Chapter 288: Leave None Alive!
"The sand is no big deal," a boy with green hair said, climbing out of another crater. He rubbed his temples and shook his head. "It's this dizziness I can't stand."
"Your constitution is too weak, Mosshead," a blond young man said, striking a cool pose. He flicked a cigarette into his mouth and expertly lit it. "I see you training the hardest every day, but it doesn't seem to be doing you any good. Maybe you should learn to cook from me."
"Who are you trying to fool?!" Zoro snapped. "If you weren't dizzy, you wouldn't have put the lit end of the cigarette in your mouth!"
"Eh?" Sanji looked down. It was backwards… no wonder it tasted funny.
More figures emerged from the sand, shaking their heads and brushing themselves off.
"In any case, we've landed successfully," Law said, stepping out of a crater and dusting off his spotted hat. He scanned the area. "This is the first time I've seen so many Celestial Dragons at once…"
"A rough count puts them at around 350," Smoker said, a cigar in his mouth, as he moved to the front. "When I joined the Marines, I never thought I'd see a day like this. To think so many Celestial Dragons will be wiped out at once… I wonder what kind of face the World Government will make."
Beside him, Nojiko cracked her knuckles and grinned. "Our bounties are going to skyrocket, right? This time, I might even surpass you, Smokey."
"Bounties? Hahaha! So you're pirates!" Saint Charlos finally snapped out of it. Instead of being scared, he waved his pistol excitedly. "Excellent! I was just getting bored of only killing commoners! These pirates will make a fine appetizer! Hey, you lot! Get them! Beat them up and throw them into the hunting ground! This prey is all mine!"
However… the scene he had expected—the CP agents charging forward to subdue the pirates—did not happen. Instead, the masked figures in white were frozen in place, their bodies trembling as they stared in a certain direction.
"Hey! Are you deaf?!" Saint Charlos roared. He was about to continue scolding them when he realized the atmosphere on the beach had grown strangely quiet. It wasn't just the CP agents. His fellow Celestial Dragons all wore the same expression, their faces paler than ghosts.
What's going on? Saint Charlos turned, following their gaze—
From the dust, the final figure slowly rose. His black coat billowed in the wind as his slender fingers rested on the hilt of the sword on his back. The young man lifted his indifferent eyes, his gaze piercing through the dust like a sharp blade.
That familiar, handsome face. That familiar, look-at-the-trash gaze.
"Y-you…" Saint Charlos froze, his lips trembling uncontrollably. The golden pistol in his hand clattered to the sand.
"Impossible…" He staggered backwards, his legs giving out as he collapsed to the ground. A dark patch spread across his pants. "N-no! Stay away! Don't come near me!"
It was a comical sight. On any other day, the other Celestial Dragons would have laughed at him. But not today. Because all of them were reacting the same way.
"It's… it's him!!!"
"Shane! It's the God-Slayer, Shane! What is he doing here?!"
"Who cares! Run!!!"
Someone let out a bloodcurdling scream, and the hundreds of Celestial Dragons descended into chaos. Some stumbled towards the cruise ship, others knelt on the ground and vomited, and some were so terrified they simply fainted. The images from the Sabaody live broadcast three months ago had become their deepest nightmare! And on this day, with that face so close, the Celestial Dragons finally remembered the terror of being dominated by him.
"Protect the masters!" The CP agents finally reacted, forcing down their fear to form a human wall. The masked man in the lead noticed Smoker and barked, "White Hunter Smoker! As a former Marine officer, you have fallen so far! This is your chance to redeem yourself! Surrender now and…"
SHING!
A flash of cold light. The masked man grunted, a hole in his chest. As he collapsed, Smoker withdrew his jitte and exhaled a puff of smoke. "The Marines? An organization that helps these animals hunt civilians? Who would ever go back? It should have been swept into the trash heap of history long ago."
