"What God Slayer? Go capture that woman for me, right now."
Splat.
With a vicious snap, Saint Zelensky lashed his whip across the shoulder of a CP agent. The crack echoed through the street, sharp and wet. The agent's body trembled, yet he endured the pain without a sound. As one of the Celestial Dragons' most obedient hounds, he forced himself to speak, his voice shaking with fear.
"Saint Fox Biden, Saint Zelensky, Saint Raymondo… run. Please run. He is one of the Four Emperors. God Slayer Rolan."
The surrounding CP agents stiffened. One after another, panic spilled from their mouths.
"Saint Biden, Saint Zelensky, Saint Raymondo, retreat immediately. That man is Rolan. He is the one who killed Celestial Dragons."
Ever since Rolan had slaughtered two World Nobles and escaped the joint encirclement of the Marines and the World Government, his name had been placed at the very top of the World Government's secret list, People the Celestial Dragons Must Never Provoke.
Ranked first.
Because of him, the Celestial Dragons had been confined to Mary Geoise, forbidden from descending to the lower world of One Piece while Rolan remained in Paradise. They feared encountering him, the God Slayer, the madman who treated World Nobles as nothing more than targets.
That fear drove them nearly insane.
Their slaves were dying in droves, beaten or discarded until few remained. Even their indulgences had grown stale. This time, they had only dared to descend because Rolan had already entered the New World. By all logic, it should have been impossible to encounter him in the first half of the Grand Line.
Before leaving, the Holy Knights had warned them repeatedly. If they encountered Rolan, they were to flee at once. No provocation. No arrogance. No exceptions.
Otherwise, even the Holy Knights might not be able to save them.
And yet, here he stood.
What made the situation truly hopeless was that Saint Zelensky had already offended him.
In the world of One Piece, everyone knew Rolan's temperament. Cold, ruthless, and utterly intolerant of insult. The moment Zelensky tried to seize the woman beside him, it was no longer a misunderstanding. It was a death sentence.
The CP agent could only pray his companions would immediately escort the Celestial Dragons away from the island. If they survived, then perhaps his own family would be spared.
As guards of the Celestial Dragons, their families lived in Mary Geoise. The World Government called it protection. In truth, it was a leash.
Fail once, and wives and children paid the price.
"I am a Celestial Dragon, a World Noble," Saint Zelensky shouted arrogantly. "Who cares about an Emperor? If I am offended, an Admiral will be dispatched at once."
The blood drained from the CP agents' faces. The last path to redemption had vanished.
Saint Fox Biden raised a hand, his expression dark. "Saint Zelensky, say no more."
Then he turned his gaze toward Rolan and the orange haired woman beside him.
"Kneel," Saint Biden commanded. "Kneel now. Let this woman marry Saint Zelensky immediately, and I may consider sparing your lives."
A middle aged clothing shop owner, still kneeling on the ground, grabbed at Rolan's trouser leg in terror. "Lord Rolan, please, you heard him. Hurry and kneel."
Rolan casually brushed the man's hand away.
His eyes lifted, sharp and indifferent, settling on Saint Biden like a blade pressed against flesh.
"The attitude of Celestial pigs," Rolan said calmly, "is just as disgusting as ever."
Saint Biden's chest heaved. White mist poured from his mouth as rage twisted his face beneath the glass helmet. Before descending to the lower world, they had been warned to avoid Rolan at all costs.
But who were they?
They were the World Nobles. The so called creators of this world. In their eyes, the world of One Piece was nothing more than a farm, and everyone else was livestock.
When had a master ever needed to fear his animals?
They were used to arrogance, to absolute dominance. No matter where they went, kingdoms bowed, smiles forced onto trembling faces.
Run from a pirate?
He could not accept it.
"Seize that woman," Saint Zelensky barked, pointing at her with a shaking finger. "I want to enjoy her right in front of Rolan."
He sniffed loudly, dragging the snot back up his nose.
That was the moment the air changed.
"Watch your mouth," Rolan said quietly.
He bent down and picked up a small stone from the ground, holding it loosely between his fingers. There was no anger on his face, only faint annoyance.
Then he flicked his finger.
The stone vanished.
Splat.
The projectile pierced straight through Saint Zelensky's glass helmet. The helmet shattered, fragments raining down as Zelensky slid off the slave beneath him.
A hole the size of a thumb sat squarely in his forehead.
A twisted smile still clung to his face as his body hit the ground.
"Saint Zelensky!"
"Saint Zelensky!"
"Brother Zelensky!"
The CP agents froze. The civilians kneeling in the street froze. Saint Raymondo froze.
No one had expected Rolan to act.
No one had expected instant death.
Saint Biden let out a howl of rage and lashed his whip at the nearest agent. "Attack him! All of you! Kill Rolan! Tear him apart!"
His eyes burned as he pointed at the woman. "And bring her alive. I will sell her to a brothel in Mary Geoise!"
There was no turning back.
The CP agents rushed forward, their movements desperate.
Rolan shook his head slowly.
He knew their families were hostages. He knew they fought because they had no choice.
But he felt no pity.
Their hands were soaked in blood long before today.
He reached into the air and clenched his hand.
Blue purple lightning gathered, solidifying into a humming blade, an Electromagnetic Knife crackling with power.
His figure vanished.
In the next instant, he reappeared behind Saint Biden. The blade rested gently against the Celestial Dragon's neck.
Behind them, the CP agents collapsed to the ground one after another, their heads separated cleanly from their bodies.
The street fell silent.
A foul stench filled the air.
Saint Raymondo had lost control, urine pooling on the back of the slave she rode. Her legs gave out as she finally understood the meaning of the warnings she had ignored.
Rolan did not fear Celestial Dragons.
He did not respect them.
He hunted them.
"I advise you to release us," Saint Biden stammered, his entire body trembling. "We are World Nobles."
The killing intent radiating from the blade made his soul scream.
Rolan's eyes were cold.
"Stubborn creatures," he said flatly. "You are not people. You are beasts."
He twisted his wrist.
Splat.
The glass helmet shattered, followed by an old head rolling across the ground, its expression frozen in terror and rage.
Rolan stepped forward, standing before Saint Raymondo.
"As long as I exist in the world of One Piece," he said calmly, "the Celestial Dragons will die."
A flash of blue light.
Saint Raymondo's body split apart, collapsing lifelessly onto the stone.
Silence returned to the street.
_____
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