"So it's already over? Looks like those guys were surrounded by nothing but trash. Not surprising—after all these years of living in comfort, who would expect someone to actually dare strike at them?" Rosinante said indifferently.
"Mammoth Jack, Mad Axe Byrs, Bloodsword Hemmie, One-Eyed Bartley, and even the pirate rookie of the past two years, Ryan… It seems the entire core of Grey Kingdom is here." At that moment, Navy Chief Strategist Tsuru approached, holding a Den Den Mushi.
"Tsuru? Why are you here?" asked Kong.
"A call from the Five Elders. They want to speak with Rosinante." She placed the Den Den Mushi on the ground and began dialing.
"Rosinante! You've gone too far!" came an angry roar moments later from the Den Den Mushi—it was one of the Five Elders.
"Too far? If I really wanted to go too far, I would've had Bins aim his gun at their heads instead of those useless guards. If that had been the case, those pampered fools would be lying dead in a pool of blood just like their slaves and bodyguards. Ten or so Celestial Dragons dead—do you think you could survive the world's wrath?" Rosinante sneered.
The Five Elder on the other end of the line fell silent.
Everyone who overheard their conversation was left in stunned silence.
Celestial Dragons? Rosinante had gone after the Celestial Dragons?
Even Kong and the others were so shocked they were left speechless. Sengoku's expression twisted into something between disbelief and dread. He had guessed Rosinante might target high-ranking officials in the World Government—maybe even assassinate important figures in the Navy or heads of state—but he never imagined Rosinante would go after the Celestial Dragons.
Though the Celestial Dragons were largely stripped of political power, living idle, depraved lives, they still enjoyed the highest privileges under the World Government. Any threat to their lives automatically prompted the dispatch of Navy Admirals. They were the World Government's untouchable class—the walking embodiment of its divine authority.
More importantly, the Celestial Dragons were the foundation of the World Government's supposed righteousness. Without them, the entire system lost its symbolic legitimacy. The Heavenly Tribute sent by countries across the world went straight to the Celestial Dragons.
Even though the Five Elders had seized real power, they had to preserve the status of the Celestial Dragons. Otherwise, the World Government might not collapse outright, but it would lose its divine mandate.
It was no different from ancient China, where emperors declared themselves the Sons of Heaven. People rarely blamed them directly, even in the face of national disasters—they would instead scapegoat corrupt ministers. The emperor was sacred and untouchable.
Similarly, though the common people hated the Celestial Dragons, they were still recognized by the world's nobility and royalty. This was the divine legitimacy of the World Government. Without that legitimacy, countries might no longer submit.
Yes, the World Government had vast military might—the Navy, ground forces, and countless special units—but its foundation ultimately lay in the acceptance of those nations. Without that, all its firepower was like a castle in the sky.
Meanwhile, not long ago, in the Sabaody Archipelago...
Saint Roswald was strutting down the street, staff in one hand and a massive chain in the other. Shackled to that chain was a fearsome, towering pirate—the infamous rookie captain with a bounty close to 100 million berries.
But now, he was merely part of Roswald's private collection.
Surrounded by numerous slaves, servants, and guards, Saint Roswald paraded through the district like a god. The civilians who saw him scrambled to their knees.
Suddenly, a small child stumbled and fell. His mother rushed to him, but they didn't have time to get out of Roswald's way.
"How dare you block my path? Such insolence deserves death!" Roswald barked, pulling out an ornate pistol.
Bang!
A spray of blood—but the one who died wasn't the woman. It was the towering pirate captain by Roswald's side.
"Who's there?!" Roswald roared in fury at the inexplicable death of his prized pet.
The answer came swiftly—in the form of silent, invisible bullets.
His butler, his guards, the nearby slaves—all were gunned down within seconds. Blood sprayed in all directions. None could even cry out before their lives were snuffed out.
It had taken less than thirty seconds. Everyone surrounding Saint Roswald had been killed.
No attacker could be seen, no trace of the gunman. But heads exploded one after another. Even a Celestial Dragon, so used to being above all others, began trembling in fear.
"Someone attacked the Celestial Dragons!"
"The Admirals will be deployed for sure!"
Panicked civilians fled in every direction, terrified not only of the assassins but of the incoming Navy response. Anyone caught in the crossfire would be collateral damage.
"Who?! Who are you?!" Roswald's voice quivered with fear and fury, his legs giving out beneath him.
Just then, a black portal opened, and a man stepped out calmly.
"You… You dare attack a Celestial Dragon? Do you have any idea the magnitude of your crime? The Admirals will be here any second! If you want to escape, this is your last chance!" Roswald shouted, trying to regain his bravado.
"I'm afraid the Admirals won't be coming," the man said with a smile.
"What… Who are you? What's your goal?" Roswald demanded.
"Who I am doesn't matter," the man replied. "What matters is that my emperor sends his regards."
"Emperor? Are you from some royal family? No way… no royal dares to do something like this!" Roswald snapped.
To him, the very idea was absurd. The Celestial Dragons represented royalty and nobility—why would any royal house move against their own symbol?
"My emperor's name is Donquixote Rosinante."
"Donquixote?! You mean that Donquixote family?" Roswald gasped.
As a Celestial Dragon, he knew the twenty founding family names by heart—and Donquixote was one of them.
"He says this was a small gift for Marineford. If they fail to understand his sincerity... then he'll have to send an even bigger gift. When that time comes…" The man didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he calmly pointed a pistol at Roswald.
Bang!
Though the shot didn't fire, Roswald collapsed in sheer terror, his body trembling uncontrollably as he slumped to the floor.
The man chuckled, then turned and stepped into the black portal, disappearing as silently as he'd come.
At that very moment, in Mary Geoise, a dozen other Celestial Dragons experienced the same horror. Their guards, servants, and slaves—all were assassinated in broad daylight by unseen gunmen.
No one knew where the attackers had come from.
But they all left behind the same message Roswald had received—
A message from the Emperor of the Grey Kingdom… Donquixote Rosinante.