Chapter 298: Executing the Five Elders, a Global Revelation!
"Master," Angewomon said softly, pointing to the two Elders bound in holy chains. "These two prisoners are awake. What should we do with them?"
All eyes turned to them. The two old men had regained consciousness a few minutes ago but had kept their eyes shut. Now that they had been called out, they had no choice but to open their eyes, their faces grim.
Shane casually put away Akainu's eyeball and walked over to them, looking down at the two highest authorities in the world.
"Shane, I am not begging for mercy. I am thinking of your own good. This is my final warning!" Saint Mars said, struggling to lift his head, his eyes filled with venom. "Killing a Celestial Dragon is a grave crime, but to lay a hand on us… is an unforgivable act of war! The World Government will use all its power…"
Shane sneered, cutting him off. "Noisy old geezer." He brutally stomped on Mars's face, his right hand slowly moving to the hilt of his sword. "Who do you think I am?! Still trying to threaten me with the World Government? Why not use Imu's name? What, are you too scared to even say Imu's name, even when you're about to die?"
Mars's pupils shrank! Why?! How is that possible?! The master's name, the master's existence, was the highest secret of the World Government for 800 years! Not even the successive Commanders-in-Chief, not even most of the Celestial Dragons, had the right to know! How could this commoner from the lower world know?!
A flash of a blade! SHING!
Blood splattered as Mars's head flew into the air. His old face, frozen in an expression of disbelief, fell to the ground. But under the suppression of the holy power, it could not regenerate. His flesh sizzled and turned to black smoke. In a flash, all that was left on the ground was a headless skeleton.
"Th-this…" Saturn watched, and the color drained from his wrinkled old face. A cold sweat broke out on his brow. He's really dead! I can't feel Marcus Mars's presence at all!
"Your turn," Shane said, flicking the blood from his blade and turning to Saint Saturn. The old man trembled, looking up in terror at the demonic figure walking towards him. In the next second, a cold blade was at his throat.
"W-wait!" The longer one lives, the more one fears losing everything. Feeling the cold steel against his neck, Saturn's old face was streaked with tears and snot, all his former dignity gone. "Shane! We can talk! We can talk about anything…"
SHING!
A flash of a blade. Saturn's head flew high into the air. His terrified old face tumbled through the air and landed with a thud beside Mars's skull. The holy power surged, and Saturn's body also sizzled and turned to black smoke.
The valley was silent. Sanji, Zoro, Tashigi… the newly joined young officers had all gathered around, but no one said a word. They just watched. The sea breeze blew. Their gazes slowly shifted from the skeletons on the ground to the slender figure sheathing his sword, all of them in a daze.
These were the highest authority of the World Government, the Five Elders who had ruled the world for who knows how many years! And they had just been executed by their captain like livestock. A few years ago, no, even just a year ago, no one would have imagined they would witness such a shocking scene.
"The chains of fear have been broken…" Law said, adjusting his spotted hat and looking up at the sky. Those were the exact words their captain had declared to the world during the Sabaody incident. And they really have been broken! Today, they had personally slaughtered the Celestial Dragons and witnessed two of the Five Elders being beheaded like ordinary men! Ordinary gods, or gods above gods… it didn't matter! They were all fake! Hypocritical! Man-made! They could be pulled down, trampled upon, and killed!
From this day forward, everyone in the Curtain Call, from top to bottom, would be completely free from the chains of fear of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons! There would be no more psychological shackles!
Oh, and that matter… Law suddenly remembered something. "My lord," he said, "earlier, while my team was clearing out the CP agents, we rescued two local boys on the edge of the valley. They said they had to see you. Should I bring them over?" With the intelligence department's prior reconnaissance, the Curtain Call was well-prepared for this battle. This valley had been designated as the main battlefield from the start. While the officers were hunting the Celestial Dragons, several other teams had been deployed to clear out the surrounding agents and evacuate the local populace to avoid civilian casualties.
Local boys? "Alright, bring them over," Shane nodded.
Law hurried off and soon returned with two grimy-faced boys. It was Abi and his friend.
"My lord! It's really you! I-I'm not dreaming, am I?! Hey, Abi, I'm really not dreaming, right?!" The moment he saw Shane, the boy's eyes lit up with excitement. His ultimate dream had been to make it to the New World and join the Curtain Call. His boat was gone, the coast was blockaded, and before he could even feel despair, the Curtain Call had descended from the heavens! And their leader was Lord Shane himself!
"Don't get too excited. You'll annoy Lord Shane," Abi, the calmer of the two, whispered, tugging at his friend's sleeve.
"Sorry, my lord!" The boy snapped out of it, scratching his head with a blush. "My name is Ani! My dream has always been to join you, to join the Curtain Call! To see you in person today, and to have your crew save us from the Celestial Dragons… I-I'm just so…"
"Get to the point, you idiot!" Abi finally cut in. "My lord, it's like this! The people on the island probably don't know what's happening yet! Ani and I can be your witnesses!"
"We saw the World Government agents blockading the coast, trying to trap us all! And we saw the Curtain Call save the island's residents! The truth shouldn't be twisted! Good people shouldn't be slandered!"
"Right, right! Abi and I have lived here for over a decade! We know a lot of people! They'll definitely believe us!" Ani added quickly.
