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Shabondy Archipelago, District 24.
A moment ago the street had been packed and noisy. Now, silence swallowed everything. You could only faintly hear civilians kneeling on the ground, breathing hard in fear.
At the front walked a Celestial Dragon, bubbles over his head and dressed in ornate silk. Behind him followed a squad of guards in black suits, along with several Marines. Judging from the insignia on the lead Marine's shoulder, he was a Vice Admiral.
The air was heavy—thick with tension no one dared name.
Not far away, Kyle stood watching. His vision was sharp; after a few glances, his figure flickered and disappeared.
The Vice Admiral trailing behind the Celestial Dragon glanced sharply in that direction, sensing something. He studied the spot for a moment, and when he didn't find anyone, he looked away.
In the narrow alley that intersected the street, Kyle reappeared.
His expression was calm. The very reason he'd said goodbye to Sulong and the others earlier was because he had seen the Celestial Dragon now walking down the street.
That face—he remembered it with absolute clarity.
The moment he had failed to kneel, his life had been sentenced. That single act eventually led to him falling into Calen's hands.
"Today really is payback day, huh."
Kyle let out a quiet breath.
Both Calen—who had tested dozens of ways to kill him—and the Celestial Dragon who'd started it all were right here in front of him.
He looked down at the pebble he'd just picked up. It was about the size of a fingertip. He tossed it lightly in his hand.
With a Vice Admiral following the Celestial Dragon on the street, Kyle couldn't strike directly—it would be messy, and the chance of failure too high. So he had chosen the narrow alley after observing the setup.
The angle was perfect. The moment the Celestial Dragon walked past, that would be his opening.
And with the entire street full of kneeling civilians, no one would notice a thing.
As for fear? Hesitation?
Kyle didn't feel even a trace of either.
If you're going to eliminate someone, you eliminate them completely.
The pebble arced up, fell into his hand, then rose again with a soft tap.
Kyle leaned casually against the wall, patient as ever.
On the street, the Celestial Dragon walked ahead, the Vice Admiral following behind.
Suddenly the middle-aged Vice Admiral frowned as the Den Den Mushi in his coat vibrated. "Your Highness, I'll escort you only this far."
"Go. I doubt there's anyone in this world who would dare lay a hand on me."
The Celestial Dragon spoke lightly, full of arrogance.
"Yes, sir."
The Vice Admiral nodded, expression stiff.
He turned and walked off without hesitation. If he hadn't been unlucky enough to run into this guy, he'd never have agreed to escort a Celestial Dragon. Walking down a main street like this—so high-profile—it felt, to an old Marine like him, no better than taking a dump in public.
If Garp heard about this, he'd never let him live it down.
The street remained silent as the Celestial Dragon continued forward.
As he passed the alley, he seemed to hear something. Curious, he turned his head.
To him, it was nothing—just a casual glance. Why would a noble of his status ever expect danger?
But the instant he turned, he saw a figure leaning against the wall, tossing a pebble between his fingers.
"A Marine?"
The young Celestial Dragon blinked.
He didn't care why this Marine was hiding here instead of performing his escort duties. In everyday life, he considered himself quite kind—merciful, even.
Lots of rudeness, he would graciously overlook.
But just as that thought flitted by, the Marine lifted his head. Their eyes met.
The Celestial Dragon froze for a heartbeat—then anger flared instantly.
There wasn't the slightest respect in the Marine's gaze. Naturally he didn't recognize the other man as the "insolent commoner" from a few days ago.
At that very moment, the pebble fell from Kyle's toss—and he caught it smoothly between his index and middle fingers.
Black-red lightning crackled silently along his fingertips.
In the next instant, the pebble shot out like a streak of light slicing the air.
Everything brightened in the Celestial Dragon's vision. And then, with overwhelming force, the pebble pierced the center of his forehead, burst out through the back of his skull, and vanished into the distant sky.
But the force didn't stop there.
A sharp crack rang out.
The Celestial Dragon's head shattered—then exploded.
The street remained silent, but the black-suited guards behind him froze. Fear, shock, disbelief—all flashed across their faces in an instant.
Just seconds ago, their master had been walking ahead. Now his head was simply… gone.
A scream ripped through the shock.
Meanwhile, in the alley, Kyle's figure was already gone.
The Vice Admiral, who had only just turned away and hadn't walked far, suddenly stopped. He spun around, and his face twisted in shock.
"Vice Admiral! The Celestial—The Celestial Dragon—!"
He inhaled sharply, expression turning grim as he hurried forward. "This is bad. This is very, very bad!"
When he reached the scene, he sucked in another breath. His heart hammered.
He had never seen anything this brutal. A Celestial Dragon's head blown apart—silently, instantly. It was almost unimaginable.
"What the hell happened here?!"
He roared at the stunned black-clad guards.
"We… we don't know!"
They were completely lost—and utterly hopeless.
They knew full well their own fate wouldn't be pleasant.
A Celestial Dragon murdered—this would shake the entire world.
Some bold civilians had dared to peek, and what they saw made their hearts tremble.
A Celestial Dragon—killed? Just like that?
A World Noble could… die? And so violently?
Elsewhere, Kyle regrouped with Sulong and the others.
"You finish watching?" Sulong rumbled.
"Yeah. Nothing much to see—just a noble showing off in front of civilians."
Kyle shook his head.
"Haha, that's how the World Nobles always are," Jinbe laughed.
"Let's go."
Kyle nodded.
They started toward the edge of the island, but soon they heard commotion behind them—shouts, whistles, and a flood of Marines rushing toward District 24.
Everyone exchanged a look.
"Something happened."
"Should we go check it out?" Kyle suggested.
Sulong scratched his head. No one objected.
They soon arrived at District 24 and saw the middle-aged Vice Admiral, looking completely overwhelmed.
"That's Vice Admiral Raku," Sulong said, recognizing him.
Kyle nodded and stepped forward. He glanced at the blood on the ground, expression tightening.
"Vice Admiral Raku."
"I'm Kyle—just promoted to Rear Admiral under Vice Admiral Garp."
"May I ask—what happened here?"
Raku gave him a brief look.
"So you're Garp's kid disciple."
"You won't be any help here."
"Go back to HQ and finish your promotion rites."
He paused, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"I really don't have time to deal with you right now."
"..."
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