Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1498.
That year, something momentous occurred.
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, turned himself in to the Marines.
Under direct orders from the World Government, the Marines escorted Roger to Loguetown for a public execution meant to intimidate the countless pirates stirring across the seas.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with Hiruto Blake.
Because he was a noble, exalted, untouchable descendant of the gods.
In short: a Celestial Dragon.
After sixteen years in this world, Blake felt he was already on the verge of being completely absorbed into the lawless lifestyle of the Celestial Dragons.
As he slowly drifted awake, he didn't even need to speak. A fair-skinned, long-legged, beautiful maid stepped forward, knelt, and lowered her head.
"Lord Saint Blake, please allow me to wash your face."
Blake gave a faint "Mm," too drowsy to waste more breath.
The maid bowed again, then picked up a disposable silk cloth embroidered with gold thread and delicately wiped his face.
Every movement was gentle, careful, as if she feared the slightest disturbance might ignite Blake's morning mood.
Although Blake wasn't one of those particularly violent Celestial Dragons, aside from lacking cruelty, he still possessed all the habits expected of their kind.
The maids who lived and served within the Holy Land had witnessed enough colleagues executed for trivial mistakes. Naturally, they had long cultivated the instinct to tread cautiously.
After his face was cleaned, Blake felt his mind sharpen. With the maid supporting him, he got out of bed, and three more maids immediately stepped in to dress him.
Even after more than a decade, Blake still felt like he was being trained into a completely useless person.
"Whatever. If they want me to be a pampered waste, let them. Half the people on the sea dream of this life and never get the chance."
After convincing himself, Blake accepted the maids' service without any guilt.
Once he was dressed, Blake stretched and casually ordered the maid beside him:
"The weather's decent today. I plan to go down below. Call a few CP agents to accompany me."
"Yes, Lord Saint Blake."
The maid bowed and hurried away.
Although the CP organizations were technically responsible for the Celestial Dragons' protection, in reality, Celestial Dragons inside Mary Geoise rarely had CP agents watching over them.
Mary Geoise was safe enough, and the CP divisions simply did not have the numbers to assign bodyguards to every Celestial Dragon.
Normally, CP only accompanied them when they went down to the lower world, especially when traveling at sea.
Sometimes, if the Celestial Dragon was only heading to the Sabaody Archipelago, they might not even request CP support at all.
Those fools sincerely believed no one on the sea dared lay a hand on them.
Blake intended to visit Sabaody today, but he had no intention of leaving with just a ship full of maids and slaves.
He wasn't stupid. Even that ridiculous scheme by Captain Kuro, who tried to wipe out an entire household to inherit everything, had been described by Oda as the second smartest plan in the whole sea after Ben Beckman.
And Sengoku, who nearly messed up a simple "lure the enemy and hit the reinforcements" tactic, was already considered a genius strategist.
In this world, where the average IQ seemed to start before birth, there were plenty of people even dumber than the Celestial Dragons.
Who knew when a hotheaded fool like Luffy might appear. Getting punched around was a minor issue. But if Blake revealed his strength and got selected by the Holy Knights, that would be a disaster.
Ever since the God Valley Incident, the Celestial Dragons hadn't held a "hunting competition" for years.
These days, the Holy Knights had no choice but to select candidates from Celestial Dragons who seemed promising in combat.
But Blake aimed to become the final boss of this world. Joining the Holy Knights meant being forced to stand on the front lines.
Breakfast consisted of one hundred refined dishes. Blake tasted a bit of everything, let the maid wipe the soup from his lips, changed into a spacesuit-like outfit, and put on his bubble helmet. Then he stepped outside.
Two masked CP agents were already waiting. Beside them, a small giant nearly eight meters tall lay prone, a golden throne strapped to his back.
Blake's exclusive "vehicle."
"Let's go."
Blake sat on the golden seat. The slave beneath him began crawling forward cautiously, heading toward Red Port.
As someone who once lived in a modern society, Blake had initially been extremely uncomfortable with the Celestial Dragons' lifestyle.
Even now, he still couldn't casually slaughter slaves without a second thought.
But he also understood that the best way to stay low-key was to blend in.
Whether it was Donquixote Homing and Donquixote Mjosgard from the original story, or the various transmigrators who had preceded him, all of them loved acting "special."
Those two Donquixote eccentrics wanted to abandon their class.
Transmigrators were even stranger.
Some trained intensely.Some fought other Celestial Dragons over the treatment of slaves.Some risked their lives to join the Holy Knights.Some refused to wear spacesuits or bubble helmets.Some were so cruel even Celestial Dragons found them disturbing.
These people were usually noticed by the Five Elders or even Imu before they reached adulthood and then suffered through a tragic series of events.
Was it so hard to keep a low profile?
If a few harmless insults were enough to upset them, Blake seriously doubted their maturity before transmigration.
From the start, Blake had been practical. If he truly hated someone, he would find a way to eliminate them later. Publicly "slapping faces" was pointless.
Mary Geoise was huge. Even with the slave crawling at full speed, it took over an hour to reach Red Port from Blake's residence.
Blake yawned.
"No wonder those idiots are obsessed with entertainment. I'm about to fall asleep."
No one dared respond, and Blake didn't expect them to.
When they reached the World Government's private docks, rows of fully armored guards were already kneeling on both sides.
Blake rode his slave between them and entered the bubble cable car.
From ten thousand meters above sea level, they descended slowly. Waiting below was a colossal luxury cruise ship.
Not some villain's flying vessel, but a custom-built ship made for Blake's first voyage.
He planned to travel often in the future. A Celestial Dragon without his own luxurious ship would lose face.
A few hours later, the Sanctum docked at the port of the Sabaody Archipelago.
Grove 16, Slave Auction House.
"Two hundred million Berries."
His voice wasn't loud, but it threw the entire auction house into silence.
The auctioneer instantly put on a flattering smile.
"Congratulations, Lord Celestial Dragon, on acquiring this mermaid slave."
Blake ignored him and turned to leave.
There were no Devil Fruits today, nor any powerful pirate slaves. The auction disappointed him.
The auction world couldn't function without Donquixote Doflamingo, just like the West couldn't function without Jerusalem.
Still, picking up a mermaid as a display ornament wasn't too bad.
Leaving the maid to handle paperwork with the auction house, Blake walked out under the protection of the two CP agents.
Grove 16 was entirely built around slavery. Behind the glass displays of each shop stood slaves: some beautiful, some strong, some exotic.
The first time Blake had walked down this street, he felt his worldview collapse. Compared to that memory, his current calm expression, even faint excitement, made him seem like a different person entirely.
Suddenly, a smiling blonde woman displayed behind a floor-to-ceiling window caught Blake's attention.
"Huh? Why does she look a little familiar?"