East Blue, Kingdom of Saintland.
At the harbor, Bahr sauntered out from a golden luxury cruise ship, hands behind his head, humming an off-key tune with his neck tilted and a grin stretching nearly to his ears. He looked thoroughly pleased with life.
Those days of sailing alone with nothing but the sound of waves had been unbearably dull.
Eventually, Bahr got smarter. He started targeting these extravagant cruise ships specifically—lounging on deck sunbathing, watching noblewomen in formal dresses dance, and picking his targets.
Just two days ago, he'd met a desperately lonely young wife and spent an intensely passionate voyage with her. Now he was simply tagging along with the fleet, enjoying fine food and drink while traveling and "fishing for clams."
This life could be summed up in one word—bliss.
Turning onto the main street, the air was thick with the aroma of grilled seafood. Vendors' cries rose and fell while street performers drew bursts of laughter from children.
Bahr had just accepted a skewer of fresh fruit from an elderly woman and was about to dig in when suddenly, the crowd behind him erupted into murmurs.
"It's a Celestial Dragon! A Celestial Dragon is coming!"
Bahr paused. A Celestial Dragon? What were they doing here?
The old woman trembled with fear as she warned, "Young man, as a member nation of the World Government, Saintland must offer its finest slaves and treasures every year. They're here to select slaves now—many poor souls will suffer. Be careful."
Selecting slaves? How very Celestial Dragon of them!
No sooner had she spoken than the clanking of chains echoed down the street. The vendors' faces paled as they frantically packed up their goods and dropped to their knees in unison.
Even the elderly woman swiftly packed her stall and knelt on the street with surprising agility for her age.
Glancing back, Bahr saw dust rising in the distance as a procession in bubble helmets slowly approached, golden canes tapping rhythmically against the cobblestones. He immediately activated his Space Fruit ability, vanishing into an alley in the blink of an eye.
Kneeling upon meeting them? Bahr had far too much pride for that.
Peering from his hiding spot, he saw the leader—a woman in a pearl-encrusted spacesuit, her face half-hidden behind a veil beneath the bubble helmet.
"She looks familiar... wasn't she that female Celestial Dragon Straw Hat encountered on Sabaody Archipelago? What was her name—Shal-something Palace!" Bahr mused while munching on his fruit.
Though the veil obscured most of her face, her features suggested beauty, and while her bulky "spacesuit" hid her figure, Bahr's experienced eye caught glimpses of enticing curves in her movements.
"If not for that Celestial Dragon status..." Bahr rubbed his chin, his Adam's apple bobbing as his "clam-fishing" instincts ignited.
Truthfully, Shalria was quite beautiful. Combined with her "noble" Celestial Dragon demeanor and imperious attitude, she presented an intriguing challenge.
But the thought vanished quickly. Celestial Dragons were notoriously obsessed with bloodline purity and racial superiority, viewing all non-Celestial Dragons with severe disdain.
While Bahr could handle the marine guards and CP agents, harming a Celestial Dragon would summon an admiral—like poking a hornet's nest. Only a fool would invite that trouble.
The sea offered countless "clams"—why fixate on one cursed star?
Just as Bahr turned to leave, a child's scream made him spin around. A four or five-year-old had broken free from its mother and stumbled, falling at Shalria's feet while clutching half a piece of hard bread.
"Filthy creature! How dare you soil my clothes!" Shalria shrieked in disgust, thrusting her cane toward the child's face, its metal tip glinting coldly.
At the critical moment, the air rippled—the child vanished, leaving only the bread rolling on the ground.
Shalria's cane struck the cobblestones with a spark-scattering crash. "Who dares play tricks before me?!"
Guards drew their swords with shrill metallic rings.
When no one appeared, Shalria's humiliation fueled her rage. "If you won't show yourself, I'll slaughter every lowlife on this street!"
The street fell deathly silent except for terrified whimpers.
"Exterminate every insect here," Shalria snarled, her face purpling beneath the bubble as she slammed her cane down. "Leave none alive."
Marines trembled as they raised rifles; guards swallowed hard but remained silent.
Gunfire shredded the air. Those kneeling in front collapsed with exploded skulls; a mother clutching her baby was torn apart by bullets, the infant instantly drenched in blood. The street became an abattoir of screams and gunfire.
"Enough." Bahr finally stepped from the shadows, his gaze icy as it locked onto Shalria.
He'd wanted to avoid trouble—Celestial Dragons weren't to be trifled with—but this woman was massacring an entire street over a trivial matter, sparing neither elderly nor children. It turned his stomach.
He never claimed to be a good man. Since arriving in this pirate world, he'd trampled conventional "morality"—scheming, profiteering, even occasional pointless mischief. None of it bothered him.
But compared to these Celestial Dragons, he might as well be a saint.
Spotting the boy in Bahr's arms, Shalria erupted in piercing laughter, her golden cane striking the ground. "So it's you—filth protecting filth against me!"
"Stop!" she screamed at the marines and CP agents. "Forget these vermin! Capture that man alive!"
The killers halted instantly, weapons swinging toward Bahr as survivors cowered in corners.
Gently setting the child down with a pat, Bahr cracked his knuckles. "You're even stupider than I thought."
If he couldn't avoid it, he'd flip the table.
Sure, he could quietly eliminate these marines and agents, but what then? The civilians would face worse reprisals later—perhaps the entire kingdom would suffer.
Shalria's face darkened as she drew a golden pistol engraved with the Celestial Dragon crest. "Today you'll learn the price of defying a 'god'!"
The gunshot came—but Bahr vanished. Before Shalria could react, agonizing pain exploded in her gut, sending her flying into a street stall like a broken kite.
The crowd froze in shock. Never had they imagined someone daring to strike a Celestial Dragon.
Panic spread like plague as people fled screaming.
CP agents swallowed hard, sweat dripping past their headbands; marines' rifles shook in trembling hands.
They knew they were doomed—but capturing this audacious criminal might spare their lives.
With a collective roar, they charged.
Bahr showed no mercy. A casual hand motion cleaved the lead CP agent in half at the waist.
Bullets froze midair half a meter away, clattering harmlessly to the ground as spatial distortions silently slit the remaining marines' throats.
"You bastard!" Shalria crawled from the fruit stall, her bubble helmet shattered, hair disheveled, face smeared with dirt and fruit pulp.
She glared venomously. "You vile creature! How dare you strike me!"
Bahr felt only disgust, recalling the inexplicably resilient Charloss from the original story—this woman's endurance didn't surprise him.
Before Shalria could react, a kick snapped her head back, sending her tumbling into rotten fruit. As she struggled up, sticky jam obscuring her visor, a boot crushed her face into the ground.
"'Filth' this, 'filth' that," Bahr sneered, grinding his heel. "Think I'm some pushover?"
Avoiding trouble didn't mean fearing it. The line was crossed—why hold back now?
Dazed, Shalria's scrabbling fingers found her dropped pistol. Wheezing, she aimed at Bahr and shrieked, "Die, you worm!"
The gunshot rang out...