On the projection screens of the Sabaody Archipelago, the image of Noyer beheading the Celestial Dragon with a single stroke was frozen in everyone's eyes.
Shock filled every face — the lofty Celestial Dragons had been slaughtered and even used to extort money.
After the initial shock, the people couldn't suppress the wild joy in their hearts. This act was utterly satisfying!
In this world, no one had any fondness for the Celestial Dragons. Everyone detested them. But due to their privileges, no one dared to cross them. Today, with Noyer pulling off such a stunt, some naturally felt admiration.
Noyer couldn't see the reactions on the other side of the projection, but he could predict the Marines' response.
He removed his bloodstained gloves, looked at the corpse on the ground, and said, "String up the body. We're getting ready to depart."
Seeing Noyer decisively kill the Celestial Dragon and make such bold declarations, the admiration on everyone's faces deepened. The brothers whose loyalty to him was absolute obeyed his every command, rolling up their sleeves to get busy.
Seeing her father's headless corpse hung from a tree, Saint Shalria — pinned to the ground by Noyer — immediately teared up. She twisted frantically, trying to break free from the rope's restraint, but he slapped her to the ground.
Just as she was about to stand, Noyer sat directly on her arched back, nearly making her eat dirt.
He looked coldly at her and sneered, "Do you want to end up like your father?"
Saint Shalria looked at his icy gaze, then at the corpse, and couldn't help but shudder. After killing her father right before her eyes, she didn't dare say another word.
Noyer asked mockingly, "The pampered Celestial Dragon lady is being used as a chair and had her father killed — don't you want revenge?"
Saint Shalria was so pressed by his weight that she couldn't breathe. She struggled to support her body, only having the strength to glare at him with venomous eyes.
Noyer paid no attention to such looks. Having slain so many enemies, he'd seen gazes far more vicious, wretched, and fierce than this Celestial Dragon's. Why should he care about hers?
He ignored her gaze and patted her back, making her body tremble involuntarily.
Noyer smiled with satisfaction, "Until the ransom arrives, I'll use you as a temporary chair. I don't mind the filth."
Saint Shalria widened her eyes and shouted in panic, "No!"
Her resistance was useless — whether physical or verbal.
Killing one Celestial Dragon intimidated all the others, finally making these so-called descendants of the Creator shut their mouths.
After a quick reorganization, Noyer boarded the modified warship and left the island. Shortly after his departure, several fully armed warships arrived. It was that familiar man again — Kizaru, forced into overtime for the Nth time, reluctantly landing on the island to investigate.
Soon, he found the headless corpse hanging from a tree.
Kizaru lifted the cover of the Den Den Mushi on his wrist and reported to headquarters, "Already reached the destination, but only Saint Rosward's corpse remains here."
The Den Den Mushi took on the features of an old man, who gritted his teeth upon hearing his words: [That cursed Devil Man — he anticipated we'd track him here…]
Kizaru unhurriedly yawned, "So… what now?"
Just as Kizaru asked his question, a subordinate soldier suddenly ran over holding something, "Report, Admiral! Below Saint Rosward's corpse, we found a Den Den Mushi!"
Kizaru took the Den Den Mushi and scratched his forehead with his index finger, "What's this for?"
Immediately after, as if timed perfectly, the Den Den Mushi in his hand suddenly rang, instantly alerting Sengoku, who was in communication.
[Borsalino, answer the phone. Let me speak.]
Kizaru obediently acknowledged, then answered the Den Den Mushi, holding his wrist's Den Den Mushi toward the receiver.
From the new Den Den Mushi, Noyer's cheerful voice rang out: [Moshi moshi? Who's this?]
Sengoku said firmly: [Devil Man Noyer, in the name of Fleet Admiral of the Marines, I order you to immediately return the Celestial Dragon!]
Noyer, already thousands of miles away sitting on his ship, looked at the Den Den Mushi with surprise.
Sengoku personally chasing him? That guy's combat power wasn't to be underestimated — though wasn't he a homebody?
A certain errand-running Kizaru could barely keep his eyes open, drowsily holding two Den Den Mushi, completely unresponsive to what they were saying.
But Noyer was quite chatty. Since it wasn't a face-to-face confrontation anyway, he brazenly said: [I won't return them! What can you do about it! Go ahead and try to kill me if you dare!]
Of course, preferably without deploying the violent Garp…
Sengoku was so angry his round glasses nearly fell off. Suppressing his rage, he said: [The Marines will not agree to your terms, you greedy pirate!]
Noyer crossed his legs indifferently and said to the hysterical old man on the other end: [Whether your Marines agrees or not, I don't care.]
