A Celestial Dragon Dies, a New Template!

As soon as Fox finished speaking, everyone present realized something was wrong.

"Shadow Garden—that's not his name, is it? It should be the name of an organization?"

"It's definitely not his name. Look at the mask on his face. He must be Fox!"

"Wait, is this really the time to think about that? Didn't you hear what he said? He wants to kill a god!"

Everyone stared fixedly at Ivan, and even Crocodile and Hanafuda, the Lizard King, were no exception.

At that moment, the same thought appeared in their minds: No, we have to stop this guy. We can't let him make a move!

If a Celestial Dragon was injured, Marine Headquarters would immediately dispatch an Admiral, or even launch a Buster Call.

And if a Celestial Dragon died, that would be even more terrifying!

Even a Shichibukai wouldn't dare face the wrath of an enraged World Government!

As one, everyone rushed at Fox, drowning him in countless terrifying attacks.

Boom!

In an instant, most of the auction hall collapsed, and even the floors above nearly came down. If Gild Tesoro hadn't used gold to support them, the Gold King Hotel would already have been reduced to rubble!

But despite the terrifying attack, no one present relaxed in the slightest. Instead, they all roared and lunged toward Saint Rosward:

"No!"

At some point, Fox had disappeared from where he stood and appeared beside Saint Rosward.

He now had Saint Rosward by the neck and had lifted him off the ground.

The sight made everyone wary, and none dared make a move.

One of the CP0 agents hurriedly warned him, "Fox, let Saint Rosward go, or you'll face the wrath of the World Government!"

Hanafuda's eyes were also wide with fury. He wanted nothing more than to grind Fox's bones to dust.

It's over. A Celestial Dragon has already been attacked. An Admiral will be here soon.

Even I'll be in serious trouble if I have to face an Admiral!

Ignoring everyone, Ivan lightly tapped the ground with his foot. A stone platform rapidly formed and raised him into the air. Looking down at those below, he declared in an imposing voice:

"I am Shadow Garden. We walk in the cracks of order, manipulating the threads of desire.

"The ambition of pirates, the hypocrisy of the Marines, and the corruption of the World Government are all under our watch.

"The so-called order, the so-called rules, are nothing but a farce of self-deception. Only power and chaos are the true themes of these seas!

"Now, we step out of the darkness to make a formal declaration to the entire world!

"We shall eradicate the darkness. We shall carry out our oath unto death. We are Shadow Garden!"

Having finished his declaration, Ivan exerted a little force.

The next moment, countless stone spears burst from Saint Rosward's body, raising a brilliant red spider lily of blood!

Ivan made no attempt to dodge the spraying blood, and his body was soon stained red.

Looking down at the many great figures below, all frozen in shock, their faces filled with disbelief as though they were questioning their lives, he laughed elegantly and said:

"Hahaha! So even so-called gods bleed!"

Ivan swung his arm and flung Saint Rosward's body, now reduced to a mangled pulp, against the wall.

Then he placed a hand over his chest and bowed elegantly. "Shadow Garden sends you its greetings."

With that, Ivan vanished like a phantom and appeared beside the Mythical Zoan Fruit. He disappeared again, arriving outside the auction hall, then teleported repeatedly as he fled the Gran Tesoro.

The plan had gone smoothly. He had obtained the Mythical Zoan Fruit, and Saint Rosward was dead. He had given the world a perfect performance, showing everyone that gods weren't so far above them after all—they bled too!

In short, he had no regrets about this trip!

After Ivan disappeared, the auction hall fell into a deathly silence. After a brief, oppressive pause came an explosive outburst. Everyone shouted in disbelief, letting out terrified cries.

"Aaah! Damn it, how could he dare? He really killed a noble Celestial Dragon!"

"No! Run! A Marine Admiral will be here soon, and he'll definitely launch a Buster Call! I don't want to die!"

The various great figures then fled in their own ways. At a time like this, there was no telling a Shichibukai apart from an ordinary pirate.

Compared to Fox, they were only supporting characters on the stage, unlucky ones who had been dragged into the mess.

Of course, Gild Tesoro was even more unfortunate. Ivan had acted so quickly that Tesoro only finally reached the auction after Ivan had killed the Celestial Dragon.

Tesoro stared fixedly at the Celestial Dragon's body, his expression exceedingly complicated.

There was anger, excitement, grief and indignation, gratitude... All sorts of feelings intertwined in his heart, finally giving rise to a thought he had never had before.

So gods really do bleed!

But is a god who can bleed really still a god?

Tesoro took a deep breath and made a decision.

He too would find a way to kill a god and avenge the woman he loved!

Elsewhere, Ivan quickly returned to the Orange. Without anyone noticing, he dispelled his Wood Clone and returned to his original position.

At the same time, he immediately ate the Zoan, Mythical Zoan, Unicorn Fruit and gained one chance at a draw.

As he made the draw, a vast number of character panels flashed before Ivan's eyes.

Unicorn bloodline, Voldemort's Soul Fragment, unicorn magic, Ultraman Tiga, Alia, Paimon, Superman, Incomplete...

Finally, the image stopped on a figure performing Getsuga Tenshō beneath the moonlight.

[Congratulations! You have obtained the template: Homelander!]

[Congratulations! You have obtained the skill: Man of Steel!]

[Template: Homelander (recognition: 1%)]

[Man of Steel: Greatly increases vitality; increases strength, speed, agility, and defense; increases resistance to all negative effects; and increases self-healing speed.]

The next moment, Ivan felt a warm current envelop his body. Every cell in his body transformed under its influence.

His physique grew stronger, the essence of his life improved, and even his strength, speed, and other attributes increased to varying degrees.

When the transformation ended, Ivan's strength had risen dramatically. He was now convinced that even without using his various special abilities, he could defeat a powerful Marine Vice Admiral with his fists alone.

But when he saw the template he had obtained this time, surprise appeared on his face. He didn't know why the Unicorn Fruit had drawn a Homelander template.

That guy is so evil. What does he have to do with a unicorn?

Now Ivan didn't know whether to be happy or worried.

Homelander was undoubtedly a powerful character. If Ivan could obtain one hundred percent recognition, his strength would definitely reach the level of the Four Emperors.

But Homelander's recognition was difficult to raise. He was someone who enjoyed being worshipped and dominating others.

Ivan might be able to obtain some recognition by increasing his own fame, but he didn't think he could easily earn the worship of others.

What was more, even if he gained their worship, he could never reach one hundred percent recognition through that alone. He would also need to control and dominate others.

But Ivan treated character templates as tools, rather than letting the character templates use him as a tool.

So he wouldn't do things that went against his wishes!

Still, besides controlling others, there might be other ways to gain his recognition.

Ivan's expression grew even stranger. Could it be that I have to go drink milk too?