The Five Elders were the highest authority in the Holy Land, the World Government, and consequently, the world. That was what people had believed for eight hundred years, and it was still what most people believed.
These Five Elders could make entire nations disappear, even erasing them from history. All the Celestial Dragons aspired to become the successors of these Five Elders in the future.
But they did not know that these five elders, capable of making kings and emperors tremble, were now kneeling with pale faces before Imu.
This was the reason Sengoku had been unable to meet with the Five Elders to tell them what was happening in Sabaody. However, Imu's orders were absolute. Even if the world itself were coming to an end, these five would prioritize Imu's orders above everything else.
The five knelt, waiting for Imu's words.
It was respect, fear, and loyalty.
"I had a dream..."
The voice of their king, their master, their god, filled the room with a terrifying, oppressive force. The Five Elders knew that their lives were in Imu's hands, and not in a metaphorical sense. If Imu wished it, they could kill them with a mere thought.
"A dream?" Jupiter asked cautiously.
Imu did not answer. He seemed lost in his thoughts.
"Nikka... Joy Boy... Lily... Some people will return, and others who definitely did not leave this world without leaving something behind. I know it, and I am waiting for it. They are foolish, futile attempts, but in the end, they left something behind, and that something will appear in the future. However, what I saw in my dream was none of those things."
"Imu-sama, what do you mean?" Mars asked.
"That gaze... those eyes... I had never seen them before, but they made me feel... uncomfortable." Imu stopped being lost in his thoughts and looked at the Five Elders, his subjects, his slaves. "Find out the reason for this. Something is wrong with my world, and I want to know what it is."
"Yes!" they answered in unison.
They had no idea how they were going to find out who that person was, assuming it even was a person. They did not know their race, nor did they have any idea which of the twenty million known islands they should start searching. But not a single one of them dared to refuse or say that they could not do it.
They wielded the power of the world. If necessary, they would shake heaven, sea, and earth to find "that someone" who was troubling Imu.
That was their duty, and with all the power at their disposal, it would be ridiculous if they were to fail.
....
Sabaody, Grove 24
Charlos's expression was bored. He wondered if he should kill this useless mount, but he was a Celestial Dragon who hated walking, and if he killed him, how was he supposed to get to Grove 1?
It was simply unpleasant having to step onto the soil of the human world. Sometimes he wondered how his sister and father could walk on it themselves.
Charlos sighed. His sister enjoyed abusing his father's slaves until they died, but she rarely rode them. As for his father, he had a large number of pirate captains as slaves. They were like collector's items to him, but to Charlos they were merely mounts. However, none of them lasted very long.
His mistreatment and abuse were too much for any pirate to endure, even those with superhuman strength.
"I hope there are fish-men. They're more durable, but there usually aren't many for sale... Hm?"
Charles's thoughts were interrupted when he saw two doctors and a nurse hurriedly carrying a stretcher.
"Hey!" Charlos shouted in his greasy, unpleasant voice. "What are you doing?!"
The doctors immediately stopped, looking both confused and nervous. The people who were kneeling turned pale and couldn't help but curse inwardly.
Who were these idiots?!
Didn't they know they were in the presence of a Celestial Dragon?!
"Sir, this man needs immediate medical attention!" one of the doctors shouted.
The man had not been in Sabaody for long, and although he knew that a Celestial Dragon was someone who demanded respect, he believed that a life in danger might be enough to justify his actions.
Charlos climbed down from his mount and clumsily walked toward them. He looked at the bleeding man on the stretcher while a drop of mucus hung from his nose.
"I see. Then we must hurry," Charlos said.
For a moment, his words surprised everyone. Could this Celestial Dragon have developed a little empathy? However, that thought died faster than the setting sun.
Without the slightest bit of mercy, Charlos kicked the stretcher and pulled out a pistol. Then he shot the injured man, killing him.
"There. Now you have no reason to disrespect me," Charlos said in his nasal voice as he sniffed back some mucus.
"They're worse than I'd heard," Urouge said among the crowd.
"..." Hawkins remained silent, as if trying to predict the future. However, he saw no shadow of death surrounding the Celestial Dragon.
"Tch." Bonney, who had knelt, clenched her teeth in disgust and contempt.
Among the crowd were also Bege and Apoo, who simply watched. They were pirates and had done bad things, but the Celestial Dragons were even worse than them, which said a lot about the kind of shit that ruled the world.
Satisfied, Charlos put away his pistol and was about to turn around when the nurse caught his attention. The girl went pale and looked away, trying not to anger the Celestial Dragon, but he looked her up and down before nodding.
"Fine. You'll be my thirteenth wife." Charlos turned to his assistant, a man dressed in black like a CP agent. "Make the preparations. Also, I'm already bored with the first through fifth wives... You know what to do."
"As you command. Shall we take her with us?" the agent asked.
"No. Send her to the port," Charlos said.
The agent bowed, and then the knights accompanying them stepped forward and grabbed the woman.
"No, stay away!" the nurse screamed.
