Pirates: A Family's Murdered, the Celestial Dragons Must Die!

The air aboard the transport fleet had gone still.

The remaining Marines hardly dared to breathe. Some of the more timid ones even shut their eyes, terrified that CP0 would turn on them next.

"This is what happens when you disobey orders."

"Remember this. You Marines are nothing but the World Government's public face. The gods are the true rulers of this world."

CP0 looked at the terrified Marines with open contempt.

"We need loyal Marines. Notify Marine Headquarters at once: Vice Admiral Hank defied military orders and is to be imprisoned in Impel Down, effective today."

"Have the Fleet Admiral appoint another Vice Admiral to command the East Blue Branch."

"If the Marines have any complaints, tell them to come find me in Mary Geoise."

The CP0 leader spoke slowly, his tone dripping with disdain for the Marines.

As far as he was concerned, the Marines were the Celestial Dragons' dogs, and they weren't nearly as close to their masters as he was.

After all, he served the Celestial Dragons directly. His standing was far above that pack of Marine dogs.

With a few words, he had replaced a branch Vice Admiral and ordered Hank locked up in Impel Down. The remaining Marines were stunned by CP0's overwhelming authority!

Could the Marines truly stand for justice?

Or was it all just a facade?

Were the Marines nothing more than the World Government's lapdogs?

Doubt took root in many of their hearts.

One young Marine clenched his teeth, feeling as though his entire worldview had collapsed.

CP0 turned to the Marines beside him. "What are you waiting for? Sink that ship. I won't say it again."

"Y-yes!"

After what they had just witnessed, the Marines knew they couldn't afford to cross CP0. They hurried to their stations.

Four or five warships quickly trained their guns on the Revenge.

"All hands, listen up."

"Aim!"

"Fire!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Dozens of cannonballs roared out, all aimed at the Revenge.

If even a dozen of them struck, the Revenge would be blown to pieces.

"CP0 attacked a Marine? Aren't they on the same side?" Roger asked in surprise as he watched the cannonballs hurtle toward them.

"Heh. Isn't that how the World Government always operates?" Rono said, his voice thick with scorn.

Through Observation Haki, Rono and Roger had sensed everything that had just happened.

Attacking a Marine Vice Admiral and slaughtering Marine recruits without a second thought—these Celestial Dragons' lapdogs were no different from their masters.

Like master, like dog.

"CP0 really is a pack of cold-blooded bastards."

Though he and the Marines stood on opposite sides, Roger simply thought anyone who attacked their own comrades was a bastard.

As he spoke, the cannonballs closed in on them.

Hum!

An invisible force spread outward from Rono, pushing every cannonball dozens of meters away before they exploded.

"Damn it, you beat me to it!" Roger regretted being too slow to act.

"Soru!"

Without answering Roger, Rono vanished from the Revenge's deck.

"R-reporting! The c-cannonballs... missed the target!"

Meanwhile, aboard the transport fleet, a Marine stammered out his report to CP0.

"You useless fools. Can't you even hit a ship? Fire again."

The mask hid CP0's expression, but the mockery in his voice was unmistakable.

"Yes, sir!"

The Marines loaded more cannonballs into the guns with trembling hands, but the expected blasts never came.

"What are those useless Marines doing? Have they forgotten how to fire a cannon?"

The CP0 agents were growing angry.

"N-no. Something's wrong!"

The next instant, another CP0 agent sensed that something was amiss.

"W-what's going on?"

"Who's there?!"

"When did this happen?!"

The other CP0 agents quickly realized what had happened and froze in shock!

At some point, the vast decks of the transport fleet had filled with fallen Marines and crewmen!

Their eyes had rolled white, and foam spilled from their mouths as they lay unconscious.

"He did that right under my nose without a sound? Conqueror's Haki?"

A chill ran down the lead CP0 agent's neck.

"Someone in the East Blue actually has Conqueror's Haki?"

The other CP0 agents felt the pressure too.

