The entire morning, Ryūjin stayed true to his word, spending his time sightseeing and visiting different areas of the Sabaody Archipelago with Nami and Nico Robin.
It was genuinely enjoyable.
After all, a dreamlike place like this had never existed on Earth before his transmigration, nor in the Ninja World. For Ryūjin, this was his first time setting foot in such a grand and fantastical land.
"This bubble car is so interesting! Ryūjin-san, let's buy a few and bring them back!"
Walking along the lively streets, Nami spoke excitedly, her eyes shining with enthusiasm.
"These bubbles only exist because of Sabaody's unique environment. Once they leave the archipelago, they won't last."
Ryūjin smiled as he explained.
Nami's expression immediately fell.
"Seriously? That's such a waste…"
The group continued walking while chatting casually.
Suddenly, both Nami and Robin noticed something strange.
The bustling crowd on both sides of the street suddenly became tense. Fear spread across everyone's faces, and one after another, people hurriedly dropped to their knees.
"What's going on? Why is everyone kneeling?"
Nami looked around in confusion.
"Ryūjin, Nami, look over there."
Robin lowered her voice slightly as she stared ahead.
Following Robin's gaze, Nami saw a bloated, greasy middle-aged man walking arrogantly down the street.
He wore a transparent bubble helmet over his head. A disgusting strand of mucus hung from his nose, making him look revolting.
Several armed guards surrounded him.
In his hand was an iron chain.
At the other end of that chain was a woman.
No, calling it a chain was not enough.
The iron collar around the woman's neck made it look as though she were nothing more than a pet.
Even worse, she crawled on all fours like a dog as the man dragged her through the street.
Nami froze.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
What kind of sick joke was this?
How could someone treat another human being like that?
And how could anyone endure such humiliation?
"You three, do you want to die? Hurry up and kneel!"
Several terrified people nearby whispered urgently toward them.
"Kneel? Why?" Nami frowned. "Who exactly is that guy?"
She had never seen a Celestial Dragon before, so naturally, she had no idea who he was.
That disgusting man was none other than Saint Charlos, the Celestial Dragon responsible for the infamous incident involving the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Could it be…"
Robin's expression changed slightly.
Having traveled the world since childhood, her knowledge and experience far surpassed Nami's. She had already guessed his identity.
"Ryūjin-san, do you know who he is?"
Nami turned toward Ryūjin.
"Of course," Ryūjin replied casually. "He belongs to the most disgusting race in this world."
Nami blinked.
The disgust in Ryūjin's tone was impossible to miss.
Truthfully, she felt disgusted too.
Just watching someone treat another person like an animal made her blood boil.
"Is this idiot trying to get himself killed?"
"Move away from them!"
"You'll get dragged into this!"
The kneeling crowd nearby panicked after hearing Ryūjin's words.
Everyone scrambled away, trembling in fear.
Even Nami could tell by now that this disgusting man was no ordinary person.
"Ryūjin-san… I think we should leave," Nami said nervously.
"Sure."
Ryūjin nodded indifferently.
"You people!"
Before they could move, Saint Charlos suddenly shouted.
"You filthy commoners! How dare you stand in front of a great Celestial Dragon? Are you trying to die?"
Nami's mind went blank.
A Celestial Dragon?
That disgusting bastard was actually a Celestial Dragon?
Not far away, at the entrance of a tavern, a sexy red-haired woman wearing short shorts and a green hat stared in shock.
"What the hell are those idiots doing?"
She was none other than Jewelry Bonney, one of the Eleven Supernovas, carrying a bounty of 140 million Berries.
Nearby, another pirate with fiery red hair and goggles resting on his forehead stared with twitching eyelids.
"Are they insane?"
It was Eustass Kid, another Supernova with a bounty of 470 million Berries.
Elsewhere, Trafalgar Law also watched the scene closely.
When his gaze landed on Ryūjin's face, his expression instantly changed.
"That person…"
Shock flashed across his face.
"I didn't expect someone like him to show up at Sabaody."
Soon, a faint smile appeared on Law's face.
"This just got interesting."
It wasn't only Law.
Several other Supernovas gradually recognized Ryūjin as well.
For ordinary people, Celestial Dragons were untouchable existences.
But Ryūjin?
That was another story.
After all, this was someone bold enough to capture a Marine Admiral.
"A Celestial Dragon…"
Cold sweat dripped down Nami's forehead.
Even against a Yonko or the Fleet Admiral, she could remain relatively calm because Ryūjin was beside her.
But Celestial Dragons?
The so-called rulers of the world?
That was different.
"Exactly," Ryūjin said casually. "Pretty disgusting race, right, Nami?"
