispersed, the power of the Spring-Spring Fruit was released—and Hikaru directed it toward Gloria.
"Gloria, accept the gift of the gods."
Gloria was momentarily stunned as an exhilarating surge of power coursed through her body.
The next moment, she instinctively jumped—only to be sent flying out of the palace by Hikaru's casual slap.
"Go practice your abilities outside!"
After some time, Gloria bounced her way back into the palace, her face alight with uncontrollable joy. She had never imagined that pleasing Hikaru would grant her the divine power of a Devil Fruit.
The other priests looked at her enviously, silently regretting that they hadn't been the ones to bring him the female marines.
"The divine power I bestow does not carry the weaknesses of ordinary Devil Fruits. If you train well, you may transcend mere mortals."
"Yes! Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, my god!"
Satisfied, Hikaru issued several commands, including ordering the removal of all poisonous plants from the Golden Lion's floating islands.
With business settled, Hikaru made his way to the back of the palace.
What came next was not something Nami should witness—so he sent her back to the shrine.
—
Imperial Palace, Zhaoyi Hall.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the grand hall. Hikaru strode inside.
Jessica and the other female marine sat on the floor, handcuffed and guarded by two angels. Their faces were downcast, their expressions filled with uncertainty.
At the sound of his voice, they instinctively lifted their heads, eyes locking onto the man who now controlled their fate.
"What are your names?"
Hikaru settled onto a plush couch, taking the wine glass handed to him by an angel. He swirled it lazily, awaiting their response.
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