Ananke

Ten minutes later, the Nutrient Solution in the medical pod had been used up, all of it absorbed by Hades's body.

Flush with energy and his strength restored to its peak, Hades had fully recovered. The boost was so powerful that he did not even need dinner.

His body felt "full." He lacked no energy, yet he did not feel stuffed.

By then, Hades had gone a year without eating dinner, replacing every meal with Nutrient Solution.

Hades's Palace occupied a prime spot in the Royal Palace, though it was inconspicuous. It was only his temporary residence. His real Palace stood elsewhere.

That was where his double had been assassinated without warning.

Even his double had two Nether Guards protecting him from the shadows.

Yet he had still been killed in full view of everyone.

If a mere CP0 Agent managed to escape, it would be an absolute disgrace to the Kronos Kingdom.

Hades stood before the window. The World Government had surely learned that the assassination had failed, though he did not know how they had confirmed it.

Their attempts to gather intelligence and assassinate him had continued all the while.

With eight Nether Guards hidden nearby and, deeper still, a powerhouse at the Top Combatant level, Hades was in no danger.

Suddenly, Hades frowned and turned toward the western side of the Royal Palace.

"They're here again."

No need to guess. It was a World Government Agent, here either to make another attempt on his life or to gather intelligence.

Even from afar, Hades seemed to catch a whiff of that sinister presence.

His rapidly improving Observation Haki could easily cover the entire Royal Capital. He would notice anyone approaching with ill intent.

But he paid it no mind. The intruder had already been spotted.

Someone would deal with them soon enough.

As the Kronos Kingdom's technology advanced, its control over its territory grew stronger.

The life-detection devices installed in the arms industrial district also covered every blind spot in the Royal Palace.

Perhaps those blind spots had been left there deliberately for intruders.

Over the past year, they had caught quite a few World Government Agents this way.

People capable of slipping openly into the Royal Palace like that Clear-Clear Fruit User were rare, after all.

Ten days later, in a garden within the Royal Palace, the day had come for Hades to leave the Kronos Kingdom.

Few people had come to see him off. Neither Hades nor Bane wanted a crowd, and they had let everyone know days earlier.

"Ananke, why did you come along?"

Hades looked at the blonde girl beside him and asked with a frown, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.

"To go to sea with you, of course, Hades!" the beautiful girl named Ananke said earnestly. She clung tightly to his right arm, her already full breasts brushing against it.

She had lustrous blonde hair and delicate features, and a sweet scent surrounded her.

"No." Hades refused without hesitation. "This isn't a game. Stay in the Royal Capital and wait for me to come back."

"No, I want to go with you." Ananke's voice was reluctant, and tears welled in her eyes, giving Hades a headache.

Everyone else tactfully looked away, leaving the two of them alone.

Ananke was a member of the Tartarus Family, three years older than Hades. She was technically his cousin, though they were only distantly related and belonged to two far-separated branches of the Family.

They had lived together since childhood and were very close.

She was also Hades's fiancée. Their engagement had been arranged long ago by his mother herself, with his father's approval.

His mother, Nyx, had taken a liking to Ananke the moment she saw her and settled the matter on the spot.

Hades had accepted it readily. In neither this life nor his previous one would there be only one woman in his life, especially when she was such a stunning girl.

Their blood tie also gave Hades a certain thrill.

The members of the Tartarus Family approved of the match as well.

Hades was the future of the Tartarus Family, chosen by Heavenly Destiny! He was destined to rule the Kronos Kingdom!

And Ananke was the most outstanding young woman in the Tartarus Family, whether in beauty, intelligence, or potential. Together, she and Hades would surely produce exceptional descendants.

"Take Ananke with you, Hades. Her ability will be a great help."

Bane had tried to talk Ananke out of it beforehand, but to no avail. In the end, he had given in.

As he had said, Ananke's ability would be a great help to Hades.

Ananke was a Paramecia Clock-Clock Fruit User, with an almost unfair power involving time.

She could move time forward or backward within a limited area.

Used on herself, it could heal her wounds by returning her to the state she had been in before she was injured.

It could prove enormously useful in battle.

She could use it on others too, returning their bodies to a point not too far in the past. That window might be only a few seconds, because doing so consumed a tremendous amount of stamina.

It sounded brief, but its strategic value was immense. She could restore an injured body to its unhurt state, even bring someone back from the dead. They had tested it.

The only condition was that the event had occurred within that window of time.

In short, she could resurrect someone who had died only seconds earlier, effectively negating a fatal blow.

Its sole drawback was the enormous stamina cost.

If word got out, countless people across the seas would covet her power.

With an ability like that, Ananke was undoubtedly a Treasure of the Tartarus Family. But if she did not accompany Hades, that ability would serve no purpose.

Despite the danger, the benefits to Hades outweighed the risks.

If Hades happened to die, Akenan might well be able to save his life. That alone made it worthwhile.

In the end, Hades was everything. He was chosen by Heavenly Destiny, the sole direct heir of the Tartarus Family. He was the only one they would acknowledge!

Before him, that person had been Jaeger. Though Bane was Jaeger's younger brother and talented in his own right, he had never shown the same potential.

Bane's strength had reached the Admiral Candidate level, but he was still some way from becoming a Top Combatant.

As head of the Tartarus Family and King of the Kronos Kingdom, he could only be considered barely qualified.

There were others in the Family stronger than Bane.

A King needed the power to keep his Kingdom in line.

Of course, after becoming King, Bane had been burdened with so many duties that he had no time to train. Naturally, his strength had stagnated.

The Kronos Kingdom was ruled by force. The King held absolute power, and the Tartarus Royal Family stood above all others.

Even without political skill, strength was essential.

The Kingdom's stability and the Tartarus Family's hold on power depended on it.

The Tartarus Royal Family had ruled the Kronos Kingdom for so long by relying on overwhelming strength.

Of course, after more than a thousand years of rule, some loyalties had long since taken root.

There were plenty of capable people to govern the country.

Even the elders hidden within the Tartarus Family held the highest hopes for Hades.

Ever since Bane had become King of the Kronos Kingdom, he had only been acting as a stand-in. More than twenty years had passed.

Bane, too, was waiting to step down. Before, he had waited for Jaeger. Now, he waited for Hades.