Death of a "World Noble"

Noki turned to Anasiah and said, "Wait here for a moment. I have something to deal with."

"Are you going to fight?"

"Mm, you could say that." Noki nodded.

Anasiah gave him a thumbs-up in encouragement. She had seen Noki's strength with her own eyes. He could calmly handle even the most vicious pirates. This big man looked simple and honest enough; he definitely would not be a match for her son.

Noki leaped onto the arena, stood with his hands behind his back, and said, "Come exchange a few moves with me."

"You!?"

Burgess threw back his head and laughed, pointing at several tall, burly men lying beneath the arena. "Hahaha! Pretty-boy Marine, look at those guys over there. They all failed their challenges. With those skinny arms and legs of yours, don't go looking for trouble."

Noki's face darkened. "Don't talk big before we've even fought. Let me make this clear first: if I beat you, I don't want your money. I have another demand. If you agree, we'll fight."

"Sure. If you can beat me, I'll agree to any demand." Burgess did not take him seriously at all.

Sometimes, an appearance completely at odds with one's true strength was also an excellent way to win.

Noki had used it to fool many enemies.

Burgess proudly puffed out his chest and looked down at the little man more than a meter shorter than him. "You make the first move."

"Fine!"

Noki did not waste a word. He raised his right arm and threw a fierce punch.

What was this!?

That fist, several times smaller than his own, seemed to enlarge countless times in Burgess's eyes as a violent gale slammed into his face.

Burgess tried to move his legs and dodge, but an invisible pressure pinned him down as though a massive boulder had been tied to his body, leaving him unable to move.

Boom!

Everyone stared in disbelief.

Burgess's enormous body was sent flying by Noki's seemingly tiny fist. He remained airborne for five or six seconds before smashing a huge crater into the ground.

Burgess was tough and thick-skinned. In the original story, he could still stand after taking a punch from Garp, and this time was no exception. He dusted himself off and glared through gritted teeth at the man on the arena.

With one hand behind his back, Noki beckoned at him playfully. "If you're not convinced, come up and keep fighting."

"Damn it!"

Burgess got serious. He casually grabbed a nearby carriage compartment and hurled it at Noki.

Noki kicked out a blue slashing wave, cutting the carriage compartment cleanly in two.

Burgess immediately began grabbing wooden crates and tossing them onto the arena one after another.

Noki spread his Observation Haki, keeping track of Burgess's position the entire time. Just as he expected.

Burgess was not throwing things at him to hurt him. His real goal was to block Noki's vision, gradually circle behind him, and launch a sneak attack!

"Take this!"

Burgess clasped his fists together, raised them high over his head, and poured all his strength into a crushing downward smash.

Soru!

Noki vanished in an instant.

Burgess's blow collapsed the entire arena.

"Where'd he go?" Burgess had just started to look up when an enormous force suddenly struck the back of his head.

A thunderous boom rang out.

Noki pressed Burgess's head firmly into the ground. Blood covered his forehead, and cracks spread across the road.

"Convinced now?" Noki asked calmly, pressing down on the back of his head.

"I am, I am." Burgess hurriedly answered.

The instant Noki released him, Burgess sprang up, spun around, and threw a punch. "You fell for it! In a fight between men, you haven't lost as long as you can still move!"

"You said it."

Noki had been prepared. His eyes narrowed, and he showed no mercy. He could use this human punching bag to practice his fists.

Hah!

Noki raised his left arm to block the attack, clenched his right fist and gathered strength, then suddenly swung it into Burgess's abdomen.

Bang!!

Crack!

The sound of bones breaking reached everyone's ears.

Noki had not held back in the slightest. His Haki was fully unleashed, piercing through Burgess's skin and striking deep inside his body.

Blood sprayed from Burgess's mouth. Most of his ribs broke instantly, and he passed out on the spot.

"Master, what are you doing here!?"

Because Burgess's movements had seemed suspicious, Ain had specifically arranged for Dezaya to watch him in secret.

