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Chapter 92 - Chapter 92: Enjoying togetherness before parting

As night descended, the crescent moon appeared then vanished amongst the dark clouds, and scattered starlight twinkled in the night sky.

Within a solitary room in Dressrosa Royal Palace.

Sephiroth held a stemmed glass in his hand, gently swirling the red wine within it. The reddish-brown liquid in the glass shimmered beautifully under the room's light. He stood before an open window, leaning on the sill, using the Royal Palace's height to gaze at the countless city lights in the distance and the ordinary people still enjoying themselves on the night streets. On his face, a thoughtful expression occasionally surfaced, as if weighing pros and cons...

"Cheer up!" Finally, he tilted his head back, downed the red wine in the glass in one gulp, then swallowed. Only then did he casually place the empty glass on a nearby table.

At this moment, Sephiroth was dressed in black trousers and a long-sleeved white shirt. Before heading out, he also carefully straightened the collar of his white shirt in a small mirror on the wall. After a moment's thought, he unbuttoned the top two buttons, making himself appear slightly unrestrained, more natural, and less serious.

Sephiroth reached out, pushed the door open, walked into the Royal Palace corridor, and unhurriedly made his way towards Scarlett's bedroom. After weighing the pros and cons in his heart, the youth had chosen to accept the young woman's feelings. This wasn't solely because he desired her body... Rather, he felt that if he were with Scarlett, he should be able to leverage the Dressrosa Kingdom's awkward position in the New World to help the Umbrella Corporation develop and gain a foothold there, thus acquiring huge profits!

Frankly speaking, Sephiroth never expected to lack beautiful women; he had money and power. Although his influence wasn't yet strong, his future was promising! Even reaching the level of a Yonko's Crew was entirely possible... Therefore, there was absolutely no need for him to be blinded by lust, thinking lustfully every day about charging forward! Charging forward! Charging forward!...

Before that, he had to consider the gains and losses. If the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, or if his choice was irrelevant, he would consider it. After all, everyone needs a hobby in life, right? He, Sephiroth, was not an enlightened monk with pure senses, free from worldly desires.

But... If his personal hobbies harmed his own interests, or even endangered him, then he could only laugh wryly! It was fine to add a little spice to life, but if he was courting death, Sephiroth would certainly not be willing...

However, Boa Hancock is an exception. For that woman, I have accepted my destiny for this life! Sephiroth sighed in his heart.

When he reached the door of Scarlett's room, he found it slightly ajar, and no attendants waited nearby... Clearly, the young woman had left the door open for him!

Sephiroth gently reached out and pushed the door open, causing a soft creak.

Inside the bedroom. Scarlett wore a light yellow nightgown, her waist-length pink hair cascading over her shoulders. She sat on a long sofa with her back to the door, holding a pink pillow in her left arm and a glass of red wine in her right hand. After turning slightly to glance at the silver-haired youth, she immediately turned back, keeping her face averted from him, as if staring at the night sky from the open balcony in front of her. She did this to conceal the nervousness and unease in her heart.

Sephiroth gently closed the door and walked towards the long sofa. He sat down softly beside the pink-haired young woman, unbuckled the Butcher's Blade from his waist, and leaned it against the sofa's armrest.

"Sephiroth, you're leaving tomorrow..." Scarlett placed the wine glass she was holding onto the table in front of her. Hugging the pillow, she leaned forward slightly. Just like that, her head naturally rested on the silver-haired youth's shoulder, as if seeking emotional support and comfort. Her tone was filled with affection and reluctance to part...

Scarlett's faint body scent and the aroma of wine reached Sephiroth's nose, making him feel inexplicably warm. A gentle breeze blew in from the balcony, swaying the balcony curtains and flickering the candles on the table, seemingly stirring the thoughts of the two individuals as well...

"Yes! I have to return to Marine Headquarters..."

"Then, after graduating from the Marine Academy, can you apply for a transfer to the Marine G-5 Branch? That Marine base is only a day's journey from Dressrosa." The pink-haired young woman raised her head slightly and looked at him expectantly. Her eyes were full of hope, wishing he would agree to her request.

"Sorry! I already have other plans after graduation..." Sephiroth began, then continued, "However, perhaps in the future, I can apply for a transfer to the Marine G-5 Branch."

Hearing that, Scarlett was silent for a moment. She still leaned her head on the man's shoulder and did not appear angry about it. With a slightly nervous voice, she gently pleaded: "Then... I'll go with you! Father will definitely agree..."

"You don't need to come with me."

Hearing this, the pink-haired young woman's delicate body trembled, and only then did she slowly lift her head. She seemed to understand something, and a hint of sadness appeared in her eyes. Is he rejecting me...? He's not willing to transfer to the Marine G-5 Branch for me, nor is he willing to let me leave the Dressrosa Kingdom with him. Will our relationship end after today...?

Sephiroth sharply noticed the change in Scarlett's eyes. The corner of his mouth curved up slightly, revealing a gentle smile, and he patiently explained: "I can use my Doa Doa no Mi ability to travel back and forth between Marine Headquarters and Dressrosa..."

"How is that possible? Even sailing in a warship from the Red Line in the New World, with a Permanent Pose guiding, day and night non-stop, the entire journey would take at least two days! If you encounter bad weather, the time will be extended even longer..." An expression of disbelief appeared on Scarlett's face.

