That feeling was growing clearer and clearer...
Noah narrowed his eyes.
He had never been to the Room of Flowers, but with his powerful Observation Haki, from the moment he stepped into Pangaea Castle, he had vaguely sensed a powerful presence here that could not be ignored.
And now that he had reached the entrance, the distance had closed, making that presence increasingly distinct.
There was no doubt about it.
Imu was inside!
Without further thought.
Lightning crackled around Noah's body as he prepared to step into the Room of Flowers, when an ancient, deep voice suddenly drifted out:
"Boy, if I were you, I would not take that step."
The next instant.
With a soft creak, the door shrouded in clouds and mist slowly opened, and an elderly figure emerged from the darkness.
Unlike the five-meter-tall, exceptionally muscular Hephaestus.
This newcomer was hunched and short, dressed in a loose Japanese-style bathrobe, leaning on a cane and wearing wooden clogs. His white hair was sparse, and his wrinkled face was covered in age spots.
He looked frail and ancient, at least a hundred years old, yet his pitch-black eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.
Standing atop the stairs, the hunched old man looked down at Noah below and spoke coldly:
"Leave, Navy brat. Your opponent should be Hephaestus. Even if you lose, at least you will die an honorable death."
"But if you keep going and disturb the master's slumber, then death will be far too merciful a fate for you."
Noah did not respond. He merely sized up the hunched old man, surprise flickering in his gaze.
He had originally thought that the powerful presence he had sensed outside Pangaea Castle was Imu.
But now.
After this old man appeared, the aura emanating from him matched perfectly with