After Saint Mars finished speaking, his sharp gaze swept over the very few Celestial Dragons below.
"Saint Marcus Newman, Saint Marcus Toby, Marcus...whoever I call by name, from this day forward until the next Celestial Hunt, shall be stripped of the right to obtain Heavenly Tribute."
The names he read out were all members of their families who had participated in the bet.
He couldn't control the Celestial Dragons of other families, but he still had the final say on the Celestial Dragons of his own family.
Upon hearing this, the expressions of the 52 Celestial Dragons who had participated in the bet all changed drastically.
It wasn't because they had lost. So what if they had lost? It wasn't like they had never lost before.
The main problem was that if Saint Mars cut off the Marcus family's Heavenly Tribute today, tomorrow the family patriarch would also cut off their Heavenly Tribute in various ways.
Without money, there were no slaves, no way to flaunt wealth, and they would lose face in front of other tribesmen, which was a matter of life and death for them!
Compared to the other Celestial Dragons who were gripped by despair, Ross was in a rather cheerful mood at this moment.
After Saint Mars announced the results, it was essentially a done deal.
At this moment, countless pleasant notification sounds rang out.
[A-Rank Defeat Completed!]
[Strength +100,000]
[A-Rank Defeat Completed!]
[A-Rank Defeat Completed!]
[...]
The 52 experience pets gave Ross a power boost of 5.2 million.
In an instant, Ross felt his cells become incredibly active, and his entire body became lighter and more powerful.
Just by feeling it out, Ross felt he could easily kill two of his past selves.
[Ross]
[Strength: 13.96 million/15 million (S-, General-level)]
[Fruit: Human-Human Fruit, Model: Watatsumi (Unawakened)]
[Devil Fruit Abilities: Levitation (Flight), Sea Manipulation (Controlling Seawater), Sea Sensing (Sensing Seawater), Sea Swamp (Replenishing Energy with Seawater), Sky Collapse (Generating Seawater), Divine Transformation (Mythical Beast Form)...]
Combat Skills: Observation Haki (S), Conqueror's Haki (S), Armament Haki (A), Rokushiki (A), Swordsmanship (B), Marksmanship (B), Physical Combat (B)...
The biggest improvement was naturally in raw strength; Ross's physique was now comparable to Zephyr's.
Secondly, there was Conqueror's Haki.
These Celestial Dragons basically didn't have any special abilities; their rewards were all something called 'Celestial Dragon's Might (A),' which was similar to the aristocratic aura that nobles got.
However, after accumulating more than 50 copies, the power of the Celestial Dragon's Might reached S-rank, directly superimposed on Ross's Conqueror's Haki.
It was no exaggeration to say that he could easily kill anyone below Rank E with just his Conqueror's Haki.
The only downside was that the Celestial Dragon's Might only increased the quantity and quality of Conqueror's Haki, without adding other output methods such as Infused Conqueror's Haki.
If Ross wanted to learn this, he would have to wait until he went to Wano Country and saw if Kaido had grasped it yet.
If Kaido already possessed Infused Conqueror's Haki, Ross could also get a super crash course in it.
After announcing the results, Ross did not return to the Holy Land Mary Geoise, but instead took Gion and Stella and left on a ship.
Vegapunk had a Vivre Card left with the World Government, which had already been delivered to him through various means. Now he just needed to follow the direction to find the person.
According to the direction shown on the Vivre Card, Vegapunk was currently in the North Blue, which was quite interesting.
After sailing at sea for two days, Ross did not find Vegapunk, but unexpectedly encountered a large ship.
"Master, it is Doflamingo of the Donquixote Family."
Stella ran to report, gazing at the flamingo-shaped ship in the distance.
"The Donquixote family of the Holy Land Mary Geoise?" Gion asked, slightly puzzled.
As far as she knew, Celestial Dragons rarely traveled on the high seas, and the probability of encountering one was extremely low.
"This Donquixote of his is not the one from the Holy Land Mary Geoise."
