Opening her eyes, a person was surprised to find that she was still alive.
"I…I'm alive?" He wondered, looking around.
He saw only the outlines of a dark room, which looked nothing like the snowy plain where he had fought against a giant insect.
"Where am I?"
To answer his question, the light of a candle was lit, before being imitated by a hundred others. Startled, Orochi ends up widening his eyes, noticing that he was in a place, resembling a torture chamber. Trying to move, he found he couldn't as he lay chained to a table.
"What the...? Where am I?"
Immediately, ready to satisfy his curiosity, the head of a female monster appeared above him.
"You are in my personal room, my dear guest! I introduce myself, my name is Neuronist, the queen of torture! It is said that you are a human emperor! Great... this is the first time that a person with a rank like yours finds himself here! Know that this rejoices me in advance for what will pass between us."
Seeing Neuronist's horrible face, Orochi immediately started screaming.
"WHO ARE YOU? FUKUROKUJU! HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME!"
"Scream as much as you want, no one will come to help you."
Emerging from a dark corner of the room, Galadriel introduced herself to Orochi. However, not being alone, she held a man by his throat, while he was dressed as a ninja. His face bleeding, he only moaned, while Galadriel put a soft smile on her face.
"Sorry to have damaged one of your men! I thought he might be useful to me but his memories were really insignificant! Therefore, since you seemed to be sleeping so soundly, I decided to skip the time by torturing him a bit! But don't worry, I didn't kill him! It's not at all worthy of a person like me to slaughter my precious guests."
"Who...Who are you? No ! Forget that question! I command you to release me! Do you know who I am? I am..."
"Orochi, the Shogun of Wano Kuni." Galadriel affirmed, with a bored tone. "From what my men said about you, you were just saying that over and over again in an attempt to scare them! Using his title as a weapon...it's pathetic."
"Grrrr! Are you stupid? I have the feeling that you don't understand what will happen to you if you ever hurt me! If you touch any of my hair, you'll regret it, bitch."
In response, Galadriel put her sweet smile on her face. Then, slowly, she reached out her hand before closing her grip on Orochi's left knee.
"Orochi-san...as a host, I prefer to inform you in advance, that I hate insults directed at me."
And, a loud crack was heard, as Galadriel's hand crushed Orochi's knee bone.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
"You call me a stupid girl but, honestly, what do I have to fear from you? Your whole army was destroyed by my subordinate's and my other subordinate had no hard to defeat you! Frankly, don't you understand that whoever should be most terrified of his situation..."
Extending her smile, she only showed cruelty on her face, as she stared at Orochi in his eyes. Then, while she was in her human guise, she enjoyed further terrorizing Orochi, taking on her demonic form.
" It's you. "
Feeling frozen, Orochi couldn't say a word, as sweat began to cover his trembling body.
"Oh? Has the information finally entered your brain? You see me delighted! After all, you are very lucky! Compared to the rest of your men who died in combat, my subordinates have transported here so that I may give you special treatment! The fact that you are alive shows that I am a generous person, doesn't it?"
Then, pretending to think, she said.
"Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that a few of your men survived the attack! I was very impressed with their endurance."
However, she shrugged, before sighing.
"Unfortunately, since it was the Demiurge who captured them, he is free to do with them what he wants! And I'm afraid none of them are still alive at the end of the week! What a shame! But what do you want? I have to know how to reward my men when they do a good deed."
" You ... You ... monster. "
"Oh? Do you consider me a monster just because of my wings? Orochi-san...I find that insulting! I don't see why the demon would always be treated as a monster by humans and not the other way around! And from what I've heard about you, you're by no means a saint."
"DAMN IT! But what do you want from me? Why did you attack me? I didn't do anything to you! I don't even know you."
"Oh really? Excuse me for not introducing myself sooner."
Stepping back, she sat down on a chair, before crossing her legs.
"Neuronist-san, can you satisfy our guest's curiosity, by revealing my identity to him?"
