"——?!!"
Saint Jalmack was shocked and angry.
As a Celestial Dragon, ordinary people aren't even qualified to look directly at him whenever he travels.
However, now, first he was hit by a commoner, and then his bullet was stopped.
For Saint Jalmack, this is simply... an unprecedented event!!
"Lord Jalmack, he is a Marine."
CP0 on the side quickly whispered in his ear and winked at his companion next to him.
Forget it if he is an ordinary Marine, Issho is a candidate Admiral, and I heard that he is still the most promising candidate by Marine Headquarters.
Although he joined the Marines halfway, he has the support of Marine Admiral Atlas, the strongest man in the world today.
If there is a conflict with the Celestial Dragons, it will definitely be low-ranking agents like them that suffer in the end.
"Marine? What about Marine? They are just our slaves!"
Jalmack was indignant, feeling that his identity as a descendant of the Creator had been challenged.
The CP0 also understood immediately, stepped on the ground continuously with his feet, and turned into an afterimage, rushing to Issho.
"Mr. Issho, this is Lord Celestial Dragon."
There was a hint of threat in his humble tone.
Although his strength is far inferior to Issho's, he relies on the Celestial Dragons. Even if he is just a dog, he is proud of it.
Ignoring CP0's shouting, Issho passed by the other party, walking towards the girl who was lying limply on the ground.
"...Are you, Mr. Fujitora?"
The girl was completely immersed in uncontrollable panic, feeling a huge shadow shrouding her, and raised her pretty chin with tears in her eyes.
As the top officer of Sabaody's Marine Base, Issho appears quite frequently in the residents' sight.
Therefore, the girl recognized him at a glance.
Issho nodded slowly towards the girl, his closed eyes showing a hint of whiteness, and his heart was filled with turmoil.
When the crime really happened in front of him, the inner voice made it impossible for him to escape.
Thinking about the future and ignoring the crimes happening in front of you is a real insult to justice, right?!
Issho suddenly thought of the word justice behind him, and the conversation when he first met Atlas.
His heart became more determined.
"Vice Admiral Issho, could you please save Cleveland?"
The girl begged with tears in her eyes.
Cleveland, her fiancé, disappeared in the Sabaody Archipelago a year ago. She searched for him for a year without success. When she wanted to give up, she didn't expect to see him under the Celestial Dragons' heel.
However, the warnings she had received since childhood reminded her.
——Celestial Dragons are not to be messed with!
However, the human heart is still tender after all.
After seeing that scene of blood and flesh flying everywhere, she couldn't help but run out.
The moment she faced the bullet, she was frightened and her mind went completely blank.
But now that things have come to this, she could only ask Issho for help, and he has become the only Marine she can rely on at this time.
At the very least, as a Marine, he has the courage to stand up and challenge the authority of the Celestial Dragons.
"Saint Jalmack? Please give this lady's fiancé his freedom, please."
Issho said slowly.
Although the words were polite, it was not the tone a Marine should use towards a Celestial Dragon.
As soon as these words came out, the civilians kneeling on the ground around them were greatly shocked.
What does this Marine... want to do?!
A bad premonition came to mind.
Hearing Issho's words, Cleveland, who was lying on all fours on the ground, had a slightly dull look in his eyes. But it soon fell silent.
Marine…
"What are you talking about?! Stinky Marine!"
Saint Jalmack almost thought he had heard wrongly, with an exaggerated expression on his face.
"Fujitora, as a Marine, have you forgotten your duties? The person in front of you is a world noble!"
CP0 on the side felt something bad about Fujitora, felt something was wrong, and quickly scolded him.
A cruel smile suddenly appeared on Saint Jalmack's face. "Fujitora? Is this the Marine who stopped me from buying a slave?"
At the same time, he pointed the black gun muzzle at Fujitora again and quickly pulled the trigger.
Boom!!
The bullet left the chamber, drew a clear trajectory in the air, and shot towards Fujitora's chest.
When!
As expected, the bullet seemed to be pressed down by an invisible hand in the air, losing all power and plummeting to the ground.
"Asshole! You still dare to resist?"
Saint Jalmack suddenly became a little angrier and grabbed a huge musket from a bodyguard in black. The whole body was a mixture of brown and red, like a work of art.
Just looking at the body shape, it looked a bit like a mortar.
As soon as he took it, before he had time to feel the cold touch, Issho smiled impatiently.
Buzz—!!
