Lightning and Flash (1) / Lightning and Flash (2)

In fact, he had sent the King's Horse racing toward Area 24 to meet and protect Nami and Robin, while carrying out Arthur's real task.

After giving those instructions, Arthur unleashed a full-powered strike worthy of a truly top-tier swordsman, sending out a wave of sword pressure that engulfed the entire sea of trees.

As Scratchmen Apoo and his crew fled wildly to avoid it, no one could have known that part of a finger hidden inside Arthur's glove had vanished for more than ten seconds. That was the Divine Judgment that had killed the Celestial Dragons.

Other than Nami and Robin, Arthur had never used the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power in front of outsiders. Everyone who had seen his power was dead, reduced to a charred corpse.

Those charred corpses were also minor loose ends, but they did not matter much. Few people had found them, and Arthur did not intend to let those who had live, except for Franky.

The real task he had entrusted to the King's Horse was to dispose of those charred corpses.

With his Observation Haki (A++) covering the entire Sabaody Archipelago, Arthur was confident that no one would discover this secret.

Bringing Scratchmen Apoo to the Marine base was also a cover, using the Marine colonel's testimony to keep others from suspecting Arthur.

When the Celestial Dragons were killed in Area 24, the Knight of Knights had been fighting Scratchmen Apoo in Area 66.

With that testimony, unless someone actually singled Arthur out, firmly believed he was the culprit who had killed the Celestial Dragons, and investigated every aspect of his life, no one would suspect him.

After all, as the world's number one bounty hunter, the Knight of Knights had no reason to attack the Celestial Dragons, nor any need to drive himself into a corner.

And that was exactly what Arthur needed.

He had relied entirely on Observation Haki (A++) to pass judgment on the Celestial Dragons and cover his tracks.

If he had not foreseen fragments of the future, there would surely have been a great deal of trouble.

Although he would never have let anything happen to Nami and Robin, the Celestial Dragons had died because of them. Whether it was the Marines or the World Government, they would have targeted Nami and Robin, and Arthur, as their captain, would surely have faced a full-scale Marine manhunt along with the two of them.

The bounty hunter would also have instantly become a wanted criminal high on the government's list.

With the Devil Child, Nico Robin, also aboard the ship, endless trouble would surely have plagued Arthur and the other two for some time to come.

At that moment, Arthur finally understood how powerful Observation Haki was at its peak.

"Sir Knight, if possible, I'd like to hire you..." the Marine colonel suddenly asked Arthur. "I've reported the killing of the Celestial Dragons to headquarters. They're gathering forces now, and an Admiral will lead them here shortly. Before then, if possible, please accept the job and head to the Lawless Zone to suppress the pirates as you see fit, dead or alive. You don't need to bring in their heads or bodies. Just use this Camera Den Den Mushi to record the scene, and I promise on behalf of headquarters that the bounties will still be paid."

With that, the Marine colonel took out a Den Den Mushi and held it out to Arthur. ...

Den Den Mushi were animals in the world of pirates that could be used for communication.

A newly born Den Den Mushi could be bought at certain markets and carefully raised. Once it grew up, a set of numbers would appear on its back, serving as that Den Den Mushi's unique contact number.

There were many types of Den Den Mushi.

The best known was naturally the golden Den Den Mushi that could launch a Buster Call.

But there were other types, such as Communication Den Den Mushi, Wiretap Den Den Mushi, Big Den Den Mushi, Surveillance Den Den Mushi, Visual Den Den Mushi, Image Den Den Mushi, Baby Den Den Mushi... and the Camera Den Den Mushi in the Marine colonel's hand.

Marine officers could possess Camera Den Den Mushi. Whenever they discovered pirates with potential, they would secretly photograph their faces and submit the pictures to their superiors to assess their potential and danger level, then issue them in the form of wanted posters.

Some Den Den Mushi had feelings and could understand human speech. The Marine colonel also believed that Arthur, as the world's number one bounty hunter, would not stoop to stealing credit for someone else's work.

"No problem. I accept your commission." Arthur took the Camera Den Den Mushi and readily agreed.

Wasn't this a classic case of a thief crying thief, with the police asking the killer for help?

Arthur admitted that he found it immensely satisfying.

"This is proof of your capture of 'Roar of the Sea' Scratchmen Apoo. You can come back to collect the bounty afterward." The Marine colonel handed Arthur another slip of proof.