" Aye, my lady. "
Immediately, clapping her hands, Neuronist managed to start some music. immediately, Galadriel recognized an OST from Lord of the Rings , while from Neuronist affirmed.
"Years ago, a dungeon infested with monsters and other creatures caught the attention of a group of Supreme Beings! Nine in number, they ventured inside and managed to defeat all the creatures of this dungeon! Once done, they improved it, before being joined by other supreme beings, who allowed them to form an elite group, worthy of being among the deities."
Chuckling sinisterly, three gargoyles descended from the ceiling, continuing on.
"Among these supreme beings, was Galadriel-sama! She embodied beauty..."
"Smart...
"And the power."
"And today, even though this group no longer exists, you are lucky enough to find yourself in their former home: the tomb of Nazarick! And the person facing you is the supreme being Galadriel-sama."
"Gala...?" Orochi wondered. "You're that bitch who runs these demons, aren't you? You little bitch! I swear you and your men... AHHHHHHHHHH!"
Immediately, Galadriel's fist smashed into his second knee, crushing it to a pulp.
"Orochi-san...what don't you understand about 'not insulting your host.' "
"Stop! Stop! I don't know you! What do you want from me?"
" What I want ? "
Again on her face, Galadriel's soft smile accompanied her finger, which traced a line on Orochi's forehead.
"That's what's...inside your brain."
" Hiiiiiiii ? "
Suddenly, Galadriel's hand crushed his skull and glowed.
" WHAT ARE YOU DOING ? "
"Don't worry! I'm just reading your mind and knowing every corner of your memory! That way, I'll know your life in every detail."
Unable to struggle, Orochi felt his memories being sucked away by Galadriel's hand, who closed her eyes. Immediately, flashes appeared in her brain and soon Orochi's life was no longer a secret to her.
Wano Kuni...Oden...Kurozumi family...Kanjuro...Kaido...SMILE... Finally, opening her eyes, Galadriel stared at Orochi in disgust. Then, the light from her hand was replaced by flames, which burned the shogun's face.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"You...I thought a shogun could serve me and become a wonderful hostage or bargaining chip! But a guy like you...who doesn't know empathy or recognition or loyalty. .."
Her eyes turned purple, as she stared into Orochi's, who trembled in terror.
"You don't deserve to live."
Finally, she turned around, before affirming.
"Neuronist…this thing is officially your toy! Treat yourself! But don't forget that you will have to report to me detailing all your actions! So, if you want to impress me…be creative."
"Count on me, my Lady! I will not disappoint you."
Finally, exiting the torture chamber, Galadriel saw Yuri waiting for her in a hallway. Seeing the Pleiad, Galadriel questioned her.
"Did you manage to locate their position?"
"Absolutely, my lady."
Immediately, Galadriel heard her glasses make strange noises, as a red dot finally appeared.
"They are exactly 76 kilometers west of where we fought them."
Starting to smile, Galadriel mentally congratulated Yuri, who had had the reflex, during her fight against Drake, to create a magic spell allowing the pleiad to locate his position, no matter where he was.
" Perfect. "
"Are you going to order the formation of an army to go and finish them off, my Lady?
Seeming to think, Galadriel affirmed.
"I saw you talking to this man and I saw that he had a somewhat troubled face! Yuri, can you tell me exactly what you said to him?"
Nodding, Yuri used her memory to repeat, word for word, her conversation with Drake. Listening to her, Galadriel couldn't help but have a sudden urge to laugh, while Yuri detailed the justice of the demoness.
Finally, a demonic smile appeared on her face.
"Excellent! Yuri...you did a great job."
"Really? Still, compared to Aura-san and Albedo-san, I didn't…"
Stopping her, Galadriel put her finger on her chin, before lifting her head so that Yuri could fix her gaze.
"Yuri...you may be the one who will make us win this battle which has, for the moment, no winner."
