Chapter 17: The Beginning of the Worst Incident in History — A Celestial Dragon Brutally Killed!
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 1 Human Auction House
The moment Straw Hat Luffy burst through the wall, the entire hall descended into absolute chaos.
And when Luffy charged forward, fist cocked toward Saint Charlos, every single person in the room froze, eyes wide with terror.
No way. There's no way someone would actually hit a Celestial Dragon… right?
Yet— Luffy's Rubber Pistol slammed straight into Charlos's chest with a sickening thud!
BOOM!
Charlos flew backward like a ragdoll, blood spraying from his mouth.
Luffy wasn't a top-tier fighter yet, but against a complete waste of oxygen like Charlos? Child's play.
The hall exploded.
Every bystander, every hidden Supernova— Trafalgar Law, Eustass Kid—all stared in horror.
It's over. An Admiral is definitely coming now.
But before anyone could process Luffy punching a World Noble…
The next scene turned the entire room to ice.
Whoosh—
In the split second Charlos was still airborne, the masked man—Rok, wearing the Sogeking mask—vanished.
He reappeared directly above the flying Celestial Dragon.
"You filthy insects… I'll have you all executed—!"
Charlos, barely conscious, was still snarling his threats.
He never saw Death coming.
CRASH—!!!
Rok's fist came down like a meteor.
Charlos's head didn't just hit the ground— it caved in.
Blood erupted from every orifice as his skull crumpled like a dropped melon.
A massive crater formed in the floor beneath the corpse.
Silence.
Dead silence.
Every soul in the auction house— even the Straw Hats—stood frozen.
Charlos was dead.
Very, very dead.
"CHARLOS!!!?? YOU FILTHY SUB-HUMAN—WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
Saint Rosward roared, his face twisted beyond recognition with rage and fear.
His son— his son had just been pulverized by a commoner!
How dare they— HOW DARE THEY lay hands on a World Noble like this?!
Unforgivable!
At Rosward's command, every Celestial Dragon bodyguard and auction house guard charged at Rok and the Straw Hats.
Panic-stricken onlookers scrambled for the exits, screaming about the end of the world.
But Rok wasn't letting anyone leave to spread rumors.
HUMMMMM—!!!
A terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded from his eyes.
In an instant— every fleeing civilian, every attacking guard— dropped like flies, unconscious before they hit the ground.
Only a handful remained standing.
Luffy, the Straw Hats, Law, Kid— all turned to stare at the masked man in stunned silence.
Even they felt the pressure.
Usopp and Chopper clutched their heads, dizzy from the residual force.
That power… came from him.
"Tch… who the hell is that guy?! Since when did the Straw Hats have someone this insane?!"
Eustass Kid growled, sweat beading on his forehead.
He was shocked by two things:
The monstrous strength on display.
The fact that this lunatic had just murdered a Celestial Dragon in public— and looked ready to keep going.
This guy was crazier than Straw Hat himself!
Crash!
Rok ignored the stares.
He flashed to Camie's tank, shattered it with one slash, and gently steadied the terrified mermaid.
"Camie, don't move. Someone will remove that collar soon."
Then he turned his cold gaze downward— toward Saint Rosward and Saint Shalria.
He had deliberately excluded them from his Conqueror's Haki.
"Y-You monster…! What do you want?! The Admiral is already on his way! Stop this now, or you're all dead!"
For the first time in their pampered lives, Rosward and Shalria showed genuine fear.
They had lorded over the world their entire lives. Even the most vicious pirates groveled before them.
And now— a criminal who dared kill a Celestial Dragon stood before them.
"Oh? The great Saint Rosward is scared?"
Rok's voice was ice as he rested both hands on his sheathed sword Undead, looking down at them like insects.
"Whether an Admiral can kill us is another story. But right now? I can kill both of you long before any Admiral arrives."
He wanted to see— just how much pride these so-called gods actually had when death stared them in the face.
"Luffy, Nami, Robin-nee, everyone— And you too, Trafalgar, Kid— Get out of here. This is between me and the Celestial Dragons. You'll still have to deal with an Admiral either way, but… there's no helping that now."
Before raising his blade against Rosward and Shalria, Rok gave the Straw Hats—and the watching Supernovas—a final warning.
This incident was far beyond the original timeline's "Luffy punched a Celestial Dragon."
He had executed one in front of the entire world.
The fallout would shake the seas.
Even with the Summit War looming, Navy Headquarters might send two Admirals this time.
If the Straw Hats got tied to this massacre, escape would be nearly impossible.
Rok liked them. He didn't want to drag them down with him.
But—
To his surprise, no one moved.
The Straw Hats exchanged glances.
Then, led by Nami and Robin, they walked forward—heads bowed slightly in respect— and took their places behind Rok.
Luffy, Zoro, Sanji—everyone stood firmly at his back.
The message was clear.
"What are you talking about, Rok?"
Robin's eyes were soft with understanding—and a hint of pain.
She knew. He was doing this because of the injustice that had broken him.
Years of service, rising to the top— all erased because of one spoiled brat's whim.
That wound had never healed.
"Yeah, Rok. Dont say stupid stuff."
Luffy grinned, fist raised.
"We're friends, arent we?"
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