Nami nearly broke into a cold sweat from how casually he spoke.
"You dare ignore me?"
Saint Charlos's patience snapped.
He immediately pulled out a pistol.
"You worthless insects! Die!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He fired repeatedly.
Nami gasped sharply.
Her body stiffened.
She could not understand it.
Someone really wanted to kill others over something as trivial as refusing to kneel?
Did people like this truly exist?
Swish!
Ryūjin vanished.
Using the Body Flicker Technique, he instantly appeared in front of Nami.
His hand moved casually.
One.
Two.
Three.
He caught every bullet effortlessly.
Clink.
The bullets dropped to the ground.
A cold glint flashed through his eyes.
"Celestial Dragon," Ryūjin said flatly, "do you want to die?"
The entire area went silent.
Everyone inhaled sharply.
They stared at Ryūjin in disbelief.
Threaten a Celestial Dragon?
Publicly?
Had this man gone insane?
Saint Charlos himself stood frozen.
Someone had actually dared speak to him like that?
A descendant of the so-called Creators?
Unforgivable!
"Unforgivable! Unforgivable!"
Furious, Saint Charlos fired again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ryūjin casually caught every bullet.
Then he raised his hand.
Universal Pull.
Saint Charlos instantly flew toward him like dead weight.
Ryūjin grabbed him by the throat.
"Insolent!" Saint Charlos screamed in terror and rage. "How dare you touch a great Celestial Dragon! I'll make sure you, Crack! Crack!"
His words stopped midway.
The sound of breaking bones echoed through the street.
"AAAAAH!"
Saint Charlos screamed.
Ryūjin had kicked both of his legs without hesitation, shattering them instantly.
The Celestial Dragon collapsed to his knees.
Ryūjin looked down at him mockingly.
"So? How does kneeling feel?"
Saint Charlos trembled violently.
The arrogance from earlier vanished completely.
His eyes filled with fear.
He did not dare say another word.
"This trash calls himself a descendant of the Creators?" Ryūjin scoffed. "Yeah right, fuck off."
He grabbed Saint Charlos by the neck.
Crack.
The sound was sharp.
Saint Charlos stopped moving.
Thud.
Ryūjin casually tossed the corpse onto the ground like garbage.
Then he wiped his hand against his clothes with visible disgust.
"Killing something that disgusting actually dirtied my hands."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Everyone stood frozen.
Their faces were pale with horror.
No matter how hard they tried, they could not process what they had just witnessed.
A Celestial Dragon.
Dead.
Killed in broad daylight.
Without hesitation.
"As expected of Ryūjin…" Law wiped sweat from his forehead, equal parts shocked and impressed. "He really doesn't care."
"Ryūjin is insane…" Bonney muttered, sweating nervously.
That was a Celestial Dragon.
Yet he killed him like it meant absolutely nothing.
"You… do you even know what you've done?!"
Saint Charlos's guards trembled as they shouted.
Even their voices shook.
Ryūjin ignored them entirely.
He could not be bothered wasting time on weaklings.
"Let's go."
He turned and left as though nothing significant had happened.
Only after Ryūjin and the others disappeared did the entire street erupt into chaos.
Everyone talked at once.
Shock.
Fear.
Disbelief.
For most people, Celestial Dragons were untouchable gods.
Killing one was unimaginable.
Naturally, the news spread through the Sabaody Archipelago at terrifying speed.
"Did you hear? Ryūjin killed a Celestial Dragon!"
"No way!"
"He's insane!"
"Only Ryūjin would dare do something like that!"
Across every corner of Sabaody, conversations exploded.
Many pirates immediately fled the archipelago.
Everyone knew what happened whenever a Celestial Dragon was harmed.
A Marine Admiral would arrive.
Even if small fry were not the Admiral's target, getting caught in the aftermath meant certain death.
Only bold pirates like Law, Kid, Bonney, and a few others remained behind to watch the chaos unfold.
The entire atmosphere of Sabaody became unbearably tense.
Meanwhile, Marine Headquarters received the report.
"What did you say?! Ryūjin killed a Celestial Dragon?!"
Kong nearly crushed the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
Shock and anger filled his expression.
Since the founding of the World Government, something like this had practically never happened.
And now it happened during his tenure.
The responsibility would inevitably fall on him.
Just imagining the Gorosei's fury gave him a headache.
"Sengoku!"
Kong immediately contacted him.
"You've already received the report about Ryūjin killing the Celestial Dragon."
"I want you heading toward Sabaody immediately!"
"And listen carefully."
"If you encounter Ryūjin, do everything possible to keep him on the island until I arrive!"
At this moment, speeding up Sengoku and mobilizing his own forces as quickly as possible was all Kong could do.
===
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