"Idiot! Get down!"
A burly, scarred, middle-aged man nearby glared at Sanji and shouted in a low voice,
"You little brat, you dare stand there before a Celestial Dragon! Didn't your elders teach you etiquette? You're such a jerk! This is utterly disrespectful!"
Celestial Dragons…
Sanji frowned, chin in hand, thinking hard.
He felt like he'd seen this term in a book he'd read as a child, but it was so long ago that he couldn't recall what it specifically referred to.
What was it?
In the few seconds Sanji hesitated, the distant column drew closer.
Boom, boom, boom.
More marines, flintlock rifles in hand, heads bowed slightly, silently clearing the way on either side. In the center stood a dozen or so agents in black suits and sunglasses.
Both sides were surrounded by two figures riding on the backs of towering slaves—
one a man with a shabby, mushroom-haired head, the other a slender, beautiful young woman.
Both wore bubble hoods and held a chain, the other end of which was tied to the necks of the slaves beneath them.
"Take care of yourself," Law said with a grim expression, pulling Bepo hurriedly into the crowd. They had done their best to warn him.
"Idiot!"
The scarred middle-aged man finally lost his temper. "It's too late to care about anything else at this point. Kneel down!"
With a swish, a sweeping kick lashed out, catching Sanji off guard and sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Who? Who kicked me?"
Sanji was furious and tried to struggle to his feet, but the scarred man, seemingly from a different background, pinned him down, preventing him from breaking free.
He prostrated himself on the ground, his butt raised. From a distance, he looked even more reverent and respectful than the people kneeling beside him.
"Hmm?"
Charlulia noticed the movement and glanced over. Seeing this, she nodded with satisfaction and looked away.
"Hey, Charlulia, there looks like a Furry lying on the ground over there."
The mushroom-headed Celestial Dragon noticed Chopper lying on the ground. "It looks like a raccoon cat, and its blue nose is quite rare. How about I buy it for you? Interested?"
"Purminger," Charlulia said coldly. "I'm only interested in giants and slaves with giant blood. Have you forgotten?"
"What a pity."
The mushroom-headed Celestial Dragon named Purminger shrugged. "I do like collecting Furrys, but I already have so many Furrys of the cat family at home that I can hardly hang them on the walls. I'm a little short of bears… huh?"
His eyes suddenly lit up as he spotted Bepo in the distance.
"A bear-like fur tribe! And a rare polar bear at that!"
Saint Purminger beamed, pointing excitedly at Bepo. "What good luck! Hey, quick! Hurry! Charge forward and capture that polar bear!"
"Yes!"
The black-clad agents immediately split off and sprang into action, leaping through the crowd and quickly surrounding the Heart Pirates.
"…"
Law stopped dead in his tracks, his expression instantly darkening.
That clueless blond brat had been ignored, while he, who had wisely left at the first opportunity, had been inexplicably targeted?
"Captain…"
Bepo was startled at first, at a loss for what to do. But after glancing at Law's back, he gritted his teeth and steeled his resolve. He took a step forward, arms raised high, and shouted,
"Hey! I'm going with you! Just don't hurt my guys…"
"Bepo!"
Law turned sharply and snapped, his eyes gleaming with determination. He took a deep breath, his right hand already resting on the hilt of Devil's Cry.
"Don't say such foolish things."
Law's eyes swept over the approaching black-clad agents. "We, the Heart Pirates, have never been in the habit of bowing to anyone."
Bepo froze, muttering, "But Captain, they're Celestial Dragons! If we disobey their orders, a Navy Admiral will hunt us down…"
"Admiral? That title used to be quite intimidating to me."
Law sneered, flicking his thumb, unsheathing the demon sword Devil's Cry. A pale blue ROOM instantly expanded, enveloping an area dozens of meters in radius.
"But since learning of that gentleman's deeds, don't you think the so-called Navy Admiral is just that?"
A fierce look flashed in Law's eyes.
ROOM!
Before the surrounding black-clad agents could react, their bodies were fragmented and floated on the dome, causing screams of terror from the surrounding people.