" What ? "
Putting her finger on a wall, Galadriel called on her magic to reveal a map of the world.
"Yuri, I'm going to entrust you with a very important mission."
Pointing her finger at Somalia, she declared.
"Our enemies are here."
Then she pointed to eastern China.
"And I want you to take them here."
" Huh ? "
"To do this, I will entrust you with mercenaries, whose role will be to follow and harass them! The phoenix is not a coward! Nevertheless, since he preferred to flee the fight, he showed a cautious character If he feels spied on, he will surely prefer to move away from our mercenaries and we will use this to force them to move, again and again, until he arrives at his intended destination! And I want you to force them to take a very specific route."
At that moment, a line appeared on her map, starting from Somalia, crossing a few other African countries, going to the Middle East and a few Asian countries like India, and ending its course in China.
"Here is your mission, Yuri."
"Huh…pardon my lack of intelligence, my lady! But I admit I don't understand the point of this plan! Won't you capture these men?"
"Yeah but... if you ask me, it's best for us to manage to ally ourselves with some of those strange humans! And whoever you talked to... I'll make sure to show him the marvelous political regimes of the countries they are going to visit, before having a conversation with him, about the changes I intend to make in this world."
Trying to understand her lady's plan precisely, Yuri saw her turn to her, before asking her.
"Yuri...in all honesty...do you really believe that I'm the true model of justice?"
" Of course. " Assured the pleiad, without the slightest hesitation. "Galadriel-sama, there is no one better than you to discern right from wrong! And I know that you will do your utmost to eradicate evil in this world."
"Do you understand that this will perhaps force me to slaughter half the population living in this world?"
" Yes! But if this allows the innocent to live in your future kingdom, I will watch you slaughter other humans with a smile and I will help you in your quest! Eradicate evil can never be done with words! You have to know get your hands dirty to make it entirely disappear."
Then showing a big smile, she said.
"The supreme being that you are is never wrong."
" Yuri... don't look at me with that innocent face. " Galadriel thought, unable to help but slightly avert her head. " I'm going to feel guilty. "
Then, reflecting on her motives for ruling the world, she wondered if it was really to help innocent people live in a better world. Immediately, she felt like giggling again. Of course, that was the excuse her human side was trying to come up with, to excuse her actions. But, the demonic part of Galadriel knew full well that she was only doing this for the challenge.
She wanted to show everyone the power of Nazarick...and her own power. Many people have tried to dominate the world and failed. And she wanted to be the first person to get there.
Suddenly, a strange sensation caught her attention.
" Huh ? "
"I can not believe it. "
Believing to look at what was left of a deteriorated armor, Chief Blacksmith, the disciple of Amanomahitotsu, could not help but be impressed by the significant amount of damage on the object.
"Your armor is, however, made from the strongest metal found in Nazarick." He assured. "I never thought I'd see her in such a state."
Turning to Albedo, he asked.
"What kind of monster did you fight? And how many were there?"
Taking advantage of her large size, Albedo lowered her face to glare at the blacksmith, who thought it best to step back.
"I can tell you but…I'll make sure you don't tell anyone! Do you still want me to satisfy your curiosity?"
" Huh ... no. "
"In that case, just repair my armor." The succubus ordered, leaving the forge. "And I want it like new."
being outside, Albedo walked a few moments in the corridor. Then she stopped. Looking down, she gritted her teeth, thinking back to her battles of the day. His performance against Drake had been perfect. Within minutes, she had managed to defeat him and was ready to bring him back to Nazarick. And yet... yet...
Immediately, the entire hallway shook, as the succubus' fist hit a wall, creating a crater. Just thinking about Marco was enough to make countless veins of rage appear on her face, as she clenched her teeth until they broke. She hadn't lost and Marco had fled. However, it was by no means a victory for Albedo.
"That human...he humiliated me...and in front of Galadriel-sama."
"ALBEDO ... "
Turning around, the succubus saw Demiurge running towards her. Finally stopping, he made a horrified face appear as he asked.
