The next day, the Sanctum docked at the special pier just outside the Red Port.
Tenryū Yuto walked at the front. One step behind him were Stella and two expressionless CP agents. Trailing after them came dozens of slaves, maids, and guards.
Yesterday, Yuto had defeated the child version of Charlotte Linlin and obtained the Iron Balloon talent. His sense of security had shot up, and he finally dared to head out onto the sea to look for opportunities.
This time, he had no intention of returning to the Holy Land anytime soon. He planned to wander through the Four Seas, see what he could find, and try his luck at recruiting strong people and picking up Devil Fruits that had not yet entered the stage of history.
"Saint Yuto, I am Vice Admiral Comil, assigned to escort your voyage. This is my adjutant, Bastille. For the duration of the journey, we will be escorting your Sanctum with our warship."
As soon as they reached the Red Port, a Marine vice admiral with a face that faintly resembled a lion stepped forward, bowed slightly, and introduced himself.
Ordinary civilians had to kneel when facing a Celestial Dragon. Marines only needed to maintain respect.
Because this voyage would be long in both time and distance, the Marines had dispatched a warship as escort.
Yuto gave Comil a small nod.
"Then I will be in your care."
Vice Admiral Comil froze for a moment. This was the first time he had ever seen such a polite Celestial Dragon.
After Yuto boarded the ship, Bastille muttered under his breath.
"He does not seem as unreasonable as the rumors say…"
Comil shot him a glare.
"Since when do you have so much nonsense to say? Get moving."
Yuto was not actually a particularly polite person. He simply believed that true arrogance came from within.
The Marines, at the end of the day, were still the subordinates of the Celestial Dragons. As long as there was no direct conflict of interest, Yuto had no reason to offend them with his words.
…
"Comil and Bastille, huh."
Yuto chuckled softly.
He remembered these two.
Comil would later serve as the base commander of G–2 and cross paths with Ace.
Bastille's reddish brown long hair and bull mask left a deep impression, the kind of look that made you instinctively feel he was a big shot.
In reality, his most notable achievement was getting one shotted by Sabo in Dressrosa and still being unconscious by the time Yuto transmigrated.
Not that it mattered. Yuto had never expected these Marines to be of much use.
As long as the warship was there, it would be enough to intimidate a lot of pirates. At the very least, it would keep any idiots who did not recognize the World Government's flag from disturbing him.
…
Two months later, South Blue.
"Saint Yuto, we will be arriving at the Taya Kingdom soon."
Hearing the maid's voice, Yuto sat up from his deck chair, took off his sunglasses, and looked into the distance.
"We are finally here."
He murmured the words under his breath.
Two months had passed since they left Mary Geoise.
During those two months, Yuto had frequently entered the card space to sharpen his combat skills.
As his strength rose, his snowball rolled faster and faster.
Now, both his physique and his Haki had improved significantly compared to two months ago.
Especially his Observation Haki.
After defeating a New World nobody last month, Yuto had occasionally begun to glimpse brief flashes of the future. That meant he was not far from mastering the advanced application of Observation Haki known as future sight.
The way his Haki improved was a little different from that of others.
For most people, Haki technique and Haki strength did not necessarily grow in lockstep.
For example, Yamato could use Conqueror's coating, but her overall attack power clearly did not reach the level of most Conqueror's users.
Douglas Bullet's full power Armament Haki was like a tsunami, yet neither its hardness nor its internal destruction lived up to what it should have been.
That was what happened when Haki strength did not match Haki technique.
Yuto's Haki, powered up through ability cards, was more like a case of quantity leading to qualitative change.
Once his Haki passed a certain threshold, he would naturally comprehend the advanced techniques that others had to grope toward slowly.
…
Pulling his thoughts back, Yuto looked at the nearby port, then stepped onto the back of a slave and sat on his throne.
The port of the Taya Kingdom was packed with tens of thousands of people, yet it was as silent as if someone had clamped a hand over its throat.
The ground trembled. That was the sound of tens of thousands of knees hitting the earth.
The guards who had jumped down from the ship ahead of time had already drawn a crimson line across the ground, precisely marking the forbidden zone where even lifting one's eyes would mean death.
Dozens of children crawled on their knees, using shell grass to scrub the paving stones. It was a custom the World Government had upheld for eight hundred years: every place the gods walked had to be spotless.
Riding on his slave, Yuto disembarked and took in the scene. His feelings were complicated.
From a purely moral standpoint, he felt it was over the top.
Yet somewhere deep inside, a hard to describe surge of exhilaration was rising.
He wanted the entire world to become like the Taya Kingdom before his eyes.
Kneel at his feet.
A dark red wave of energy burst out from Yuto's body.
Just as that wave was about to sweep across the entire Taya Kingdom, it suddenly vanished.
Yuto let out a quiet breath.
"That was close. That almost got noticed. I have to stay low key. Low key."
Behind him, Vice Admiral Comil, who had just come down from the warship, glanced around in puzzlement and murmured.
"Was that my imagination?"
In the crowd, a shirtless boy about the same age as Yuto lifted his head slightly. His eyes happened to meet Yuto's scanning gaze, and his expression changed in an instant.
"How dare you."
A harsh shout rang out. A guard rushed over to the boy, raised his sword, and thrust it down toward him.
To look directly at a Celestial Dragon was a capital offense.
Yuto flicked a glance at the CP behind him. One of them raised his hand ever so slightly.
"Shigan."
With a sharp ring, the guard's sword snapped in two.
Yuto ignored the king and nobles kneeling at his feet. He shook the rope in his hand, and his slave understood at once, crawling straight toward the boy.
When he reached the boy, Yuto sat high on the slave's back and looked down at him.
High, arched eyebrows. Heavy lids pressing over his eyes. Slightly thick lips.
A mess of dark green curly hair. Bare torso.
Seeing the boy's features, Yuto lifted a brow.
"You have offended me."
The boy froze.
"I am sorry, noble Celestial Dragon-sama."
His tone trembled slightly, but his words were clear.
Yuto changed tack mid sentence.
"I have been at sea for two months. It feels pretty good to stand on solid ground again. I am in a good mood today, so I will pardon your offense. From now on, you are a retainer of Tenryū Yuto."
The boy blinked, stunned for a heartbeat, then broke into elated relief. He pressed his forehead to the ground.
"Supreme Saint Yuto, it is my greatest honor to serve as your retainer."
Yuto nodded, tugged on the rope again, and the slave carried him forward in the direction of the royal palace.
His voice drifted back on the wind.
"Do not just kneel there in a daze. Hurry up and follow."
The boy scrambled to his feet and quickly trotted after Yuto, matching his pace step for step.
Seeing this, a few people in the crowd had a sudden idea. Their eyes flicked toward Yuto.
The guards first snuck a quick look at him. When they saw that Yuto did not react, they rushed into the crowd, dragged those clever idiots out by force, and drove their swords straight into their chests without a hint of hesitation.
The sight actually made Yuto want to laugh.
What a flock of hidden dragons and crouching phoenixes.