"So noisy!"
Rodnatz Saint angrily threw the gun in his hand to the servant beside him.
"Hurry up and reload it, you idiot!"
The middle-aged man caught the gun in a panic, nodding repeatedly, quickly loading the bullets.
At the same time, the little girl begging passersby to save her mother had fallen into despair.
Blood ran down her face, yet not a single person dared to lift their head.
Tears mixed with blood as the girl knelt toward the Celestial Dragon.
She had lived in Area 1 for a long time.
This was not the first time she and her mother had encountered Celestial Dragons.
She might not understand what "World Noble" truly meant.
But she knew one thing.
The only person who could save her mother now… was this man.
"Please… please, sir… please save my mom…"
Rodnatz Saint looked at the girl, his expression filled with absurd amusement.
"Why… should I save an insect?"
A completely natural question.
Faced with a crying, blood-covered child, he felt not even the slightest trace of empathy.
This was how they were raised from birth.
At their core, they never considered themselves the same species as ordinary people.
Just like what Saturn Saint said at God Valley:
How could one ever empathize with insects?
The gun slowly rose again.
Looking at the weapon that had killed her mother, fear filled the girl's eyes.
Yet she still knelt there, trembling.
Even as tears streamed endlessly down her face, she did not move.
"Hm?"
Rodnatz Saint suddenly seemed to notice something interesting.
He lowered the gun and pointed at the girl.
"Bright blue! Bright blue eyes! I want them! Take her back as a collection! Hurry!"
The middle-aged man who had just loaded the bullets stepped forward with a bow.
He stood in front of the girl, who was still crying but staring at him.
Bright blue pupils.
They were indeed beautiful.
But once Rodnatz Saint took an interest, that beauty no longer belonged to her.
As World Nobles, they believed they naturally owned everything in this world.
No one could resist them.
No one dared to.
"Un… uncle…"
The little girl forced a smile.
"Please… please save my mom…"
The middle-aged man glanced to the side and replied calmly:
"She's already dead. Even if the bullets didn't hit vital points, with that much blood loss, she died long ago."
The girl froze.
She looked at her mother, tears falling endlessly.
After a moment, she raised her hand, wanting to wipe them away.
"Stop."
Her arm froze midair.
The man spoke again, his tone still calm and matter-of-fact:
"From the moment Rodnatz Saint spoke, your eyes no longer belong to you. So from now on, you are not allowed to touch them."
The girl slowly lowered her hand.
She turned to look at him, forcing the corners of her lips upward.
"Un… uncle… can you… be gentler…? It… will hurt… right?"
At just six years old, after everything that had just happened, she already understood her fate.
But she was afraid of pain.
So she begged him to be gentle.
If she gave her eyes to the Celestial Dragon…
Then she could leave, right?
She could leave with her mother… right?
"Why are you dawdling, idiot! Hurry up! If the auction starts, I'll kill you, you useless servant!"
Rodnatz Saint's voice rang out from behind.
The middle-aged man reached out his hand and brushed it across the girl's face.
There was no pain.
Because at that very moment…
A bloody hole appeared in the girl's forehead.
"Bang."
The small body collapsed to the ground.
The blood-filled hollow eyes tilted toward the people on the street, as if mocking them, yet also as if finally freed.
In a world like this, living was worse than dying.
The middle-aged man held the eyeballs, still attached with blood and nerves, carefully in his palm, and respectfully raised them before Rodnatz Saint.
But the Celestial Dragon, who had just desired those bright blue "gems," now curled his lips in disgust.
"Why do they look so disgusting after being taken out? Throw them away! As expected, even the eyes of trash are disgusting."
The pair of eyeballs were casually tossed onto the ground.
At that moment, a commotion sounded from the far end of the street.
A man stumbled forward, pushing away those kneeling who tried to grab his legs to stop him.
"Bang!"
"Bang bang bang…"
Commoners were not allowed to stand in the presence of a Celestial Dragon.
Especially not someone who might attempt an attack.
Rodnatz Saint glanced at the corpses of the family of three with disgust, waved his hand, and left with his guards.