"You know about me opening the space door with a sword before, right?"

"I know about that, but... the Red Line is so far from Dressrosa...?"

"The process of traveling back and forth is indeed a bit troublesome... I need to rest for a while several times along the way." Sephiroth explained. "During my vacations, if nothing special happens with the Marines, I can also visit you frequently. However, I need a proper guide to reach Dressrosa..."

Hearing this, Scarlett tilted her head, a confused expression on her face, and she unconsciously said: "Permanent Pose?"

"NO." Sephiroth shook his head. He opened his mouth and emitted ultrasonic waves that the pink-haired young woman could not hear, spreading them outwards and summoning wild bats from the vicinity. Soon after, more than ten bats flew in from all directions, entering the room through the balcony, continuously flapping their wings and circling in the air.

"You're the one!" Sephiroth pointed to one of the bats, and the other bats, upon hearing this, very intelligently flapped their wings and left the room.

"What are you...?" Under Scarlett's bewildered gaze, the silver-haired youth gestured, causing the bat to land on the table. Immediately after, he used his left thumb nail to gently cut his index finger, allowing blood to flow out slowly, which he fed to the bat crawling on the table.

Squeak, squeak, squeak...! After drinking Sephiroth's blood, the black bat looked as if it had been injected with a stimulant. It began to flap its wings up and down inside the room, as if filled with endless energy. In Scarlett's stunned eyes, the bat's body gradually swelled in a circle, becoming significantly stronger.

After Sephiroth fully mastered Life Return, he developed a mysterious feeling towards his own blood, which was very peculiar and hard to describe in words... Even if the blood left his body, as long as it hadn't completely dried and coagulated, he could sense its presence! Through Sephiroth's research, he discovered that his current blood contained extremely powerful vitality. If given to other people or animals, it would have a strong healing effect, which could greatly speed up the healing rate of wounds! Even if a wound was cut to the bone by a sword or the Butcher's Blade, as long as his blood was consumed, the wound would scab and heal within a day. Its effect was comparable to a special healing medicine!

Sephiroth had once pondered whether he could create other Vampires to serve him, using the characteristics of his blood. However... He failed! After entering a person's body for one day, his blood would lose its specificity and be rejected by the immune system, eventually being expelled from the body...

However, after conducting research, he made another discovery! When his blood entered a bat's body, a mutually beneficial "symbiotic relationship" could be formed and would not be rejected by the immune system! His blood could strengthen the bat's physical condition, while certain substances in the bat could maintain the characteristics of his blood and allow him to sense it. Even if he himself wore Sea Stone shackles, it would only temporarily block that connection and would not cause the blood residing within the bat to disappear...

With this type of bat for spatial positioning, he could easily use the Doa Doa no Mi to teleport between various islands... Therefore, Sephiroth had left a bat that had been fed his blood in the Sabaody Archipelago, in Tesoro's villa, and in the military factory, to deal with unexpected occurrences... Now, even from a thousand miles away, he could still clearly sense their presence and perform approximate positioning! After developing this special ability, he still hadn't tested the maximum range of this perception!

However, there were also certain side effects after the bats received his blood, the most direct manifestation being... an overwhelming bloodlust! Once these bats entered a state of hunger, they would become extremely aggressive and enter an irrational state of madness! Sephiroth once experimented by putting a Vampire bat and a dog into a cage. After some time, the starving bat began to go mad and attacked the dog, which was dozens of times larger than Sephiroth. In the end, the dog was bitten and bled to death by the bat, and the bat itself was full of wounds, with several ripped holes in its wings, looking ragged.

However... Sephiroth was very surprised to find that after drinking blood, the bat's wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye, with flesh and blood rapidly growing... Although the super regeneration was still not as good as his own, it was still stronger than ordinary Life Return! These bats, under the influence of his blood, had become Vampires! Sephiroth came to this conclusion after researching for a considerable amount of time.

Perhaps, when he could make his own blood ignore the human immune system and form a "symbiotic relationship" within the human body, he would be able to create human Vampires...! ? At that time, he would become... the True Ancestor of Vampires! As Sephiroth thought about having a group of fearless Vampire subordinates, he felt a surge of excitement in his heart! Therefore, he planned to spend his limited free time each day researching how his blood could be preserved in the human body long-term without being rejected.

"At that time, put him in a large cage and have someone feed him fresh cow and lamb blood three times a day..."

"Remember, the blood the bat drinks must be fresh for it to absorb enough energy. Also, don't let it starve. Without my control on site, it will become very dangerous and extremely aggressive..." The silver-haired youth raised his right hand, gently wrapping it around the pink-haired young woman's shoulder, and gently explained the precautions for raising the Vampire bat, while hoping she wouldn't be in danger from caring for it.

"With him, even from a thousand miles away, I can find Dressrosa's location in the vast ocean and appear by your side..."

"Sephiroth~!" Scarlett smiled sweetly, her eyes filled with emotion and joy. The youth's words undoubtedly told her... that she didn't need to leave her homeland and be separated from her parents, and she could also see him frequently! The youth had done so much for her; she didn't want to ask for anything more...

Sephiroth used his left hand to gently lift Scarlett's chin, looking directly into her eyes. He whispered softly: "Let's just sit here until dawn!"

"Okay~!" Scarlett replied softly, resting her head on Sephiroth's shoulder, enjoying their togetherness.

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