Shane listened to the two boys, a slight smile on his face as he ruffled their hair. Behind him, Kuina, Kuma, and the other top officers exchanged a look and smiled.
Eh? The two boys were confused. Why is everyone smiling? Our concerns are valid. It would be infuriating if the Curtain Call went to all this trouble for them, only to be slandered by the World Government and have the people turn against them!
"Your sentiment is appreciated. Thank you, both of you," Kuma said with a gentle smile. "But there's no need to worry. The captain has already made arrangements."
"Victor," Shane said, turning his gaze. "You can come out now. Show our two young friends."
"Yes, my lord," a respectful voice said. The light directly behind Abi and Ani distorted, and a thin man in a black uniform, holding a pipe, materialized. The chameleon-like camouflage on his body faded, revealing the head of the intelligence department, the Chameleon Fruit user, Victor.
"Whoa—!" The two boys nearly jumped out of their skin. What's with this creepy old man?! When did he get right behind us?!
And… huh, what's that in his hand? A Den Den Mushi?
"It's a Video Den Den Mushi," Victor said with a wink. He pressed a button on the snail's shell. "It can broadcast live, and of course, it can also play back recordings."
Puru~ The Den Den Mushi in Victor's hand slowly opened its eyes, and a large image was projected. Nojiko immediately created a large block of ice to serve as a screen. The image showed the town square of the Lvneel Kingdom—countless people were gathered, their faces a mixture of terror and anger as they watched a large screen. And on that screen was the masked host on the platform with the golden bell, excitedly announcing the rules of the Celestial Dragons' hunting game!
"Th-this…" Ani's eyes widened in realization. "So you were already…"
"That's right," Victor nodded calmly. "From the conversations of the Celestial Dragons before the game began, to the agents' discussions, to the host announcing the rules, to the Celestial Dragons being counter-hunted, to the defeat of the Marines and the execution of the Five Elders, every moment has been broadcast to the entire island."
"Now, every single person in this country has seen the true face of the World Government. And this is just the beginning. The Curtain Call will now spread these images to the rest of the world and reveal the truth!"
The two boys were dumbfounded.
Jack was also stunned. "Eh? We had a plan like that?!" As expected of Boss Shane, so thorough!
"What were you even listening to during the strategy meeting?!" Kuina kicked the oaf. "Even the division captains knew! How can you, a top officer, be so clueless?!"
"After I heard the battle plan, I just started daydreaming about who I was going to beat up to restore my honor and wash away the shame of my last defeat," Jack said, rubbing his butt. "I really didn't hear what the boss said after that, Big Sis."
"You dare to daydream during a meeting held by Lord Shane?" Kuina's hand went to the hilt of her sword. "If there's a next time, you can say goodbye to your tusks."
"Got it," Jack shrank back. This was no joke. Even with Life Return, his tusks wouldn't grow back that easily. The one that old bastard Kaido broke back in Water 7 took months to grow back!
On the other side, Victor turned off the Den Den Mushi. "In any case, this was my role in this operation. Even those who aren't strong in a fight can contribute in other ways," he said with a smile.
Eh? Ani was taken aback. This old man is so nice. Did he realize I want to join but was too scared to ask, so he's encouraging me to tell Lord Shane?
"Not strong in a fight? You're being too modest, old man!" Abi exclaimed with admiration. "You recorded the whole thing! In such a dangerous environment, a normal person would have been blown to bits! You must be super good at defending and dodging!"
"Haha, thank you for the compliment," Victor chuckled. "But you've misunderstood. I'm not good at those things either. The reason I wasn't hurt is because another person was silently protecting me." He snapped his fingers, and a young man with a green mohawk materialized beside him. It was Bartolomeo. One of his hands was on Victor's back, so he had been under the chameleon effect as well. And his Barrier-Barrier Fruit had protected both Victor and the Video Den Den Mushi.
"This was my idea, which I proposed to Lord Shane myself! Pretty great, huh!" Bartolomeo said, pointing a thumb at his chest as the two boys stared at him in amazement. "It was a genius idea that even Lord Shane praised during the strategy meeting!"
During the War of Whole Cake Island, he and Chopper had formed an invincible field ambulance. This time, he and Victor had formed a stealthy, heavily-armored field reporter team! The Barrier-Barrier Fruit was so versatile. The World Government wanted to cover up the truth and twist the facts? They'd have to get past him first!
The more Bartolomeo thought about it, the more pleased he was. He struck a pose, hands on his hips, and let out a strange laugh. "HEHEHAHAHAHA—!"
The others facepalmed. Bartolomeo was a loyal and enthusiastic guy, and everyone liked him, but his constant self-congratulation was just too much to watch.
"One last thing to report, my lord," Victor said, carefully putting away the Den Den Mushi. "We have collected all the prizes from the Celestial Dragons' hunting tournament. Through analysis of the recordings and consultation with Miss Robin, we have determined what they are."
"Oh?" A spark of interest finally appeared in Shane's eyes. "Let's head back to the ship. Have someone bring the items over so everyone can have a look." He had almost forgotten about that. This would undoubtedly be one of the most bountiful hauls from this operation. From the God Valley incident, where they had even kidnapped the world's most beautiful woman, Shakky, just for show, it was clear that while the Celestial Dragons were scum, the prizes they offered their own were bound to be rare and valuable treasures of the world.
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