Pirates: I Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki First Because I Can't Die

Only then did he see a blurred figure appear.

Kalens's pupils contracted, and terror seized him.

"He's already this strong?"

Smack!

The slap rang out. Kalens felt as though an iron rod had swept across his face. He went numb, then came the searing pain. Half his face twisted out of shape.

The blow shattered his cheekbone and left his face a bloody mess. He crashed through the wall beside him and flew out.

Xia Le strode out of the ruined office, his expression cold, and barked an order.

"Saron, spread the word. These criminals refused to repent. They resisted arrest and attacked us."

"We were forced to fight back and kill them all."

Saron froze. "Huh?"

But Simboo and the other Marines already had murder in their eyes. They drew their blades without hesitation.

Slash!

The officers and Marines were still dazed and terrified when their world went dark. They lost consciousness.

Kalens jolted back to his senses and screamed.

"Xia Le, this is revenge!"

"Listen to me! Back then, it was the Celestial Dra—"

Once again, he never finished. A cold, menacing face filled his vision.

A large hand clamped around his head, yanked him up, and held him in the air.

"Spare... spare me."

A chill ran through Kalens's body as fear swallowed his mind.

He struggled to look at Xia Le, but saw only those cold, black eyes, deep as a void.

"You go first."

"He'll join you."

Xia Le spoke without emotion.

Then he drove his right hand toward the ground.

Boom!

The impact shook the area. Kalens's eyes rolled back as his head struck the ground, cracking it open and leaving a crater. Blood soon seeped out and pooled beneath him. After two or three breaths, he made no more sound.

"Hah."

Xia Le let out a long breath and turned to the others.

"Mission complete. Let's go."

Every officer nodded. Saron scratched his head, then crushed the neck of the Marine in front of him.

He had seen their crimes. As Marines, they had betrayed their principles and committed unforgivable acts.

The group left as quickly as they had arrived.

A short while later, they passed through District 24.

Ahead of them, the bustling crowd suddenly fell silent and dropped to its knees.

"It's a Celestial Dragon," Simboo said grimly.

"Let's keep out of the way," Saron said in his booming voice.

"Running into one head-on would be trouble!"

He added that explanation after a beat.

Xia Le stopped and stared at the bubble-helmeted figure walking through the crowd. His eyes turned cold.

After a long moment, he gave a faint laugh.

"You go on ahead. I'll take a look."

What Happened?

Sabaody Archipelago, District 24.

The street that had been bustling moments before fell silent. Only the nervous breathing of civilians kneeling on the ground could faintly be heard.

A Celestial Dragon in fine clothes and a bubble helmet walked at the front. Behind him came bodyguards in black suits and several Marines. The insignia on the leading Marine's shoulder marked him as a Vice Admiral.

The air was heavy with tension.

Xia Le stood a short distance away. His eyesight was sharp, and after a few glances, he vanished.

The Vice Admiral behind the Celestial Dragon seemed to sense something. He glanced in Xia Le's direction and watched carefully for a moment. Finding no one, he looked away.

Xia Le appeared in an alley that ran perpendicular to the Celestial Dragon's street.

His expression was calm. He had parted ways with Saron and the others precisely because he had seen the Celestial Dragon walking down that street.

He remembered that face clearly.

Xia Le had failed to kneel the moment he saw him. For that alone, his life had been declared forfeit, and he had eventually fallen into Kalens's hands.

"Today really is the day everything comes due."

Xia Le could not help but marvel at it.

Kalens and his men, who had tested dozens of ways to kill him, and the Celestial Dragon who had started it all had appeared before him on the same day.

He looked down at the small stone he had just picked up. It was about the size of a fingertip. He tossed it lightly.

A Marine Vice Admiral was accompanying the Celestial Dragon on the main street. A direct attack would be troublesome, and he might even fail. After watching them, Xia Le had chosen this narrow alley instead.

The angle was perfect. The moment the Celestial Dragon at the front passed it would be his best chance.

Besides, the street was full of kneeling people. No one would notice a thing.

Fear? Dread?

Xia Le felt neither.

If he was going to silence witnesses, he would make sure the job was done.

Tap!

He tossed the stone into the air. It landed in his hand, then rose again with a soft sound.

Xia Le leaned casually against the wall behind him and waited patiently.

On the street, the Celestial Dragon walked ahead of the Vice Admiral.

The middle-aged Vice Admiral suddenly frowned as the Den Den Mushi inside his coat vibrated. "Your Highness, I'll leave you here."

"Go. I doubt anyone in this world would dare attack me."

The Celestial Dragon spoke with casual arrogance.

"Yes, Your Highness."

The Vice Admiral nodded, without a smile on his face.

Then he turned and left without delay.

If bad luck had not put him in this man's path, he would never have taken such a humiliating escort duty. Parading down the street like this was, to an old Marine like him, no different from taking a shit in public.

If Garp finds out, he'll mock me without holding back, won't he?

The street remained silent as the Celestial Dragon walked on.

As he passed an alley, he thought he heard something. Curious, he turned to look.

To him, it was only a casual glance. He sensed no danger at all.

But as he turned, he saw a figure leaning against the wall, tossing a stone into the air.

A Marine?

The young Celestial Dragon paused in surprise.

He did not care why the Marine was hiding there instead of doing his duty to protect him. In everyday life, he considered himself a kind and merciful prince.

He often forgave displays of disrespect.

Then the hidden Marine raised his head and looked straight at him.

Their eyes met. The Celestial Dragon froze again, then swiftly grew angry.

He saw no reverence on the Marine's face. Nor did he recognize him as the commoner who had offended him days earlier.

At that moment, Xia Le caught the falling stone between his index and middle fingers.

Fine black-and-red lightning flashed. In the next instant, the stone shot forward like a streak of light through the air.

Everything grew bright in the Celestial Dragon's eyes. Then the stone reached him, punched through the center of his forehead with overwhelming force, burst out through the back of his skull, and flew toward the distant sky.

But the stone's force did not end there.

Crack!

The Celestial Dragon's skull fractured and burst apart.

The street remained silent. The black-clad guards behind him stood frozen as fear, shock, and disbelief swept across their faces.

One moment, the Celestial Dragon had been walking ahead of them. The next, the head above his neck was gone.

"Ahhh!"

A scream of terror suddenly rang out.

In the alley, Xia Le had already vanished.

The Vice Admiral, who had only just turned away and had not gone far, stopped and looked back. His face twisted with visible shock and horror.

"Vice Admiral! The Celestial Dragon... he's been—"

The Vice Admiral drew a grim breath and hurried forward. "This is serious!"

When he reached the scene, he sucked in another breath, his heart pounding.

It was almost the most gruesome case he had ever seen. A Celestial Dragon had been killed by a shot to the head, silently, without anyone knowing how.

"What happened?"

The Vice Admiral immediately rounded on the black-clad guards.

"W-we don't know either!"

The guards were utterly stunned and sinking into despair.

They knew their own fate was unlikely to be pleasant.

The murder of a Celestial Dragon would shake the entire world.

Some of the bolder civilians stole glances at the scene and shuddered.

A Celestial Dragon, shot in the head!?

World nobles could die? And such a gruesome death at that!

Elsewhere, Xia Le rejoined Saron and the others.

"Seen enough?" Saron asked in his booming voice.

"Yes. There wasn't much to see. Just a noble showing off his power before commoners."