As they disappeared, the street, once filled with kneeling figures, slowly began to stir as people cautiously stood up.
"That little girl…"
"At that moment, no one dared to help. We are just lowly people. If we resist, we die."
"They come every day now… even worse than before…"
The rest of the sentence remained unspoken.
If overheard, it would mean death.
No one could resist the Celestial Dragons.
Not even pirates or human traffickers in Area 1.
Compared to two years ago, if you encountered a Celestial Dragon and immediately knelt, you would most likely survive.
But over the past half year, things had changed.
The Celestial Dragons had become more violent.
Every outing turned into a shooting game.
Whoever was targeted had their fate sealed instantly.
"If possible, leave Area 1 as soon as you can. It's more dangerous than before."
"Even pirates landing on Sabaody don't come here anymore. How are ordinary people like us supposed to survive?"
At that moment, a figure appeared among the crowd, his gaze falling on the family lying in the middle of the street.
Too late…
From the murmurs around him, Rowan already understood what had happened.
Every day, a Celestial Dragon descended from Mary Geoise to Sabaody Archipelago.
It was bait.
A trap set to lure him out.
But at the same time, they were venting their cruelty.
And the victims were ordinary people like this.
Rowan slowly stepped forward.
Beneath the cloak, his eyes met the hollow gaze of the little girl.
"If there is reincarnation in this world's underworld… then the next time you come here, this world will have already become a better place… it will."
He gently closed her eyelids.
The blood-red emptiness disappeared.
Rowan stood up.
In the next instant, he vanished.
"The cloaked man!"
"That was the cloaked man just now!"
"Really? The last time he appeared, the Celestial Dragons didn't come to Sabaody for half a year. This time…"
"Quiet! He's also an enemy of the traffickers. They'll report this immediately!"
At the same time, in the Marine temporary base in Area 1, Borsalino hung up the Den Den Mushi.
"So… he's here."
Nearly a year had passed.
The other party clearly knew this was a trap.
Yet he still came.
Was it because the bait had become a real Celestial Dragon?
Or…
Because of those who had died?
Borsalino raised both hands.
A beam of golden light shot straight into the sky.
Yasakani no Magatama.
"It's me. Begin the operation."
Rowan hung up the Den Den Mushi at the same time.
Meanwhile, in the five islands of the Olga Kingdom on the Grand Line, crowds that had long been prepared rushed out from their homes toward the ports.
Within the palace, the guard forces transported the prepared wealth and supplies outward.
The CP agents monitoring the area were suddenly alarmed.
But the moment they took out their Den Den Mushi, a hand shaped like a dragon claw snapped their necks.
Ginny rode past on the cloud, holding a Den Den Mushi in one hand.
"I've already reported the coordinates. The World Government agents on my side are cleared. What about you?"
"Of course we handled it ourselves… the research lab's latest sniper rifle is impressive. One shot, one kill. Every bullet hits."
At the ports of the five islands, large ships descended from the sky one after another.
Paw-shaped shockwaves struck the sea, sending waves crashing outward.
"Hurry!"
"All members follow the plan! Move supplies! Elderly, women, and children board first!"
"Understood!"
Two boarding ramps were set up.
One for strong men to carry supplies up and down.
The other for the elderly, women, and children to board.
Everything proceeded in perfect order.
No one complained.
No one fought.
Even those strong young men without family showed no dissatisfaction.
They were the Revolutionary Army.
From the very beginning, they existed to fight for ordinary people against the world.
They carried honor.
They fought for their future.
They fought for their class.
Sacrifice was for the future.
Only by moving forward without hesitation could they change this world.
Only then could future generations truly live.
Being forced to leave their homeland was not shameful.
One day, their homeland would be liberated.
The drums of revolution would echo across the entire world.
Back at the auction house in Area 1 of Sabaody Archipelago.
The middle-aged man standing beside the Celestial Dragon glanced at the Den Den Mushi in his arms.
"He's appeared. From now on, maintain silence. I'll begin preparations as well."
The moment he finished speaking, the already unremarkable man seemed to vanish.
He still stood behind the Celestial Dragon.