"How dare you!"
"How dare you defy Saint Purminger's orders!"
"Surround these pirates!"
A large number of marines immediately raised their flintlock rifles, took aim, and at the commander's command, opened fire.
Bang, bang, bang!
The bullets blazed continuously, but the moment they entered the pale blue space, they lost their impact and floated upwards.
"So many lackeys!"
Law snorted coldly, raising his right hand to expand the room's reach when a figure, beating him to the punch, rushed into the marine formation like a whirlwind.
"Devil's Wind Kick: Banquet Table!"
A fiery kick streaked like a meteor, thud, thud, thud, sending more than a dozen armed marines flying in its path.
Then, turning with the momentum, his right leg swept across again!
"Shou Meat!"
Another group of marines screamed and flew out, knocking down a large group like dominoes.
A huge gap suddenly appeared in the marines' encirclement.
Snap!
Sanji landed gracefully, took out his lighter, lowered his head to shield himself from the wind, and skillfully lit a cigarette.
"Hey, uncle."
He grinned at the stunned scarred man lying on the ground next to him. "You're quite strong! I appreciate your kindness, but it's hard not to fight back in this situation."
"Hey! Curly Eyebrows!"
Law growled, frowning. "This isn't a fight you can interfere in with a fifty-Beli bounty. Stay out of my way!"
"I'm obligated to help!"
Sanji said unhappily. "I'm saving your life, understand? Otherwise, those bullets would have riddled you like a hornet's nest!"
"Are you using my words to hit me back? You're so petty."
Law held his forehead in his hand, speechless.
"Hey, that bear, Bepo, right? Please keep an eye on Chopper for me."
Sanji bent down and scooped Chopper up from the ground. "You two should leave now. Leave this to me and your captain. I have to keep this guy safe. After all, in this chaotic situation, he's the only reliable doctor on the entire island willing to treat Chopper."
Bepo took Chopper, bewildered.
"I actually like to hear that."
Law raised an eyebrow and glanced at his subordinates. "His suggestion is correct. You should leave through the gap. The navy's reinforcements will probably arrive soon. As for covering your retreat, leave it to us."
"Understood, Captain!"
"You should be careful too!"
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
The rest of the Heart Pirates immediately protected Chopper and broke through the gap, while Law and Sanji exchanged a glance and stood back to back.
"How dare you!"
Saint Purminger was furious. He even pulled out a pistol from his chest and aimed it in their direction. "The Mink Tribe I've set my sights on, they belong to me! You two lowlifes, how dare you defy me!"
"Indeed, this is pure lawlessness!"
A furious shout suddenly rang out from the side.
Sanji instinctively looked over and saw the scarred man who had held him down before striding over with a gloomy expression, blocking the Celestial Dragon's way.
"Blond, curly-browed brat! You're such an audacious lunatic! It would have been fine if you hadn't kneeled before, but you actually dared to join forces with other pirates in this act of rebellion!"
He suddenly turned and knelt before the Celestial Dragon, arms raised fervently.
"This is a Celestial Dragon! The Creator of the world, a true, perfect God! Great God! I'm a patrolman from the South Seas Allied Powers, and I'm here on vacation in Shampoo Land with my dearest friend. Since I have the honor of serving you, I'll take care of these two ignorant, untouchables…"
Bang!
A sudden gunshot abruptly interrupted his words.
"…"
Scarface looked down in disbelief, at the blood gushing from his chest.
He paused for a moment, then instinctively looked up to see Saint Purminger, holding a smoking pistol, an expression of impatience on his face.
"You nagging pariahs."
Saint Purminger blew away the gunpowder. "I will personally execute these two pariahs. Who allowed you to stand before me and meddle in my affairs?"
Beside him, Charlulia Palace nodded slightly in agreement.
"I, I…"
Scarface opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, only a mouthful of blood spurted out, and he collapsed heavily to the ground.
His eyes were wide, as if he would die with regret, unable to understand why his sincere loyalty had ended in such a way.
"See? This is what happens when you displease me!"
Saint Purminger smirked, raising his pistol again. "Now, it's your turn, two…"
…
In the Chambord Naval Branch.