The terrifying gravity suddenly fell, and the surrounding vegetation seemed to be distorted. The unprepared Jalmack suddenly fell from Cleveland.
The CPs around were shocked, but at the same time their knees weakened, and they fell to the ground, staring in the direction of Issho with frightened eyes.
This guy... actually dares to attack Celestial Dragons?!
Celestial Dragons are world nobles protected by Marine Admirals. This is the Sabaody Archipelago, and Admiral Kizaru can reach it almost as quickly as possible.
And the candidate Admiral... is just a candidate after all!
Da da da!!
Ignoring the horrified CPs, Issho slowly walked towards Jalmack, his closed eyes seeming to be sizing up Cleveland.
Although he couldn't see it, the strong smell of blood almost filled his nostrils, making him frown.
Click—!
Relying on his Observation Haki, Issho accurately pinched the slave collar around Cleveland's neck.
Cleveland's eyes finally showed some emotional fluctuations. He opened his dry mouth, and some vague syllables came out of his mouth: "No... no... key..."
The slave collar can be said to be a sinful invention of the sea. As long as there is no key, it cannot be opened unless an advanced Haki master is involved.
Issho showed a reassuring smile, and Haki surged from his hand, quickly destroying the internal structure of the slave collar.
Boom—!
The collar fell and made a crisp impact sound. Two bloody marks on Cleveland's neck were revealed, but he didn't seem to notice at all. Instead, he stood up with a look of disbelief on his face, his eyes becoming brighter and his body becoming straighter. It was as if an insurmountable mountain had been suddenly removed, and it was.
"Cleveland-!!"
The girl reluctantly stood up and threw herself into Cleveland's arms with a look of joy on her face. The huge impact almost made the seriously injured body lose his balance.
"Gina, thank you, my girl!"
Cleveland gently kissed Gina's smooth forehead, looking intoxicated.
Seeing this scene, the surrounding crowd instantly went crazy.
"Am I seeing that right? A Marine attacked the Celestial Dragons?"
"What does Mr. Fujitora want to do? Will the Marines send out an Admiral?"
"What are you afraid of? Let's not forget that Mr. Issho himself is a Marine, and I heard that he was introduced to the Marines by Admiral Hakuryu."
"Hi——!! With that kind of connection, then the Marines might end up having a falling out with the World Government."
"What are you thinking! Without the World Government, there would be no Marines. The annual military expenditure alone cannot sustain the Marines."
Because they were not affected by the gravity field, the people around them began to talk.
Maybe it was curiosity or the desire to see how the situation would unfold. They had never seen anything like this before, but it actually made them look forward to the follow-up developments.
Marines, how will they handle this?
A question slowly emerged in everyone's mind, and then spread to the island at an extremely fast speed.
Celestial Dragons... were beaten by a Marine!!
Headquarters, Marineford.
Dong Dong Dong——!!
The door to the conference room was knocked loudly, interrupting the Five Elders' next words.
"Come in."
Although he had long expected that the Five Elders were going to take action against the Marines, Sengoku didn't expect it to happen so quickly, and he felt a little annoyed for a moment.
Bump—!
After receiving the order, the door was violently pushed open from the outside. A Marine colonel looked panicked, as if something terrible had happened.
"Hooah——Marshal Sengoku! Oh no, the Celestial Dragons were beaten in Sabaody!"
Marines' hearts skipped a beat.
Kizaru's figure left the screen at some point.
If it was just the Celestial Dragons who were being beaten, the Marine who came here wouldn't have such an expression as if the sky was falling.
Moreover, the land of Sabaody is guarded by Issho, a candidate Admiral. How could any pirate be so bold?
"Who is it?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru looked at the Marine colonel with clear eyes and asked the question on everyone's minds.
"Yes…"
"No need! I've already asked Borsalino to handle this matter."
At this time, the Den Den Mushi, which had not yet been hung up, made a deep voice.
Obviously, the World Government had obtained the intelligence information long before the Marines.
Toot toot—
Sengoku suddenly raised his head when he heard the busy tone on the phone, and glanced at the Marine colonel.
"It's Issho, right?"
As soon as these words came out, the whole place fell into silence, and you could hear a pin drop.
Gulp…
The Marine colonel swallowed nervously. It was the first time that so many high-ranking officers were paying attention to him. It was impossible not to be nervous.
"No...yes, it's Mr. Issho."
"Oh~ What a coincidence. I just received an order from the Five Elders."
