Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

"Is this... the soul of the dead?"

"You're right, their souls remain here after their physical bodies perish," Tsurue chuckled, fiddling with the mass of soul.

“I can send them straight to heaven, or I can resurrect them. I’ve decided to selfishly go for the latter, after all—a little performance is necessary, isn’t it?”

"After all, I am a religious person."

Robin didn't speak, but instead gave Tsugumi a deep look before turning her gaze to the battlefield before her.

The fight lasted for about an hour, and it wasn't that Kou Sha was at a disadvantage; rather, it was an overwhelming defeat for him.

Crocodile God, who easily defeated Luffy and crushed Crocodile, was now panting, leaning on his broken blade, and one of his legs had been completely burned off.

Even though the gathering and dispersing dark sands were constantly being repaired, Akainu, who was facing him, was virtually unharmed.

"Any last words?" Akainu asked coldly, without wasting a single word.

There are many reasons why Kou Sha was defeated, but the most important one is that he was not a qualified strongman at all!

While Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits remain the answer for this world that will inevitably enter the 'Age of the Great Gods' in the future, it doesn't mean that Haki is worthless, not to mention that Koza has almost no experience fighting against strong opponents.

So he was utterly defeated, to the point that countless people mocked and ridiculed his defeat in the live broadcast.

What kind of guardian deity is Alabasta? Nothing special!

"What a pity! What a pity! Such a powerful Devil Fruit, eaten by such a piece of trash!!!" On Onigashima in Wano Country, Kaido gulped down sweet sake, cursing through tears.

"Mommy, Mommy, the Navy's power shouldn't be underestimated, but now, what trump cards do these believers have left?" On Whole Cake Island, Big Mom stuffed a cake into her mouth, her eyes gleaming with a wicked and shrewd light.

"I lost to you not because the power my gods gave me was weak, but because I was unworthy of this gift." Koza looked at Akainu, completely disregarding his impending death, and instead revealed a fanatical smile of devotion.

"But don't think that killing me is the end of it. The grace of my god will forever surround Alabasta, Admiral. I will await your arrival in the underworld!"

"The lament of a defeated dog," Akainu said coldly, then delivered a fatal blow, shattering Koza's head.

As the giant crocodile god collapsed, Akainu charged forward almost without hesitation.

953 >>

As the people of Alabasta watched Kosa fall to the ground, some were filled with panic, some screamed in fear, but most of them fearlessly began to pray to the goddess!

"...Hmph, those cultists who deserve to die!"

Akainu looked at the Alabasta people with disgust as they prayed to God even as disaster loomed, and raised his hand, ready to kill them all.

"Stop!!!" Just then, Vivi, who had rushed onto the city wall, spread her arms wide, tears streaming down her face, and trembled as she stood in front of Akainu.

"Admiral, I order you to stop in the name of the Princess of Alabasta!"

"...Please step aside, Princess. Our navy is helping you restore your kingdom." Akainu stopped and said coldly.

"These cultists who defy the World Government and have dethroned you must be wiped out."

"No, I mean—"

Before Weiwei could finish speaking, she was blasted through the air and crashed against the wall, her body aching all over and unable to move.

"No, stop! Run!" Vivi could only watch helplessly as Akainu walked towards his people, watching him raise his fists, covered in lava, and cry out in despair.

Just when Vivi was in despair, suddenly—time seemed to stand still, and everything fell into darkness.

Tsurugi walked towards Vivi with light steps, and seeing the dazed Vivi, a golden fig appeared in her hand.

"I've come to grant your wish," Tsugumi said with a light laugh.

“I am the messenger of Her Majesties Aqua and Tsugumi, and you, Nefertari D. Vivi, now face two choices.”

"First, let the story continue as if I had never been here."

"Second, become Lady Aqua's saintess, and in return, you will be able to make one wish to me—not to kill, not to directly injure anyone, and not to cause large-scale destruction."

"I choose option two!!!" Without any hesitation, Vivi eagerly chose the only option that could save her people.

“Okay, then—” Tsurugi snapped her fingers with a smile.

Time, resumes its flow

Upon noticing someone suddenly appear beside him, Akainu unleashed a Ghostfire attack almost without hesitation, but Tsugumi swatted it away like a bug.

The camera and screen focused entirely on Tsugumi. Although most people on the sea had no idea who this powerful figure who had suddenly appeared and knocked Akainu away was, the very few who had survived the events of God Valley thirty-eight years ago suddenly stood up.

It's him! It's him! He's still alive! He's still alive!!!

That man who claims to be a messenger of God!!!

"Just now, Princess Vivi became the saintess chosen by Lady Aqua!" Tsugumi pointed at the still bewildered Vivi and declared loudly to the whole world.

"And her wish was to become someone who could save and protect her people, just like Queen Lily eight hundred years ago, just like the sun god eight hundred years ago!"

"Therefore, I will grant her wish—to transform her into the Sun Goddess, Queen Lily!!!"

In an instant, a dazzling golden light enveloped the bewildered Lily, followed by the golden fig that had merged directly with her!

The dazzling light blinded Akainu, and it also instantly roused the Kirin Gom, who was dozing in the clouds.

"Lord Yu, this is..."

"Gom, get ready, I need to borrow your body temporarily!"

Far away in the flower garden of Pangaea in Mary Geoise, Im, watching from behind the Kirin Gom, knelt down, clutching the flower tightly in his hand.