"Wait, please!" a young man shouted from among the crowd. He ran toward Charlos. "She's my fiancée, I—!"
Bang
The young man couldn't finish his sentence before a bullet pierced his chest. Seeing her fiancé fall to the ground, the woman seemed stunned for a moment before screaming.
"NOOO!"
"Another bastard who dares to walk in front of me!" Charlos snarled. "You're only a human!"
"Someone help him!" the woman screamed. "Please! Anyone!"
The woman had medical knowledge, so just by looking at the wound, she knew that her fiancé would not survive without immediate treatment. But nobody moved.
The common people lowered their heads. The pirates acted indifferently, and even the doctors who had received a harsh dose of reality looked away.
The woman's eyes filled with desperation, and she did not even react when the knights lifted her by the arms to take her away.
At that moment of absolute desperation, a white coat fluttered nearby.
The woman's eyes lit up, and she struggled free from the surprised guards, who also looked in that direction.
"Please, help me!" the woman screamed as she ran toward the figure with the word justice written across his back.
....
Moments earlier
Allen watched everything from a distance with the girls. Among them, Nami and Robin had enhanced senses, so they heard and saw everything clearly. Doll could also hear and see everything, being a Vice Admiral. As for Camie and Pappag, they had turned pale just from seeing what was happening.
A Celestial Dragon had cold-bloodedly killed a man on a stretcher, not for any particular reason, but simply because they had not knelt. Just because of that.
"Those are..." Nami said, unconsciously grabbing Allen's hand.
"Yes. They're Celestial Dragons, those gods that all of humanity should worship," Allen said with a hint of mockery and coldness.
"What disgusting creatures..." Robin said. Even someone as calm and rational as her was filled with anger at this.
"Hey..." Doll said, restraining her anger.
"Hm?" Allen replied without turning to look at her.
Doll clenched her teeth. "You're not going to do anything?"
Allen blinked in confusion, which only made Doll angrier. She knew that Allen hated the Celestial Dragons and the World Government, so why, at this very moment, when one of the beings who ruled the world was right there, had he done nothing?!
"..." Allen did not answer.
This angered Doll, but at that moment, a second gunshot rang out, followed by a woman's heartbreaking scream.
Nami leaned against Allen's chest while Camie grabbed her own head, trying not to hear anything else.
"Idiot! Look what happened!" Doll shouted at Allen.
If only he had acted. If only he had intervened earlier, perhaps this would not have happened.
Allen looked at the woman without changing his expression and calmly said,
"I'm a pirate."
Doll froze. Had she forgotten? No, she hadn't. Allen was indeed a pirate, so why would he save other people?
Doll didn't understand. She simply didn't know. After spending so much time with Allen and seeing that he wasn't a ruthless person, she had thought he had a good heart. After all, he treated his crew very well, as if they were his family. Even they, who were merely hostages, were treated with respect.
But in the end, he was a pirate, not a hero, not a vigilante...
"Besides, you're the one wearing that coat," Allen said with a smile.
"...!" Doll felt a weight on her shoulders, and when she realized it, she was already wearing her Marine coat, with the word justice written across the back.
"You people are supposed to be the good guys, the righteous ones, and the law, aren't you?" Allen said as he slowly raised one of his hands, a transparent sphere appearing in it.
"Wait, what are you going to do?!" Doll exclaimed, extending her hand as she felt a terrible premonition.
Allen's smile grew.
Room... Shambles.
Doll disappeared...
....
In an instant, Doll appeared very close to where everything had happened, still with her hand extended.
She had been teleported!
In the worst place, at the worst possible moment, Allen had teleported her there, and now she couldn't avoid the gaze of that unpleasant man, much less that unfortunate woman.
Even Doll's mind, sharpened by years of strategic experience, could not come up with a way to avoid the disaster.
Just as she expected, the moment the woman locked eyes with her, she struggled free and ran toward her.
"Please, help me!"
The woman reached Doll, stumbling, and clung to her legs.
"You have to help him! He's going to die!" the woman screamed.
At that moment, everyone's eyes turned toward Doll.
"A Marine?!" Bonney exclaimed.
"Impossible. What is she doing here?" Apoo said.
"This is getting interesting," Urouge said mockingly.
As for Hawkins, he was stunned. It made no sense for Doll to appear in that place.
'What's happening? This woman's fate wasn't supposed to lead her here! This is strange! Is the future being altered, or was my power wrong?!'
"What is it now?!" Charlos shouted as his face turned red. One after another, they dared to disrespect him. However, when he was about to fire, his hands stopped.
Doll was beautiful. Her short black hair, blue eyes, soft lips, porcelain skin, and deadly figure made her even more beautiful than his wives.
Charles became agitated and began panting like a pig.
"I see. So you've decided to offer yourself to me willingly," Charlos said with a smile. "Just for that, I'll forgive your offense and make you my wife!"
The people nearly vomited upon hearing such a declaration. As for Doll, her expression darkened, and murderous intent began to bloom within her. However, she did not act. She couldn't. Not even Garp would attack a Celestial Dragon, no matter how repulsive they were.
