Perhaps in the high-end game that was the God Valley battle, Keek was nothing more than an unremarkable supporting role.
But in the eyes of ordinary people, he was nothing short of a monster. At the very least, someone who had mastered both Armament and Observation Haki was easily strong enough to rival a Marine Rear Admiral.
During the God Valley incident, though he avoided the high-ranking Marine officers and the Holy Knights, when it came to dealing with ordinary Celestial Dragons, he could easily crush them—literally.
He'd even personally snapped the necks of several of them, completely devoid of reverence toward the World Government.
However…
He was old now, and his strength had declined significantly.
Luckily, he had a good grandson.
Thanks to the effects of Pure Gold, not only had he stopped aging, but after eating all sorts of nourishing delicacies, he seemed to be on the verge of growing younger again.
Though his Armament and Observation Haki were basic now, he could at least use them once more.
"Just a filthy commoner, and you dare attack a Celestial Dragon!?"
Saint Rosward pulled out a golden pistol and aimed it toward Keek. The sudden movement startled the CP agents, who immediately tried to step in to block the shot—
But Keek didn't need them.
"Move aside, CP0. You're nothing. I'm the one who's going to kill this bastard myself!!!"
As Keek looked at that classic, arrogant face, memories flooded his mind. Back in God Valley, the Celestial Dragons had worn the exact same expressions—
Utter disbelief that anyone would dare defy them.
Now, Keek wanted to relive that feeling of his younger days.
"My name is Keek! Remember it well!!!"
With a hearty laugh, the old man stomped on the shoulder of the CP agent in front of him and leapt high into the air. His fist, wrapped in jet-black Armament Haki, came crashing down.
From above, he batted away all the bullets and drove his punch straight toward Saint Rosward's skull.
No one dared to stop him.
Those who were strong enough knew who he was, and those who weren't were blocked by those who were.
Everyone could only watch as that figure descended like a storm and struck.
Bang—
Pfft—
With a single punch, the glass bubble shattered, Saint Rosward's face caved in, his eyes rolled back white, and blood sprayed as he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
"Ah…"
"…"
The entire scene fell into dead silence. Even Shirahoshi, still bound by chains, gasped and covered her mouth in shock.
"Grandpa…"
The girl's soft voice caught the old man's attention. He lifted his head and looked toward the giant mermaid princess.
"A mermaid princess, huh? I've heard my brat of a grandson's quite fond of you.
Though… yeah, you are a bit on the large side."
The old man still had some pride in him. Though that punch had drained a good deal of his stamina, he stood with his hands behind his back, pretending to be relaxed in front of Shirahoshi.
But his stubborn stance was soon surrounded by CP agents.
That annoyed him.
"What? You brats planning to make a move on an old man like me?!!!"
"No…"
The leading CP0 agent hesitated but forced himself to speak.
"But… a Celestial Dragon has been injured. We must ask you to help us explain this incident to the Holy Land, otherwise… we won't survive the aftermath."
Just as Keek was about to explode in fury—
A figure appeared beside him without anyone noticing.
Shing—
A blinding light gleamed along a blade's edge, stabbing pain into everyone's eyes.
"Step back. Unless you want to die here."
Turning his head, Keek saw a man in a luxurious long coat holding a black blade. His hawk-like eyes were sharp enough to pierce the soul, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"Shichibukai—[Hawk Eyes]!!!"
Recognizing the man before them, the CP agents froze. They suddenly remembered whose territory this was.
Looking back, several infamous figures stood there—each a legendary pirate.
Crocodile. Doflamingo. Enel…
Gulp.
A bead of cold sweat dripped down a trembling brow.
The air grew tense. Everyone stared nervously at the infamous pirates, terrified a violent clash would erupt.
After all, they had come ashore without guards and possessed little combat power themselves—if a fight broke out, they'd be as good as dead.
Among the crowd, Judge, tall and strong with some combat ability, wasn't panicking. He and his monstrous children watched quietly.
"All of them… true monsters of the seas. Each capable of steering a nation's fate…"
Judge had always feared the Shichibukai deep down. He knew well that more than one among them was currently plotting to overthrow a country!
"Father, should we retreat first?"
Reiju, the only one of his children who still retained her emotions, unlike her arrogant, fearless brothers, instinctively sensed something was wrong.
The young girl's eyes were full of unease.
But the next moment, a large hand rested on her head.
"Don't worry. Just a small interlude, that's all."
She instinctively tried to resist—her genetically enhanced body reacting to combat by nature—but it was useless.
The figure walked right past her, heading toward the center of the scene.
"That's…"
Reiju blinked, about to reach out—but Judge grabbed her arm.
When she turned, the man once known as a war fanatic, always stern and unshakable, now wore an expression of raw fear. His pupils trembled violently.
...
The sudden arrival of this figure instantly diffused the tension.
Everyone turned toward him.
At last, old Keek looked back, and his face lit up with joy. He was the first to speak.
"…Brat! You actually came this late?!!"
"Sorry."
The newcomer was none other than the one everyone had been waiting for—
Orin.
"Something came up and delayed me a bit. I didn't miss the main event, did I?"
Keek chuckled as he stepped out of the crowd, hands behind his back, clearly pleased to see Orin.
"No, no. We haven't even started the meal yet."
The grandfather and grandson chatted casually, as if the rest of the world didn't exist. Only the likes of Mihawk drew the slightest attention from Orin.
"You're here."
The hawk-eyed swordsman spoke coldly as ever.
Enel took a bite of his apple and nodded silently.
Some noticed that the dark clouds in the sky slowly began to disperse.
Crocodile and Doflamingo's sandstorm and string waves faded as they smiled and walked toward Orin.
"You bastard… even if you didn't show up, we could've wrapped this up soon."
"Fufufufu… Indeed. Watching the CP tear at each other is always entertaining."
Keek was delighted by their presence. He even patted Orin's leg proudly.
"Yeah, those little hawks showed up fast this time."
After greeting everyone with a smile, Orin finally turned his gaze toward the so-called Celestial Dragon and his dogs.
"So it's you guys who wanted an explanation from the old man?"
"N-no…"
The CP agents couldn't even form a proper sentence under Orin's gaze.
"Alright then," Orin said with a light smile, placing his foot atop the unconscious Saint Rosward's head.
"This… is the explanation."
Squelch—
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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