Dezaya had watched them fight with her own eyes, but she had been unable to interfere because of her orders. She was frustrated enough already, and in the brief moment she lost focus, Burgess had been knocked flat by Noki.

Noki pointed at Burgess, who was barely clinging to life and coughing up blood, and said, "You came at the right time. Take him to the hospital and get the best doctor to treat him. Make sure he recovers completely. Take the medical fees from here." He picked up the bags of money Burgess had prepared.

Dezaya seemed to have discovered some enormous secret. She said in shock, "Master, you don't have some weird fetish, do you? Back in Loguetown, you kept beating Ace half to death, going to all the trouble of saving him, then beating him badly injured again. Could you be a sadist at heart?!"

Noki clenched his fists in anger, wanting nothing more than to punch her too. "Say another word, and I'll send you to the hospital as well!"

Dezaya scratched her head and chuckled. "I won't, I won't."

"You lot, carry this guy away." Dezaya ordered the Marines under her command.

After Dezaya and the other Marines left.

Anasiah finally came to Noki's side and asked excitedly, "Was that girl Noki's secret lover?!"

"Of course not. She's only my apprentice."

Noki looked up at the sun's position. "Come to think of it, you should return to the palace."

Anasiah sighed softly. "Yes. I really want to spend more time with you."

"There will be chances in the future. One day, we'll live together like an ordinary family." Noki spoke with earnest seriousness.

"Rogers said the same thing. You're finally a little like him for once."

Anasiah smiled brightly and started walking ahead. "Let's go back to the palace."

"Mm!"

Noki looked at Anasiah's graceful figure beneath the sun and silently made up his mind.

The two returned to the palace.

Several CP Organization agents were still guarding the room of the Celestial Dragon.

Anasiah's maid apparently had not been pretending to be a World Noble for the first time.

Noki had heard that she attended the banquet and other events the previous night in Anasiah's place. Not a single person had doubted her identity.

The bond between mistress and servant truly seemed strong. Otherwise, Anasiah could not have entrusted such an important matter to her so peacefully.

Noki watched as Anasiah entered the room with the "World Noble's" permission.

He let out a long breath and returned to his room to rest.

The Kingdom of Krilar had arranged three days of events. The next day would be the second day, and the king would invite Anasiah to watch a public performance at the kingdom's largest square.

In terms of security, this event was the most dangerous, because when the World Noble appeared in the square, she could be attacked from any direction.

This time, Noki personally took full responsibility for the security arrangements, including personnel deployment, movement routes, and emergency response plans.

It concerned his mother's safety. He could not afford the slightest carelessness.

In truth, ordinary World Nobles had tight security, but it was nowhere near as strict as this.

There were roughly two reasons for that.

First, ordinary World Nobles rarely encountered assassination attempts while traveling. Planned and premeditated attacks like the one from several days ago were practically unheard of. Since the enemy might launch a second attempt after failing the first, they had to be especially cautious.

Second, and more importantly, other World Nobles did not have biological sons serving in the Marines.

Even though every aspect had been thoroughly covered, Noki still worried that something would go wrong that day. So, he found the person in charge of the CP Organization and discussed something with him.

After hearing him out, the CP Organization's leader replied that he did not have the authority to decide such a matter. It could only be carried out with the World Noble's permission...

The day of the performance.

King Fereo V had prepared a high platform in the square. A viewing stand was built atop it to give the Celestial Dragon the best possible view.

The performance soon began.

Hundreds upon hundreds of people gathered in the square, dancing their traditional folk dances.

Noki gripped the hilt of Golden Scale and stood beside Anasiah. Calm and composed, he kept his Observation Haki ready at all times, sensing every movement around him.

For the first hour, the performance went very smoothly.

Until the intermission.

A sudden explosion sounded from the eastern side of the kingdom. Thick smoke rose high into the sky, while flames blazed upward.

