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Sabaody Island, Area 24.
The once-bustling street had suddenly fallen silent. The only sounds now were the nervous breaths of civilians kneeling on the ground.
At the front of the procession, a Celestial Dragon was adorned in luxurious robes and wearing a bubble on his head.
Behind him trailed a security team in black suits, along with a few Marines. Judging by the rank insignia on the leading Marine's shoulder, he was a Vice Admiral.
The atmosphere was heavy, an almost indescribable tension hanging in the air.
Arashi stood some distance away, his sharp eyesight allowing him to observe the scene.
After a few moments, his figure abruptly disappeared. The Vice Admiral trailing the Celestial Dragon sensed something, glancing in Arashi's direction.
He returned to the task after cautiously surveying the area and finding nothing.
Meanwhile, Arashi reappeared in a narrow alleyway perpendicular to the street where the Celestial Dragon was walking.
His expression remained calm. He had parted ways with Saul and the others because he had spotted the Celestial Dragon walking down the street.
That face was one he remembered all too well.
Just because he hadn't knelt the moment he saw the Celestial Dragon, his life had been declared forfeit, eventually landing him in the hands of Kalens.
"Today really is a day of reckoning," Arashi thought.
Both Karens and his subordinates, who had experimented on him with dozens of methods of execution, and the Celestial Dragon, who had started it all, were now standing before him.
Arashi glanced down at the small stone he had just picked up, roughly the size of a finger. He tossed it lightly in his hand.
A confrontation with a Vice Admiral accompanying the Celestial Dragon would be troublesome and could even fail.
After careful observation, he chose this narrow alleyway, a position with the perfect angle.
It would be his best chance as soon as the Celestial Dragon passed by. Besides, no one would notice anything with the entire street filled with people kneeling.
As for fear? Arashi felt none of it. If he were going to silence someone, he would do it thoroughly.
"Tap!" The stone was tossed into the air and caught in his hand, the faint sound echoing in the silence.
Arashi leaned casually against the wall behind him, patiently waiting. The Celestial Dragon walked ahead on the street, with the Vice Admiral following behind.
Suddenly, the middle-aged Vice Admiral frowned, feeling his Den Den Mushi vibrating in his pocket.
"My Lord, I'll accompany you up to here."
"Go ahead. I don't think there's anyone in this world who would dare lay a hand on me," the Celestial Dragon replied, his tone arrogant.
"Yes, My Lord," the Vice Admiral nodded, his face devoid of expression. He then turned and walked away without hesitation.
If not for his bad luck in running into this guy, he would have never agreed to this humiliating task of escorting a Celestial Dragon.
To him, parading down the street like this was as disgraceful as relieving himself in public. If Garp found out, he'd probably be mercilessly ridiculed once again.
The street remained silent as the Celestial Dragon continued to walk forward.
As he passed a certain alley, he heard a faint sound, prompting him to turn his head out of curiosity.
Of course, for someone like him, this was nothing more than a fleeting curiosity; he didn't perceive any danger.
But as he turned, he saw a figure leaning against the wall, casually tossing a small stone.
"Marine?" The young Celestial Dragon paused in confusion. He didn't care why this Marine was hiding here or why he wasn't fulfilling his duty to protect him.
In his everyday life, the Celestial Dragon considered himself a kind and merciful ruler, often easily forgiving many transgressions.
But just then, the Marine in hiding looked up and met his gaze. Their eyes locked.
The Celestial Dragon was momentarily stunned, quickly followed by anger.
He didn't see any reverence in the Marine's eyes and didn't recognize him as the civilian who had disrespected him a few days ago.
At that moment, the stone Arashi tossed fell into his hand, caught between his index and middle fingers.
A flash of dense, black, and red lightning sparked violently around it. The stone shot out instantly, streaking through the air like lightning.
Everything seemed to brighten in the eyes of the Celestial Dragon until the stone, with overwhelming force, pierced through his forehead, exiting the back of his skull and shooting off into the distant sky. But the stone's power did not stop there.
"Crack!"
The Celestial Dragon's head shattered and instantly exploded. The street remained eerily silent, but the black-clad guards behind him were frozen in shock.
Fear, disbelief, and horror rapidly spread across their faces. The Celestial Dragon, who had been walking just ahead of them a moment ago, was suddenly missing his head.
"Ahhhh!!!"
A terrified scream abruptly broke the silence. Meanwhile, Arashi's figure had already disappeared from the alley.
The Vice Admiral, who had just turned to leave and hadn't gone far, suddenly stopped and looked back. His expression quickly transformed into one of shock and terror.
"Vice Admiral, the Celestial... the Celestial Dragon has been...!" one of the guards stammered.
The Vice Admiral's face grew grave as he took a deep breath and hurried forward. "This is bad!"
When he arrived at the scene, he couldn't help but gasp again, his heart pounding in his chest. It was one of the most gruesome scenes he had ever witnessed.
The Celestial Dragon had been decapitated, and it had happened so silently and suddenly that it was unimaginable.
"What happened?" the Vice Admiral immediately barked at the black-clad guards.
"We... we don't know!" The guards were completely bewildered and utterly hopeless.
They knew all too well that their fate was likely sealed. The death of a Celestial Dragon would shake the entire world to its core.
At this moment, some of the braver civilians who had dared to look up saw the gruesome scene and trembled with fear.
The Celestial Dragon, one of the highest-ranking nobles in the world, had been killed—his head blown apart! Even world nobles could die in such a brutal manner?
Meanwhile, Arashi had rejoined Saul and the others.
"Did you see what happened?" Saul asked in his deep voice.
"It's over. Nothing worth watching, just a noble flaunting his power in front of commoners," Arashi replied, shaking his head.
"Haha, that's typical of world nobles," Sinbu chuckled.
"Let's go," Arashi nodded.
As they walked toward the outskirts of the island, they soon heard the commotion behind them, the shrill sound of whistles, and the heavy footsteps of Marines rushing toward Area 24.
The scene surprised them. "It looks like something happened," one of them remarked.
"Should we check it out?" Arashi suggested. Saul scratched the back of his head, and the others didn't object.
A few moments later, they arrived at Area 24, where they saw a middle-aged Vice Admiral looking frazzled and overwhelmed.
"That's Vice Admiral Raku!" Saul recognized him immediately.
Arashi nodded and approached, his expression serious as he glanced at the bloodstains on the ground.
"Vice Admiral Raku!" Arashi called out. "I'm Arashi, recently promoted to Rear Admiral under Vice Admiral Garp. Can you tell me what happened here?"
Vice Admiral Raku glanced at him.
"So you're Garp's disciple, huh? You can't be of much help here. You should head back to the headquarters for your promotion ceremony!"
He paused, rubbing his temples in frustration. "I don't have time to deal with you right now."
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