Ross smiled and said as he played on the deck:
"Tell Zephyr to get closer!"
"yes!"
Stella turned and ran towards the cockpit. After the Celestial Hunt, Zephyr naturally rejoined the team and went with them to find Vegapunk.
In addition to Zephyr, Borsalino also participated in this operation.
After all, he was the owner of the Brain-Brain Fruit, the smartest person the World Government had seen in 800 years. It was never too much to be careful.
However, this lineup, originally prepared for Vegapunk, would now be tested on Doflamingo.
"Young Master, they haven't slowed down; they're just charging straight at us."
On the flamingo boat, Diamante danced wildly with a look of terror on his face.
Those were World Government ships!
That was Ross's ride, a Celestial Dragon!
If a real conflict broke out, they'd definitely be finished.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, he's just a Celestial Dragon, what's there to be afraid of? Let's get closer!"
When Doflamingo saw that Ross's ship showed no signs of stopping, he burst into maniacal laughter, his eyes flashing with madness.
The Celestial Dragons were nothing but a bunch of good-for-nothings who only knew how to indulge in a life of luxury and debauchery.
One day, he would make them realize how wrong it had been to refuse him!
The two ships drew closer and closer, yet showed no sign of slowing down.
Amidst Doflamingo's madness, Diamante's terror, Ross and Gion's calm, Zephyr's indifference, and Borsalino's exaggeratedly fearful gaze, the two ships finally collided.
Boom!!!
The wooden Flamingo was easily torn apart by Ross's ship, and the entire hull of Ross's ship was embedded into the Flamingo.
Apart from Doflamingo and Diamante, the rest of the Donquixote Family were all knocked over and fell to the ground.
Doflamingo completely ignored the carnage on the ship and simply burst into maniacal laughter:
"Fufufufufufu, as expected of Saint Ross, who was known as the most evil Celestial Dragon, you are different from other Celestial Dragons. You are qualified to cooperate with me."
His gaze was fixed on Ross on the deck, his face showing no fear whatsoever, but rather an extreme madness.
[Donquixote Doflamingo]
[Overall Rating: C+]
"You think you're brave? Doflamingo, an ordinary person whose Celestial Dragon status was revoked."
Ross walked indifferently toward Doflamingo.
His steps seemed slow, yet they gave people a sense of oppression, as if a mountain was pressing down on them, and each step seemed to strike the hearts of everyone present.
As he moved forward, the oppressive aura of his Conqueror's Haki gradually grew as heavy as a mountain. The crew members on the Flamingo bent over, as if carrying a thousand-pound burden, making it difficult for them to even breathe.
Their faces were filled with fear, cold sweat dripped down their foreheads, and some even turned purple from excessive terror.
As Ross stepped onto the Flamingo, the oppressive aura of his Conqueror's Haki intensified.
First step.
A faint cracking sound came from the deck, the sound of wooden planks breaking under the pressure. The crew members lay prostrate on the ground, as if weighed down by an invisible force.
If Ross hadn't deliberately restrained himself, these people would probably have been crushed by the terrifying pressure long ago.
Step two.
Diamante slightly hunched his back, and Doflamingo's Conqueror's Haki unconsciously erupted, attempting to counter it.
Even so, he could still feel an invisible force pressing down on his chest, as if a mountain was pressing down on him.
Step 3.
Diamante's knees could no longer support his body, and he collapsed to his knees. His face was filled with terror and pain, and Doflamingo's expression also became serious, with fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
Although he was also trying to resist by releasing Conqueror's Haki, he seemed so powerless in the face of such a disparity.
Step 4...
Thump!
The crisp sound of footsteps rang out, like a heavy hammer blow to Doflamingo's heart. He felt a sharp pain in his chest, almost unable to breathe.
"Damn it..."
Doflamingo cursed under his breath, a hint of pain and resentment flashing in his eyes.
He struggled desperately, but under this overwhelming pressure, his Conqueror's Haki was like a candle in the storm, unable to make any ripples.
...
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