Sengoku was momentarily stumped by his words, but quickly grasped their meaning.
Under normal circumstances, the Marines and World Government would never indulge pirates — they'd only call for their capture and execution.
But there was one exception: matters involving the World Government's dignity and the Celestial Dragons.
Years ago, Doflamingo intercepted the Heavenly Tribute, threatened the Celestial Dragons' interests, and negotiated with the government to become a Warlord. In other words, the Marines might be hard-liners who wouldn't compromise with pirates at any cost, but the World Government was different.
With the World Government as their superior, Sengoku and the others couldn't disregard the Celestial Dragons' lives. He had to capture Noyer quickly — otherwise, the World Government might negotiate with Noyer on their own.
Sengoku doubted even the habitually compromising government would tolerate the crime of brutally killing Celestial Dragons, but there was always that slight possibility.
The burden on his heart grew heavier. Still, he said solemnly: [Don't let me catch you, Devil Man!]
Noyer dug at his ear. [That title really doesn't sound good. Can you come up with something more interesting?]
Sengoku laughed in anger. [You won't have any future titles!]
Noyer wasn't panicked at all. He tapped his head. [I almost forgot — keep this Den Den Mushi safe, okay? If you change your minds, contact me. I'll give you the address to exchange for the money.]
Just as Sengoku was about to respond, Noyer added:
[Don't even think about using signal tracking this time. My Den Den Mushi has already blocked the signal.]
He hung up immediately, not giving Sengoku a chance to say another word.
Sengoku closed his eyes. The pressure on his shoulders felt as heavy as a mountain. One Celestial Dragon would die each day — if those words were true…
He didn't dare imagine how the Five Elders would berate the Marines.
◇◆◈◆◇
To find the escaped Noyer, Sengoku had frantically searched for him these past few days, turning the New World upside down.
But the eccentric Devil Man had no intention of going to the New World at all. He already had territory in the first half of the Grand Line. The forces in the New World were intricate and complex — opponents who could establish themselves there were far beyond comparison to those in Paradise.
Noyer retraced his steps, bypassing the Sabaody Archipelago and returning to the Florian Triangle. The familiar purple mist made the surroundings pitch black, causing his companions to feel somewhat fearful.
Some children trembled from the eerie environment, huddling in corners and crying silently. However, with Noyer present, and everyone being quite gentle, this panic didn't last long.
After sailing for nearly a day, the Kage Kage no Mi's ability sensed the zombies drawing closer.
Puff hurried to Noyer's side, "Benefactor, there's a light ahead on the sea."
Noyer thought of something and said joyfully, "It's my friend. Go tell everyone — we've reached the safe zone."
Puff's expression relaxed. He quickly nodded and left.
Noyer eagerly jumped onto the mast, looking at the distant black sea where an orange-red flame with a white core illuminated a large area.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted, "Ace! Come pick us up!"
The ball of flame froze for a moment, then charged enthusiastically toward them like an excited husky.
"Noyer!"
The Spade Pirates steered their ship closer. Ace stood at the stern, his arms blazing with roaring flames, turning into a human flamethrower as he shouted excitedly.
Fire Fist carved a dazzling flame trail through the dim air. Deuce, Mihar, and the others on board were nearly thrown off.
Pulling alongside Noyer's ship, Ace leaped across and gave him a bear hug.
Like an old friend reunited after a long separation, Ace pounded on Noyer's back, laughing, "You've been gone for so long! Did you encounter anything interesting?!"
Noyer awkwardly pulled away the clingy nuisance and gestured to the crowd behind him, "There were many interesting things — I'll tell you later. Let me introduce you; these are all friends I've made."
Everyone on the ship felt warmth in their hearts. The benefactor hadn't mentioned their past as slaves and even called them friends. Many of the homeless people secretly resolved that for the rest of their lives, they would follow their benefactor and do their utmost for him.
Hearing this introduction, Ace turned to look. Everyone on the ship greeted him somewhat shyly.
He quickly removed his hat and bowed slightly, "Hello everyone, I'm Noyer's friend. Thank you all for taking care of him."
Everyone hastily waved their hands, "We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare…"
Ace's personality was quite distinct. Ever since he thought Sabo had died, he seemed to have developed another persona. When facing people of equal strength or those he held in high regard, his personality was like that of a rebellious kid — a spacey big boy.
This was his true nature, or rather, his normal state.
However, when it came to relatives, friends, or people he wasn't very familiar with, Ace's demeanor was often quite polite — especially toward friends of his younger brother.
