What Happened?
Only then did he see a blurry figure emerge.
Kalens's pupils abruptly contracted, horror flooding through him.
He's already this strong?
Smack!
A resounding slap rang out. Kalens felt as though an iron bar had struck him, leaving him dazed and bewildered. Then came the searing pain, half his face twisting out of shape.
That slap shattered his cheekbone, leaving a bloody mess, and sent him crashing through a wall and flying out the other side.
His face icy, Xia Le strode out of the ruined office and barked an order.
"Saron, spread the word. These criminals refused to surrender and attacked us to evade punishment."
"We were forced to fight back and kill every last one of them."
Saron froze. "Huh?"
Beside him, however, Simboo and the other Marines already had murder in their eyes. They drew their blades without hesitation.
Slash!
The officers and Marines were still bewildered and terrified when, a moment later, their worlds went dark and they lost consciousness.
Kalens shuddered, snapping back to his senses, and screamed.
"Xia Le, you're taking revenge!"
"Let me explain! Back then, it was the Celestial—"
But once again, he never finished. A cold, sinister face had already filled his vision.
Then a large hand clamped around his head, hauling him up and suspending him in midair.
"P-please, spare me."
A chill ran through Kalens's entire body as terror engulfed his mind.
He struggled to look at Xia Le, only to meet those cold, pitch-black eyes, as fathomless as black holes.
"You go on ahead."
"He'll be joining you."
Xia Le spoke without emotion.
At the same time, he slammed his right hand toward the ground.
Boom!
A thunderous crash rang out. Kalens's eyes rolled back as his head struck the ground, leaving a crater and enormous cracks. Blood soon seeped out and pooled beneath him. After two or three breaths, he fell utterly silent.
"Whew."
After letting out a long breath, Xia Le turned to the others.
"Mission complete. We can go."
All the officers nodded. Saron scratched his head, then crushed the neck of the Marine before him.
He had read the charges against these men. As Marines, they had all betrayed their convictions and committed heinous crimes.
The group left as swiftly as they had come.
A short while later, they passed through Area 24.
Suddenly, the bustling crowd on the street ahead fell silent and dropped to their knees.
"It's a Celestial Dragon."
Simboo's voice was low.
"Let's steer clear."
Saron's voice rumbled.
"Running into one head-on is a lot of trouble!"
He added that explanation.
Xia Le stopped in his tracks. As he stared at the bubble-helmeted figure strolling through the crowd ahead, his gaze suddenly turned cold.
After a long moment, he chuckled.
"You go ahead. I'll take a look."
P.S. Thanks to Yibai Daojun, Listening to the Birds' Lament and the Fish's Sorrow, and Gone Anonymous for your monthly votes! Please send recommendation votes and keep reading! Aaaah!
What happened?
Area 24, Sabaody Archipelago.
The street that had been bustling a moment ago suddenly fell silent. Only the faint, nervous breathing of the civilians kneeling on the ground could be heard.
Wearing a bubble helmet and fine clothes, the Celestial Dragon walked at the front. Behind him followed a security force in black suits and several Marines. Judging by the insignia on the leading Marine's shoulders, he was a Vice Admiral.
The atmosphere was heavy, an indescribable tension hanging in the air.
Xia Le stood nearby. His eyesight was excellent, and after a few glances, he abruptly vanished.
The Vice Admiral following the Celestial Dragon seemed to sense something and glanced in his direction. After scanning the area cautiously for a moment and finding no one, he withdrew his gaze.
Xia Le appeared in an alley perpendicular to the street where the Celestial Dragon walked.
His expression was calm. The reason he had parted with Saron and the others was precisely because he had spotted the Celestial Dragon now walking down the street.
He remembered that face very clearly.
Simply because he had failed to kneel the instant he saw that man, his life had been declared forfeit, and he had ultimately ended up in Kalens's hands.
"Today really is a day of reckoning!"
Xia Le couldn't help remarking.
Kalens and his subordinates, who had tested dozens of ways to die on him, and the Celestial Dragon who had started it all had appeared before him.
He looked down at the small stone he had just picked up. It was about the size of a finger, and he tossed it lightly in his hand.
