Hearing this, the Five Elders' faces turned dark with anger. To be threatened so openly was an insult — it was as if the World Government meant nothing to him.
Of course, they were fully aware that he indeed had the right and power to do exactly as he said.
"Furthermore, the Island of the Dead is territory belonging to Phantom. The skies above it and all waters within a hundred miles fall under our sphere of influence. If anyone sets foot there without permission, our Sovereign will come and wipe them out completely."
"Is that all you have to say?!" Sengoku was furious, yet he had no choice but to hold his temper in check.
"Third… and finally."
Vladimir shook his head and spoke softly. "Regarding Fish-Man Island… keep your Celestial Dragons in check. If any of them dares to set foot there, I will come to the Holy Land another day and wash it in blood — exterminating the descendants of those original Twenty Families once and for all. Well then… farewell, gentlemen."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Vladimir's Phantom Projection dissolved like a wisp of wind and vanished instantly.
The moment he was gone, Sengoku slammed his fist heavily onto the table. "This is too much! He treats us with utter contempt!"
The Five Elders looked unsettled and furious, clearly enraged by Vladimir's threats.
After a long silence, the Elder with the long beard spoke grimly.
"Go back and warn the Celestial Dragons… from this day onward, Fish-Man Island… is forbidden ground for them."
...
Forbidden ground… naturally, it was just a formality.
Fish-Man Island lay ten thousand meters beneath the ocean. Reaching it meant risking one's ship and one's life.
And since the Celestial Dragons valued their own lives above all else, how could they possibly be willing to travel there?
Vladimir had simply said it to make his stance crystal clear.
High above Fish-Man Island, beneath the Artificial Sun.
Vladimir opened his eyes and recalled his projection back to himself.
"All done. Time to go."
Chuckling softly, Vladimir scooped up the little golden fish and in a flash, shot rapidly upward toward the surface.
The journey down had been difficult, but returning was simple.
He traveled straight upward, and in about an hour, he broke through to the surface of the sea.
Stepping effortlessly upon the water's surface, Vladimir looked around.
This was not the same place where he had dived down earlier, nor was it the New World. In the distance, stretching across his field of vision, he could see the Red Line.
"Now… there is still one more matter I must attend to," Vladimir thought silently.
There was a certain kingdom in the Kingdom of the Gods — or rather, one of the Sky Islands.
Their Holy Maiden had been the very first buyer of the blueprint. Yet after losing the item, they had tried to back out of the deal and renege on payment.
As the seller, Vladimir naturally had to go and collect what was owed.
However, there was no rush. The kingdom was right where it was; it wasn't going anywhere.
"But before I go collecting debts… I want to test out your ability first."
He looked down at the little golden fish in his hand, then gently tossed it into the ocean.
"I'll experiment while I travel."
Immediately, Vladimir strode across the surface of the sea, heading in the direction of the Red Line.
Meanwhile, most of his focus and attention was directed toward the small golden fish.
Swimming in the water, it looked like an ordinary fish — at most, its scales shimmered with a special radiance, but there was nothing particularly strange or unusual about it.
"River of Time!"
Controlling the Space-Time Fish, Vladimir activated the ability with a single thought.
Instantly, high above the heavens, a silver river appeared, flowing slowly right over his head.
This river was incredibly wide, stretching as far as the eye could see. Its length was immeasurable, seemingly connecting one end of the sky to the other.
However… this miraculous sight was completely invisible to Vladimir's true form. Only the little golden fish was able to see and perceive it.
"So… this is the River of Time?"
Vladimir gazed upward through the fish's round eyes.
After a moment's thought, the fish flicked its tail, leaped out of the sea like a carp jumping over the Dragon Gate, soared upward, and with a splash, dived straight into the River of Time.
Swish, swish!
Time flowed like water. The river washed over the Space-Time Fish's entire body, yet the moment it touched the scales, it was deflected away.
"Is it because of these scales that I can swim freely within the laws of time?" Vladimir wondered in amazement.
But soon, he realized something — he was completely unable to resist the current of the river.
He could not swim upstream. He could not even stop moving. He could only drift slowly forward along with the flow of time.
"Interesting…"
Intrigued, Vladimir suddenly flicked his tail violently. Instantly, the Space-Time Fish shot forward, accelerating rapidly.
The very moment it increased speed, Vladimir's true form standing upon the sea surface frowned in surprise.
Within his perception, two different speeds of time existed simultaneously.
It was as if his true body and his avatar existed at entirely different points in time.
At first, the sensation was faint, but as the Space-Time Fish went faster and faster, the sense of discrepancy grew stronger and stronger.
"So this is traveling into the future?"
Vladimir pondered for a moment, then shook his head. "No… no. This is just the Space-Time Fish entering an accelerated current of time. The real leap into the future happens the moment it leaves the River of Time."
Having realized this, Vladimir acted immediately.
Within the long, endless river of time, the Space-Time Fish suddenly surged with speed and leaped violently out of the flowing water.
In the next instant, the heavens and earth changed colors, and the world spun wildly.
It felt as if reality itself was collapsing — truly and completely falling apart.
Even Vladimir's true form crumbled instantly under the impact of this force.
The world shattered into fine powder… and from the ruins, a brand new world began to reconstruct itself.
Time passed, though he knew not for how long.
____________________
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