"Yohoho! What a magnificent physique! You must be one of the ten most valuable 'rabbits,' aren't you? With a body like that… tsk, I almost can't bear to kill you. How about this—be a good boy and come back with me. You can serve as my mount."
The Celestial Dragon admired Roldy 's physique with open satisfaction.
His abdominal muscles, chest, biceps, quadriceps—every line of Roldy 's body displayed the pinnacle of masculine power and beauty. Such prime merchandise shouldn't die here. He should become a trophy, something to flaunt.
And if not—
Such a specimen would fetch an outrageous price among the noble ladies of the Holy Land.
Hearing this, Roldy paused slightly.
"Surrender obediently. The World Government has already surrounded this island completely. No one is leaving alive. Become my slave, and you'll receive the finest food and accommodations. Among all my slaves, you'll hold the highest status."
For a Celestial Dragon to offer such terms—
it spoke volumes about how valuable Roldy appeared in his eyes.
Unfortunately, the fool had no idea he had already committed a capital offense.
His words were nothing short of pouring oil onto a raging fire.
"You're saying… you want me to become a slave?"
Roldy 's expression remained calm.
But his body swelled subtly, veins bulging across his forehead. Killing intent radiated from him, nearly tangible. A faint red mist seemed to gather around his blood-soaked frame, making him look like a demon crawling out of hell itself.
The Celestial Dragon finally sensed something was wrong.
"W-What are you trying to do?! I warn you—I am a Celestial Dragon! Do you understand what that means? If you lay a hand on me, a Marine Admiral will slaughter everyone close to you! Your family, your friends, your teachers—none will escape!"
He forced himself to sound threatening.
Roldy stared at him.
Then—
he laughed.
"You've got guts. The last one who tried to make me a slave is deader than dead."
"Oh, and I almost forgot to mention—she was a Celestial Dragon too."
Step by step, Roldy advanced.
Each footfall was like a funeral bell tolling inside the noble's chest.
As death drew closer, fear magnified to its peak.
And then—
the Celestial Dragon remembered something.
His eyes widened.
A Celestial Dragon… killed?
Yes. It had happened.
A Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral had done it personally—betrayed the Marines and become the Seventh Division Commander of the Rocks Pirates.
"You're Roldy ?!"
Realizing his catastrophic mistake, the Celestial Dragon turned and ran without hesitation.
His strength wasn't insignificant—roughly comparable to a Marine Headquarters field officer.
But standing before him—
was Roldy .
With a furious roar, Roldy shot forward like an arrow released from its bow.
The Celestial Dragon heard a sharp whistle of air behind him.
Turning instinctively—
he saw an enormous hand filling his vision.
The hand seized his head effortlessly.
With overwhelming force, Roldy lifted him off the ground.
"Spare me! You can't do this—I'm a Celestial Dragon!"
"A Celestial Dragon? Your blood is red like anyone else's. You can die like anyone else."
"Slave traders deserve only one thing—death."
Roldy tightened his grip, about to crush the noble's skull—
When suddenly, his Observation Haki screamed a warning.
He jerked his head back.
A razor-sharp dagger sliced past the tip of his nose, severing a massive tree clean in half before spinning back through the air into its wielder's hand.
A man appeared.
He wore an ornate combat uniform and a skull-shaped mask.
"Saint Batista! Save me!"
The trembling Celestial Dragon in Roldy 's grasp stretched out a desperate hand toward the newcomer, as if clinging to a lifeline.
"Pirate. Release the noble."
The man called Saint Batista spoke arrogantly.
Roldy turned to face him.
His instincts—sharp as a beast's—sent a clear warning.
This opponent was strong.
Very strong.
But so what?
Roldy grinned.
His sharp teeth gleamed ominously.
Then—
his right hand clenched.
The Celestial Dragon's head exploded like a watermelon.
Blood and brain matter splattered everywhere.
"Oh. My bad. Guess I didn't control my strength."
"You told me to let him go, right? Sure. Here."
He kicked what remained of the body toward Saint Batista as though discarding trash.
Batista didn't bother catching it.
There was no need.
Under Roldy 's immense force, the corpse had already disintegrated midair, the scent of so-called nobility thick in the air.
"You lowborn insect… do you realize what you've done?"
Two identical daggers appeared in Saint Batista's hands, both gleaming with deadly sharpness. Behind the skull mask, his eyes burned with killing intent.
"Didn't I just kill a Celestial Dragon? What's the big deal?"
"This is only the beginning. Once I wipe out every last Celestial Dragon on this island… you might just lose your mind."
Roldy remained utterly indifferent.
What interested him more was the name.
Saint Batista.
So this one was a Celestial Dragon too?
And clearly far stronger than the last.
"Oh, right—"
"You're a Celestial Dragon too, aren't you?"
Roldy 's tone was thick with mockery.
"You insolent fool!"
"Do you have any idea who stands before you?"
"I am Saint Batista—one of the Holy Knights!"
"You dare set your sights on me?"
"You have chosen death."
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