"What is this story? You were with Galadriel-sama and she was almost attacked by a human? How can you explain that?"
Staring at him for a few seconds, Albedo ends up turning around, before leaving. This was definitely not the time for her to hear someone scolding her. However, deciding to insist, Demiurge put a hand on her shoulder, before ordering her.
"Tell me what happened! How could you let a human almost assault our master? What were you doing? Taking a nap?"
Immediately, another jolt was felt in the hallway, while Demiurge's body had been pressed against a wall. A hand around her throat, Albedo glared at him as she roared.
"What do you think I was doing? I was fighting to bring honor to our lady! But…during that fight…I mostly tried to survive."
"Survive? Are you kidding me? Did this human really manage to defeat you? I can understand Shalltear losing due to her lack of strategy... But not you."
"You weren't there." Albedo roared. " You can't understand. "
In response, Demiurge surrounded his body in flames and forced Albedo back.
"I'm sure you let your guard down and that human got to take advantage of it! Albedo, what happened is unacceptable! You didn't live up to your title as leader of the Nazarick Guardians! If Tabula-sama knew about it, he'd be ashamed of you."
"Repeat." Albedo roared, conjuring up a dark aura around her. "Demiurge, you think you are strong, but, in truth, you can do nothing without your army! And why did you take Cocytus with you, during your last mission? Were you afraid of fear against the humans you would meet? You're no better than me."
"If I took Cocytus with me, it was to obtain a perfect victory! Except that you did not obtain your side! Which proves that my plan was better than yours! If you are not able to understand that, maybe you don't deserve your title of leader of the Guardians of Nazarick after all."
"Tssss! What are you trying to insinuate? That you're better than me? Demiurge, I can beat you in any field, eyes closed ! You're nothing compared to me! You say that Tabula-sama would have been ashamed of me ? But, if you want my opinion, it's because you're only a second-class guardian that Ulbert-sama is gone, without saying a single word of farewell."
"Do you dare?" The demon roared, slapping his tail against the ground, before elongating the size of his nails.
Immediately, a normal human would have fainted from fear, as the auras of the two demons faced each other, as they were ready to fight. However, in an instant, their auras vanished, as fear played across their faces.
"ALBEDO ! DEMIURGE ! "
Startled, the two demons turned to see Galadriel walking towards them.
" Gala ... ? "
The sound of a double slap was suddenly heard. Frozen, Albedo and Demiurge put a hand on their cheek, which now had a red mark. Glaring angrily, Galadriel asked them.
"What's wrong with you? Just because I almost got hit, you're ready to fight to the death, like ordinary humans would? Are you stupid?"
"But, Galadriel-sama..." Demiurge said.
" SILENCE !"
Trembling, Albedo and Demiurge immediately fell to one knee, while Galadriel's aura was so heavy that they couldn't stay upright.
"Who do you think I am? Yes, a human almost hit me! So what? You think my body is made of crystal? Do you think my body will destroy itself at the slightest shock? I dont am a child ! Demiurge... Albedo has nothing to reproach himself for! It was precisely because I let my guard down that I almost got hit! I was so impressed by the strength of this human that I didn't couldn't resist admiring it! I almost got punished because of my own stupidity."
Staring at the two demons, she declared.
"You know what would put Tabula-san and Ulbert-san to shame? Seeing you fight for a ridiculous reason! What do you think? those humans who managed to get strength equal to ours? I doubt it."
Standing still, his two subordinates lowered their faces, so as not to show their ashamed faces. Finally, Demiurge apologized.
"I'm sorry! I admit I overstepped my bounds! Not being there during this fight, I can't allow myself the slightest comment."
"Me too, I apologize for getting carried away. " Albedo affirmed.
Hearing them, Galadriel let her aura fade, as she nodded.
