A Celestial Dragon had been killed. Setting the pirates aside for a moment, Area No. 40 was now completely surrounded by Marines, squads of soldiers racing through the streets.
The Marines had long since taken control of the scene. Everyone who arrived was shocked at what they saw.
"He… he was actually killed!"
Many had thought the earlier reports were a prank, but seeing it firsthand left no doubt; it was real, and disbelief gripped their hearts.
The Celestial Dragon lay on the ground, a hole in his forehead, blood flowing freely onto the floor. His expression remained frozen in his final moments, fearful and incredulous.
"Admiral Zephyr!" As the Marines stared at the gruesome scene, a burly figure strode toward them.
"What happened?" Zephyr scanned the body on the ground, his eyes flashing as he demanded in a deep voice.
"About ten minutes ago, Saint Charlos passed through here and encountered four black-clad individuals who refused to kneel. The killer is one of those four!"
Zephyr's face remained impassive as he glanced again at the bullet hole in Charlos' forehead.
"One shot, fatal. The shooting skill was exceptional."
He then turned to the soldiers behind him, flipping through records.
"Have you identified the perpetrator?"
"Not yet. Witnesses say all four wore black robes and masks." The soldier replied quickly.
"Premeditated, then? Such audacity." Zephyr's gaze hardened.
Four black-robed, masked figures had suddenly appeared and instantly executed Charlos with a single gunshot. It was a meticulously planned attack.
Daring to assassinate a Celestial Dragon, these four had recklessness beyond reason!
"Seal off the harbor immediately! These suspects may be pirates. Conduct a full sweep. Killing a Celestial Dragon is no simple matter."
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers saluted and rushed off.
Moments later, a messenger approached Zephyr, who was scanning the crowds for suspicious targets.
"Admiral Zephyr, we've preliminarily located all pirate crews on the island. Shall we begin the operation?"
"Move out!" Zephyr commanded swiftly.
In an instant, Marines across the island sprang into action.
Typically, pirates revealed themselves here and there during their activities. But now, this exposure brought a devastating disaster down upon them.
"Damn… there's no escape!"
Looking around at the dense ranks of Marines, and the square-jawed Vice Admiral moving among them, the Lost Rat pirate crew paled. They were just one crew among many. Their captain had a bounty of 130 million and had planned only a brief stop before heading to Fish-Man Island. But fate had dealt them a cruel hand here.
"Let's fight!" With a roar, the pirates charged.
Driven by passion and strength, these pirates clashed fiercely with the Marines. Chaos erupted across the Sabaody Archipelago. The Marines acted swiftly to seize control of the ports, turning the archipelago into an inescapable fortress.
The killing of a Celestial Dragon enraged the Marine high command. Such a heinous act demanded the blood of pirates as retribution. In an instant, cannon fire erupted across Sabaody Archipelago, flames blazing in every direction.
"Kill them!"
"Fight to the end!"
The pirates' shouts echoed through the streets. In this Golden Pirate Age, the number of pirates was enormous. When war broke out suddenly, pirates who knew they couldn't escape fought with desperate ferocity!
For a while, even the Marines struggled to suppress the chaos.
Amidst the booming cannon fire, in a dark alley...
"We've caused a huge problem." Trens' hand trembled slightly, the Haki aura he had projected when firing the gun moments ago completely vanished from his face.
"Hey, hey, why panic now? When you fired, I didn't see any hesitation." Crocodile's voice quivered slightly too.
What had they just done? They had actually killed a Celestial Dragon. It was unimaginable.
"Mad, you never told me that was a Celestial Dragon! I only shot because I thought he was about to fire!" Trens sounded agitated, speaking to Crocodile without any courtesy.
"And you, asking 'Did it break?', wasn't that your line!"
The two argued quietly while Rojen sighed helplessly and stepped in, pushing them apart with both hands.
"Alright, we decided to stir things up today. Now that this happened, although unexpected, there's nothing we can do."
Hearing Rojen, the two glanced at each other and stepped back.
Crocodile's hands trembled as he struck a match to light his cigar, inhaling deeply to calm himself.
Life's ups and downs, this was way too intense and thrilling!
"Give me one!" Trens requested.
Without a word, Crocodile tossed him a cigar.
Trens needed to calm down; his heart was still racing wildly.
Rojen looked at the scene wth an helpless expression on hs face.
The original plan had been simple: roam today to gather intelligence on pirate crews, then from tomorrow, stir conflicts among them so they'd fight each other. Ideally, the chaos would turn Sabaody Archipelago turbulent and draw Marine Headquarters' attention.
But unexpectedly, the moment they saw that unlucky Celestial Dragon, these two didn't hesitate, they just fired.
Now, they'd caused a massive disaster.
Yes, it was completely an accident. To Trens, just a slip of the hand.
"Captain, listen... is it starting out there?" Suddenly, Jason asked.
The three exchanged glances and immediately ran to the alley entrance, carefully peeking outside.
Sure enough, the streets were filled with shouts, pirates and Marines locked in full-scale combat.
A hundred meters ahead, a pirate crew, covered in blood, fought fiercely. Their captain looked ferocious, his imposing presence savage. He raised his sword and shouted,
"Brothers! Kill with Father!! These Marines leave us no way out, we carve our own path!"
"Kill!"
The pirates roared in unison, their intensity intimidating.
"This... the waters are completely mixed!" Trens stared ahead, dumbfounded.
"Captain, does this mean we don't need to secretly stir conflicts between pirate crews anymore?" Jason asked, dazed.
Rojen was speechless. He had planned to slowly boil the frog, let the pirates quarrel among themselves first, then provoke the Marines to intervene.
Who would have thought it would explode like a bomb immediately? Now, there was no need for his interference; both sides had started a war on their own.
"Move! To the auction!" Rojen didn't hesitate. He whispered to the three behind him.
With three breaths, four black-robed figures leapt from the alley entrance and sprinted down the street. Their sudden appearance instantly drew the attention of both warring sides.
"Damn it, it's them! Kill them!" The crowd erupted in fury.
(End Of This Chapter)
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