After spitting out a massive mouthful of blood, the pale-faced Vaskeriel-sei looked up at Rowan, who was strolling leisurely out of the tavern. His breathing was ragged, and his eyes had begun to turn bloodshot with primal rage.
Having been pampered since birth, when had he ever faced such treatment? That man actually dared to lay hands on him!
Trembling all over, Vaskeriel-sei roared, "You damned commoner! I will see you buried in a place where no one will ever find your remains!"
"Buried where no one can find me?"
Rowan casually slapped away the guard captain who tried to lunge at him. He then planted his heavy boot directly onto the chest of the incapacitated Vaskeriel-sei. Exhaling a cloud of thick smoke onto the noble's face, he chuckled. "I say, you brat... you really don't seem to understand the situation you're in."
"You filthy plebeian! How dare you! I am a World Noble! A descendant of the Creators! For a lowly beast like you to treat me this way... I will make sure you beg for the mercy of death!" Vaskeriel-sei screamed, his eyes full of malice. His expression remained so arrogant it was as if he was the one treading on Rowan.
"Truly a pathetic and miserable creature..." Rowan shook his head.
Why can't this guy read the room? With a sigh, Rowan slowly ground his heel into the noble's chest, gradually increasing the pressure.
Vaskeriel-sei, already suffering from internal injuries thanks to Luffy's punch, saw his face twist in agony under the mounting weight. As the adrenaline faded, the sheer pain of crushed ribs and the suffocating pressure on his lungs turned his skin the color of a bruised plum.
"How about now? Got a bit of a clue yet?" Rowan asked with a light smile, easing the pressure just enough for the noble to gasp.
"You! Huff... huff... huff..."
Lying in the ruins, Vaskeriel-sei gulped down the fresh air as the purplish tint on his face receded. Yet, despite his wretched state, his face twisted back into a snarl a moment later. "Lowly animal! You will pay the price for your actions!"
Hearing the roar, Rowan actually burst out laughing. This guy really wouldn't shed a tear until he saw his own coffin.
Squatting down, Rowan used the tip of his tobacco pipe to poke the bloodied and dusty face of the noble. "You're just too used to being arrogant, aren't you? You look like a total wreck, yet you still think you're some high-and-mighty god? Look at yourself. I don't care about the 'price' I might pay later; right now, your miserable life is in my hands. I could end it with a flick of my finger."
Tramp! Tramp!Tramp! Tramp!!
Suddenly, the rhythmic thunder of hundreds of boots echoed through the area. Thousands of white-clad Marines flooded in from every direction, instantly cordoning off the street and the tavern.
Furthermore, two tall figures dressed in pristine white suits and wearing eerie, expressionless masks descended from the sky.
"CP0?! They got here that fast?!" On a distant rooftop, Cavendish watched in shock, his heart racing. CP0—the strongest intelligence agency of the World Government, known as the "Shield of the Celestial Dragons."
Rowan's brow furrowed slightly as he watched the two CP0 agents land nearby.
"Hahahaha!" The noble beneath his foot began to laugh maniacally. "Kill me? A lowly commoner like you isn't worthy! I am a World Noble! A descendant of the Great Creators! I am a God!"
Vaskeriel-sei grew more ecstatic by the second, seemingly already envisioning Rowan kneeling and begging for mercy.
"You... you really are hopeless," Rowan sighed, shaking his head.
The next instant, his expression turned cold as ice. The two CP0 members sensed the shift, their expressions beneath their masks changing drastically. But before they could even twitch, Rowan's fingers snapped into a sword-hand gesture. A sliver of razor-sharp sword intent manifested at his fingertips as he pointed them directly at Vaskeriel-sei's throat.
At the same moment.Marine Headquarters, Marineford.The Fleet Admiral's Office.
"What did you say? Arrest Master Rowan? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Fleet Admiral "Sengoku the Buddha" roared into the Den Den Mushi, his rejection instantaneous and absolute.
"Hmph! Sengoku, do not forget your place!" The voice of the Five Elders (Gorosei) crackled through the receiver, cold and demanding. "Do you have any idea what that man Rowan did on Sabaody?! As a retired Vice Admiral, he knowingly attacked Vaskeriel-sei. Does he have no regard for the World Government?!"
"World Noble? Hmph. I've already received the preliminary reports. Vaskeriel brought this on himself. He got exactly what he deserved," Sengoku countered. "Furthermore, let me be clear: even if Master Rowan hadn't just beaten him—even if he had killed that brat on the spot—I would not send a single soldier to arrest him!"
"I will do many things for Justice, including the dirty work. But I will never betray my teacher!"
"If you insist on an arrest, you'd better find a new Fleet Admiral first!" Sengoku declared righteously.
"Hahahaha! Well said, Sengoku! Let me add my piece: if you move against the Old Man, I'm quitting this Vice Admiral gig too!" Garp's boisterous laughter filled the room.
"Count me in as well!" Zephyr shouted from the side.
"If you truly insist on this course of action, then I suppose it is time I considered my retirement as well," Tsuru's calm, steady voice chimed in.
"Are you... are you all attempting a mutiny?! I am telling you—" the Elder's furious voice began to shout.
Click.
Sengoku didn't even give him the chance to finish. He hung up the Den Den Mushi.
"To think they'd expect me to turn on the Master for a piece of Celestial Dragon trash... they really underestimate my bond with my teacher!" Sengoku spat, his face dark with resolve.
Garp threw an arm around Sengoku's shoulder, laughing. "Hahahaha! Let that Celestial Dragon eat dirt! What 'World Nobles'? They're just a bunch of brainless scum. Our Pops is a legend; who does that brat think he is, provoking him? If you ask me, the Master should give him a lesson he'll never forget!"
Tsuru slowly lifted her steaming tea cup to her lips, a faint, graceful smile touching her face. In her heart, no matter how "out of line" Rowan's actions were, she would stand behind him, unshaken.