Chapter 71
The gun didn't fire a bullet.
As Saint Rosward's rage reached its peak, it exploded instantly. He furiously brandished his golden pistol, slamming it repeatedly against the guards and attendants around him.
"You damned idiots! Get him now! Kill him! I want to feed his corpse to the slaves!!"
Upon receiving their master's order, a group of attendants and guards immediately roared forward, some drawing their longswords, others their Fire Pistol, and walked towards Adrian.
"Damn lowly people! Kneel down now! Beg for Saint Rosward's forgiveness!"
Mini Hollow - Withering Heart-Piercer!
Before they could even reach Adrian, a series of White Hollow, Inazuma- fast streaks rushed towards them, instantly piercing their chests before exploding.
The guards felt a piercing pain shooting through their hearts, and bright red blood burst from their chests, revealing their bloody, fragmented cavities.
These Celestial Dragons guards, who were not weak in strength, were killed on the spot in the blink of an eye!
Witnessing this earth-shattering scene, the onlookers were utterly shocked. They never imagined that this person would actually dare to attack Celestial Dragons's guard; wasn't this tantamount to directly offending Celestial Dragons?
"381 million Beli...", "He's Pirates...", "The Mr. Ghost of the South Blue..."
Some of the guests in the Sofia Auction House, gazing at Adrian's figure, recognized him and murmured softly, their eyes glazed over.
"You... you damned lowly commoner! How dare you..."
Seeing Adrian swiftly and Inazuma kill his guards, Saint Rosward finally reacted. His face contorted with rage and ferocity as he roared in fury:
"You lowly wretch! Just you wait! The Marine Admiral is coming soon! I will definitely kill you!"
"I'm sorry, the arrival of the Marine Admiral was part of my plan."
Adrian bent down, picked up a long sword from beside a dead guard on the ground, held it upside down in its black scabbard, and walked step by step toward Saint Rosward.
"Now, I'll trouble you to come with me for a moment, Celestial Dragons Saint Rosward!"
"You lowly wretch! Get out of here!"
Snap!
The jet-black scabbard traced a satisfying arc through the air before slamming into Saint Rosward's head with a resounding crack, piercing through his bubble helmet and landing cleanly on his cheek.
Saint Rosward's head suddenly twisted to the right, and several uneven yellow teeth mixed with blood flew out of his mouth. At the same time, a bright red bruise appeared on his fat cheek, which swelled up instantly!
Adrian swung his scabbard again, whipping the Saint Rosward into a spinning top in the air.
After the force dissipated, the noble Celestial Dragons collapsed to the ground like a dead dog, his body disheveled, his cheeks swollen, and he completely lost consciousness.
"If you can't speak properly, just shut up!"
Just then, a message popped up on the panel.
[You have severely offended the Celestial Dragons' dignity. The World Government's favorability towards you has decreased; the current relationship is: Hostility!]
[System notification: You have triggered an SS-rank faction quest: [The God's Slumber]!]
[Mission Brief: So-called gods are nothing more than humans skilled at disguise!]
[Task Hint: This is a long-term quest. The reward depends on the damage you inflict on the Celestial Dragons group. Current progress: 0%]
[Note: Progress is not fixed. If the Celestial Dragon Race expands, the progress will decrease, and vice versa. This quest can be terminated at any time. If the progress is below 20% when you choose to end the quest, it is considered a failure. The quest reward depends on the final progress!]
[Mission Requirement: Kill/Persecute Celestial Dragons]
[Task Reward: Unknown]
The panel messages haven't completely ended yet.
[System notification: You have triggered an SSS-rank faction quest: [Empty Throne]!]
[Mission Summary: No one was ever born standing in the heavens, not you, not me, not even God. But this unbearable void of the throne is finally coming to an end!]
[Mission Hint: Pangaea Castle!]
[Task Requirements: Unknown]
[Task Reward: Unknown]
"It seems this is the final main quest for the Pirates faction."
Adrian accepted the mission, silently complaining to himself.
"I just didn't expect that the ultimate main storyline of the Pirates faction wouldn't be fighting against the Navy, but rather against the World Government..."
