Chapter 98: Welcome to the Kingdom of the Dead
Being dead himself, he naturally couldn't be killed again. This was also the reason why the wounds in Salazar's body healed.
"Interesting. Is this why you dared to fight me alone?"
"The Transponder Snail signals not going out is also your doing, right? It can indeed delay the arrival of reinforcements, but it won't be long before Marine support arrives here.
If you were hiding in the deep sea, the Marines couldn't do much to you. But you actually took the initiative to come to the Red Line. You are too arrogant."
"Arrogant? I never do anything I'm not confident about. This is called confidence."
After Salazar's Fruit ability activated, his appearance didn't change much, nor did his body structure alter significantly.
It was just that he was a dead spirit (wraith), not a zombie; otherwise, he might have been countered by Nereus's ability.
It is said that if bitten by both a Vampire and a zombie simultaneously, the probability of turning into a vampire is higher because there is an unequal treaty between them—assuming the zombie is cleared out.
This kind of restraint chain theoretically wouldn't appear on this sea. Moreover, Nereus didn't find Salazar's dead spirit state particularly difficult to deal with.
Although Nereus himself also had the title of "Undying," essentially, Nereus wasn't unkillable, but rather had many lives. With countless health bars stacked, it created the illusion of infinite health.
Although Salazar had put a gray layer over his health bar, making himself untargetable, he still only had one life.
Once the corresponding method was found, he would die just like anyone else.
And Nereus happened to know a thing or two about how to attack the undead.
"Horn of the Underworld!"
Salazar threw another punch. Under the influence of his ability at this moment, the temperature above Mary Geoise began to drop. Not only was the ground covered in frost, but even the torrential rain turned into hail due to the severe cold as it fell nearby.
The same wind from the fist, but it seemed mixed with the wailing of souls, giving people a gloomy and eerie feeling.
After the guards of Mary Geoise moved the Celestial Dragons to a safe place, they also rushed towards this side. But before they could get close, this chilly aura made them stop in their tracks.
If they continued forward... they would die.
At the same time, facing Salazar's attack, Nereus didn't deploy a Conqueror's Haki defensive barrier as before, nor did he show any intention of fighting back.
Nereus stood there, appearing wide open, allowing Salazar to hit him.
"A trap..."
This was the first thought in Salazar's mind. The opponent standing still like this must have ulterior motives.
But after hesitating for only a moment, Salazar moved again.
There was a reason related to his father for him becoming a Marine, but becoming Fleet Admiral in the true sense relied on his own strength.
Anyone who becomes a powerhouse, regardless of the path, develops a confidence in their own strength.
No matter what ability the opponent had, he didn't believe his fist would be completely useless.
"You will pay the price for your arrogance!"
Squelch!
The fist successfully pierced through Nereus's body. Both the perception of Haki and the touch of the fist told Salazar that this was a real physical body.
Blood splattered out, then froze due to the cold air. But a wild smile hung on the corner of Nereus's mouth.
"What's so funny? This is the chill of the undead. It will affect you constantly. Even a Mythical Zoan user shouldn't dream of healing their injuries under these conditions."
"You're right. Under these conditions, self-healing is indeed impossible. But why would I need to heal? The one who fell into the trap... is you."
Buzz!
The surrounding darkness dissipated, and the rainstorm ceased, replaced by a blood-red background.
The pierced Nereus slowly dissipated, and beside him, a drop of blood expanded continuously, soon manifesting another Nereus.
"Welcome to my kingdom, the Kingdom of the Dead, Living One."
The usage of the River of Death was external release. Originally, only by releasing the River of Death or the undead within it could he affect the outside world.
Living beings other than Nereus couldn't be sucked into the River of Death.
However, Salazar's Fruit ability turned him into a dead person. Through this change, Nereus could use one life as a medium to open the gate of the River of Death and pull him in.
"You guy..."
The flowing blood around him didn't freeze; instead, it brought Salazar a scorching sensation like magma. As a Dead Spirit Fruit user, he already realized just how bizarre this place was.
"The dead cannot be killed again in the world of the living. But in the world of the dead, you are no different."
If Salazar's health bar was gray in the outside world, after coming here, his health bar was lit up.
On the contrary, Nereus's health bar was completely assimilated with the River of Death. Before this world was thoroughly destroyed, he wouldn't suffer any damage.
"You think... this is enough to deal with me? I am the Marine Fleet Admiral! Pirate! Bringing me into this space inside your body will be the most regrettable thing in your life!
Underworld... Scream!"
If Salazar still looked human just now, retaining a human form, now he had completely abandoned his human self.
His body expanded and overflowed continuously. Cold air and ghostly shadows also spread to the surroundings, but they were all annihilated by the roaring river of blood.
If they were in the outside world, Salazar could still entangle with Nereus for a while and wouldn't be defeated so quickly.
But after being pulled into the world of the River of Death by Nereus in this ability user form, he had completely lost the possibility of victory.
Under Nereus's control, the world of the River of Death had gone completely berserk. Giant waves made of blood crashed towards Salazar like a tsunami.
For Salazar, this was a boiling magma sea of blood in hell.
At this moment, Salazar wasn't fighting against a single person, but against a world.
Under the first wave, Salazar could still hold on. However, facing the continuous onslaught, his figure became increasingly insignificant.
When the world of the River of Death returned to calm, the existence of Marine Fleet Admiral Salazar was no more in the world.
And what happened in the River of Death was completely unknown to the outside world.
In the eyes of those Marine soldiers and CP agents outside, Salazar had pierced the opponent's chest, causing Nereus's blood to cover him. After that, Salazar disappeared completely.
"Fleet Admiral... Was the Fleet Admiral... eaten by that monster?"
A soldier voiced a question, but no one answered him. None of the soldiers in the distance dared to take a step forward; they just watched from afar.
And Mary Geoise behind them seemed to have abandoned them at this moment, sending no reinforcements, allowing Nereus to slowly leave...
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