A red light flashed, and the piercing, highest-level alarm blared, echoing throughout the base.
"Emergency! A riot has broken out in Sabaody Paradise, and two Celestial Dragons have been attacked!"
"Everyone, everyone, immediately and as quickly as possible, support the scene of the riot!"
"The attackers have been identified. Aside from the blond man with curly eyebrows, the other leaders are all supernovas of this generation: Poison Doctor Chopper and Death Surgeon Law!"
"The enemy is too brutal, and the branch base may be unable to cope. Headquarters, requesting support from the Admirals! I repeat, requesting support from the Admirals!"
…
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Top floor office, beneath the plaque "Justice Reigns Over the World."
"What?"
Sengoku's face changed, and he stood up suddenly. "The Celestial Dragon guards were attacked in the Sabaody Archipelago? Are there pirates so audacious as to say this?"
"Are they this year's supernovas… Damn brats, I understand!"
After hanging up the phone, Sengoku breathed a sigh of relief.
"Have they taken action against the world's nobles? It seems we can't just ignore it."
Kizaru, lazily clipping his nails on the sofa, sighed leisurely, "Don't worry. In that case, I'll go there myself, Marshal."
A normal person with a missing arm wouldn't be able to trim their own nails, even if they kept an eagle.
But he was different. After all, he was a natural type, so his other hand could be restored using photon mimicry. Wrapped in a suit and wearing gloves, it didn't seem to make any difference.
It was just that it wasn't as flexible as his fingers.
Glancing at his fingers, which had been overcut and exposed, Kizaru sighed regretfully, slowly stood up, and habitually put his hands in his trouser pockets.
"Speaking of which…"
Kizaru tilted his head. "Marshal, Vegapunk's new developments seem to be in their final stages. What's missing now is actual combat testing. We have a few mobile suits close to Shampoo Land. I'll take them over and help test them. Is that okay?"
"You've always been directly responsible for the Science Defense Force. There's no need to consult me on matters like this," Sengoku said gravely. "You can do whatever you want, but there's one thing: you must ensure the safety of the Celestial Dragons, no matter what. Understand?"
"Of course."
Kizaru nodded with a smile, then gazed toward the distant horizon.
The next moment…
Crash!
The glass windows of the conference room shattered, and Kizaru transformed into a brilliant golden light, hurtling toward the port.
…
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of gunfire was almost like a violent storm, one round after another, almost continuous, interspersed with the roar of mortar shells, like thunder in a rainstorm.
"Hey, Curly Eyebrows!"
Law dodged and dodged amidst the hail of bullets, the blade of his demonic sword, Devil's Cry, slashing in a pale blue arc, slashing down every incoming bullet.
"You were quite talkative just now, weren't you? Why are you silent now?"
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Sanji dodged the projectile with a side-flip, his right leg ablaze as he fiercely kicked a charging marine away.
"People get tired, damn, these lackeys keep getting more and more reinforcements!"
In the distance, Purminger Saint's roar pierced through the smoke, echoing: "Pariah! How dare you defy me! How dare you attack me! Do you think you can escape? The admirals will be here soon! When that happens—"
The rest of the voice was inaudible.
Law growled and unleashed another round of slaughter, barely holding off all the threats.
"The firepower is getting more and more intense. Ever since the Sabaody incident last year, it seems the navy has stepped up its deployment of troops against the branch here."
Law narrowed his eyes. "Bepo and the others, and Chopper's boss, should have entered the safe area. We really can't get rid of all the marines, so let's just break out."
"Are we leaving now?"
Sanji snorted. "I wanted to kick those two bubble-wearing bastards each before I leave."
"It's not worth getting into danger just to vent my anger."
Law waved his demon sword, pointed in a certain direction, and shouted, "The gap over there is the most obvious. Now is the time! Go!"
"Understood!"
Sanji repelled the marines rushing over from all sides, jumped high, and was about to rush out with Law—
Buzz!
A golden flash suddenly lit up, spanning between the two of them, and in the next moment, it exploded.