"This time, Justice prevails!"
[Chapter 128 The Light of Righteousness]
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the Fleet Admiral's Office.
With a pair of round-framed glasses perched on his nose, Sengoku the Buddha carefully reported, "... Fleet Admiral Kong, that's roughly what happened."
"Something happened to the Celestial Dragons of Sabaody?" Fleet Admiral Kong's expression changed slightly, his tone filled with disgust. "I knew it. Those clueless bastards would one day meet someone who doesn't care about their status!"
Plop plop.
The anti-eavesdropping Den Den Mushi on my desk suddenly rang.
Fleet Admiral Kong crossed his arms, his face full of impatience, and said, "I bet this is definitely a call from one of the Five Elders."
Sengoku gave a wry smile. "Fleet Admiral Kong, you'd better answer the phone. Offending Celestial Dragons is a serious matter. If I hadn't just returned to headquarters after completing my mission, you would probably be the one sent out."
Fleet Admiral Kong snorted coldly, Den Den Mushi, responded with a few "uh-huhs" and "ah-ahs," and then put the Den Den Mushi face down on the table again.
"It's the Five Elders. They can't wait for me to send Admiral to quell the riots!" Fleet Admiral Kong said. "Then, Sengoku, you should go and make the trip."
Sengoku replied loudly, "Yes, Fleet Admiral Kong! However, the warships are too slow. I suggest we send Vice Admiral Borsalino to the Sabaody Archipelago ahead of time!"
"The Glint-Glint Fruit? Very well!" Fleet Admiral Kong nodded. "Then let's notify Borsalio to go there first."
Just as the Sengoku was about to end.
Fleet Admiral Kong suddenly asked, "Sengoku, do you know where that bastard Garp has been lately?"
Sengoku turned around and chuckled dryly, "Haha, how would I know where that idiot went? Maybe he's hugging..."
In the end, it became negligible.
"Really? Even you didn't know?"
At that moment, Fleet Admiral Kong was engrossed in his work and did not notice the expression on Sengoku's face, nor did he hear the rest of the conversation.
"That bastard asked me for leave last year, saying he wanted to go back to his hometown in the East Blue, and it's been so long and his leave is still not over! What navy officer takes leave on a yearly basis?! I really want to beat that irresponsible bastard to death! If he were at headquarters, the tasks at headquarters would be a lot easier!"
"Yeah, if only that idiot were really here..." Sengoku sighed sincerely. "Um, Fleet Admiral Kong, the Sabaody Archipelago incident is urgent, so I won't chat anymore!"
"Alright, if we delay any longer, the Five Elders will probably call again to urge us on." Fleet Admiral Kong waved his hand. "Let's get going!"
"Sigh, that White Ghost, it's such a love-hate relationship! What a pity..."
Over the airspace above the route from Marineford to the Sabaody Archipelago.
A dazzling golden light streaked across the sky, like a falling sun, flying rapidly toward the Sabaody Archipelago. Within the golden light, a tall, slender figure draped in Justice Cloak was faintly visible.
"The Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13, isn't that the infamous lawless zone? To send me to such a dangerous place, Fleet Admiral Kong is truly heartless!"
A unique and melodious sound emanated from the golden light, gradually dissipating in the wind.
"Especially that Rookie Pirate, White Ghost, even Sakazuki couldn't handle him, he's really terrifying~ I just wonder if Ghost is fast enough to travel at the speed of light~"
After a high-speed journey, Borsalino finally arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.
Along the way, they dealt with a group of troublesome Pirates, helped a little girl retrieve a balloon that had flown into the sky, helped an old lady cross the street, and returned a black cat that was blocking the road to the pet shop...
In short, after getting lost on his way for a while, Borsalino finally arrived at his true destination – Grove 13.
However, the scene on Grove 13 at this moment made him slightly lost in thought.
The towering Yarukiman Mangrove was cut in half, and the severed section is slowly shrinking under the influence of some unknown force.
The ferocious Pirates who had gathered in this lawless zone all had their chests burst and lay lifeless on the ground, staining the damp bubble grass a muddy red.
