Blutz straightened, mistaking the silence of the Axe Pirates' captain for fear. He puffed out his chest and barked, "I am the butler of a Celestial Dragon! I gather treasure for the Heavenly Nobles themselves. You dare offend me?"
The pirate captain threw his head back and laughed. "You? A Celestial Dragon's butler? That's a good one. By that logic, I'm a Celestial Dragon myself. Tell me, would you kneel if one of them walked through that door?"
The pirates roared at their captain's jab. Blutz's face turned scarlet with fury. He yanked two heavy chests onto the table and slammed them open. The room lit up with golden gleam.
"Look well, you mongrels!" he shouted. "Do you see? These treasures are gathered from nations across the seas, meant as tribute to the Celestial Dragons! Who dares doubt me now?"
The room fell quiet. Even the Axe Captain blinked at the sight of so much wealth—more than most pirates could plunder in a lifetime. The onlookers murmured greedily:
"Sweet mother of sea kings… that's billions of Beli.""Could he really be a butler for a Celestial Dragon?""Look—the boxes are marked with the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon!"
That symbol, seared into every slave in the Holy Land, was unmistakable. Whispers turned to fearful awe.
Blutz reveled in it, a cruel grin spreading across his face. "Now you understand. Kneel!"
The Axe Captain trembled with rage, but slowly, to the shock of his crew, he bent the knee.
Blutz's boot lashed out, smashing across the pirate's jaw and planting his face on the tavern floor. Then, grinding his heel into the man's head, Blutz sneered, "What's wrong? Didn't you claim to be a Celestial Dragon yourself? Why so quick to bow to their dog?"
The Axe Pirates seethed, but none dared move. To strike at a Celestial Dragon's servant was to invite annihilation.
Blutz spat on the captain. "All you pirates are trash. Roger, Whitebeard, Golden Lion—all of them are nothing compared to the Celestial Dragons. Not even worth the gas from my ass!"
The tavern buzzed with anger, but no one dared challenge him. No one—except a single man sipping calmly at his drink.
Gil chuckled. Just once. Loud enough for all to hear.
The laughter sliced through the tension like a cutlass. Heads swiveled.
"Who dares laugh?!" Blutz roared.
Gil raised a hand lazily. "My bad. Couldn't help it. Don't worry—I'll just count what you said as a fart."
The room exploded in whispers. Eyes locked on him. The Axe Pirates stared, the tavern girls froze mid-step, and Bastille's face drained of color.