Looking down at Shano with disdain, he frowned and said:
"As for this black-haired brat... Hmph, those kinds of eyes, just looking at them is unsettling, there's no need to keep him alive, just get rid of him directly!"
"?"
Kizaru looked back in astonishment, at a loss for words for a moment, his face darkened as his temple throbbed.
Why exactly... Why are these Heavenly Celestial Dragons this stupid! It's one thing not to recognize who's standing before them, but can't they even sense the change in the atmosphere!
If he could take on these four people single-handedly, would he need to be so cautious?
"Saint Pulminge, Lady Charulia."
He rubbed his frowning face, suppressing his inner anger, and turned to bow slightly, "You two might be mistaken, this person is..."
"I don't care who he is!"
Saint Pulminge rudely interrupted and glared at Kizaru, pointing directly at Shano:
"Come to think of it, I've been very annoyed from the start. In front of the gods, everyone is supposed to kneel! But you, and you all—"
Seeing that no one moved, he cracked his whip suddenly, roaring in anger, "What are you standing there for, now! Immediately! Kneel down and kowtow! Maybe I'll show mercy and spare your lives!"
Crack!
The whip's cracking sound cut through the air swiftly, but before it could reach Shano, Kuma stepped forward, catching it expressionlessly with his hand.
"Commoner!"
Saint Pulminge was taken aback, then fumed, "You... How dare you?"
A fellow Bakalian...
Kuma squinted slightly, his gaze having been fixed on the two massive slaves used as mounts by the Heavenly Celestial Dragons.
That bruised face, that bloodied, miserable appearance, reminiscent of scenes he witnessed with his father in the Holy Land, flashing quickly through his mind...
"You need not worry, Kuma."
Shano's calm voice came through, "Do what you want to do. Even if the sky falls, I'm here to hold it up for you."
Kuma glanced back at Shano, meeting those deep black eyes, then nodded.
He took a deep breath, turned around, and with a swift motion of his right hand, pulled Saint Pulminge down, whip and all, from the slave's back.
"Ah!"
Saint Pulminge let out a scream, falling heavily to the ground. In a panic, he started to crawl backward, looking up into Kuma's cold eyes, his body trembling: "Hey! Commoner! What... What do you plan to do? I, I am..."
Kuma ignored him and strode past, walking straight to the two Bakalian slaves.
He lowered his head, extending his broad hand, gently caressing the scarred necks of the two.
"Don't be afraid."
Kuma spoke softly, his tone gentle and soothing, "I am here to bring you home."
Snap!
The explosive collar on their neck broke with a sound and fell to the ground.
The two slaves raised their heads blankly, and upon recognizing Kuma's visage, realization dawned, bringing a glimmer to their murky eyes.
Fellow kin, fellow tribe...
Are there any Bakalians still alive outside Mary Geoise...
"Be careful, take it slow."
Kuma extended his hand, pulling the two up from the ground, causing Lady Charulia, who had been atop them, to unceremoniously fall to the ground, displacing one side of her bubble helmet.
"Rebellion!"
She struggled to her feet, while supporting her helmet, and screamed hysterically, "Rebellion! Everyone's rebelling! Borsalino! What are you watching and waiting for? Hurry and kill these commoners for me..."
Before she finished speaking, a shadow flashed suddenly.
Slap!
The crisp sound of a slap echoed through the scene, sending Lady Charulia spinning in the air, spitting out a mouthful of blood before crashing against a distant tree trunk.
Her bubble helmet shattered completely, scattering a few teeth along with the broken glass, her originally delicate and pretty face swelling visibly on the left side.
"How noisy."
Shano reappeared, frowning in disgust as he glanced at the female Heavenly Celestial Dragon, taking a tissue Kuina handed him to wipe his hands.
The entire scene fell silent immediately.
Whether it was the onlookers daring to watch from afar or the surrounding Navy Soldiers, their eyes widened, their hearts seemingly skipping a beat, even holding their breath.
Hey, hey, hey...
Is it real or fake, what did they see?
What did they see!
The Heavenly Celestial Dragon... those arrogant World Nobility, actually got slapped solidly?!
And even gods, do they feel pain when hit…?
Countless shocked and speechless gazes gathered towards Shano.
This scene happened so fast and suddenly that no one even saw how he moved just now.
Even Admiral Kizaru stood there stunned, still scratching his head in confusion, seemingly completely unresponsive...
"Peasant, peasant... filthy lower-class peasant!"
Charulia finally snapped back to reality, holding her red and swollen cheek in disbelief, screaming hysterically.
She struggled to get up from the ground, her golden ponytail disheveled, her delicate face now twisted beyond recognition, looking as ferocious as a demon:
"How dare you! How dare you hit me with your lowly blood-stained hand! Borsalino! Navy! You're all useless, can't even stop a single peasant..."
Her screams were almost piercing, and on the other side, Saint Pulminge also finally came back to his senses from the shock.
"Damn peasant!"
He snarled as he pulled out a gemstone-encrusted golden pistol, trembling as he aimed it at Shano, "Go die! Go to Hell!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three gunshots fired in succession, bullets whistling through the air.
However—
Ding! Ding! Ding!
Three crisp metallic collision sounds rang out, the bullets deflected by an invisible barrier half a meter from Shano, scattering sparks.
Was that Supreme King Haki at work, controlling it with such precision?
Kizaru clearly saw it from the side, pursed his lower lip, this guy was clearly already at the pinnacle level of the world, yet his mastery of Haki seemed to continuously improve with age.
"Wha…what?"
Saint Pulminge's eyes widened in disbelief at this scene.
"It seems you still don't understand."
Shano sighed and walked forward slowly, the invisible pressure emanating from him made the Navy Soldiers around him swallow and subconsciously retreat.
If that was all, it would be nothing.
Sentomaru watched in astonishment as the newly developed PX model Peacekeepers beside him also took a half-step back.
Why is that, Uncle Vegapunk!
"The so-called gods, such things as superior bloodline..."
He stepped in front of Saint Pulminge, looking down condescendingly at the Heavenly Celestial Dragon who was sitting paralyzed on the ground, his eyes flashing coldly.
"Are just your shameless self-proclamations, if no one believes, then they are nothing!"
Before his words fell, Shano suddenly lifted his foot and heavily stomped on Saint Pulminge's gun-holding wrist.
"Ahhh!!!"
Saint Pulminge cried tears from the pain, his wrist twisted, and the golden pistol fell to the ground with a clatter.
"Unfortunately, there are still too many people who believe in these, so someone needs to correct it, so both of you, still have to…"
Shano's gaze suddenly sharpened, a crimson light flashing in his pitch-black pupils.
Boom!!!
Tremendous Supreme King Haki erupted like a tsunami, sweeping outwards with him at the center, making the surrounding trees shake violently, and the soap bubbles floating in the sky burst all at once.
"Kneel!"
With a cold shout, the Supreme King Haki suddenly retracted, condensed into tangible pressure, pouring violently onto the two Heavenly Celestial Dragons.
"Mere peasant…"
Charulia and Saint Pulminge turned pale, their legs trembling uncontrollably, their very souls quaking as if being gazed upon by an utmost supreme existence.
Even with their deep-seated arrogance, making them unwilling to kneel no matter what, they could resist for only one or two seconds, but in the end, their bodies defied them.
"Ah!!!"
With piercing screams, the sound of cracking kneecaps made a teeth-numbing crunch as they smashed heavily into the ground.
Kneeling respectfully in the direction of Shano.