The Radiant Eclipse returned to Foosha Village.
After Makino packed her belongings, her tavern officially closed.
With Luffy in a confused state, the Radiant Eclipse sailed along the inland river toward the center of the island—the Goa Kingdom's capital city.
They needed to replenish supplies.
They also needed to gather information: specifically, finding potential crew members in East Blue, like Kuina.
After months at sea, their time ashore was limited, and the crew members—especially the women—were inevitably tired, so they decided to rest for a few days.
Even if the Navy and the World Government were aware of the Radiant Eclipse's presence here, they would need time to mobilize and travel. Any attempt to launch an attack would take a long journey, so it wasn't an immediate threat.
The bustling inland port was filled with ships, and crowds moved along the shore. The sight of the massive city unfolded before the crew.
"Koala, Makino, follow me when we get off the ship. The rest of you are free to do as you like," Kuke said, directing his attention to the only two women on the ship without combat skills.
He would personally protect them.
"I want to go with Kuke too," Hancock said, clinging to Kuke's arm with a pitiful expression.
In the end, they all went together, disembarking as a group.
They walked along the bustling streets.
"The Goa Kingdom has such strict rules?" Gion wondered aloud, taking in the environment around her.
It was incredibly clean—almost unnaturally so.
If the ground was even slightly dirty, someone would immediately kneel down with a cloth and clean it.
There were no stalls lining the streets either.
Everyone carried towels and water, wiping down their homes until they were spotless.
Even the women in the crew who liked cleanliness were careful, worried they might dirty the streets.
"Is there some kind of big event happening?" Hancock guessed.
"No," Kuke shook his head. "If there were a festival, everyone would be smiling and celebrating, but instead, they all look miserable. Even the well-dressed wealthy people seem the same."
Gion quickly approached an old lady to inquire.
"The Celestial Dragons are coming," she said.
The mystery was solved.
The Celestial Dragons were coming.
Facing these world nobles, even the wealthiest residents—even the king of the Goa Kingdom—had to tread carefully, fearing they might offend them.
Hancock and her sisters' eyes turned icy.
That vile scum.
Because Kuke had killed a Celestial Dragon right in front of them back at the Holy Land, Hancock and her sisters no longer had the same fear toward the Celestial Dragons that they had in the original story.
"A bunch of useless trash. Wherever they go, they bring suffering to the people," Hancock scoffed.
They hadn't even arrived yet, and already the people here were struggling under the pressure.
Once they did arrive, who knew what insane things the Celestial Dragons might do?
"Lord Dracula Roswald comes every three years. I wonder how many people will starve to death this time," someone sighed.
Hosting the Celestial Dragons was exhausting and costly.
And it was always the commoners who bore the brunt of the hardship, with many starving as a result.
The wealthy were also worried. "My daughter has come of age, and she's very beautiful. What should I do?"
"I wanted to secretly send her away, but the military has already sealed off the ports. You can only enter, not leave. If the kingdom's army finds out, they execute the entire family."
"Every time Lord Roswald comes, all the young women in the city have to kneel in the streets. If he takes a liking to one of them, they are taken away by force. What should we do?"
A sense of dread loomed over the entire Goa Kingdom.
"A few years ago, even one of the king's concubines was taken. All we can do is pray our daughters and wives aren't chosen."
When it came to the Celestial Dragons, there was no way out but to endure.
People only dared complain in private, and only when no one else was around, for fear that someone might hear them.
The streets were filled with patrolling soldiers.
Anyone who spoke ill of the Celestial Dragons would be arrested immediately.
...
Koala's small body was trembling.
She clung tightly to Kuke's hand.
Makino's face was pale with fear. "What do we do? The Celestial Dragons are coming. We need to leave quickly."
The Celestial Dragons were infamous for their vile reputation.
Everyone knew of them, and everyone dreaded them.
With the Navy and World Government backing them, no one dared defy the Celestial Dragons—not even show anger in front of them.
All people could do was kneel in submission.
"Makino, there's no need to be afraid. The forces of the sea, including the Emperors, might fear the Celestial Dragons, but that doesn't apply to us," Gion reassured Makino.
"???"
Makino blinked, confused.
"Don't forget what our captain has done," Gion said, a proud smile on her face. Hancock and the others also smiled, their expressions filled with pride.
Makino finally remembered.
That's right.
Kuke had invaded the Holy Land and freed all the Celestial Dragons' slaves.
Makino looked at Kuke with admiration in her eyes.
But soon, her brows furrowed.
Freeing slaves was just defying the Celestial Dragons, but it wasn't the same as actually confronting them, was it?
"Since the Celestial Dragons are coming, we'll wait here for ten days," Kuke decided.
Gion, Hancock, and the others stared at Kuke, understanding what he intended to do.
"Kuke, are you going to help the people? Are you going to free the slaves again?" Makino asked, both anxious and excited.
It was something she would never have dreamed of before.
"No, I'm going to kill the Celestial Dragons."
Makino's eyes widened in shock, and she froze on the spot.
Her lips trembled as she stammered, "K-kill... kill the Celestial Dragons?!"
Many people had thought about it. Some had even been tempted to act.
But no one ever dared.
"It's not like I haven't killed them before."
"What? Kuke, you've killed Celestial Dragons before?" Makino was astonished.
There was nothing about it in the papers!
Kuke had killed more than one Celestial Dragon during the raid on the Holy Land.
But the World Government had covered it up, not wanting news of the world nobles being killed to spread. It would be a huge blow to the centuries-old prestige of the so-called gods.
Even the Navy was unaware of it.
"How many achievement points would killing a Celestial Dragon earn me?" Kuke wondered aloud.
After his battle with Shanks, Kuke's achievement points had reached over 160,000.
He was very close to 200,000 points.
Kuke hoped to reach 200,000 achievement points before reentering the Grand Line. That way, each of his crew members would receive a revival reward every month.
With the ability to revive, they could take bigger risks.
...