One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 268 The Covenant of the Stars, The Unknown Tide!
"hero?"

Neither Cobra nor Vivi had expected that the Lord of the Twelve Constellations would descend upon them in such a manner.

They never expected that the Star Lord would make such a judgment on Queen Lily's life achievements.

However, at this moment, the Star Lord clearly had no intention of giving the father and daughter any further explanation.

He simply raised his hand slowly.

In his eyes, the Fruit Encyclopedia had, as always, reacted.

[The source of the bloodline factor has been discovered (Wish-Contract Gift-Nefertari Lily)]

[Analyzing this substance will yield 'Bloodline Factor Source Energy,' which can unlock 'Bloodline Factor Technology - Contract Grant']

Should we begin parsing immediately?

With Cobra having made his stance clear, Roy did not hesitate.

"Analysis".

He answered silently in his heart.

then
"Buzz!"

The next moment, Cobra and Vivi were shocked to see it.

The ancient covenant left behind by Queen Lily is manifested within this mausoleum.

At this moment, as the Star Lord raised his hand, it began to radiate a magnificent light.

Beneath the ground, the contract mark engraved with a lily pattern began to gradually change.

The lily pattern gradually faded away, and the scattered light, like stardust, drifted in front of the Star Lord until it dissipated throughout the entire tomb.

And from that scattered light.

A phantom figure appeared in the light.

Her long blue hair and her captivating figure, so similar to Vivi's, silently revealed her identity.

"Ancestor Lily?"

At that moment, both Cobra and Vivi stared wide-eyed—neither of them had expected this turn of events.

What is this? Has the Star Lord summoned the souls of their ancestors?
But the Star Lord at this moment naturally knew that the truth was not so.

This is because of the analysis of Lily's 'contract' in the Fruit Encyclopedia.

He gradually came to understand the essence of Lily's contractual power, as if he were confronting memories from the past.

He could even hear voices in his mind.

"I will share my power with you, so that you may complete the rebellion against the tyrant and the unification of the world. Each of your souls will bear one-twentieth of my power until the great cause is over."

"As my followers, you will gain the highest power in the world, and your bloodline will never end."

That was the voice of 'God', but the difference was that His voice seemed more obscure and dark at that time.

His title is not 'M'.

What He is saying now is the first part of this contract, the part that Lily has already completed.

"After the tyrant is subdued, I will reclaim my power at the highest point of the world. At that time, your descendants will move into the realm of the gods, stand above all the heavens, and live with the gods for generations to come."

This is the second part of the contract, the part that Lily did not complete.

At this point, Roy finally understood everything he had seen in Doflamingo's memories.

The pact between the Abyss and the initial twenty kings was divided into two parts.

The first part is about the Abyss bestowing one-twentieth of its power upon each of the twenty kings, granting them immeasurable strength and immortality in order to overthrow the rule of 'Davy Jones'.

The second part is that the Abyss will reclaim these powers during the first World Conference and make the twenty kings and their families 'Celestial Dragons' to rule over everything in the mortal realm forever.

In the end, Lily chose to rebel against the abyss—she did not offer up her sword, nor did she complete the second part of the contract.

She may even have done something while the Abyss was reclaiming its power, causing the Abyss to become 'Im'.

That's why there's one less sword beneath the Empty Throne, and that's why there's one less name on the Celestial Dragons' national treasure.

Of course, even if Lily ultimately chose to betray them.

However, this cannot change the fact that she had signed a contract with Im.

Her soul has returned to the abyss.

And what remains here.
"It was her last wish."

The Star Lord was well aware of this.

When they came here, built this tomb, and left behind a part of their power and the contract, along with a message.

Queen Lily, who was about to die, must have had a heart full of desires.

She hoped her plan would succeed.

She hoped that her descendants would live in peace.

She hoped that in that future era, the world would regain its freedom.

For Lily, who possessed one-twentieth of the power of the Abyss at that time, her wish itself was powerful.

That's why this scene is unfolding here.

"The person I made a promise to."

Queen Lily, emerging from the light, seemed to be filled with joy and anticipation.

"Has the drum of liberation sounded again?"

She said that.

Although it was clear from her slightly vacant eyes that she was not truly conscious—what remained here at this moment was merely the lingering shadow and obsession of a former king.

The Star Lord wasn't surprised by her words.

Queen Lily was clearly aware of Joey Boyle and Davy Jones's plans.

In her mind, the one who would eventually come here and lead Alabasta in that final battle would inevitably be the new 'Joyboy'.

She obviously couldn't have imagined that the 'Twelve Zodiac Signs' would appear in this era.

However, at this moment, the Star Lord was looking at the expectation in the afterimage of Queen Lily.

After a moment of silence
Thump! Thump! Thump!

A heartbeat, like the sound of a drum, began a moment later.

This scene left Vivi and Cobra almost speechless.

