A Decision

Zera, undeterred by the various of gazes around him, leaped gracefully from the small boat, his body seeming to defy gravity as he soared effortlessly for hundreds of meters before landing with precision on a fragment of floating wreckage. This display once again underscored his supernatural prowess.

Nami and Carina watched his sudden feat in astonishment, their hearts gripped by a tempest of disbelief. To them, such power seemed beyond the capabilities of humans.

In contrast, the other four guests on the live broadcast took it in stride; after all, compared to Zera's past demonstrations of speed, this extraordinary leaping ability hardly fazed them.

With masterful control over his body, Zera landed on the floating plank without so much as a ripple disturbing the water beneath him.

He fixed his gaze upon Mad Treasure, who was not far away, his once imposing figure now diminished. Half of his body was submerged in the water, blood seeping from numerous wounds. His glasses were lost, and the aura of menace and threat he once exuded had been replaced by the defeated countenance of a lost dog, resigned to surrender.

Examining Mad Treasure's battered form, Zera found himself once more astounded by the extent of his own strength. The injuries inflicted upon Mad Treasure were merely a fraction of the force unleashed by Zera's extraordinary speed.

Most of that force had dissipated into the air through his deft maneuvers, yet Zera had effortlessly shouldered it for hundreds of nautical miles.

Remarkably, his body bore little to no damage, and his stamina remained largely intact. As he stood by Nami and Carina, he sensed himself regaining his peak condition in seconds.

"Such power," Zera murmured, his mind still reeling from the realization. With a firm clench of his fists, he affirmed his newfound strength.

No matter how one might underestimate Mad Treasure, if he didn't quite measure up to a Navy Vice-Admiral, he was certainly at the level of a top Rear-Admiral.

Yet, such a formidable individual had been dispatched with ease. Zera was now fully convinced that the destructive potential of his own fists far surpassed what he had just witnessed. Previously, he had speculated that he was on par with a Vice-Admiral, but now he understood that his potential extended even beyond that.

Level 1 represented the pinnacle of human ability, and being a supernatural being only added to his capabilities. With this display of power, Zera began to entertain the idea that the only thing holding him back from being considered Yonko or Admiral-class was the absence of Haki.

With a single glance, Zera's interest in his defeated opponent evaporated entirely. With a nonchalant kick, the powerful gust generated by his motion sent the now powerless Mad Treasure plunging into the depths of the sea. As a Devil Fruit user, his fate was sealed.

Carina watched this display in disbelief; this cold-blooded side of Zera was entirely new to her. She wasn't repulsed or angered, but rather, the realization that she couldn't quite comprehend him wounded her deeply.

Meanwhile, Nami's expression remained largely unchanged, her focus still fixed on the astonishment from earlier. The only discernible difference was the glazed look in her eyes, indicating deep contemplation.

The four girls nodded in silent appreciation. Zera's decisive action had won their admiration. Rias, as a demon, understood the necessity of such ruthlessness. Tsunade, a seasoned kunoichi, recognized the pragmatism in his approach. Xia Qingyue, a cultivator, respected his unwavering resolve. And Saeko, a warrior who reveled in the thrill of battle, found herself drawn to his willingness to engage in such decisive killing without hesitation.

Zera effortlessly returned to the boat with another graceful leap, his keen vision capturing every detail of the scene below. Whether it was Carina's frustration, Nami's introspection, or the admiration from his chat group friends, everything registered in his perceptive gaze.

With a subtle nod towards the four virtual projections of the girls, he brought the live broadcast session to an unexpected end, leaving them yearning for more. They had become addicted to witnessing his every move.

As Zera observed the distraught Carina, annoyance crept into his tone as he addressed her, "Get moving and return to town. Follow my path to avoid encountering Claudia-nee."

His words jolted the dazed Nami back to reality, prompting an unconscious retort, "What? With all these jewels and gold lying around, do you expect us to leave it here? That's impossible! It's all mine!"

Caught off guard by Zera's unimpressed gaze, Nami blushed and hastily clarified her intentions.

"I-I mean, it would be a shame to let such treasures sink into the sea like this..."

Zera glanced towards the nearby sea, noticing the abundance of jewels and chunks of gold floating precariously, on the verge of slipping beneath the surface.

In Nami's urgency, she quickly roused Carina from her daze and whispered to her, urging her to persuade Zera to help them salvage the treasures.

However, Zera had little interest in the treasure, not out of nobility but because as his strength grew, even the planet itself would eventually fall under his dominion. Whether the gold sank or ended up in others' possession mattered little to him.

Suppressing her frustration, Carina leaned into Zera, her ample bosom pressing against his arm as she adopted a coquettish tone.

"Z-chan, have you truly become so strong without Big Sister noticing? It's quite a failure on my part..."

"Z-chan, with your strength, could you help Big Sister retrieve some of the treasures floating around?"

Zera wasn't surprised by Carina's actions; after all, she shared Nami's fondness for wealth.

"How much do you need?"

Nami and Carina surveyed the treasures floating nearby, lamenting their small boat's limited capacity.

Unable to take it all, they settled for a live-appreciation and salvaged the most precious items, reluctantly leaving the rest behind, much to their dismay.

"Ugh, I hate this! If only we had taken a bigger boat!"

"It's all your fault, Nami! I told you that only a proper boat could help us evade that villain's pursuit, but you were so stingy! Maybe now you'll listen to my advice!"

Zera simmered with annoyance at the situation. Normally, he wouldn't have resorted to killing a defeated opponent like Mad Treasure, but his coercion towards Carina had pushed him to do so without mercy. Despite this, he couldn't shake off his fury at Carina's adventurous nature.

As he watched Nami and Carina happily loading the boat with the treasures he had retrieved from the sea, Zera came to a decision. Perhaps accompanying these two on their sea adventures would offer a more captivating experience than his usual routine, and he could also protect her from any harms.

"Z-chan! Everything's packed! Let's go!" Carina called out, her excitement evident as she waved at him.

Zera nodded in understanding, deciding to temporarily set aside his anger for the moment.

Approaching Carina, Nami's gaze remained fixed on Zera.

"Is that your legendary future husband, Carina?" she inquired.

Carina eyed Nami warily.

"Little cat, don't even think about it! He's mine!"

Nami's reaction to Carina's possessiveness sparked fury within her. Despite finding Zera charming and having felt her heart flutter in his presence, Nami dismissed any romantic thoughts, knowing she had no time or inclination for such matters.

"You vixen! I'm not trying to steal him from you! I just want to know how strong he is!" Nami retorted, her frustration evident.

Nami's inquiry caused Carina's face to pale, as she watched Zera, who was lost in thought while tinkering with the boat mast.

Ignoring Nami completely, Carina left her feeling annoyed and mad.

Zera made no attempt to interject or explain himself, allowing their conversation, which they believed to be secretive, to continue uninterrupted. While he had once held an appreciation for Nami, his current self only admired her spirit of sacrifice. As for anything else, he decided to leave it to the future to decide.

The small boat finally departed from the scene of both right and wrong, sailing back towards the town along Zera's water trajectory.