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Byakuya hung up the phone after speaking with Sengoku and learned that Aokiji was on his way. He decided to stay put and wait.
Beneath him lay the unconscious giant, surrounded by dead bodyguards.
Estercock Saint's purchased slaves knelt trembling by the roadside, too terrified to escape in the chaos.
The streets were otherwise deserted, with everyone fearing they might get caught up in the trouble.
Estercock Saint looked at the silent Byakuya, wanting to issue an order but swallowing his words.
He desperately wished to leave this wretched place, return to his comfortable palace, take a hot bath, and vent his frustrations on a few slaves.
But he didn't dare voice this, as the stinging wound on his face reminded him that this man before him might kill him.
Meanwhile, Byakuya was contemplating how the events should unfold and what role he should play in them.
Yes, the recent attack on the Celestial Dragons was orchestrated by Byakuya himself.
When he encountered the Celestial Dragons at the auction, an idea had sprung into his mind.
Since Doflamingo intended to use the Celestial Dragons to pressure him, he could likewise use them to achieve his own goals.
By attacking the Celestial Dragons, he could enforce a lockdown on the entire island, leveraging the combined power of the World Government and the Marine Headquarters to reshape the power dynamics of the Sabaody Archipelago.
This would enable him to implement the five rules he had previously established.
Anyone who violated these rules over the past few days would be captured and executed under the pretext of searching for the attackers.
Byakuya was confident that no faction would dare oppose him during this critical period.
After all, he was the only one who had fought the purple-clad ninja and survived.
As for the purple-clad ninja who appeared earlier, it was a character Byakuya had acquired through the system store during his departure from the auction hall.
The character was Sonic the Hedgehog Ninja, who cost 1000 points of world energy to summon.
Upon summoning Sonic, Byakuya quickly assessed his abilities, finding them to be on par with a Vice Admiral.
Although Sonic didn't possess Haki, he was proficient in most ninja techniques and had a wide array of methods, making him a valuable assistant.
The price was reasonable, equating to the cost of raising Byakuya's fusion level by one point.
Additionally, Byakuya discovered that he could use world energy to further enhance Sonic's strength.
Raising Sonic's power to the weakest Admiral level would cost around 5000 points of world energy.
Realizing the expense, Byakuya decided against it. After all, no one else would directly fight Sonic.
If he claimed Sonic had Admiral-level strength, no one could dispute it since no one could find Sonic to confirm.
Everyone had witnessed Sonic fighting Byakuya and escaping with Mapelseciel Palace. No one would suspect Byakuya over such a minor detail.
Besides, Byakuya had saved one Celestial Dragon from Sonic, a point in his favor.
Having orchestrated the situation to this point, with no one knowing Sonic's true identity, Byakuya had significant leeway in his plans.
He took out a small piece of cloth from his pocket, about half the size of a palm, which bore a circular black smiling face with a diagonal slash from the upper right to the lower left.
Byakuya took out the piece of cloth Leslie had given him earlier, which bore the mark of the Donquixote family.
He placed the cloth under one of the dead bodyguards, ensuring it was in a hidden spot. He had no intention of drawing any suspicion to himself.
It didn't matter to him whether it was discovered or not. If someone found it, it might implicate the Donquixote family.
If not, or if the Celestial Dragons didn't believe it was the Donquixote family, it still wouldn't affect him. This was merely a casual move on his part.
With Admiral Aokiji's strength and speed, Byakuya didn't have to wait long for his arrival.
Aokiji traveled across the sky using his ice powers, creating stepping stones of ice in midair, a technique that conserved more energy than the continuous use of Moonwalk.
When Aokiji finally arrived, Byakuya stood up to greet him. "Admiral Aokiji, you're finally here."
Aokiji surveyed the area with a serious expression. "Byakuya, what exactly happened here?" Sengoku had given him only a brief outline over the phone.
Byakuya explained the situation in detail. Aokiji nodded approvingly, clearly impressed with Byakuya.
After all, both had trained under Zephyr and shared a camaraderie. Aokiji knew Byakuya's potential and believed he could reach the Admiral level within three years.
Therefore, his attitude towards Byakuya was friendly and devoid of the typical hierarchical pressure.
"You did well. The one who took Mapelseciel Palace likely won't kill her immediately, so we need to find her as soon as possible."
Byakuya nodded seriously, though inwardly he thought, "Good luck finding her." Aokiji glanced at Estercock Saint, a flicker of barely concealed disdain in his eyes.
If he weren't the only Admiral available, he wouldn't have come to deal with matters involving the Celestial Dragons, whose existence he found to be a mockery of the justice he upheld.
Nonetheless, he suppressed his revulsion and kept his distance. Byakuya then turned to the kneeling slaves and addressed Estercock Saint coldly.
"Hand over the control devices for these slaves. They are witnesses to this incident, and I need to take them back to the Marine base for questioning."
Aokiji was startled by Byakuya's bold demand. Asking a Celestial Dragon for something, especially in such a blunt manner, could easily provoke their wrath.
He was about to intervene, but to his surprise, Estercock Saint didn't get angry. Instead, he looked nervously in Aokiji's direction.
Aokiji, disinterested in dealing with the Celestial Dragons, pretended not to notice.
Estercock Saint, seeing that Aokiji wasn't going to help, reluctantly said, "I paid a lot of Beli for these slaves."
Byakuya partially unsheathed his sword, Kazemune, letting it emit a clear, threatening ring. The sound made Estercock Saint's face wound throb painfully.
Reluctantly, he decided the slaves weren't worth the trouble and handed over several control devices to Byakuya.
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