"The Drum of Liberation"

They had all heard what Queen Lily had said.

Although they didn't know what the Drum of Liberation was, they were now certain of their guess once again.

"The Star Lord is the person Ancestor Lily spoke of!" And that was accompanied by the continuous, loud drumbeats.

The father and daughter were astonished to see the starlight emanating from the Star Lord spreading outwards with the sound of drums.

at the same time
"It's been a long time."

Queen Lily's lingering regrets seemed to hear the booming drumbeats as well.

Then, a smile appeared on her face.

"Then, I'll leave it to you."

"Let's give freedom back to the world."

As these words were spoken...

Queen Lily's lingering regrets dissipated along with her sense of relief.

Starlight gradually covered the lilies on the scale-like platform, and the stars replaced the contract mark that belonged to Queen Lily.

In the next instant.
"Buzz!"

With a surge of intense bloodline energy, a brand new contract mark was formed out of thin air.

[Analysis complete, 500 points of 'Bloodline Factor Source Energy' obtained]

['Lineage Factor Technology - Contract Grant' has been unlocked]

The fruit encyclopedia then displays text.

The Star Lord slowly raised his hand.

And now, it's in his hands.

A mark, similar to the Abyss Contract yet entirely different, has already revealed an illusory hue.

The contract mark had patterns resembling 'stars'.

[Bloodline Factor Technology - Contractual Grant]

[You can bestow Bloodline Factor Energy upon yourself or others; bestowing a contract requires Bloodline Factor Energy.]

[Low-Tier Contract - Requires 50 points of Bloodline Factor Energy to enhance the contractor's power]

[High-level Contract - Requires 300 points of Bloodline Factor Energy. After the contracted individual dies, it can be 'reconstructed' regardless of any conditions by consuming additional Bloodline Factor Energy. This can activate the power of the contract, resulting in an explosive increase in strength in a short period of time. The original body's power can be partially 'transferred' through the contractor, and many additional ways to utilize 'Bloodline Factor Energy' can be obtained.]

Regardless of whether the contract is high-level or low-level, the original body can reclaim its power at any time.

At this moment, the contract mark in the Star Lord's hand silently confirmed that fact.

He also mastered a contractual power similar to that of Im.

Or to put it more precisely—the current Star Lord has realized that the so-called contract is itself a way of utilizing bloodline factor energy.

The difference is simply this:
“Im currently has three contracts. If we include the ones before Queen Lily weakened His power, His utilization of the bloodline factor is obviously even stronger.”

"Currently, I can only create two types of contracts: high-level and low-level. The gap is still quite large."

Roy does not deny this fact.

He is only just beginning to utilize the energy of bloodline factors.

Even though Im is clearly not in good condition now, he is still far superior to him.

But that doesn't matter.

The very fact that they can be compared is enough to show that he and Im are at least on the same level in terms of power.

Next, all he needs to do is catch up.

"Thump!" "Thump!"

The drums of liberation continue to beat.

Starlight intertwines with golden radiance—the stars replace the lily's mark.

The changing times and the passing of the torch take place here.

"Ok?"

Meanwhile, the Straw Hat crew is celebrating the addition of their new member.

Luffy, who was sticking chopsticks up his nose and making everyone laugh by stretching his face, suddenly shuddered and bumped into Sanji, who was catching up with his sister and asking about their recent experiences.

"Luffy? What's wrong? Are you drunk?"

Sanji looked at Luffy, somewhat puzzled.

"Ah, it seems so."

Luffy scratched his head, looking a little confused: "Did you guys hear anything just now?"

"Sound?" *N
The Straw Hat crew looked at Luffy with some confusion: "You mean Usopp was imitating the sound of the goldfish from Shinobi farting just now?"

"No, no, no, it sounds like drums?"

Luffy placed his hand on his heart, his words tinged with doubt.

"It felt strange, like my heart was trying to respond."

He muttered to himself.

"what!?"

Hearing his strange words, the Straw Hat crew naturally became even more puzzled.

They certainly didn't hear any 'drumming'.

"Heart?! That's no small matter—Luffy! Let me check if your body is alright!"

Chopper almost cried as he approached Luffy.

"Hehe. It's okay, it's all better now anyway."

Luffy grinned and chuckled, "It must be my imagination. Besides, I feel really energetic right now."

Of course, Chopper didn't believe it.

He still insisted on giving Luffy a simple check-up, and ultimately came to the conclusion that Luffy was in excellent health, healthier than ever before.

Yes.

In the brief interval before the duel of the world's greatest swordsman began, the above events occurred in the ancient Alabasta.

The sinners and heroes of the old era, along with the masters of the stars, completed the handover of the era.

A certain 'Summit War' destined to change the world also ignited the initial spark.

But it is quite obvious.

The world knows nothing about this yet.

(End of this chapter)