Kidnapping a Celestial Dragon

Half a month of rampant slaughter had made everyone in the lawless district aware that a god of death had arrived. No matter how Nangong Yan tried to bait them, no one took the hook. Whenever they saw him, they avoided him, refusing to give him any excuse to start trouble.

Seeing this, Nangong Yan did not force the issue. Wearing Evilbane at his waist, he left the lawless district at an unhurried pace.

Nangong Yan had not come to the Sabaody Archipelago merely for pleasure. This place was an unavoidable route into the New World.

The New World was now teeming with powerful figures. Roger, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Red Count—the four legendary pirates—were stirring up towering waves in the New World. Kaido of the Beasts, BIG?, the great pirate Chinjao, and other pirates who would later become famous were also causing chaos there.

Nangong Yan naturally did not want to miss such a grand gathering. With so many powerful opponents, the Mangekyo Sharingan's abilities could be brought fully into play. He could absorb the combat essence of countless experts to strengthen himself.

Therefore, Nangong Yan would not remain in the Sabaody Archipelago for long. Once he had roughly toured the archipelago, he would enter the New World.

He had already figured out how to get there. Although he did not have his own ship, plenty of pirate ships were heading into the New World now. He only needed to choose a reliable one and hitch a ride.

After leaving the lawless district, Nangong Yan arrived at the sightseeing area spanning Groves 40 through 49. He strolled leisurely through the streets, admiring the unique scenery of the Sabaody Archipelago.

There were many people and many shops in the sightseeing district. Everyone happily enjoyed the sights, ate delicious food, drank fine wine, and naturally found themselves in pleasant spirits.

However, good times did not last. Someone always wanted to ruin beautiful things! This was not the lawless district. Marine patrols and stationed officers were present here, so ordinary pirates generally did not dare cause trouble. But there were exceptions. One kind of person could wreak havoc here without the Marines daring to interfere; they even had to protect them.

In the entire world, the only ones with such privileges in the Sabaody Archipelago were the so-called world nobles, the Celestial Dragons.

A Celestial Dragon with a bubble helmet covering his head rode through the street. He was strange-looking, ugly, and fat, with an arrogant expression on his face. He held several ropes, each connected to collars around the necks of a group of vacant-eyed slaves. There were both men and women among them, even members of the fish-man race.

The Celestial Dragon rode a white tiger with wings growing from its ribs, charging recklessly through the street without restraint. Seven or eight bodyguards in black sunglasses, black suits, and black trousers surrounded him, each one looking unbearably smug.

Upon seeing this, all the pedestrians on the street—pirates, commoners, bounty hunters, merchants, and ordinary nobles alike—hurriedly moved aside. The streets were crowded, and when everyone scattered in a panic, some people inevitably fell, resulting in a few trampling incidents.

Holding a skewer of roasted Sea King meat and a mug of ale, Nangong Yan frowned at the sight before quickly relaxing. A cold smile curled his lips. Not only did he refuse to make way, he walked straight toward the arrogant, overbearing Celestial Dragon.

Nangong Yan was a practical man. If he lacked the ability to protect himself, he would never wade into such muddy waters. But since he possessed that ability, whenever he saw something he could not stand, he would never hesitate to act!

So what if they were Celestial Dragons? Everyone had one head resting on one pair of shoulders. What gave them the right to be so arrogant? Even if a Marine Admiral came forward for them, Nangong Yan was not afraid in the slightest. With Mangekyo Sharingan as bugged as this, what could they possibly do to him?

If Celestial Dragons had two lives, one more than everyone else, Nangong Yan would truly acknowledge them as world nobles! There was no helping it—if someone had two lives while you only had one, what else could they be but nobility?

As the entire street retreated to both sides, Nangong Yan's figure became especially conspicuous. Instead of getting angry at the sight, the Celestial Dragon riding the white tiger revealed an excited expression. He pulled an exquisitely crafted, jewel-encrusted pistol from his robes, aimed it at Nangong Yan's head, and pulled the trigger.