"Thank you," Arthur said with a smile. No one could see what lay behind it.

Arthur put away the Camera Den Den Mushi and the proof, then began walking toward the Lawless Zone.

Arthur's plan was destined to have many people dancing in the palm of his hand.

No one knew that the culprit behind all this commotion

was the most carefree of them all.

Chapter 73: Lightning and Flash (1)

Bang!

A heavy blow rang out against the desk in the Fleet Admiral's Office. Veins bulging, Sengoku gritted his teeth. "Damn it, trouble just keeps coming!"

"To think such a bold villain appeared among this generation. How scary~~." Fire Fist Ace had been arrested, Red-Haired had met with Whitebeard, and the two Admirals Aokiji and Akainu had both been sent out. Even Vice Admiral Garp was away from headquarters. Only Kizaru remained to hold down the fort, and he spoke slowly, wearing a blatantly fake expression of fear.

"We're in the most turbulent of times, yet they strutted down the street without even one powerful guard. Just how arrogant are these Celestial Dragons?!" Sengoku pressed a hand to his forehead and muttered with a deep frown, "A lightning strike in broad daylight, controlled remotely at that. What kind of lightning power was it? A Logia? A Paramecia? Or a Mythical Zoan that controls lightning?!"

As far as Sengoku knew, three powers could control natural lightning.

The first was the power to control the weather wielded by his old comrade's son, Monkey D. Dragon, the World Government's most wanted criminal and leader of the Revolutionary Army.

The second was Thundercloud Zeus, belonging to Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors.

The last was the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, a powerful and extraordinarily mysterious fruit ranked among the strongest Logias;

and, as Kizaru had said, some kind of Mythical Zoan that controlled lightning.

In Sengoku's eyes, Monkey D. Dragon was naturally the prime suspect in the killing of the Celestial Dragons with lightning.

But he was also the least likely culprit.

With his strength, if he had wanted to kill the Celestial Dragons, he would have done so long ago.

The same was true of Charlotte Linlin.

That meant a user of the Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit or a Mythical Zoan that could also control lightning had most likely emerged.

"If it was for fame, they shouldn't have carried out an assassination. Could it have been revenge?" Sengoku rubbed his brow as he analyzed the situation, growing angrier. "Damn it, Fire Fist Ace's execution is approaching, and just when we're guarding against Whitebeard, something like this happens."

"How scary. In that case, I'll go take a look." The lazy Kizaru suddenly stood up, draped his Admiral's coat over his shoulders, and headed for the door. "After all, Celestial Dragons were killed. By rights, I should make the trip."

"Hmph! It really is time to clean up this generation of scum on the seas. Oh, right..." Sengoku's face darkened. The next moment, as if recalling something, he suddenly spoke to Kizaru's departing back. "There's an outstanding bounty hunter in the Sabaody Archipelago, the knight who defeated Crocodile. If you run into him..."

"I know. The rookie who defeated Crocodile? Young people these days are so scary..."

Speaking in that strange, slow drawl, Kizaru disappeared through the doorway.

The Lawless Zone of the Sabaody Archipelago was like a battlefield, the scene plunged into unprecedented chaos.

Bang, bang, bang, bang! Clang! Clang!

Pfft! Shhk! Shhk!!

"Aaaaah..."

"Aaaaah..."

No sooner had gunshots sounded than cannonballs exploded, while clashing blades sent sparks flying.

The sounds of sharp weapons piercing flesh never ceased, and screams and roars seemed to echo to the heavens.

The Celestial Dragons had been killed in the Lawless Zone, and because the killer had gone into hiding, almost everyone there had become a suspect.

Until they found the killer, the Marines could not let a single person leave the Sabaody Archipelago.

The outlaws knew full well that an Admiral would come if anything happened to the Celestial Dragons. Though they had not killed them, they were pirates and criminals all the same. If caught, they would be thrown in prison even if they were not the killer. How could they possibly sit and wait for that?

And so, as they fought to cut a path out, a battle erupted between the Marines and the pirates.

The situation was several times worse than in the original story, where a Celestial Dragon had been beaten at the auction house and Luffy had already been identified as the culprit.

But now the Celestial Dragons had been killed, and the killer was a mystery. That made it far more serious.

The entire Lawless Zone was directly affected.