There had been a strategy meeting before this operation. The truth about the Celestial Dragons' hunting game, about the triennial destruction of a nation, had been laid bare for all to see. Many had been shocked, but none more so than Smoker, the once-loyal elite of Headquarters. The last shred of faith he had held for the Marines had been utterly shattered. The Marines had no right to talk about justice!
"Sir!" Seeing their leader fall, a CP agent gritted his teeth, hoisted Saint Charlos onto his back, and yelled, "Go, my lord! Retreat! The rest of you, cover our escape!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Tsk, they've raised some loyal dogs. A pity…" Shane smiled, his thumb pushing the guard of his sword. "…it's too late."
CLANG—!
The clear ring of a blade echoed across the beach. A black-and-red light illuminated the heavens! A massive sword slash whistled through the air, heading straight for the fleeing CP agent and Saint Charlos.
Divine Departure!
The slash carved a deep trench in the beach. The CP agent had just enough time to look back in terror before he and Saint Charlos were sliced in two at the waist. The aftershock of the attack continued, undiminished. Though the 360-odd Celestial Dragons were scattered, more than half of them were caught in the terrifying blast.
With that one slash… two hundred Celestial Dragons were dead! Blood rained down, and the beach was littered with the wide-eyed corpses of the slain, turning the sand red!
"No, no, no, no, no…!"
"This isn't real! It's a dream… it's a dream, right?!"
"I can't die! Not like a commoner, not in a place like this!"
"The Marines! Where are the Marines?!"
The remaining Celestial Dragons wailed in despair. Some were too scared to run, dropping to their knees and begging for mercy. "Spare us! We… we have a lot of good stuff! A lot of money!"
"And the prizes on the platform! You can have them all! Just let us live!"
Such familiar words. Shane couldn't be bothered. He flicked the blood from his blade and sheathed it.
"Idiots," Zoro said, crossing his arms with a sneer. "Money? Prizes? Once we kill you, it'll all be ours anyway."
"The hunting game is just getting started," Nojiko said, turning her head. "Bro, there are about 150 of them left. We're following the rules we talked about on the ship, right?"
"Yes. Drive these pigs into the northern forest. There are no civilians there, and the area has been sealed off."
Give them a taste of their own medicine. The ones who had died instantly were the lucky ones. As for the rest…
"Let them experience what it's like to be hunted, to die in terror," Shane said flatly. "Remember, we'll tally the scores in half an hour. Leave none alive."
"Understood!" the young officers replied in unison.
Nami couldn't wait. She used Moonwalk to leap onto the platform and crouched at the edge, a cute dimpled smile on her face as she looked down at the Celestial Dragons. "Hey, didn't you hear? You'd better start running. You have five minutes. If you're fast enough, you might live a little longer~"
The moment Nami's voice fell, the Celestial Dragons on the beach snapped out of their stupor and descended into chaos.
"Run! Run!" they shrieked, pushing and shoving each other as they scrambled towards the northern forest. Most of them, in their haste to run faster, discarded their heavy jewels, their lavish clothes, and the bubble helmets they wore to avoid breathing the same air as the commoners.
"How ugly," Smoker said, exhaling a puff of smoke as he watched the scene with cold eyes. "They're just ordinary people. I don't get why, for all these years, no one—not the Marines, not even the other pirates—dared to touch them." Even Roger and the other Yonko had left them alone!
"The divine halo they've built over 800 years isn't so easily dispelled," Law shrugged. "In Sabaody, our captain struck the first blow to shatter those chains. By giving us this chance to do it ourselves, he wants us to personally cut through that fear and see these pigs for what they really are."
"Well said, leopard-print guy!" Sanji stomped out his cigarette and grinned. "Then what are we waiting for? Five minutes should be about up, right? Let the hunt begin!"
"It's only been two minutes," Zoro was about to express his disdain when he noticed something and looked out at the sea with a slight smile. "They've finally noticed something's wrong?"
"Did they think they were safe just by having the CP agents on the island and a cordon on the outside?" Bartolomeo laughed, hands on his hips. "The Marines are so slow!!"