They knew how powerful Conqueror's Haki was. Those who possessed it were born with the makings of a king!

This was Heavenly Tribute. If someone seized it, their lives would be forfeit.

A quick death would be a mercy. As members of CP0, they knew exactly how the Celestial Dragons tortured subordinates who failed them.

Calling it hell on earth would be no exaggeration.

Still, they were CP0 agents. The moment they realized they were under attack, they took up fighting stances.

The four stood back-to-back to guard against a surprise attack, scanning constantly for their assailant.

"There!"

They soon spotted a figure standing on the deck.

With everyone else lying unconscious, the lone person still standing was hard to miss.

"He's... he's just a kid!"

Once they saw him clearly, all four CP0 agents stopped short.

Rono was only sixteen or seventeen, and unlike a giant or a member of some unusually tall race, he stood at only around 1.9 meters.

A kid like that had already awakened Conqueror's Haki?

"Celestial Dragons' lapdogs, tell me where the Celestial Dragons in the East Blue are. I might consider sparing your lives."

Rono's eyes were bloodshot. He looked like a completely different person.

The sight of CP0 brought back his parents' deaths, and rage surged through him.

The Celestial Dragons who had murdered his parents couldn't have gone far, even if they had left the East Blue.

"Rono..."

Roger, who was on his way over, noticed the change in Rono too.

Why does he seem like a different person? Does he have a grudge against CP0?

"Filth! You think you deserve to ask where the gods are?"

"Kneel and surrender. A few years as a slave in the Holy Land might be enough to wash away your sins."

Enraged that Rono had spoken of the Celestial Dragons so casually, the CP0 leader raised his hand and fired a Finger Pistol at him.

Filth!

That one word struck Rono and turned him into a beast!

"Soru!"

In a flash, he appeared before the man.

"Armament Haki: Coating!"

Rono wrapped his arm in Advanced Armament Haki and drove his fist at the CP0 leader.

"Iron Body: Steel!"

The targeted agent immediately activated Iron Body.

"Die!"

Rono poured every bit of his strength and Haki into his arm!

Boom!

The CP0 leader was sent flying. His chest caved in, and the crack of shattering bones rang out clearly.

As his organs shifted inside him in a burst of agony, the CP0 agent spat a mouthful of blood and died on the spot!

The other three felt their scalps prickle at the sight!

The Voice of All Things

"Carter... Carter was killed in one blow?!"

The sight of their comrade's death left the three remaining CP0 agents' heads ringing.

Carter had been the strongest of the four, with strength at least on the level of a Vice Admiral!

And he had been killed just like that?

Thanks to Roger's "guidance," Rono now possessed strength equal to Roger's. A full-force blow backed by Advanced Armament Haki was more than anyone below a Shichibukai's level could withstand.

Among Vice Admirals, only the likes of Garp or Tsuru could measure up. The rest, even the elite Vice Admirals of Marine Headquarters, were still a level below the Shichibukai.

Why was someone this strong in the East Blue, the weakest of the seas?

Something was wrong. Very wrong!

And judging by his actions, he was clearly after the Celestial Dragons!

A young man who could kill a Vice Admiral with one punch and was specifically hunting the Celestial Dragons—Mary Geoise had to be told!

"What about you? Do you want to end up like him, or will you tell me where the Celestial Dragons are?"

Rono spoke one word at a time, the threat unmistakable.

"Heh. Dream on, filth!"

The three CP0 agents were afraid, but they would never reveal the Celestial Dragons' whereabouts.

Orphans from childhood, these CP0 agents had been chosen by the World Government and indoctrinated every day. They would give their lives for the Celestial Dragons.

If a Celestial Dragon ordered them to kill themselves, they would do it on the spot. They would never betray them.

In a way, even dogs like these could be called "loyal."

"Then die!"

Rono gave a cold snort and attacked the CP0 agents.

"Split up! Don't let him take us all out at once!"