On the most prominent high platform of Thirteenth Peninsula, a figure was sitting cross-legged.
He held a sturdy "fishing rod" in his hand, and at the other end of the "fishing line" made of thick hemp rope, a bait called "Celestial Dragons" was hanging.
And the fishing spot wasn't in the water, but in a raging sea of fire!
Saint Rosward's white, spacesuit-like garment, a specialty of Celestial Dragons, had been burned to ashes. His entire body was covered in charred marks, and in many places, his skin was even torn open by the flames!
"Wow! Using the Celestial Dragons bait? That's quite a move!"
Borsalino pushed up his yellow sunglasses, the translucent yellow lenses overlapping with the orange-yellow flames, making it impossible for him to see anything within them.
"Yata no Kagami" (Yata Mirror).
Borsalino placed his hands in front of his lower abdomen, and a mirror-like light gathered in his palms.
A moment later, a beam of light shot out from the mirror, forming a bright Light Rail in the air, and traveled straight up to the high platform.
"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Vice Admiral Borsalino. You've been lost on the path of life for quite some time now."
Even before attacking Saint Rosward, Adrian had already activated his Observation Haki Future Sight.
Also, a long time ago, he predicted that the navy officer who would land on the island ahead of schedule would be this famous [Acting Ape].
But what Adrian didn't expect was that Kizaru would actually go this far in his acting!
I've been roasting the Celestial Dragons on the fire for so long, and you're just leisurely clipping your nails?
Borsalino cleared his throat and said, "Ahem! White Ghost, how dare you offend the majesty of the great Celestial Dragons in the Sabaody Archipelago! Hand over Saint Rosward at once!"
???
Brother Huang, isn't this acting a bit over the top?
Even without using Observation Haki, you could still see that Celestial Dragons looking like a roasted boar, right?
Adrian landed and jerked the rod, gently flicking the thick, long rope to pull the Celestial Dragons bait onto the high platform.
"Pfft..."
Already seriously injured, Saint Rosward crashed heavily onto the wooden platform. The delicate Celestial Dragons had never suffered such humiliation in his life. After choking on a mouthful of smoke and blood, he fainted again.
Borsalino asked in a serious tone, "So, what about Saint Rosward?"
Adrian sighed, realizing he was starting to understand Kizaru's thoughts.
Borsalino, who holds an ambiguous Justice, finds his concept of Justice changing depending on the circumstances.
When facing truly vicious and inhuman Great Pirate, he is the Justice Kizaru!
However, when facing figures from other factions who align with his own ideals, he becomes [Zheng Yi]'s [Acting Ape]!
As expected of Masahiro Hikaru!
[Chapter 137. Adrian VS Kizaru]
In Adrian's plan, Saint Rosward would be his most important bargaining chip.
When Admiral Sengoku at Sabaody Archipelago, this Celestial Dragons, who had survived a severe injury, was the most crucial tool for escaping the Battlefield and could absolutely not be handed over to anyone else.
Since Borsalino didn't forcefully take the Celestial Dragons away, Adrian was happy to play along with this [Acting Ape].
"If you want to know the whereabouts of the Celestial Dragons, stop with the nonsense, Vice Admiral Borsalino! I'd like to ask about the strength of this Monster Marine Vice Admiral!"
"In that case, there's nothing we can do~" Borsalino smirked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "[Pirates] White Ghost, prepare to surrender!"
Adrian drew his Yubashiri, "Then let's... uh, can we fight somewhere else? This guy's still here."
Borsalino touched his ear. "What are you saying? I can't hear you! Wow, you fly so fast! I want to fly too!"
It happened in almost a split second.
Adrian and Borsalino then left the platform and descended to the deserted island below.
The moment he landed, Borsalino's right shin suddenly transformed into a shimmering golden leg. He looked at Adrian through the air and uttered his signature line. "Speed is power. Have you ever been Light-Speed Kick?"
"It's best to keep your trash talk to yourself before the fight starts."
After uttering those words, Adrian immediately entered a state of calm combat readiness.