Chapter 156: Sleep is over.

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After having delivered Luffy's message and provoking a commotion, we went back to Rusukaina, and another day passed by.

The next day, Jinbei informed the group that he would be leaving to deal with some matters in his home country.

As for Rayleigh, the old man would of course stay here to train Luffy as per his own wish. Edam didn't and wouldn't object since he himself would have forced Luffy to stay here and get stronger anyway. Having a legendary veteran was a very welcomed plus.

As for Trafalgar, Edam would visit and watch them work during the two days. And the former didn't really work his ass off to fulfill his part of the agreement. He did take his time in doing so, but that was by taking into account the special Healing Chamber that he was given for this job. 

He didn't need to hurry himself as the chamber maintained Ace in this same comatose state perfectly and so had enough time to carefully analyze Ace's blood type and compatibility with the organs. Organs that were obtained through some black market or whatever with the help of Edam of course.

… 

Today, as usual, Edam and Hancock were resting lazily under a Sakura tree, bathing in the few sun rays that passed through the tree's branches and leaves. The breeze was just enough to not be too hot, not too cold.

"My little boy, when you come out, I will take you to hunt!" Edam, who was lying comfortably on Hancock's laps raised a fist to the sky and exclaimed excitedly while Hancock stroked his hair slowly with a gentle smile on her face.

However, at his words, she stopped stroking his hair for a moment and asked with a laugh.

"But, what if it's a girl?" 

"Oh, then, when she will strike her fifth birthday, I will teach her the basics of martial arts and ki manipulation! For her ten years old, I will then teach her to hunt!" Edam replied with a lot of anticipation for the future in his heart.

"Hmm, what? So if it's a boy, will you take him to hunt earlier?" Hancock asked curiously.

"Of course, if it's a boy, I want him to know how to fight back, to fight for himself and his convictions…"

"My, my, do you hear that my sweeties, you're not even born yet, and your dad is already plotting a harsh life for you…" Hancock lamented on her own while caressing her belly.

"What? How so plotting, and... 'sweeties' huh...?" Edam said and then pointed out her strange way of phrasing it.  

"Ah, uh, I mean… cough, since, you don't know if it's a boy or girl, I'm just assuming that it is both?" Hancock half avoided his gaze in panic it seems and replied with a blushing expression.

"Mmm…" Edam narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "You, don't tell me-..." 

Though just as he was about to speak his suspicion out loud, a voice rang out in his mind, it was Trafalgar Law's voice.

"Law? What's up?" Edam had already pretty much calmed down about Ace's current state and was now only expecting some results.

"You should come here to see it personally…"

"...I see… I'll be there in a minute…" Edam said solemnly before looking at Hancock. "I have to go and see what the surgeon of death has for me, I'll be back…"

"I'm coming with you." 

"Sure…" They stood up as Edam held onto her hand and opened a portal directly toward Trafalgar Law's position.

They crossed the gate and instantly arrived face to face with Trafalgar who was waiting for them.

"So?" Edam asked and turned to look at the comatose Ace. 

"Oh…" He directly noticed that the scary hole that was supposed to be there was completely stitched up in such a perfect way that you wouldn't see it unless you focus on it.

"Nice job…" Edam quietly uttered, being completely impressed with Trafalgar's medical skills.

"I guess… though, if this was in normal times, even for me it would be quite difficult to leave no scar, but your magical machine gave me all the necessary time to carefully prepare and repair the damage…"

"So, the heart and lungs are good?" Edam turned to look at him.

"Everything that had to be repaired was repaired… they are all compatible…" Trafalgar said with a neutral expression but then paused for a moment.

"However… he is still not showing signs of waking up…" Trafalgar said with a solemn and annoyed expression. After all these efforts, there were still no positive results. 

"I see…" Edam mumbled under his breath. "Is it his soul?"

"Hmm, soul or not, I don't know, I'm a doctor, not a witch…" Trafalgar said and then added.

"Now his devil fruit is the only thing I obviously can't return to him. Is our contract concluded?" Trafalgar said carefully. He was still a bit wary that he would turn back on his word and kill him and his crew to keep the secret of Ace's improbable but still ongoing rebirth.

"Hmm…" Edam glanced at him quietly. "I guess, it is…"

"Good, then… I'll take my leave then…" Trafalgar turned around and started to leave when Edam called out to him.

"Wait…" His voice was calm and quiet.

"...?" Trafalgar turned curiously and saw to his surprise Edam holding out his hand for a handshake.

"I didn't thank you properly two days ago, so, thank you for your hard work…" Edam said with gratitude even though no concrete results came out of this.

"..." Law was silent for a long moment before he unconsciously took his hand and shook it slightly.

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Meanwhile, on the Other Side, in the present timeline, at the Sacred World of the Kais.

After a very long sleep...

A pair of profound, ancient, and seemingly eternal red-wine colored eyes snapped open and shone a piercing and dreadful light. 

This pair of eyes seemed to reflect an endless amount of things, capable of seeing beyond and throughout the truth of this sacred world, throughout the cycle of reincarnation, and beyond the Other Side's Wall.

For a brief instant...

The entire Cosmos felt something out of it, although it wasn't much to say the truth, there was no energy felt, nor were there any heaven and earth phenomenon happening, nothing too extraordinary at all... 

