"Huh, missed again?"
Celestial Dragon Saint Charlos blinked in annoyance and fired another shot at Tashigi.
Tashigi, still in a daze, forgot to move this time. Even so, the bullet again whizzed right past Tashigi and took down yet another villager who was kneeling on the ground.
"How… how can this be?!" Tashigi's eyes went wide.
And then came a third gunshot. Tashigi sharply sensed the bullet skimming her side again. This time she dared not dodge, recalling how her earlier evasive move had led a villager behind her to be shot instead. Steeling herself, she actually raised her arm to intercept the bullet.
Blood spurted as the shot tore a hole in Tashigi's arm – though even so, that pain was nothing compared to the anguish of having just inadvertently caused two villagers to be shot.
Hina stood by, frowning. She could feel that ever since she and Tashigi appeared, the powerful bodyguards at the Celestial Dragon's side had fixed their attention on them. If she made any sudden move, those bodyguards would instantly retaliate.
Even if not for these guards, Hina thought darkly, there's no easy way to stop a Celestial Dragon anyway.
"Hehe, so I finally hit you. Made me waste some effort," said Saint Charlos, calmly pointing the still-smoking pistol at Tashigi. "Woman, you'd better know your place. You have no right to bargain with me."
"Why do you have to do this? I already said I'd go with you…" Tashigi demanded, clutching her wounded arm, sounding terribly aggrieved.
"Hmph, do I even need to explain?" Saint Charlos scoffed. "You're human trash—mere filth. You haven't the right to negotiate. Even if I slaughter all these people here, that would be their honor."
He smirked coldly.
"Lord Saint Charlos is entirely correct," Captain Nezumi chimed in obsequiously. "You're just a lowly civilian—what right do you have to object to Lord Saint Charlos's decision? Soldiers, carry out your orders. Kill off the villagers who are still kneeling on the ground!"
"Stop!" Tashigi shouted in alarm, rushing forward to stop them.
All at once, a dark shape flitted out from behind the Celestial Dragon, landing behind Tashigi and Hina. Drawing his blade, he pressed it against Tashigi's neck and spoke in a cold tone.
"Don't move. I don't want to damage Lord Saint Charlos's property."
His speed was so fast that Tashigi and Hina could barely react.
'So fast,' Hina thought, alarmed. "Even a Marine Vice Admiral might not have such speed!"
"Vice Admiral? Woman, are you a Marine?" asked the bodyguard, his brows furrowing as he surveyed Hina suspiciously.
"Yes! I am Hina, a Marine Headquarters Captain," Hina answered firmly. "We came here on official duty."
Things had reached the point where revealing her identity was her best shot at persuading the Celestial Dragon to leave. Time was running out—any further delay, and Arton would end up encountering the Celestial Dragon.
"A Headquarters Captain?!"
Nezumi's eyes widened in panic. He recalled his past call with Gion, and realized these two women likely came to investigate him.
'No. No way—they can't be Marines!' thought Nezumi, forcing himself to calm down before letting out a cold snort at Tashigi and Hina.
"Hah! Impersonating Marines? What nerve. You think we'd believe you just 'cause you say you're Marines? Think calling yourselves Marines will keep you from becoming Lord Saint Charlos's wives? Let me tell you—becoming a wife of Celestial Dragon Saint Charlos is a high honor. If I were you, I'd gratefully accept his benevolence."
Listening to him, Hina and Tashigi's disgust for Nezumi only grew deeper. But Saint Charlos seemed thoroughly pleased.
"Yes, indeed he's right. You should feel honored to be my wives," he said with a sneer.
"Even if you're truly Marines—so what?"
"Since I've taken an interest in you, you'll both be my wives no matter what," Saint Charlos continued, shifting his gaze to the distressed Tashigi.
"And you—be a good girl. I don't want my property to keep getting hurt."
The Celestial Dragon's words only made Tashigi's heart sink further. Even though she already knew how the Celestial Dragons behaved, facing it firsthand felt oppressive. In that moment, she faintly understood why Arton hated them so intensely.
Hina took a slow breath, addressing the elite bodyguard behind Saint Charlos. "Not too long ago, the man who defeated Shiki and Hawk Eyes Mihawk—Arton, the current World's Greatest Swordsman—arrived on this island. That man harbors a powerful grudge against Celestial Dragons. If you don't want your charge injured, I suggest you leave quickly."
"Arton?" The bodyguard raised his brow at the name, evidently surprised.
Saint Charlos also heard Hina's remark.
"Arton? That's the fellow in all those recent news reports, yes?"
"Perfect. I still need a strong slave. If he's here, I'll have him captured."
He laughed. Hina's eyes went wide—this Celestial Dragon truly meant to enslave someone capable of defeating Mihawk?
'It's utterly impossible,' she thought.
Sure, perhaps top-tier fighters often avoided provoking Celestial Dragons, but if a Celestial Dragon tried to force a strong-willed top fighter into slavery, that top fighter would certainly fight to the death—especially someone like Arton, who already hates the Celestial Dragons.
Meanwhile, Nezumi grimaced. 'Arton's really here? If so, that might clash with my plan to capture Nami's sister.' Then he waved it off mentally. 'Even if Arton's strong, he still wouldn't dare lay a hand on a Celestial Dragon. Also, if he's here, he can hand Nami over…'
'The women around him might also be nice gifts for the Celestial Dragon,'
Nezumi thought, becoming excited. He had never realized the man who fought Mihawk was the same Arton he'd once bombarded, focusing only on the rumor that Arton took Nami from him. Although Arton's strength worried him, the Celestial Dragons' authority gave him confidence again.
"Looks like you finally get it—stop talking and come quietly," Saint Charlos said, believing Tashigi and Hina must have recognized his status. He beckoned them with his eyes, then turned to Captain Nezumi.
Nezumi instantly understood and signaled his soldiers. Gunfire erupted all around the area.
"No!"
Tashigi tried to race forward to protect the villagers, but the Celestial Dragon's bodyguard was clutching her tightly. She could only watch as villagers ran in panic or fell from the gunshots. Tashigi's eyes burned with anguish—disgust at Nezumi's cunning, despair at the Celestial Dragon's tyranny, and fury at her own inability to do a thing.
"Aaaah, how did it come to this? Why are villagers being slaughtered by Marines? No—this can't be my idea of justice. Someone…someone stop them, please!" she cried silently, gazing in despair at the sky. "Heavens, can't you hear me?"
At that moment, a rather familiar figure appeared in Tashigi's sight, accompanied by a fierce, overwhelming aura.
Buzz!!
That powerful aura slammed into the Marines who were firing, surging straight toward the Celestial Dragon's bodyguards. All at once, marines collapsed in droves, and many of Saint Charlos's bodyguards also turned white-eyed and dropped unconscious.
"Arton!" Tashigi gaped, watching the silhouette descending slowly from the sky. Bathed in sunlight, he looked every bit like a real deity. Tashigi's shoulders sagged with relief, a faint smile crossing her lips.
Hina, on the other hand, rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "We've failed the mission."
[Doll: Arton's streaming again?! Dammit, he's already run into the Celestial Dragon!]
[Gion: Why? Why can't anything go our way?!]
[Ain: …]
[Domino: This time, it's truly trouble.]
[Belo Betty: Heh, the show's begun.]
[Kalifa: This is bad.]
[Boa Hancock: Will Arton really kill the Celestial Dragon?]
In that instant, every Marine, pirate, and revolutionary with a Diary Copy stared at it, tension in the air.