After hearing Edith's explanation, Loa understood how great a price he would have to pay to become a guardian. Worst of all, these were not prices he could pay simply because he was willing to.
Bound by the nightmare of the illusion, he would find it nearly impossible to return what he owed to the illusion, even if he wanted to!
Still, he had gained a measure of strength, giving him a solid foundation for becoming a guardian. The rest depended on what he did with it.
After seeing Loa off, Edith sat quietly in the void without a word.
The golden dragon saw her and sighed. "You still haven't told him about yourself, Ivy?"
At the Great Dragon's question, Edith—no, Ivy—looked up at the place where Loa had vanished. For an instant, the smiling face of a beautiful young woman flashed through the void.
"I thought I'd forgotten that name. But there's no need." Ivy continued, "He'll learn all of this someday, but it's too early now. Telling him would only burden him with worries he can do nothing about."
"Uh... Is this what they call a mother's love?"
For some reason, the golden dragon could not resist saying it.
Then...
The golden dragon coiled in the void—a creature countless kilometers long that could swallow a planet like a coffee bean—froze over in an instant, the ice spreading visibly across his body.
"Speak such nonsense again, and I won't let you off so easily!"
With a snort, Ivy vanished. She had gone in the same direction as Loa: toward the One Piece World.
Loa's consciousness had returned to his body. He could even hear waves lapping nearby and smell the earth beneath his nose.
But he could not wake up yet.
Once his body turned into a dragon, he