The moment Hui stepped out of the auction house with Saint Mosankro, who floated beside him, all eyes locked onto them.
People stared in stunned silence, their minds blank at the sight before them.
Then, a collective gasp filled the air.
One by one, they made way for Hui, hastily clearing a path as they fled from this place of imminent disaster.
Everyone knew, something big was about to happen here!
It wasn't long before the Marines appeared.
As the stationed garrison, the news of a Celestial Dragon being kidnapped had them mobilizing instantly.
They surrounded Hui in full force.
"I thought an Admiral would show up," Hui siad, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Looks like the Marines don't care that much about the Celestial Dragons after all."
"Bastard! Release the Celestial Dragon immediately!"
A Vice Admiral from the garrison barked, fury etched across his face. An incident like this happening under his jurisdiction meant inevitable accountability.
But Hui merely cast a glance his way. The next moment, the Vice Admiral collapsed to the ground, dead.
He died… with his life force completely drained!
Hui, at the level of the Six Paths, had fully assimilated the power of life itself. The ocular ability he wielded to control life had reached terrifying heights.
The Vice Admiral, lacking in physical prowess and relying solely on his Logia abilities to maintain his rank, couldn't compare to those skilled in taijutsu. Thus, one look from Hui was all it took to snuff out his life!
After dispatching the Vice Admiral, Hui didn't hurry. He strolled leisurely toward the Grand Plaza as if he were out for a casual walk.
The other Marines, having witnessed the eerie scene moments ago, were too shocked to even move.
They stared at their fallen superior, a chill creeping up their spines.
In the end, they could only follow from a distance, too afraid to get any closer.
Soon, the entire Sabaody Archipelago was in an uproar.
"A major event has occurred in District 13, something that will shake the entire world! Someone has kidnapped a World Noble, a Celestial Dragon, and plans to auction off Saint Mosankro!"
The news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching beyond the Sabaody Archipelago.
Unfortunately, there were no live broadcasts yet. Otherwise, the whole world would've been thrown into complete chaos.
"This… This can't be real, right?"
Countless people harbored such doubts. The scene was simply too shocking, too absurd to believe.
Ever since the World Government was established eight hundred years ago, the Celestial Dragons had been perched high above, revered like gods.
In the minds of most pirates, Celestial Dragons were untouchable, the descendants of the divine.
Yet now, those so-called divine descendants had been dragged down from their pedestal, hauled along like dead dogs.
It was horrifying… and yet, deep inside, people felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
While ordinary people trembled, the Marines were already seething with rage.
At Marine Headquarters, Commander-in-Chief Kong glared furiously at the screen in front of him.
"Where the hell is Sengoku?!"
"Commander, Fleet Admiral Sengoku will reach the Sabaody Archipelago in over twenty minutes!"
"Twenty minutes… Damn it!" Kong roared, slamming his fist down.
He had been buried in paperwork when he first heard the news about a Celestial Dragon being kidnapped in the Sabaody Archipelago.
His first reaction was disbelief.
But once the truth was confirmed, Kong was utterly stunned, and then consumed by fury.
Someone had actually dared to pull off such an audacious act, risking the wrath of the entire Marine force and the World Government itself to lay a hand on a Celestial Dragon!
And it had to happen at this time, when Naval Hero Garp was in the New World.
Only Sengoku could make it in time.
"This is going to be a huge problem…"
But it wasn't just Kong, the ones most enraged were the World Government itself.
The Celestial Dragons, as World Nobles, were symbols of the World Government's absolute authority over the world.
And now, that symbol had been trampled into the dirt, shattered in front of the entire world.
Such blatant provocation could not be tolerated!
While scolding the Marines, the World Government had already dispatched its intelligence agency, the CP organizations.
A flood of powerful agents surged toward the Sabaody Archipelago, their mission clear: to remind the world of the consequences of challenging the World Government's authority.
Meanwhile, on the Sabaody Archipelago, even though danger was looming, countless pirates refused to leave.
Pirates were different from ordinary people. They all had a rebellious streak in their hearts.
While they didn't dare lay a hand on the Celestial Dragons due to the World Government and the Marines, the fear and reverence they felt were far less than that of common folk.
But an event as monumental as the kidnapping of a Celestial Dragon? It was both terrifying and exhilarating.
This was a spectacle they couldn't resist!
In one of the districts of the Sabaody Archipelago, a group of people were drinking.
