When the Celestial Dragons awoke, they had already been taken away from the Sabaody Archipelago by Michael and the others.
Rosward opened his eyes and saw his son staring ahead, his face frozen in horror.
Following his son's line of sight, Rosward suddenly felt a wet sensation between his legs.
He had pissed himself in fear.
The other Celestial Dragons nearby had suffered the same fate.
And all of this, simply because on the ground before them were the corpses—and heads—of the God Knights and CP0.
Unlike the times when they gleefully gunned down slaves or civilians, seeing those deaths always brought them joy, pleasure, and even a sense of routine.
After all, in their worldview, every life that wasn't a Celestial Dragon was nothing more than an "animal."
Killing a man or killing a rabbit made no real difference to them.
So even if CP0's bodies were laid before them, at most, they'd be furious that there was no one left to protect them.
But the God Knights were different!
They too were Celestial Dragons!
And yet these peers of theirs had been decapitated and left here for them to see!
For the first time, they truly understood…
When people are killed, they die.
Even if they were Celestial Dragons, even if they stood above all other life as "gods"—
Clap, clap, clap—
A round of applause rang out, drawing the attention of Rosward and the rest of the Celestial Dragons.
A group of people emerged from a cave on the side.
It was only now that Rosward realized they were deep within a great abyss.
The brightness came from above, where the ceiling was covered in pure white flames.
Holy flames—beautiful and radiant.
Instinctively, they felt revulsion.
"Damn it! You filthy pirates dare capture the great Celestial Dragons and even kill members of the God Knights?! Do you have a death wish?!"
"That's right! Let us go immediately and then commit suicide! Perhaps then we'll consider preserving your lowly bodies as specimens instead of tossing them into the incinerator!"
Even though they had just wet themselves in fear, now that someone outside the Celestial Dragon caste had appeared, they once again assumed the posture of arrogant, filthy swine.
The words they spewed were idiotic beyond belief.
But to them, everything they said made perfect sense.
At the head of the group, a man removed his hood and cloak, revealing a pure white Marine uniform—just like the flames.
He strolled casually up to Rosward and said with a soft smile:
"Hello, dear Rosward-sama."
"My name is Michael."
"Ever heard of me?"
"Yes, I'm the one who wiped out everyone supplying you with slaves."
Rosward's already feeble brain went completely blank.
A Marine?
Why would a Marine be with pirates?
Aren't the Marines supposed to be the lapdogs of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons?
Why was this Marine named Michael still standing like a man in front of him?
"You're that Marine?!"
"That's right. Me."
"If you're a Marine, then of course you understand the nobility of us Celestial Dragons! So hurry up and—"
He never finished saying "let us go"—because Michael slapped the words right back into his throat.
"I am a Marine, and I know you are Celestial Dragons..." Michael's face darkened with a murderous calm that chilled the air. "But I've never once believed there was anything noble about you."
"You're nothing more than a pack of animals who abuse your birthright to commit crimes."
"If the Five Elders won't act, if the World Government won't act, if even the Marines won't act—then I'll just have to come up with my own solution."
As Michael finished, he cast his eyes over Rosward and all the other Celestial Dragons.
This group, the embodiment of the filthiest side of the world, still had the gall to call themselves—
"Gods"?
There are, and should be, no such gods.
And if there were…
Then he would drag them from their thrones, peel off their skin and break their bones.
Turn them into monuments—a warning to all who dare call themselves "gods."
This place was the execution ground Michael had prepared for the Celestial Dragons.
"Morgans, is everything ready?"
"Click, click, click, of course it's ready! The recording equipment is fully set up. Once we're done, I'll duplicate the footage and send it to every corner of the world—except Mary Geoise and Marineford." Morgans let out a strange laugh, eyes gleaming with fanatic devotion.
"If I'd known you weren't just going to kill people but also create a global headline like this—why would you need to threaten me, Michael? I'd pay out of my own pocket to be part of this... This is the public execution of Celestial Dragons!"
Morgans was that kind of man—he'd do anything for a story.
What? Report on the gruesome deaths of Celestial Dragons?
He'd gladly give his life for that scoop.
With that, he moved to his prearranged camera position, waiting for Michael's signal.
At that moment, he had a revelation.
He was going to follow Michael for the rest of his life!
This guy—he was a walking headline machine!
Because...
This lunatic could stir up more chaos than anyone!
Michael felt a chill under Morgans' fanatical gaze. He vaguely recalled that Morgans, that old bird, wasn't supposed to be into men, was he?
Shaking his head, he cleared the intrusive thoughts from his mind and looked toward Rayleigh, Gaban, and Gloriosa.
"Let's begin."
With that, Michael stepped beside Morgans.
He gave a nod, signaling Morgans to start recording.
The three legendary pirates stepped forward, their faces fully exposed to the camera.
Behind them hung a flag with crossed dual swords and three open slots—each marked with the face of one of the three.
Then Rayleigh spoke.
"Hello, world."
"I'm the man you call the Pirate King's right hand—'Dark King' Rayleigh."
"I'll introduce the others."
"This is the Pirate King's left hand—Gaban."
"And this one was a former member of the Rocks Pirates—Gloriosa."
The three stood together, exuding an overwhelming aura of terror that felt like a tangible force.
Only now did the Celestial Dragons before them realize who these people truly were.
They may have been arrogant and stupid—
But not stupid enough to be completely clueless.
The words "Pirate King's right hand" awakened the deepest fear in their hearts.
It awakened the truth:
That the "power" they held through authority could not stand against true strength.
Rayleigh cast a cold glance across the scene and continued:
"As you can see, these... are the so-called Celestial Dragons."
"Unfortunately for them, they've fallen into our hands."
"Of course, this is an incredible stroke of luck for all of you."
"In other words—these Celestial Dragons will never be able to harm you again."
"I have an announcement to make..."
"We are placing bounties and wanted orders on all Celestial Dragons, World Government officials, and CP organization members."
"In three days, the bounty orders will be officially released. Meaning—you have three days to disassociate yourselves from these groups."
At that, Gloriosa stepped forward and picked up three execution blades—the very same type used when Gol D. Roger was executed.
Rayleigh took one, and without hesitation, drove it into the body of a Celestial Dragon.
Lifting his head, his face spattered with blood, he let out a cold, sinister smile:
"From this day forward—the Cross Guild is officially established."
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