Kizaru appeared again, his wrinkled old face coming closer, and every ravine was clearly visible.
"Just Issho, but he has the strength of a monster~ It's really scary that they want me to deal with such a man~~"
To be honest, Issho's strength is not weaker than the three Admirals.
His Haki is top-notch, and his fruit abilities have also been developed to an awakened state.
If he was asked to run and challenge Issho, Kizaru really wouldn't be sure.
"Old man Sengoku, how should we handle this matter?"
Atlas half-smiled, looking at the troubled Sengoku expectantly.
As a Marine alternate Admiral, Issho represents the Marines to a certain extent. The Marines, in turn, maintain the rule of the Celestial Dragons, dispatching Admirals to protect them at any time. Now, the two are in conflict.
If it were an ordinary officer, Sengoku might not be so concerned. However, Issho's strength is more than enough to bear the highest combat power of the Marines, and there's also Atlas to consider.
Sengoku stared straight at the smiling Atlas and suddenly said, "How do you want to solve it, Atlas? After all, you personally brought Issho into the Marines."
Hearing this, Vice Admiral Tsuru also turned her attention to Atlas. Aokiji put away his lazy expression and showed an unprecedented serious look. He understood that this guy's words might very well change the pattern of the sea. Akainu, on the other hand, remained motionless, with no fluctuation in his expression, sitting straight.
Atlas' face froze, and he cursed 'Old Fox' in his mind. Unexpectedly, Sengoku was very good at shifting responsibility, and he passed the decision to him in a blink of an eye.
Sengoku looked at Atlas's expression and felt relieved. This kid, now you know how difficult it is for me to be a Fleet Admiral, right? Still causing trouble for me all day long.
"According to the Five Elders' wishes, they might have wanted to replace you, right?" Re-adjusting his mood, Atlas said seriously, "I can't give up on Issho. I personally brought him into the Marines, so I have justice in my heart. There is no way I could let him down."
"If you point the finger at a person because of a mere scumbag, what's the difference between this and stepping on the head of justice and spitting on it?"
"We all understand what you said, but you have to understand—"
Vice Admiral Tsuru raised the hot tea in front of her, took a sip, and said, "The current Marines are not an institution independent of the World Government..."
"It's just money."
Atlas crossed his fingers, leaned forward, and smiled.
"I know that the World Government has been trying to curb Marine's military spending, so I have been prepared for it."
"Oh? Sorry, can I interrupt? The Five Elders have sent someone to hurry up~"
Kizaru suddenly raised his hand to indicate, pouting and speaking slowly.
"..." Atlas was stunned, and then there was an intriguing look on his face.
Don't want to get involved?
That's really interesting, Borsalino-senpai. Although Kizaru is the most Buddhist among the three Admirals, and he also sounds like the one with the least firm belief. After all, "ambiguous justice" is too ambiguous. In fact, he is the most sober one. In other words, he reads too many books, sees too many things, thinks too much, and always has a detached attitude towards worldly affairs.
"Borsalino..."
Sengoku looked at Kizaru with some confusion.
"Let Senior Borsalino go first. At least he can send some good signals to the World Government."
Atlas interrupted Sengoku.
"The twisted melon quenches thirst, but it's not sweet at all."
Although Kizaru didn't firmly stand on their side, at least his stance leaned toward the Marines.
Seeing Kizaru remove the projector, Atlas continued, "Do you know about the Soviet Chamber of Commerce?"
"That legendary chamber of commerce that controls 15% of the world's berries?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru had heard a little about it. Although it has not been around for a long time, the Chamber of Commerce's influence spreads all over the world and all corners of the Grand Line. According to rumors, they seem to be inextricably linked to Amazon Lily. In the underground world, it is even more intricate, and it is already a behemoth.
"You were behind it, right?" Sengoku was thoughtful, as if everything suddenly became clear.
"Old man Sengoku, do you know?" Atlas was surprised and a little surprised. Although the current Soviet Chamber of Commerce is not like before, it controls 15% of the world's berries. After all, taking the right path alone won't work in many things. The golden belt of murder and arson, whoever can make money quickly is always written in the law.
"I don't know," Sengoku said confidently.
"..."
"But I had my suspicions. When you mention it like this, I can almost understand it." Sengoku said seriously, "So, what are you going to do?" He repeated the question again, but clearly, it wasn't just about Issho. The Marines' choice can't be made just by talking with Hakuryu.
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