They were none other than the Whitebeard Pirates, who happened to be resting here.
"Pops, it's that guy! He's here!"
A voice rang out.
It was a laid-back, orange-haired man, usually seen with half-open eyes, but now they were wide with shock.
People quickly recognized him. The man who had kidnapped the Celestial Dragon was the same mysterious figure who had appeared over a year ago.
"Gurararara… That guy, I knew he'd stir up the entire world," Whitebeard chuckled.
But truth be told, that young man was the most terrifying and enigmatic individual Whitebeard had ever encountered in all his years.
"This is going to be one hell of a show," he added, his tone brimming with excitement.
If the World Government were so easily provoked, they wouldn't have maintained absolute control over the world for the past eight hundred years.
But if it was that powerful, mysterious man…
Everyone around him grinned with anticipation.
Hui's overwhelming strength had left an indelible mark on them, they couldn't forget him even if they tried!
Now that this guy was openly confronting the Marines and the World Government, their excitement was through the roof.
…
Back in District 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago, Hui and Saint Mosankro had already arrived at the Grand Plaza.
"This place is big enough," Hui said to himself, stepping onto the raised platform and scanning the surroundings with satisfaction. "Looks perfect for selling premium cuts."
"But…" His voice dropped to a colder tone. "Didn't I say I don't like being interrupted?"
As he spoke, a beam of light shot from Hui's body.
Shlick!
The sound of something piercing flesh echoed in the plaza. Three figures were already sprawled lifelessly not far from the platform.
Hui then casually plunged his blade back into Saint Mosankro's body.
"So, tell me," he said playfully, his gaze sweeping the crowd, "how many cuts do you think a so-called descendant of the creators can endure?"
Many in the crowd grew grim.
They had come to rescue Saint Mosankro, but under these circumstances, they didn't even have the chance to make a move.
This guy was too fast. Too strong.
"Look at that, the so-called descendant of the creators isn't much different from an ordinary person,huh?" Hui continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Can't even handle a few stabs."
His eyes swept over the crowd again, leaving no one untouched by his gaze.
The weight of that stare made many hearts sink. They knew it was a warning.
A warning not to act recklessly.
"KIDNAPPING A CELESTIAL DRAGON. MALICIOUSLY HARMING A CELESTIAL DRAGON. YOU'RE DECLARING WAR ON THE ENTIRE WORLD."
At that moment, a heavy voice rang out.
A Marine stepped forward, sporting an afro and glasses.
It was Sengoku, who had finally arrived.
"Declaring war on the whole world…" Hui mused, glancing at Sengoku, his tone utterly indifferent, "doesn't seem like that big of a deal."
His words were light, casual. As if the entire world was nothing more than an afterthought in his eyes.
Sengoku's heart sank at those words.
"I haven't had the pleasure of learning your name," Sengoku said, trying to maintain a level of calm.
This mysterious young man had surfaced over a year ago, committing the outrageous act of killing a Celestial Dragon. And now he was back, once again targeting the Celestial Dragons.
His power was terrifying in its mystery.
A person like this… was far too dangerous.
"My name?" Hui smirked. "God. You can call me that."
Sengoku froze.
God?… This guy was beyond audacious.
Just then, the sharp sound of something slicing through the air rang out.
Clang!
Hui's body shifted slightly, dodging the bullet that had been fired at him. In the same motion, a beam of light shot from him, following the trajectory of the bullet and piercing straight through the sniper's heart.
"Seems like someone wants you dead," Hui murmured to Saint Mosankro, plunging his blade deeper into the man's body.
Splurt!
"AAAAAHHH!!!"
Another scream of agony tore through the air. Saint Mosankro's face was a mess of tears and snot, his mind teetering on the brink of complete collapse.
But then, a green glow appeared in Hui's hand. He pressed his palm to Saint Mosankro's wound, and the bleeding stopped instantly.
"Taking action against me just means they want you dead," Hui said playfully, glancing at Saint Mosankro. "Looks like you've made quite a few enemies."
"You bastards! STOP! DO YOU WANT ME DEAD?!"
Saint Mosankro wailed, screaming at the top of his lungs.
With the pain of being sliced open, he didn't care whether these people were trying to save him or not. All he knew was that because of them, he'd been stabbed again.
Hui chuckled, then turned his gaze back to the crowd.
"Well," he announced, "it seems everyone's here now."
His voice echoed across the plaza as he declared with a grin:
"Let the auction officially begin!"
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