"For the next few days or weeks...or maybe even for the next few months, Nazarick must stick together, as we may be facing the greatest threat we have faced so far! We must not forget that I do not represent the power of Nazarick! If tensions arise between the guardians, I know in advance that Nazarick will only obtain defeat."
Taking a step towards the duo, she held out her hands to them, before affirming.
"Albedo...Demiurge...I need your help to dominate this world! Without you, I wouldn't be able to! So please, I don't want you to fight because of me . "
Hearing it, Albedo couldn't help but put her hand on her mouth, looking moved, while Demiurge felt a tear appear in his eyes.
" MY LADY ... "
Seeing that all hostility between them was completely gone, Galadriel declared.
"Instead of being angry with each other, let's be angry with those responsible for our situation! These humans...we must destroy them before they become truly dangerous to us."
"About that, did the prisoner reveal any interesting information to you?" Albedo asked.
Showing a mixed face, Galadriel answered her.
"Yes and no! He confirmed the fact that he lived in another world and that he was a real shogun! But, apart from the horrors he committed, I didn't learn much! This fool was just an asshole, intoxicated by his own arrogance! Nevertheless, I learned a lot about the strange powers he had! He ate a devil fruit."
"Fruit of the…devil?" Repeated the two demons in front of her.
Thinking, Galadriel said.
"I have the impression that his memories are being chased away by mine! I must quickly write them down, before I forget them! As a result, I could make a detailed report on all the important points that could serve us! But before that..."
Looking at Demiurge, she questioned him.
"Do you know... Kaido?"
"Kaido? Yes, that human had told me he was his associate and he seemed to want to scare me with that name! However, I don't know more."
"Is he an enemy to Nazarick, my lady?" Questioned Albedo.
Seeming pensive, Galadriel growled.
"Surely! I have seen this man in many memories of this human! Nevertheless, there are none that show him fighting! But…"
Silent, she had a perfect picture of Kaido's profile. And, the first word that came to mind was…awesome.
"The Kaido's ... crew ?"
" Huh ? "
"Demiurge, from today you will remain inside the tomb of Nazarick, unless I order you to come out! I want you to organize the defense of the tomb! Let everyone be ready in case of a potential attack."
Seeing her concerned face, Albedo questioned her.
"My lady ... Did you see anything?"
"It's hard to explain! This man hasn't seen any combat from this so-called Kaido but... he seems very powerful and, above all, very strongly surrounded."
Still thinking, she finally said.
"Albedo...all Nazarick forces must be informed that a potential threat may strike us! Therefore, warn all Guardians, Pleiades and others...including Victim, Nigredo, Rubedo and Gargantua."
Hearing these last two names, Albedo couldn't help but stare at Galadriel in amazement.
"My lady...are you sure? I'm not contradicting your orders but...I understand that you call on Victim and Nigredo...but is it a good idea to call on Rubedo? Even if she obeys you, we must not forget that she is uncontrollable, when she gets angry! As for Gargantua..."
"I need to think about that." Galadriel informed, suddenly leaving the pair. "Excuse me, but I need to be alone, for a few minutes, in my room."
A few minutes later, Galadriel was facing her bedroom mirror and stared at her mirror while putting on an emotionless face. However, a smile eventually appeared on her face. Then a genuine laugh escaped her lips.
The situation frightened him. Within days, a real pressure had crashed on her shoulders since Shalltear had met Kid and Law. And yet, this situation...excited her.
Since her reincarnation as Galadriel, Queen of Nazarick, she had always done her best to dominate the world and behave like her character. Yet this conquest was nothing like a quest for Yggdrasil. It just felt like a management game, with a bit of action here and there.
But today, that was no longer the case. Galadriel wanted to control the world, and powerful opponents suddenly appeared. And this time, the excitement she felt was the same she felt while playing Yggdrasil.
Now she really felt like she was playing her favorite game again.
"Sorry to disappoint you, humans from another world! You may have thought get rid of us quickly...but in truth, the first round of this fight has only just begun, and I'm going to make sure to finish, as the sole winner."