"Nani!?" Everyone in the auction house was enraged upon witnessing a Celestial Dragon being killed, and they rushed out of the auction house in a frenzy. Clover Benson seized the opportunity, blending into the crowd as he removed his cloak and mask, escaping with the throng.
Outside, a large group of Marines had surrounded the auction house. When regular citizens are in danger, they usually take their time, but when a Celestial Dragon is threatened, their response is lightning-fast. It's truly absurd.
"Stop right there, pirate with a bounty of 28 million! Clover Benson!" Just as Clover tried to escape Marine's encirclement with the crowd, a tall Marine shouted at him.
Clover turned back to see that it was Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters: Vice Admiral Onigumo.
"You think I'll stop just because you said so?" Clover taunted Onigumo before fleeing.
"Vice Admiral! There are too many people here; it's impossible to make a move!"
"Send some men to catch that Benson for me!" Onigumo shouted to the Marines, his expression filled with frustration.
Matea Island is far from Marine Headquarters. Two officers had been dispatched specifically for this auction.
Onigumo was posted at the front entrance, while Momousagi guarded the back.
Who could have imagined that something as absurd as a Celestial Dragon being murdered would happen? It's going to be troublesome to report back!
"Yes, sir!" The Marines saluted and quickly headed in Clover's direction.
Onigumo had thought that a major and a brigadier would be sufficient to handle a pirate with a bounty over 20 million, but he hadn't anticipated that they wouldn't be able to stop Clover at all.
"So much trouble over this," muttered Yoru, who appeared at the scene wearing a mask and a Japanese-style dress, surrounded by her guards.
"Who are you?" Onigumo questioned Yoru upon seeing her.
"This is Her Royal Highness, the Princess of Tenetminar."
Ryan stepped forward and introduced himself, saying, "I am Her Highness's bodyguard. I witnessed the murder.
The culprit wore a plain black mask and a black suit. His cloak was discarded in the chaos."
As he spoke, Ryan raised the cloak and mask in his hand. With the Celestial Dragons dead on Matea Island, the guards of the royal capital were highly implicated.
"Our surveillance Den Den Mushi was experiencing issues..."
"Ahem." Yoru interrupted Ryan as he began to mention the surveillance device. "Our surveillance Den Den Mushi was under maintenance today, so we might not have footage of the culprit."
Although Ryan and the others hadn't seen Clover's attire, Yoru had. She couldn't believe a man this bold and good-looking had killed a Celestial Dragon! Strong, courageous, and handsome—a perfect man!
"I see." Onigumo glanced between Yoru and Ryan. It seemed suspicious that Yoru interrupted her guard just now. Was this princess covering for the culprit? Did she know him?
Onigumo pondered for a moment, but given that she was a princess, he couldn't act against her.
"Understood. If you come across any helpful information, please let us know. For now, I request that you cooperate in sealing off the island and prevent anyone from leaving." Onigumo finally nodded and said.
"Of course, we will cooperate." Yoru replied and then left with Ryan and the others.
Back in the auction house, only corpses and two furious, grieving Celestial Dragons remained.
"Stop!"
"Stop right there!"
Bang! Bang!
Clover was dashing towards the port, with Marines firing at him in an attempt to halt his escape, but their marksmanship was so poor that they missed him entirely.
"Geppo... Rankyaku!" A Marine pursuing him leapt into the air, launching a Rankyaku attack that was accurately aimed this time.
Though Clover could easily counter or dodge, he chose to evade awkwardly, thinking it best to maintain his cover as a relatively low-bounty pirate.
It wasn't that he feared exposure of his identity or attracting the attention of the Admirals. Even if the three Admirals came after him, Clover could hold his own. However, his image as a 20-million-bounty pirate served as excellent camouflage, and he couldn't afford to abandon it yet.
"Soru!" Another Rear Admiral appeared in front of Clover, drawing his sword to slash at him. Once again, Clover barely dodged. No matter how much they tried, they were always narrowly outmaneuvered.
The two officers were perplexed—was their aim truly this bad, or was their opponent just unusually lucky? How could they not catch a pirate worth barely 20 million?!
During the chase, Clover reached the port, where two massive ships were docked: one with a dragon's head, the other with a tiger's head. Each ship rivaled a Marine battleship in size, serving as vessels for the auction.
"Stop!" Just as Clover prepared to board the dragon-head ship, a flying slash blocked his path. A storefront in front of him was split open by the slash as the Marines caught up, raising their guns to aim at him.
"Vice Admiral Momousagi!" the major exclaimed upon spotting her.
"So that's Momousagi," Clover noted, observing the tall woman approaching from a distance. Her legs seemed almost two meters long; she had a striking figure and beautiful features.
"So, you're the one who sneaked in through the back door?"
Ignoring the major, Momousagi addressed Clover, holding a long katana in her hand.
When she had reached the back door of the auction house, she noticed a cloaked, masked man entering, who she now recognized as Clover Benson.
"Who entered from the back?" Clover feigned ignorance.
"...Regardless of who you are, you're coming with me," Momousagi replied coldly. Whether he was guilty or not, she would capture him.
"Go with you? Does that mean we're getting married? If not, I'll pass." Clover replied jokingly.
Momousagi said no more and lunged toward him.
As a vice admiral, Momousagi had considerable strength. She swung her katana at Clover, switching it to the blunt side mid-air to avoid accidentally killing this "28-million pirate."
Clover had intended to resist, but seeing Momousagi change her blade's position, he got another idea. He let her strike him, using the force to launch himself toward the sea.
With a loud "splash," Clover fell into the water.