"Saint Charlos, that woman is a Marine."
The government agent interrupted him, explaining the situation.
"Huh?" Charlos frowned. "What does that matter? She's mine now. Just send a letter or something to Sengoku!"
Charles's words made everyone swallow nervously. Even the Marines had no immunity against the Celestial Dragons?!
"I'm afraid she's not just a Marine. Isn't that right, Vice Admiral Doll?!" the government agent said.
Everyone's eyes widened as they looked more closely at Doll, and soon some realized they had seen her in the newspaper before.
A Vice Admiral!
Suddenly, the people's expressions changed, especially the woman clinging to Doll. While an ordinary Marine could be discarded, the same did not apply to Vice Admirals. Even if they had to show respect toward the Celestial Dragons, they would not be their slaves at will.
"A Vice Admiral?!" Charlos opened his eyes, his expression became bored, and he began picking his nose. "Then forget it. Hey, you, bring me that woman. She's my wife!"
"...!" Doll trembled.
It was true. As a Vice Admiral, she would not become a Celestial Dragon's toy, at least not someone at Charlos's level. It would have to be an order from the Five Elders, but they would never do something like that. However, she still had to obey orders that did not cross certain lines, as a matter of respect.
That was the harsh reality. That was why Vice Admirals avoided staying near Celestial Dragons whenever possible, to avoid humiliations like this.
'Damn you, Allen Walker!' Doll thought.
"What are you doing?! Don't waste my time and bring me that woman!" Charlos ordered, losing his patience.
Doll looked at Charlos with hatred and then at the woman at her feet. She had tears in her eyes as she looked at Doll in desperation.
That made Doll freeze, and her eyes went dull.
'I know. This is what you wanted to show me, isn't it? My own hypocrisy... It's a huge slap in the face... Are you enjoying this?'
Doll hated pirates. She had made that clear from the moment she stepped onto Allen's ship. She always looked at him with hostility, always treated him rudely, always regarded him with distrust, and in the end, that young man had done nothing that made her condemn him as a monster, aside from kidnapping her.
Now she was here, wearing this heavy coat that had never felt more uncomfortable.
The woman understood now. Allen had set a trap for her, forcing her to choose between her justice and her job. Was her justice real, or was it all just a farce?
The government agent frowned.
"Vice Admiral Doll, is there a problem? We're in a hurry!"
As a shadow covered Doll's face, she extended her hand and grabbed the woman's wrist.
This shattered everyone's hopes, especially the woman, who looked at Doll with lifeless eyes, silently asking why.
Weren't they the good guys? Weren't they supposed to protect the innocent? If the Marines did this, then who were they supposed to turn to?!
None of the pirates showed any change in their expressions, as this was the expected outcome. There was no reason for the Marines to seek a conflict with the World Government.
Everyone except Bonney, who turned her gaze away with an expression full of contempt toward Doll. She was indifferent to ordinary people, but she was a pirate. Doll, however, was a Marine, so her actions were so hypocritical that they were disgusting.
"What are you doing?!" Charlos shouted, surprising everyone.
Instead of taking the woman to Charlos, Doll placed her behind herself.
"What does this mean?!" the agent shouted.
"It means I'm quitting, you fat piece of shit!" Doll said with a mocking smile as she raised her middle finger.
Doll's words left everyone in shock, while not far away, Allen burst out laughing.
"Y-you!" Charlos trembled, feeling humiliated. How dare this woman disrespect him like that?
"UNFORGIVABLE!"
Charles began firing at Doll.
Doll coated her arms with Haki before blocking the bullets.
"You're nothing but a lowly human! You should be grateful that you even exist because of us! But you choose to bite the hand of your masters, bitch! Filthy whore!"
Charlos hurled horrible insults at Doll as he continued firing, but she did not counterattack.
She couldn't. Even if she were punished by the Marines for her actions, even if she were expelled from the Marines, she would not attack a Celestial Dragon. So she limited herself to blocking the bullets.
"This is UNFORGIVABLE!" Charlos shouted as he panted, not knowing what to do. In his entire life, he had never felt so angry at being unable to obtain something. "I'll make every day of your life miserable, or my name isn't Charlos Rosward!—"
"You won't..."
The sound of flesh and bones breaking shocked everyone.
"...!" Charlos opened his eyes, unable to understand what was happening, but in his vision, he saw something emerging from his chest.
It was an arm. His body had been pierced by an arm.
"H...ah..." Charlos turned his head as his vision became blurry. He couldn't even scream in pain because blood was flooding his throat. "W-who?"
Allen's face appeared before him.
"Hello, pig... I think you got a little too comfortable in my world while I was away. How about you go to Hell for a bit?" Allen said with a cold smile.
Charlos turned blue, perhaps from fear, perhaps from blood loss. He only knew one thing: for the first time in his entire life of luxury and excess, he had learned what it meant to be afraid of a human.
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