This personality trait came from wanting to take care of Luffy in place of the "deceased" Sabo. He had learned some of his brother's noble etiquette.
This was also why the Ace that Noyer knew was quite different from the warm-hearted big brother in the original story.
He used to wonder — could this Ace be fake?
Ace transported many of the companions onto his ship and called out to Noyer, "Let's go, back to that interesting ship of yours. A lot has happened these past few days."
Noyer asked, puzzled, "Something happened? What's going on?"
Ace scratched his head in distress, "According to that wolf-like companion of yours, it seems two people escaped. Something like Pero…"
Noyer's brow twitched, "Perona and Hogback escaped?"
What was going on with Gabra and Kaku? Former CP9 agents who couldn't even watch over a little girl?
Meeting up with the welcoming Ace, Noyer slowly headed toward the three-masted sailing ship in the dense fog. Soon he found the ship's "mouth gate". Under everyone's curious and shocked gazes, the ship slowly entered through the mouth gate and docked at the shore inside the three-masted vessel.
Noyer was the first to jump to the ground. He smiled and called out, "Come on down. This is my territory — the Marines won't think to look for us here for now."
Hearing their benefactor's words, everyone finally relaxed. They happily ran off the ship, curiously looking around. Although the natural environment of Thriller Bark was rather harsh, compared to Mary Geoise, this place was simply paradise.
Noyer led the large group toward the castle with practiced ease. The castle had just come into view when lights appeared ahead, along with a group of bizarrely-shaped creatures.
Everyone nervously grabbed their weapons, but Noyer quickly reassured them, "These are products of Devil Fruits — they're my subordinates."
As he spoke, a gentle voice called out from the approaching group.
"Captain! We've brought food and water!"
Noyer looked carefully and saw Robin leading Conis, bringing out the food and instructing the bizarrely-shaped zombies to distribute supplies to everyone.
At first, everyone was still adjusting to the zombies' existence, but soon they focused entirely on devouring their meals. After all, they didn't even know how long it had been since they'd had a proper meal.
Watching people eat hungrily, Noyer couldn't help but laugh and breathe a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, a warm, delicate hand slipped into his broad palm. He looked down at Robin. In her clear eyes was an unfathomable emotion, deep as the ocean.
Robin showed no emotion on her face. Holding his hand, she said quietly and calmly, "You look very tired."
Noyer couldn't help but touch his face, hesitating, "Do… I?"
Robin's beautiful face seemed somewhat cold. Her lovely eyes stared unblinkingly at him, making him feel a bit uncomfortable.
Noyer hesitated for a moment, then said with inexplicable guilt, "I did it to save them. There were some complications. They're quite pitiful."
Robin sighed and turned her head away without speaking.
Noyer scratched his head, not knowing what to say. Girls' thoughts are hard to guess — is she angry? Why?
As he pondered deeply, a soft voice suddenly came to his ear, calm yet tinged with sorrow.
"If you were gone, what would be left in this world? I only have you."
Noyer was suddenly stunned, staring blankly to his side.
Robin's eyes and brows were lowered. Only now did he realize that her delicate face had somehow become quite haggard.
In a trance, Noyer seemed to see that girl in Alabasta when they first met, her whole being radiating distance. Only now, seeing Robin's expression, did he truly understand her feelings.
Even though there were more and more companions on the ship, getting along better and better, Robin was still that same woman — still that girl who had fled into darkness in the fire of Ohara.
The one she truly depended on was still only herself… and now Noyer as well.
But when raiding the Heavenly Tribute, he had penetrated deep into Marine protection, putting himself in danger. Then, wreaking havoc and setting fire to Mary Geoise, he had recklessly charged alone into the most dangerous place in the world.
When Noyer was seriously injured, Robin could only pray alone that he would be alright. Putting himself in her shoes, he realized that if Nami and Nojiko did these things, he would inevitably be anxious too.
Logically, Noyer was confident in his own strength, and Robin was even more confident in him. But worry doesn't follow logic.
Noyer slowly tightened his grip on her small hand, looking into her eyes with determination, "I'm sorry for worrying you. I swear I'll never leave you behind again!"
Hiss… a straight guy's apology.
Conis, secretly watching while munching on seeds, silently complained.
Robin was about to speak when a loud roar suddenly came from behind, causing her to quickly pull her hand from Noyer's grasp.
"Noyer! Come into the castle quick — those zombies are so much fun!"
Noyer's veins bulged as he spun around and leaped up with a Thunder God Double-Foot Stomp, crashing down onto Ace's face!
Then, a certain glowing youth became a shooting star, falling into the distant night sky.
◈◈◈
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
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That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)