It was just that... every and any living beings endowed with even the smallest amount of consciousness felt their souls shiver, the atoms of their very beings halting for an unnoticeable moment, out of fear certainly, as if sensing an apex predator that was suddenly waking out of its very long hibernation and staring at them again.

That strange sensation happened not only in this universe but in every universe which exists, they felt it, each timeline, and each dimension that composes this entire Multiverse felt it. 

All these souls waiting to go through reincarnations felt from far away that in face of it, hoping to go through Samsara was but wishful thinking, they would be unable to live anew… no magic, no power, be it mortal or divine would do…

The promise of a true end, was once again reverberating throughout Time and Space...

Yes, for a brief and imperceptible instant that is…

… 

As for the owner of those terrifying eyes, after waking up… 

"..." The dreadful cold light slowly receded as his spirits came back to him, although his pupils now perpetually retained this profound blood-red color.

His sight first came in contact with a red silk-like layer that covered him, just like a cocoon, as soft as silk. With a casual move of his hand, he easily tore the silk-like fabric and began to tear it apart to get out of it.

And the first thing that went up into his mind as he stood his upper body from the ground was the very clear image of Hancock.

Looking around with a pair of clear baby-like eyes full of curiosity, he scanned and observed his surroundings in wonder as if seeing and comprehending new aspects in everything entering his eyesight. 

He was so immersed that he didn't notice or care about the two people coming his way, one was a youth and the other an elderly person.

"Sir Edam, you're finally awake!" The young guy exclaimed excitedly as he ran his way.

"..." However, he was so focused on his sightseeing that he didn't even seem to hear the little guy.

It was only after a moment that Edam finally turned his head and set his eyes on the young guy, but he couldn't help but frown, a little confused about this unknown guy calling out to him in such a familiar manner. "Umm… who are you? And where am I?"

"Ah! Right, I'm Shin, the Supreme Kai of this Sacred World, and congratulations on-…" Shin introduced himself. Before he could speak any more than that, the voice of the elder guy cut him off.

"Finally awake huh…?" The old man said with a seemingly dissatisfied tone. This old man was actually a sort of Ancestor of the Sacred World of the Kai and a venerable person that had existed for hundreds of millions of years.

However, the old man was now very dissatisfied with the current situation. Ever since this young man, that is Edam, had been brought here in this sacred place, the whole Realm's divine essence was being siphoned by Edam.  

Since the beginning of the universe, such a thing had never happened and could only be labeled as a divine sin at least. Sure the Realm of the God had been threatened with physical destruction a few years ago, but that matter could still be forgotten since the sacred world of the Kais isn't not limited to being just a planet like all the mortal worlds. It is much more than that.

The God Realm is bound to the fate of the worlds. The realm's very existence supports all of creation, its divine energy is interwoven into the tapestry of creation... birth, growth, death, and rebirth... every strand, transcending time, transcending space.

It's like a fuel station, with the world of the Kais being the station and the supreme kais being the workers, to make life flourish.

It is a necessity in the creation of all things in a universe, with even the Destroyers not allowed to destroy that sacred world.

However…!

Now, this young man whom no one knew a damn thing about, actually dared to come and siphon the sacred world's divine essence?! 

Furthermore, the divine essence is something incredibly difficult to recover, unlike regular divine energy. And since this is something that never happened, even the old ancestor didn't know the repercussions it could have on the world. This is simply outrageous!

The old ancestor was kinda pissed at that and so wanted to scold the little guy a bit to vent his frustration. "Tsk, young man, I hope you have a good excuse for the trouble you caused this time…"

Hearing that clear pissed-off tone of the ancestor, a small frown formed on Edam's face as his eyes darted and heavily landed on the old ancestor.

His eyes were neither too cold nor too warm, it wasn't filled with anger yet but it was one of annoyance, clearly. Being talked to in this manner when he had just woken up tends to piss people off rather quickly, and Edam was no exception.

However, he didn't realize that the feeling his blood-red eyes gave off was very frightening right now… It gave off a familiar but distant feeling of imminent death…!

"Hiiih!" The old man was so frightened that he directly fell on his sacred butt.

"Ah, venerable ancestor, what happened?!" Shin exclaimed and rapidly helped the old man to his feet.

"Are?" The ancestor was sweating profusely as he inspected his own body as if fearing to die in the next instant.

After calming down, he once again looked at Edam with a hidden fright in his eyes. 

"Old man, can't you speak nicer? My ears are buzzing with your pesky whining..." Edam asked with a frown. He didn't want to be rude, as he promptly recognized them to be divine beings, but oddly or not, he just couldn't feel a strand of respect for this venerable ancestor.

"Ah, cough, cough, you're right, I'm getting senile with my age, don't blame me alright?" The old ancestor seemed to be sweating buckets as he laughed awkwardly.

"...?" Edam raised an eyebrow at the old Kai's strange behavior but didn't peer into it, uncaring as long as he didn't bother him.

"Anyway, Shin, how long have I been asleep?" His last memory was of him breaking Black's divine soul into pieces before going blank.

"Hmm… in planet earth's calendar, I think you were asleep for seven months…?"

!!!!!? 

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