With a Marine Vice Admiral accompanying the Celestial Dragon on the main street, he hadn't attacked directly. That would be troublesome, and he might even fail. Instead, after observing the area, he had chosen this narrow alley.
The angle was perfect. The instant the Celestial Dragon at the front passed this spot would be his best opportunity.
And with everyone along the street kneeling, no one would notice a thing.
As for dread or fear?
Xia Le felt neither in the slightest.
If he was silencing them, he might as well make it thorough.
Tap!
The stone rose and fell into his hand, then rose again, making a soft sound.
Xia Le leaned casually against the wall behind him and waited patiently.
On the street, the Celestial Dragon led the way, with the Vice Admiral behind him.
Suddenly, the middle-aged Vice Admiral frowned, feeling the Den Den Mushi inside his coat vibrate. "Your Highness, this is as far as I'll escort you."
"Go. I doubt anyone in this world would dare attack me."
The Celestial Dragon spoke indifferently, his manner arrogant.
"Indeed!"
The Vice Admiral nodded, without a trace of a smile.
Then he turned and left without hesitation.
Had he not been unlucky enough to run into this fellow, he would never have agreed to the humiliating task of escorting a Celestial Dragon. To a veteran Marine like him, how was parading down the street so brazenly any different from taking a dump in public?
If Garp found out, wouldn't that bastard mock him mercilessly again?
The street remained silent as the Celestial Dragon walked on.
When he passed a certain alley, he thought he heard something and couldn't help turning to look out of curiosity.
Of course, to him, it was merely a curious glance. He felt no danger whatsoever.
But the instant he turned his head, he saw a figure leaning against a wall, tossing a stone.
A Marine?
The young Celestial Dragon was taken aback.
He didn't care why the man was hiding here instead of fulfilling his duty to protect him. In everyday life, he considered himself quite a kind and merciful lord.
He readily forgave many acts of disrespect.
Just then, the Marine hiding in the alley raised his head and looked straight at him.
Their eyes met. The Celestial Dragon froze again, then quickly grew furious.
He could see no reverence whatsoever on this Marine's face. Naturally, he also failed to recognize him as the civilian who had offended him some time ago.
At that very moment, the stone Xia Le had tossed fell, and he caught it between his index and middle fingers.
Fine strands of black-red lightning suddenly flickered. An instant later, the stone shot out, streaking through the air like a flash of lightning.
Everything brightened in the Celestial Dragon's eyes, until the stone arrived and, with overwhelming force, pierced his forehead, burst out through the back of his skull, and flew toward the distant horizon.
But the stone's power clearly did far more than that.
Crack!
The Celestial Dragon's skull fractured, then exploded in an instant.
The street remained silent, but the black-clad guards following the Celestial Dragon froze. Terror, shock, and disbelief swiftly spread across their faces.
One second, the Celestial Dragon had been walking ahead of them. The next, the head above his neck had abruptly vanished.
"Aaaah!!!"
A terrified scream suddenly pierced the air.
Inside the alley, Xia Le was already gone.
The Vice Admiral, who had only just turned away and hadn't gone far, suddenly stopped and looked back. Shock and horror visibly spread across his face.
"Vice Admiral, sir! The Celestial—the Celestial Dragon has been—"
The Vice Admiral drew a grave breath and hurried forward. "Now we're in serious trouble!"
When he reached the scene, he couldn't help drawing another sharp breath, his heart pounding.
This was almost certainly the most horrific crime he had ever witnessed. A Celestial Dragon's head had been blown apart, silently and without warning. It was utterly unimaginable.
"What the hell happened?"
The Vice Admiral immediately roared the question at the black-clad guards.
"W-we don't know either!"
The black-clad guards were utterly stunned and filled with despair.
They knew very well that their own fates would likely be grim.
A Celestial Dragon had been murdered. This would turn the entire world upside down.
By now, the bolder civilians had also stolen glances at the scene, and their hearts trembled.
A Celestial Dragon, lofty beyond reach, had actually had his head blown apart?!
The Celestial Dragons could die too? And in such a horrific way!
Elsewhere, Xia Le rejoined Saron and the others.
"Finished looking?"
Saron asked in his rumbling voice.
"Yes. Nothing worth seeing. Just a noble throwing his weight around in front of commoners."