Lord Varnel, a Celestial Dragon, strode down the hall with slow, measured steps, the metallic click of his polished shoes echoing off the marble floor.
Antonieta had sent a slave with an order for him to meet her immediately. Apparently, she had secret matters to discuss with him.
Even among the World Nobles, a hierarchy existed, and the man could not refuse a request from Antonieta, so he decided to obey, albeit with some dissatisfaction.
Normally, he would have used a slave as his mount, but that day, a walk seemed more appropriate.
He soon arrived at the door to her room, guarded by only a single, imposing slave.
Varnel raised his chin, accustomed to being obeyed, not to suspicion. The silver mask covering his face reflected the candlelight, hiding his grotesque smile and crooked teeth.
"Open the door for me at once," he ordered the slave.
Of course, the man complied, revealing a luxurious room that appeared to be empty. But Varnel didn't give it a second thought and stepped inside.
Immediately after, the door closed behind him with a powerful thud.
At the same moment, the room's chandeliers were extinguished, and the world plunged into darkness.
There was no sound. No breath but his own.
"Antonieta?" he murmured, his voice muffled by the mask.
There was no answer.
Before he could take another step, something cold and sharp pierced his throat. A swift, precise strike.
The air escaped his lungs with a wet gurgle, and his blood warmed the metal that had trapped it.
Varnel tried to scream for help, but he couldn't produce a single sound. The cut had been too clean, too deep. Within seconds, his body went limp.
Arlo caught him before he hit the floor, preventing any noise. His hands were steady and calm, positioning the dead man properly in a way that would prevent his blood from making a mess on the floor.
The boy remained silent for a moment, listening only to the accelerated beating of his own heart. Then he got to work.
He removed the Celestial Dragon's clothes: the embroidered white mantle, the golden necklace, and, most important, the mask.
The neck area needed some stitching. He also had to clean up a few spots, but his cut had been surprisingly clean, avoiding major issues.
Arlo had done all kinds of work before, so he cleaned the area with ease. He mended and adjusted the clothes before putting them on.
The mask, in particular, was perfect for him, as it would greatly facilitate the process of stealing the useless man's identity.
That said, Arlo was meticulous. With a bit of makeup around the edges of his face and changing his hairstyle, he made himself resemble Varnel even more.
Finally, he just needed to dispose of the body to complete his temporary theft of the man's identity.
Earlier, Arlo had used the Hypnotic Scroll to make the slaves in the room believe he was Antonieta. That was how he was able to command them.
He also slightly altered their memories so they would believe that the real Antonieta was the slave who had been summoned to be the toy for the night.
At that moment, she should have been thrown in with the other sex slaves and would probably be used until her mind was completely broken.
But Arlo couldn't care less about what would happen to her. In any case, she would turn back into a repulsive woman in three days.
It would be merely satisfying to know that she would suffer the fate she deserved.
Besides, it would be satisfying to see the reaction of the Celestial Dragons once they realized the truth. It would be like his declaration of war against them.
After all, his ultimate goal was to completely annihilate those filthy nobles.
The only problem was that in three days, they would find out what Arlo had done. Until then, he needed to have an escape plan.
That being said, this wouldn't be such a big problem; he had already decided what his next steps would be.
And, for now, it would be useful to have the identity of a Celestial Dragon for a while. Especially because he didn't want to keep using his hypnosis, as only two uses remained.
Therefore, Arlo killed Varnel.
Finally, the boy dragged the body to the freezer in the corner of the room: a large compartment that Antonieta used to keep wine bottles and other drinks.
He opened the lid, and cold vapor escaped in a white cloud. Arlo placed the body inside, carefully folding it as if he still needed silence.
With that, it would take quite a long time for them to find the body.
Enough time for him to do all the necessary work.
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While Arlo pondered his next move, somewhere far away, within the vast chamber of the empty throne, something stirred that should not have been there.
Imu opened its eyes, a faint flicker of unease rippling through an otherwise timeless calm of its face.
An ominous premonition coiled within. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
Somewhere in Marie Geoise, there was a presence, an overwhelming power, unlike anything this world had known. Something greater, perhaps, than even Imu itself.
A soft click of the tongue echoed in the empty chamber.
In this timeline, in this reality, Imu had already erased Monkey D. Luffy from existence, crushing any possibility of rebellion before it could take root.
Every threat had been extinguished. Every variable, removed.
And yet… this feeling persisted.
Perhaps it was merely the toll of eternity, the endless stretch of solitude corroding the edges of reason.
But deep down, Imu knew.
Something in this world had begun to move, and it was not under Imu's control.
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