Feeling dazed, everyone seemed to be witnessing a torrential downpour, with dark clouds completely obscuring the clear sky. A dragon descended from above, roaring as it opened its mouth wide.
The raindrops scattered in its wake, falling to the ground as the dragon's long body moved swiftly and landed with a thud. Its fierce, imposing presence intimidated everyone around it. It was an unimaginable sight.
On the deck, Rojen's Rainbow Abyss flew from his hand, whistling through the air, and in the blink of an eye, it was in Sordes' face.
Sordes barely had time to react. His slender fencing sword managed only a single thrust before it was swept aside by Rojen's long sword, which sliced cleanly through his neck.
"Pū!"
Blood splattered as Sordes' head flew into the air, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
He couldn't believe that his opponent had the power to kill him with a single blow. Wasn't it said that this guy had no power at all?
Even when he had seen Rojen dispatch his own crew, Sordes had subconsciously believed that he was still superior. But he had never imagined that Rojen would strike so quickly and decisively.
With a "thud," Sordes fell heavily to the ground, his blood immediately staining the deck red.
The pirates stared wide-eyed at the scene before them, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Rojen slowly sheathed his long sword and turned his cold gaze to the remaining pirates.
They trembled, obviously filled with fear. The once mighty Sordes had been slain with a single stroke.
"Hundred Steps Flying Sword... using it on you is truly a waste!" Rojen muttered coldly as he stepped over Sordes' body and walked towards the others.
Noticing that the people on the merchant ship were still cowering in fear, Rojen furrowed his brow. "He's dead. You're safe now."
"Fred, Hant, take them to the pirate ship."
Fred and Hant froze for a moment before reacting quickly, shouting orders and directing everyone to run to the pirate ship.
It was clear that the merchant ship was on the verge of sinking and would soon be lost.
Rojen then approached the remaining twenty or so pirates with a cold expression on his face.
The pirates trembled as they saw Rojen approach, fear in their eyes.
"I would have killed you all, but you're still useful. Now get on that ship and don't make any sudden moves. If you do, I'll kill you immediately."
Rojen's voice was icy, and the pirates were even more afraid. But relieved that they wouldn't die, they quickly agreed and made their way to the pirate ship.
In about fifteen minutes, the transfer from the merchant ship was complete, and the cargo was taken care of.
By this time, the merchant ship had begun to take on water, and the water level was rising rapidly. It wouldn't be long before the ship was completely submerged.
Standing on the deck, watching the merchantman slowly sink, Rojen addressed the few remaining terrified pirates.
"Start the ship and head for the nearest port."
The pirates, trembling with fear, quickly complied, and the pirate ship rumbled to life and began to move.
About an hour later, panic broke out among the pirates.
"Captain! Captain! Marines! It's the Marines!"
A tall, thin pirate pointed to two black specks on the horizon, his face filled with obvious panic.
Rojen's eyes narrowed as he quickly walked over. He could now see two Navy ships slicing through the wind. Though still too far away to make out clearly, their shapes made it obvious - they were Marines.
Faintly, Rojen noticed a towering figure standing at the front of one of the ships, wearing a white Justice cloak.
"It's definitely the Marines!"
"What are we going to do?" A pirate asked nervously.
"Avoid them. Sail in the opposite direction of the Marines. We'll find another port later," Rojen replied after a moment of thought.
"Also!" His eyes flashed as he spoke sharply to the pirates, "Control everyone on the ship. Make sure they don't speak out loud."
"If anyone disobeys orders, execute them on the spot!"
Rojen had not forgotten his current identity: he was a world-famous pirate! A great pirate with a bounty of 110 million! For his own safety, it was necessary to maintain control over everyone on board.
The pirates paused in surprise but quickly obeyed and dispersed to carry out his orders.
The pirate ship changed course, sailing away from the marines. The two ships, which had been closing in on each other, began to slowly distance themselves.
As Sordes' pirate ship departed, one of the ships to the right of the two distant Marines was commanded by Rear Admiral Dragon.
"Rear Admiral Dragon, it's a surprise to see you here this time, really unexpected!" Captain Oakwood spoke with obvious respect.
The rank of Rear Admiral was many levels above him, a rank Oakwood might never reach in his lifetime. The mere presence, strength, and status of the person in front of him was enough to make him deferential.
He hadn't expected that on his way to capture the notorious criminal Rojen, he would meet the Headquarters Rear Admiral on his turf.
It was quite a coincidence.
"When the Naval Headquarters discovers a criminal, we can't let him escape," Dragon said with a smile. "I'm still a Marine, after all."
As he spoke, Dragon's gaze shifted to the pirate ship on the distant horizon. The distance was too great to see clearly, but he could still make out the pirate emblem on the sail.
"That's Sordes' pirate ship. It recently returned from the Grand Line. Just a small, failed pirate crew, Rear Admiral," Oakwood explained quickly, noticing Dragon's expression. "Shall we deal with them?"
After hearing this, Dragon turned his gaze back and shook his head. "No need to waste time on them. If we meet them again, we'll catch them."
"Speed up. We can't let Gol D. Rojen get away."
Oakwood's expression grew serious. He stood at attention and saluted immediately. "Yes, Rear Admiral!"
He had made up his mind - he would follow the orders of this Rear Admiral without question. A Headquarters Rear Admiral had suddenly arrived in the East Blue Sea region. Clearly, this was a signal from their superiors.
Although the East Blue Sea region was currently the largest and strongest sea region, it was still far behind the Grand Line and the New World in terms of pirate power.
Yet, at this moment, Dragon had arrived.
After glancing at the pirate ship once more, Dragon withdrew his gaze.
Headquarters had sent him to East Blue, and this time, he was in charge of leading the cleanup efforts in the region.
The Pirate King Roger's sea region had to be heavily targeted! This was a firm order from Fleet Admiral Kong at the Marines Headquarters.
The plan, code-named East Blue Cleanup, was led by Monkey D. Dragon.
(End Of Chapter)
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