"Hey... you're X Drake!" As X Drake led her men in a bloody fight to escape, a voice suddenly came from behind her. Though phrased as a question, it was a statement.

"The Knight of Knights..."

After running a Marine through with her rapier, X Drake turned around and looked expressionlessly at the figure with both hands in his pockets, calling out his name.

"Mad Monk Urouge, 'Roar of the Sea' Scratchmen Apoo... I originally intended to defeat you one by one, but I didn't expect something like this to happen." Arthur reached out to the side, and golden light gathered. The magnificent Golden Sword appeared in his hand as if by magic.

"I see. So you've set your sights on me this time?" X Drake bit her lower lip without a change of expression, her resolve unshaken.

"Captain..."

The Drake Pirates' crew gathered behind X Drake.

"You go on ahead and get back to the ship. If I don't return, escape without me. He's not someone you can handle... Roar!!" With that, X Drake let out an inhuman roar. Her body swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye, her hands turned into sharp claws, and a tail grew from her back as she transformed into a giant tyrannosaurus.

Already over two meters tall, she instantly became a small mountain.

Arthur looked like an ant, and she had to look down at him.

"Zoan, Ancient Zoan, Tyrannosaurus Form. An extremely rare fruit power." Arthur named X Drake's ability, holding Excalibur in both hands as he said with a smile, "Sometimes being enormous isn't such a good thing! It's precisely because you're so easy to deal with that I came after you first."

"Then let's put that to the test, Knight of Knights!" X Drake bared her sharp fangs and let out a low growl. Taking heavy steps, she charged at Arthur like a moving hill.

The scene gave a vivid impression of power. The pressure rushing toward him was enough to make anyone with a frail build tremble.

Chapter 74: Lightning and Flash (2)

Arthur felt the ground shake and heard the footsteps growing louder. Looking at the giant dinosaur charging toward him like a small mountain, he clicked his tongue. "What an outrageous physique."

Arthur knew this was not X Drake's limit. Such a rare fruit power had enormous potential for development.

As another user of an Ancient Zoan based on an extremely rare prehistoric animal, X Drake already had a model for her development: Jack the Drought, one of the Beasts Pirates' three All-Stars.

As long as X Drake developed her Dinosaur Fruit, Tyrannosaurus Form to Awakening and mastered Haki, she would undoubtedly be one of the brightest stars among the Supernovas.

Unfortunately for X Drake, who was a difficult opponent among her peers, Arthur saw her as nothing more than a conspicuous target.

Whoosh! Boom!

Just as Arthur held Excalibur and prepared to deal with X Drake quickly,

a piercing rush of air suddenly sounded beside him. A golden flash, trailing howling wind, streaked across everyone's vision in a blurred golden line. Like a meteor, it crashed down between Arthur and X Drake.

A deafening sound echoed through the area, and the Marines and pirates, whether fleeing or fighting, all instinctively looked over.

Arthur lowered the hand holding Excalibur, while X Drake, who had been radiating a savage aura, also stopped. Looking toward the smoke-filled spot, her beastly pupils abruptly contracted.

As a former Marine rear admiral, no one among the Supernovas knew better than she did what that golden light meant.

"He's the one who came this time!" A little cold sweat appeared on X Drake's ferocious face.

Though she should have been glad it was not Akainu, this man was no easy opponent either.

"Moshi moshi~~ can you hear me? Moshi moshi..."

As the dust cleared, a tall, upright figure appeared. His golden suit and the Admiral's coat behind him made those who guessed his identity catch their breath.

"Ki... it's Kizaru..."

"Run, a Marine Admiral is here!!"

"..."

"Stop them! Wipe out the pirates!"

"We have Admiral Kizaru on our side! There's nothing to fear!!"

Kizaru's arrival was like both a shot in the arm and a dose of battle frenzy, causing the atmosphere that had just fallen quiet to erupt completely.

The Marines seemed to have found their footing. Their eyes filled with fighting spirit, they faced the frantic pirates without fear.

The pirates, driven by overwhelming terror, began fighting desperately for their lives, their attacks now aimed solely at killing.

"Can you afford to stand there daydreaming?"

Ignoring the chaos, Arthur moved. He became an afterimage and leaped above X Drake's head in an instant, raising Excalibur high as he spoke calmly.

"Oh, no—"

X Drake's expression shifted slightly, her pupils abruptly contracting as she stared at Arthur.

Whoosh!