[send power stones please]
A dozen minutes passed.
CP0 agent Kapanci's eyelids twitched.
Then slowly, painfully, he forced them open.
"—Hiss!!"
A spike of agony shot through his body, snapping his thoughts back into focus.
Romu… Conqueror's Haki…
Fragments of memory resurfaced:
The ship attacked.
The Celestial Dragon captured.
His heart lurched.
Kapanci tried to rise—
—and froze.
Where are my limbs?
Why can't I feel my hands… or my legs?
With mounting dread, he lowered his gaze.
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
A scream tore across the deck.
His arms and legs were gone.
Only his torso and head remained.
He'd been turned into a living stump.
A black thorn pierced straight through his abdomen.
His heart pounded violently.
The shock burned away the last of his haze.
Relying on years of brutal conditioning, Kapanci forced himself to endure the pain. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his neck to assess the situation.
Across the deck stood rows of cages grown from dark green wood.
Inside them, Marines lay unconscious—each wrapped in a black thorn vine. Their breathing was steady. Alive. Unharmed.
Except for one cage.
His teammate, Madha, had been impaled through the chest. Dead beyond doubt.
"Kh—!"
Kapanci coughed up blood.
The thorn embedded in his stomach glowed faint green.
Color returned to his face.
He blinked.
Then panic surged again as he searched frantically for Charloss.
In his doctrine, nothing mattered more than the life of a Celestial Dragon.
He found him.
Charloss hung from the mast by a flag bearing the Celestial Dragon hoof insignia.
Naked.
A collar around his neck.
A black gag stuffed into his mouth—the kind used on slave women.
"Lord Charloss!"
"You filthy mortal! How dare you treat a god like this—!"
Another vine jammed into Kapanci's mouth, cutting him off.
"Too loud."
The voice was calm.
Romu stood nearby, casually digging at his ear.
"My life essence isn't cheap. Don't waste it."
He glanced down at Kapanci with mild indifference.
"You're lucky. Sit tight and witness the show."
Then he turned and walked away, ignoring Kapanci's futile struggle.
Originally, Romu's plan had been simple:
Kill everyone.
Steal the Heavenly Tribute.
Deliver it to Hachinosu.
But finding a Celestial Dragon changed everything.
Money wasn't what he lacked.
What he needed… was reputation.
A big name attracted stronger bounty hunters. Stronger Marines.
And soon he'd be joining Rocks as a division commander—prestige mattered for recruiting elite crew.
So he devised a better plan.
Public execution.
He would stomp directly on the World Government's pride—and announce himself to the entire sea.
Snap.
Romu flicked his fingers.
Every unconscious Marine jolted awake.
Charloss's head lolled, then lifted.
"Mmmph! Mmmph!!"
Realizing his situation, the Celestial Dragon thrashed wildly.
Bound like livestock. Suspended like slaughter stock.
The Marines erupted in chaos.
"What happened?! Why are we caged?!"
"Look—his limbs are gone!!"
"These vines won't break!"
"Who's hanging from the mast?!"
"…That's a Celestial Dragon!!"
Shock rippled through them.
A Celestial Dragon—protected by the entire World Government—hung like an animal.
Did this man realize he was declaring war on the world itself?
"Good afternoon, everyone."
The calm voice cut through the panic.
Romu strolled to the center of the deck, toothpick in his mouth, giving a casual wave.
"Who is that?!"
"That's Romu! The pirate who beat Shiki!"
"Just him alone?!"
"He defeated the suited killer who one-shot Vice Admiral Moro…!"
"That's not the point! Why isn't he taking the tribute and leaving?! He tied up a Celestial Dragon!"
"Is he insane?!"
"Look at that mutilated agent… that's not human—that's a devil!"
Fear spread like wildfire.
Every Marine gripped their cage bars, staring at Romu.
What was he going to do?
"Yes," Romu said lightly. "I'm Romu."
"Let's play a game."
He pointed at the writhing Celestial Dragon on the mast.
"The rules are simple."
"There's a pig hanging there."
"Stab him twice… and I let you go."
"Participation encouraged."
"Oh—and I'll provide the knife."
A small dagger flashed into his hand.
Silence slammed into the deck.
Every Marine froze.
Eyes wide.
He wasn't bluffing.
Kapanci understood instantly.
Romu wasn't just humiliating a Celestial Dragon.
He was staging a public execution—forcing witnesses into complicity.
And Kapanci…
…was meant to watch.