Bang... A slightly muffled gunshot rang out as a lead bullet tore through the air and shot straight toward Nangong Yan's head.

The surrounding onlookers cried out in alarm. Some softhearted women shut their eyes in panic, unable to bear witness to the coming tragedy.

The Mangekyo Sharingan silently emerged beneath Nangong Yan's orange sunglasses. He remained standing where he was as the lead bullet passed through his head and left a black bullet hole in the ground.

Seeing this, the Celestial Dragon's pupils abruptly contracted. He snorted coldly. "What trick are you pulling, lowborn? I refuse to believe I can't kill you!" As soon as he finished speaking, he pulled the trigger again, sending several more lead bullets flying toward Nangong Yan. Unfortunately, nothing unexpected happened. The bullets passed through Nangong Yan's body and struck the ground.

Looking at the shocked and furious Celestial Dragon, Nangong Yan's eyes shifted as an idea came to him.

"Get him! Kill this lowborn! I'll use his filthy corpse to feed the dogs and these equally lowly slaves!" the Celestial Dragon roared from atop the white tiger. His fat, ugly face was twisted with a savage grin.

At the Celestial Dragon's command, the seven or eight bodyguards charged at Nangong Yan. They drew pistols from their bulging waistbands and fired at him while splitting into two groups to surround him.

Nangong Yan's body abruptly vanished from where he stood. Evilbane left its sheath as he gathered all his strength and slashed out four silver-white streams of sword energy.

Sword Secret Art, Random Blades!

The sword energy was like frost, bone-chilling and swift as lightning. It swept through the bodies of the seven or eight bodyguards in an instant. Blood spurted into the air, heads separated from bodies, and the stench of blood spread everywhere.

Before the Celestial Dragon could react, Nangong Yan used Soru to arrive at his side. His fingers hooked like claws as he instantly grabbed the Celestial Dragon by the collar and lifted him up. Evilbane's hilt then smashed into the bubble helmet. Crash... The sound of shattering glass rang out as Nangong Yan instantly broke the Celestial Dragon's helmet.

As though breathing the air directly was something terrifying, the Celestial Dragon's face filled with fury. Arrogance mixed with venom in his gaze as he said, "Lowly commoner, do you know what you are doing? You actually made a great Celestial Dragon breathe the same air as commoners! Release me at once, and I can let you die quickly. Otherwise, everyone connected to you will be buried alongside you!"

"What a fool. You can't even see the situation for what it is!" Slap! A crisp sound rang out as Nangong Yan mercilessly slapped the Celestial Dragon across the face, leaving behind five deep finger marks. The force instantly swelled one side of the Celestial Dragon's face high.

Removing his orange sunglasses, Nangong Yan aimed his Mangekyo Sharingan at the Celestial Dragon's eyes and unleashed a genjutsu upon him. He deliberately constructed a terrifying illusionary space filled with vicious ghosts—Sadako, corpses from a haunted village, hopping vampires, and the like.

After a single breath, the Celestial Dragon fell into the terrifying illusion. His face was filled with terror, twisted in agony, and drenched in cold sweat, yet he could not speak or move.

Nangong Yan's actions stunned everyone. The people on the street were shocked, admiring, and worried, while some even watched Nangong Yan with gloating expressions.

Five faint golden flames ignited on his fingertips. With a flick of his fingers, five tiny balls of Solar True Flame ignited the collars around the slaves' necks, melting through one side of each collar so they could easily open them afterward.

The collars of this era were not like those Luffy would encounter in the Sabaody Archipelago after setting out to sea. They were not that advanced yet.

"I've given you freedom. Whether you have the courage to survive and whether you can escape pursuit will depend on yourselves!" Nangong Yan glanced at the slaves, who still seemed trapped in a dream and unable to believe what had happened. Leaving those words behind, he grabbed the Celestial Dragon by the collar and dragged him toward the area where Marines and government officials were stationed in Groves 60 through 69, as though dragging a dead dog.

Nangong Yan wanted the Marines and government officials to learn of this as quickly as possible and blow the matter up completely. Only then could he maximize his chances of obtaining what he wanted!