"Too slow!" Sengoku's furious roar blasted through the Den Den Mushi, nearly shattering their eardrums. "Sakazuki! Borsalino! What are you two doing?! Half the Celestial Dragons are dead, and the other half are running for their lives in the forest! Why didn't you notice until now?!"
Akainu's face was livid. He and Kizaru had been up all night and had just dozed off in the cabin when the urgent call from Headquarters woke them with the astonishing news. Shane and the Curtain Call Adventurers had appeared out of nowhere in the hunting ground and were carrying out a massacre! And the Marine fleet that had surrounded the island, several nautical miles away, had noticed nothing! All communication with the island had been cut off. It was only when the Holy Land noticed that a large number of the Celestial Dragons' life-chips had gone dark that they had demanded an explanation from Headquarters!
"How did this happen…" Kizaru muttered in a daze. Impossible! Headquarters confirmed it! Their main fleet is still in the New World, targeting our other bases! How did they get to the North Blue so fast?!
"Don't you get it?!" Sengoku roared. "It was all a diversion! A diversion! I don't know how they found out, but the Curtain Call's target from the very beginning was the Celestial Dragons' hunting ground! Now! Immediately! Go and rescue the rest of them!"
"Uh…" Kizaru scratched his head. "Is there even time? If we go now, we'll probably only be able to collect the bodies."
"Shut up!" Akainu roared. He hung up the call and barked, "All hands! Abandon the cordon and land immediately! Rescue the Celestial Dragons at all costs! Annihilate the Curtain Call Adventurers!"
BOOM!
The moment the words left his mouth, a massive explosion rocked the sea. A warship on the perimeter burst into flames and began to sink.
"Enemy attack! It's an ambush! It's the Curtain Call's fleet! They're surfacing!" a soldier in the crow's nest screamed in terror.
Surfacing?!!! Akainu and Kizaru's faces changed. They spun around to look. The once-calm sea was now churning with whirlpools. One by one, over twenty coated warships burst from the water like giant whales!
SPLASH!
The massive fleet, flying the flag of the Curtain Call Adventurers, spread out in a line! Their dark cannons turned in unison, aiming at the surrounded Marine fleet!
"Gentlemen, I have been waiting for you," Kuina said, standing at the prow of the flagship, her expression unreadable. Behind her, Fujitora, Jack, and Kuma appeared, their gazes cold.
"Fire!"
At Kuina's command, the entire fleet unleashed a volley of cannon fire! The cannonballs rained down on the Marine fleet. Caught completely by surprise, the Marines scrambled to respond and suffered heavy losses. The sea was instantly engulfed in fire and smoke.
"Hey, hey, how could that Shane be so mean?" Kizaru complained, his voice a long drawl as he helped to intercept the cannonballs. "I think I get it now. These guys were waiting for this exact moment."
"Do you have to state the obvious, Borsalino!" Akainu roared. By now, even a pig would have figured it out! Not only had the Curtain Call arrived, but it wasn't a surprise attack. It had been premeditated! They had arrived even earlier than the Marines! Perhaps last night, or even a day or two before, they had reached these waters and, using their coating, had hidden on the seabed, just waiting for the Marines to walk into their trap and be wiped out!
"The perfect plan," Kuina said with a rare smile, watching the scene unfold from the flagship. It had been Lord Shane's idea—to coat the ships and hide on the seabed, right under the enemy's nose, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. It was a stroke of genius. If they had shown up any later, the people of this island would have been annihilated. Even a tenth of them would have been tens of thousands of lives, and that was unacceptable. And if they had shown up any earlier, the Celestial Dragons would have been spooked and would never have landed.
This was how it was meant to be! At the very moment all the "honored guests" had landed, at the very moment the bell had rung to signal the start of the vile hunting game—the Marines would be forced to watch in despair as the "gods" they were sworn to protect were slaughtered
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