King Fereo V's face changed dramatically, and he quickly dispatched the kingdom's army to put out the fire.

Ain stood guard at the square's entrance and contacted Noki through a small Den Den Mushi. "Should we deploy?"

Noki's sharp gaze turned toward the distance. His slender brows furrowed slightly as he said in a low voice, "No. Order everyone to remain where they are. This should be a trick to lure the tiger from the mountain.

"Also, keep an eye on the people in the next performance. The assassins may be hiding among them, waiting for an opportunity to attack."

"Understood!"

Ain knew how important Anasiah was to Noki and did not dare slack off in the slightest. Leading over a dozen Marines, she charged directly into the performers to conduct an inspection.

They actually found several assassins hiding weapons.

Seeing that their plot had been exposed, those people knew they were dead either way, so they stopped pretending. They grabbed their weapons and rushed straight toward the high platform.

Ain led her team into battle. This motley group was no match for the Marines at all.

Atop a tall building outside the square stood a crew-cut man with an exceptionally vicious face. Standing at the tip of the tower, he shook the long blade in his hand and cursed, "Damn it, those bastard Marines think they can bully people just because they have good abilities. Didn't I still break through their defenses? Once I kill that Celestial Dragon, I'll get a huge reward and join that lord's crew."

Whoosh!

Accompanied by a sonic boom.

The crew-cut man charged onto the high platform.

"Another pirate with a bounty over a hundred million?"

Noki immediately recognized that the man was no ordinary opponent and drew his sword to meet him.

Several black-clad agents tightly guarded Anasiah, using their bodies to shield the World Noble.

"Damn it, is this really the strength a rear admiral fleet should have?"

The crew-cut man became more alarmed as the battle continued. Starting with that green-haired man he encountered when he broke in, and now this outrageously beautiful guy before him.

None of them had the strength a normal Marine Headquarters rear admiral force should possess!

Noki fought the enemy one-on-one. With strength far beyond his opponent's, he soon forced the crew-cut man into a dead end. Just as he was about to deliver the final blow.

An accident occurred!

The reason Donquixote Doflamingo had been so confident in the second assassination attempt was not because the second group was stronger than the first. Rather, aside from that one person, everyone in the second attempt existed solely to draw the attention of the Marines and agents. From beginning to end, the true killing opportunity had been reserved for only one person.

Bang!

A faint gunshot rang out from very far away.

That distance...

Judging by the sound, Noki realized the shooter was extremely far away. Even the best sniper he had ever seen could not possibly hit a person from that distance.

But the trump card Donquixote Doflamingo had arranged possessed exactly that kind of skill.

One of the world's greatest snipers.

A distance beyond the reach of ordinary people was something he could accomplish.

Not good!

The bullet streaked past Noki at terrifying speed, flying straight for Anasiah's forehead.

Knowing he could not catch up, Noki could only try a desperate gamble. He stretched out his hand and released Dark Water, attempting to pull the bullet toward him.

However...

He was still one step too slow.

The bullet passed through the "World Noble's" head.

Bright red blood splattered into the air.

The "World Noble" was dead...

On a distant high-rise.

A long-faced man with a broad chin stood there, wearing a wide black hat and an eyepatch over his right eye. He raised his rifle and rested it on his shoulder, saying indifferently, "This is fate!"

Seeing that the situation had been decided, the crew-cut man did not want to keep tangling with Noki. He feinted with his blade and fled outward.

Noki stepped through the air with Geppo and shouted coldly, "You think you can leave after coming here!?"

The crew-cut man turned back to block.

Under the sunlight, Noki's blade flashed with blinding golden light. With one strike, he cleaved the crew-cut man's sword and body into two halves.

Then Noki accelerated toward the source of the gunshot, never once looking back at the dead "Celestial Dragon."

Snipers capable of such a "miracle" in this world.

Up to this point.

There should only have been two!

Yasopp of the Red-Haired Pirates, and... the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates' third ship in the original story.

Van Augur!