"My partner is leaving. You dare try to stop him?"
The black-clad man standing in front of Kadun froze the moment he heard Weiss's voice. It felt as though he'd been dropped into an arctic wasteland—ice crawling down his spine, paralyzing his limbs. He didn't even dare turn his head.
A sharp twin-bladed sword rested lightly against his neck, cold as the wind of death itself.
"I have such an amazing captain. Do you?" Kadun smirked arrogantly, puffing out his chest like a proud rooster. With an exaggerated strut, he swaggered past the frozen man, not even bothering to spare him a second glance.
The man, still too terrified to move, could only watch helplessly as Kadun walked away.
More black-clad figures began to silently surround the area, forming a perimeter as if determined to trap Weiss and Kadun here.
Why?
Because the Celestial Dragon was furious.
"Why haven't these filthy commoners started fighting each other yet?! Don't they want to become slaves of the gods?! Have them kneel! All of them!"
The gathered pirates looked at each other, unsure of what to do. But under the oppressive aura of CP, they could only grit their teeth and sink to their knees in humiliation.
The Celestial Dragon nodded in satisfaction as rows of pirates knelt like dominoes. As it should be, he thought. These vermin exist only to kneel before the gods.
But then, his gaze swept the crowd—and his expression froze.
Everyone had knelt… except two.
In one corner of the square, two figures stood tall, completely unbothered by his divine presence. A small crowd had even gathered around them, as if this so-called god didn't exist.
...
...
In an instant, all eyes turned toward them—pirates, CP agents, and even the Celestial Dragon himself. Shock rippled through the crowd.
Someone actually dared not to kneel?!
Even in the original history, a certain Supernova had once been forced to kneel in the presence of a Celestial Dragon—his pride be damned—because dodging meant death at the hands of an Admiral.
The Celestial Dragon, Saint Jolarude, felt his authority being questioned.
"Those two goddamn mongrels—why are they still standing?!"
He raised his pistol and fired at Weiss with a shrill scream—bang bang bang!
But the bullets never reached him.
They veered off mid-air, deflected by an unseen force.
It was Jack, hidden in the shadows, who had shot them down. For someone proficient in Observation Haki, redirecting a few bullets was child's play.
What wasn't easy… was daring to act against a Celestial Dragon.
Yet Jack hadn't hesitated for even a second.
He had stopped the bullets aimed at his captain.
"You bastards! Kill him! Kill them all! Kill every last one of these lowborn rats!" Saint Jolarude howled in fury.
The CP agents had no choice. Bound to obey, they rushed toward the pirates.
One masked CP agent shot forward like a shadow, aiming directly for Weiss—he seemed to be the strongest one here.
"Damn it! Break through! That lunatic Celestial Dragon wants to trap us all here!" roared one of the pirates.
They were pirates—men and women who had survived blood and flame. Did this bastard really think they'd go quietly?
Chaos erupted.
A pirate with a rifle was cut down by a black-cloaked agent. As he lay dying, he glanced at the Celestial Dragon not far away.
A strange thought crept into his dying mind—one that refused to fade.
I'm dead anyway… so why not shoot the bastard?
With blurred vision, he raised his shaking gun and aimed at the Celestial Dragon.
Bang!
A single shot.
Followed by a shriek of pain.
Silence.
Utter, suffocating silence.
No one looked at the screaming Celestial Dragon. All eyes were locked onto the pirate who had fired the shot.
Even he couldn't believe he'd actually hit his mark. After all, the Celestial Dragon had guards.
But I hit him…?
And with that final thought, darkness took him. He died, almost peacefully.
But the people of Canopy island exploded into chaos.
The CP agents stood frozen in disbelief. No one had expected that anyone would dare lay a hand on a Celestial Dragon.
In the midst of the Celestial Dragon's agonized wails, he pulled out his own gun and shot several attendants who tried to treat him. The remaining CP agents didn't dare move forward.
The Celestial Dragon was wounded.
And now, everyone here was doomed.
Even those who had come on this mission might become scapegoats—offerings to appease his enraged father.
Steward Latriss stared blankly at the impossible scene before him. His mind completely crashed. But when he finally snapped back to reality, his face turned pale as death.
"We're screwed. Call an Admiral! A Celestial Dragon's been injured!"
"Run! Get out of here!"
"An Admiral is coming!"
"This place isn't safe anymore!"
The pirates surged toward the exits in a frenzy. Even the black-clad agent who had once blocked Weiss ignored him now. The moment the Celestial Dragon was shot, he had rushed back to guard him.
Saint Jolarude clutched his arm, wailing in pain, writhing on the ground.
He had never suffered a single wound in his life.
Even a scratch on his finger had once led to someone's execution.
And now… this?!
He swore to slaughter everyone on this island. Not one would be spared.
The masked agent swiftly picked up the Celestial Dragon and rushed toward the port. There, proper medical facilities awaited. They had to get the bullet out fast.
As for clearing the island of pirates—that would be the Navy's problem.
All that mattered now was keeping the Celestial Dragon alive.
---
Weiss regrouped with Kadun and Jack.
"Let's move. Back to the ship, now. An Admiral's coming—we need to get out of this hellhole immediately."
News of the injured Celestial Dragon spread like wildfire across the island.
The remaining pirates ran like madmen, desperate to get to sea.
Once the Admiral arrived, escape would be impossible.
---
Marine Headquarters – Fleet Admiral Sengoku's Office
Buru buru buru!
Click.
"This is Sengoku."
"Sengoku! Send forces to Canopy Island immediately! A Celestial Dragon's been shot!"
Click!
The line went dead.
Sengoku frowned deeply.
Two hours ago, strange rumors had spread from the Grand Line.
A technique that could extract Devil Fruits from their users was supposedly discovered on Canopy Island.
Five photos of Devil Fruits accompanied the message—each matching one from a list of missing Zoan-type users.
The whole sea went mad.
Everyone had rushed to Canopy Island to fight for this supposed technology.
And so, the Navy had sent Borsalino – Admiral Kizaru.
---
Aboard the Marine warship – Deck
Kizaru stood on the deck, wearing his yellow-striped suit, "Justice" cape fluttering in the wind.
Buru buru buru!
"Hello, moshi moshi? Hmm? No one's answering? Oh dear, how troublesome," Kizaru muttered, glancing at the black Den Den Mushi on his wrist.
"Old man! That's the anti-eavesdropping line!" bellowed Sentomaru nearby.
"Ohhh… how inconvenient," Kizaru sighed. He fished around in his pocket and pulled out a different Den Den Mushi.
"Moshi moshi?"
"Kizaru! Did you mess up the Den Den Mushi again?!" the line screeched, mimicking a frog-eyed man.
"Sengoku, I could've sworn I put the right one in my pocket…"
"Kizaru, head to Canopy Island immediately. A Celestial Dragon has been wounded. Find out who did it—and who's behind this whole plot!"
"Oh my… someone actually injured a Celestial Dragon? Looks like this old body's in for another rough day…"
And with that, Kizaru transformed into light—and streaked toward Canopy Island.
---
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