But his entire body blended into the surrounding colors.
Even the Celestial Dragon, who was excitedly watching the slaves on stage, did not notice his guard had disappeared.
"Next, we are auctioning a female mermaid. Starting price, one hundred million berries!"
The host, not daring to delay even a second, immediately pulled down the curtain and announced the price.
Being an auctioneer in Area 1 had become a high-risk job.
Before him, more than sixty hosts had been casually killed by Celestial Dragons for talking too much.
If he had a choice, he would never stand here.
"Five hundred million! Five hundred million berries!"
Rodnatz Saint stared at the mermaid with greed.
He wanted her immediately.
To take her back to Mary Geoise.
To do whatever he pleased.
The moment a Celestial Dragon made a bid, the entire auction fell silent.
If they showed no interest, others could compete.
But once they spoke, everyone else could only shut up.
Bang.
The doors of the auction house were pushed open.
A wave of blood scent rushed in from outside.
Rowan stepped in, brushing off his hands.
He slightly raised his head.
Behind the white mask, his eyes locked onto Rodnatz Saint.
"Well… it's been eighteen years. Didn't expect it to be you this time… Iznbaron V. Rodnatz Saint."
"You lowly!"
Rodnatz Saint turned in anger.
Then froze.
His legs gave out.
He collapsed directly onto the ground.
"Clo… cloaked… the cloaked man!"
"Save me! You idiots, hurry! Hurry up!"
His legs trembled uncontrollably as Rodnatz Saint scrambled backward into a corner.
Rowan glanced around.
Through the special perception of the prison system, everyone here carried varying levels of sin.
"Can… can we leave?"
A fat man placed two boxes on the ground, trembling as he opened them.
"There's 120 million berries here. I… I just want to leave…"
One by one, the criminals of Area 1 followed suit, placing all the money they had brought onto the ground.
"Let us go… as long as you let us go, all this money is yours!"
"Yes! Yes! This money, as long as—"
"Ah!"
A blade flashed.
Blood sprayed outward.
Rowan looked at the group of men who had collapsed in fear.
"If I kill you, this money will still be mine."
The moment his words fell, specially crafted kunai flashed through the air.
One after another, people clutched their throats and fell.
Arteries were sliced open.
Blood burst out like it cost nothing.
The more they struggled to crawl away, the sooner they died along the way.
After clearing out all the trash, Rowan turned his gaze to the corner.
There stood Rodnatz Saint.
And the CP agents protecting him.
So… where is the trap?
Rowan frowned.
At this point, the opponent still had not revealed their move.
"Hmm."
At the cage on the platform, Rowan's blade swept through.
Even without mastering cutting steel, his Armament Haki allowed him to slice the bars apart.
"You… you came to save me?"
The female mermaid was beautiful.
But Rowan had no intention of chatting.
He reached out and grabbed the explosive collar around her neck.
Armament Haki flowed into it.
Internal destruction.
Boom!
An explosion rang out in midair.
At that same instant, Rowan's Observation Haki surged.
A kunai flew out, knocking away something that had shot toward him.
Clang.
A circular seastone handcuff fell to the ground.
Rowan looked at it.
After a moment, he picked up a piece of clothing from a nearby corpse, wrapped the cuff, and stored it away.
Behind the CP agents, the Celestial Dragon kept kicking them frantically.
"Go! You idiots!"
"Protect me!"
"Kill him! Kill him!"
"I don't want to end up like Saint Samit! No!"
At the same time, in an unnoticed spot beside the Celestial Dragon, the middle-aged man quietly tightened his hands.
The first trap had failed.
The opponent's Observation Haki was top tier.
But not yet at the level of future sight.
Otherwise, that self-locking cuff would not even have had the chance to launch.
Even so…
He only had one chance.
Using a Celestial Dragon as bait.
If he failed, the outcome was obvious.
Lower your presence.
Blend into the surroundings.
Slow your breathing.
When he gets close… hold your breath.
Only then would there be a higher chance of success.
The opponent's combat power was not at the absolute peak.
As long as the teleportation ability was restricted…
The mission would be complete.
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