—How could this be? Absolutely impossible, Lily, the sun god...Joy Boy!

Could the power of that goddess possibly awaken a soul that has been dead for hundreds of years?!

Soon after, something happened that both reassured and unsettled Im.

The intense light faded, and what appeared in its place was an 'egg' gleaming with golden light, seemingly crafted purely from metal.

An immense amount of heat emanated from the egg, followed by golden patterns flowing across its surface. It resembled more of a technological creation than a biological egg.

But no one would think it was a machine, because the pure and incomparable life force emanating from this egg was far more surging than any other life or any other object!

At this moment, a solemn and majestic background music resounded in the ears of people all over the world.

While cheerfully playing the classic background music called "Wrath of God," Tsugumi was also doing her job as a narrator.

"Congratulations! The goddess Aqua's blessing has gathered the power of this nation's faith and worship into the body of this courageous princess!"

"She will be the saint of the Axis religion, the protector of this country. At this moment, the souls of our ancestors awaken in Princess Vivi!"

As he spoke, the golden egg suddenly burst open, and with a clear bird song, a newborn sun shone in the sky above Alabasta!

Phew! ! !

"Its name is Ra, its existence is the sun, its form is—the Winged Dragon of Ra!!!"

In that instant, the bursting sun dispelled the rolling black clouds surrounding the Qilin Gom Saint, and the figure that broke out of the egg was dazzling enough to steal everyone's attention!

953>>>>

Phew! ! !

"Its name is Ra, its existence is the sun, its form is—the Winged Dragon of Ra!!!"

In that instant, the bursting sun dispelled the rolling black clouds surrounding the Qilin Gom Saint, and the figure that broke out of the egg was dazzling enough to steal everyone's attention!

Golden Alabasta-style metal, like armor, replaced scales and golden feathers to forge His body. His head was like a dragon's, or a bird's, with scarlet, jewel-like eyes and a sky-blue gem shining on his forehead.

Its wings on its back were as dazzling and beautiful as metal, with a golden ring floating in them, engraved with sacred and unknown ancient priestly script.

This posture is sacred, powerful, and full of awe-inspiring, like a golden dragon, but also like a phoenix reborn from the ashes!

The endless heat radiation emanating from its body made Akainu feel immense pressure, even feeling the temperature of the magma being absorbed.

"What kind of Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit is this?"

"This isn't a mythical beast!" Tsugumi pointed at the Winged Dragon of Ra, announcing to the world in a joyful voice.

"It's Kami!!!"

954

673. Winged Dragon of Ra and Queen Lily

The Alabasta mythology is almost entirely based on Egyptian mythology.

The gods they worshipped were almost identical to those of Egypt. Similarly, in the Alabasta mythology, the highest object of worship remained the sun god.

Of course, this sun god is not that sun god; the Alabasta people actually worship the sun itself, not some 'liberation warrior' from a Tom and Jerry movie set.

This is only natural, as the original religious beliefs of a nation and country must come from the nature of their living environment itself, such as thunder and sun, wind and rain, fire and water.

This mythological system actually existed long before Queen Lily founded her kingdom, but the rule of the Nefertari family gradually caused this belief to disappear.

But mythology does not die with the disappearance of faith. Just as almost no one on Earth worships the Norse and Greek gods anymore, their stories have spread far and wide, even more so than religious legends.

In essence, stories are vehicles for describing the beliefs of gods.

So what Tsugumi created was this 'Sun God Fruit'.

It is a culmination of thousands of years of faith in Alabasta, awe of the sun, fear of sunlight, worship and longing.

These real emotions could not come together because no one controlled them, but in Tsurugae's case, he shaped them all by himself.

In fact, the method he used to create these Devil Fruits was exactly the same as the method he used to create Behemoth.

All of these involve the manipulation and shaping of the thoughts and souls of all beings, condensing intangible thoughts into tangible and substantial carriers.

Of course, for a certain morbid sense of humor and to satisfy Vivi's 'desire' to protect the people, while also slightly curbing the overly fanatical Kosa and his followers, Tsugumi also deliberately added the 'Queen Lily' element as a side effect.

There is no doubt that the Alabasta people also worship Queen Lily.

Although the Alabasta people did not have the tradition of worshipping the pharaoh as a god like the Egyptians, the status of the 'First Emperor' as the founder of the country is beyond question.

Lily is a great legend in herself to the Alabasta people, a perfect monarch they admire and fantasize about.

The combined effect is that as long as Vivi is on Alabasta soil, she can receive a continuous power boost—yes, like Koza, she has a buff that doubles her home-field combat status!

If they were to leave their homeland, they wouldn't necessarily be weakened; they would simply become slightly stronger than normal Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits. This was a somewhat reluctant choice by Tsugumi, since they were all genuinely weaklings. Unable to refine their techniques, she could only assign them the most brute-force stats.

Queen Lily, who is said to have had a little story with Im and Joy Boy eight hundred years ago, is the reason why the Poneglyphs were scattered all over the world, and is also the object of Im's longing.

To be honest, Tsurugi didn't care about any of the little stories inside.

Because he's had enough of these villainous protagonists' ridiculous love stories and their clichéd narratives about how they hate each other and how they love each other.

So he didn't bother to explore that blank hundred-year history at all; it wasn't important, not important at all.