In the Navy Headquarters office, Garp spewed out his donut, Kizaru choked on his coffee, and Sengoku shot up from his chair.
They had all sailed the seas for decades—what kind of situation hadn't they encountered?
But capturing one of the top elites from the second echelon of the seas and trying to make him a slave?
That… they had never seen before.
Not just never seen—it was something they had never even heard of!
But then again, thinking of the way the Celestial Dragons' brains worked—how idiotic they could be—maybe it was possible they'd pull something like this.
"Puhahahaha! Those idiots really went and did it, huh? That brat Vess must be absolutely fuming!" Garp laughed, already curious to see how Sengoku would handle it.
"How terrifying... these Celestial Dragons," Kizaru said lazily, sipping his coffee as if he hadn't just heard something world-shaking. No one could tell what was going on in that head of his.
"Give the Den Den Mushi to Weiss—immediately!" Sengoku barked.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
Meanwhile, the butler standing before Weiss had already wiped sweat from his forehead who knows how many times. Weiss's hand remained on the hilt of his sword—ready to draw it at any moment.
...
...
Finally, a CP agent came rushing out with a Den Den Mushi, carefully presenting it to Weiss.
"Mr. Sword Demon, it's a call from Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
"This is Weiss."
There was a pause on the other end before Sengoku's voice came through: "Weiss, I hope this matter can end here. Don't take those words to heart."
"Absolutely not."
Weiss cut him off coldly, rejecting Sengoku's plea without hesitation.
Was this a joke? If word got out that Weiss the Sword Demon had almost been made a Celestial Dragon's slave and hadn't even retaliated…
What would people think of him?
Those watching would think he didn't dare to kill a Celestial Dragon!
If he didn't make a statement today, the rumors would spread like wildfire.
Kill a Celestial Dragon? Easy—just one slash each!
Sengoku sighed. "Fine, name your terms. What do you want?"
"Each Celestial Dragon loses an arm. Simple, right?" Weiss said bluntly.
"Impossible!"
"Then there's nothing more to discuss."
"Pick something else. You know that's not going to happen."
"Alright then, five Devil Fruits," Weiss replied casually. Of course he knew that wasn't realistic either—he was just bargaining for maximum value.
Nearby, a CP agent whispered something in the ear of Celestial Dragon Jolarude. Upon hearing it, Jolarude's gaze snapped toward Karina's direction.
"Bring me those two women—they're my property! And capture that Sword Demon too! I'll make him regret ever crossing me, stealing back my slaves like that!"
The CP agent had just informed him that Karina and her companion had almost been taken as slaves.
Saint Jolarude was livid. How dare anyone snatch away slaves that were meant to be his! The audacity!
Furious, he raised his gun and pointed it at Karina. In his mind, she was a runaway slave that belonged to him.
He recalled a past incident where someone had tried to return a slave to him. Fortunately, he intercepted them in time—but the slave committed suicide before making it back.
He'd been so enraged that he killed the one trying to bring her back.
Bang!
But this time, the bullet meant for Karina was crushed into dust—caught mid-air by Theodore.
Boom!
As Weiss continued his call with Sengoku, a bloodthirsty aura surged from him like a flood, enveloping the entire street outside the auction house in a crimson haze.
In an instant, Weiss dropped the Den Den Mushi and disappeared—reappearing right before Jolarude.
"You're that eager to die?"
Weiss's voice was ice-cold. A chill swept through Jolarude, and the next moment—he blacked out.
Silence.
Utter, deathly silence.
The entire street, bathed in red killing intent, was frozen.
All eyes widened in disbelief, staring at the Celestial Dragon who still sat atop his slave. A thin red line had appeared on his neck.
Blood slowly seeped from the wound.
Then—his head toppled from his shoulders.
Crack!
The protective glass dome around him shattered.
Jolarude's head rolled across the ground, his eyes wide open—locking gazes with the eyes of the slave beneath him. (This idiot is finally dead.)
Everyone turned their necks stiffly, like rusty machines, to look at the calm man who still stood in the posture of a swordsman mid-strike.
No one could believe it.
Someone had actually killed a Celestial Dragon!
"What's happening over there? Is anyone still on the line?" Sengoku, still in Navy HQ, had heard the gunshot and immediately sensed danger.
The butler snapped out of his shock. He tried to pick up the Den Den Mushi, but his hand wouldn't stop trembling.
Lowering his head, he whispered into it: "T-The… the Celestial Dragon was killed…"
"What did you say?" Sengoku couldn't hear clearly.
The butler realized he'd gone hoarse from panic. Summoning all his strength, he shouted:
"THE CELESTIAL DRAGON WAS KILLED!"
"WEISS KILLED A CELESTIAL DRAGON!"
That cry seemed to snap everyone on the street back to their senses.
"Celestial Dragon was killed!"
"Celestial Dragon was killed!"
"CEL…estial Dragon WAS KILLED!"
Panic erupted.
People began fleeing in all directions. Hurting a Celestial Dragon was already enough to trigger an admiral's deployment—killing one?
Who knew what would happen now?
A swarm of civilians fled the auction street. Those on neighboring streets had no idea what had happened.
"Why are they running? Did something terrible happen?"
"Someone said… a Celestial Dragon was killed!"
The two people exchanged shocked looks. It sounded like a joke—but the fear in people's eyes said otherwise.
"Could it… be real?!"
"It… probably isn't… right?"
Back at Navy HQ, Sengoku turned to Kizaru:
"Weiss has killed a Celestial Dragon. Get there immediately—use your fastest speed!"
"How scary… the Sword Demon actually did it," Kizaru muttered. Then his body turned into a beam of light and vanished.
Even Garp, who had been laughing earlier, fell silent. He knew exactly how serious this was.
The last time a Celestial Dragon had died… was in the God Valley Incident.
Navy alarms began to blare. Five warships departed from the port.
Outside the auction house, all civilians had evacuated the entire street—whether they lived there or not.
"What are you all standing around for?! Kill that damn commoner! He killed my brother!" screeched Philia.
She had been raised her entire life believing that they were the most exalted beings in the world—descendants of the gods. No one dared defy them.
Her life experience had only confirmed this belief.
But now… her brother had been killed by someone she saw as a mere peasant.
That reality filled her with fear—the terrifying realization that she could be killed too.
Seeing that the surrounding CP agents weren't moving, she pulled out her gun and opened fire on them.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several CP agents dropped dead.
"Go! Kill that lowly commoner!"
"MOVE!"
Weiss watched, unmoved. To him, whether he killed one or three made no difference anymore.
On the seas, maybe some pirates were wrongly accused—but killing a Celestial Dragon?
That was never a mistake.
"Are you ready to die?"
Without another word, Weiss swung his blade again.
Under their terrified gazes, a faint line of blood appeared on their necks—and the next moment, their bodies collapsed onto the slaves they had once tried to enslave.
With his killing intent withdrawn, Weiss turned to his crew.
"Theodore, call your brother. Liquidate all your family assets—go into hiding."
"Don't worry. Whatever you lose now, you'll get back eventually."
"Understood, Captain!" Theodore immediately called Slenka. He'd been prepared for Weiss to be labeled a wanted man—just not like this.
"Jack, get back to the Chris and check if the coating's finished. If it is, dive to the deep sea. Don't wait for me—I'll catch up."
"If it's not done, Kadun, take the ship into the sky using the clouds!"
"But Captain, what about you?" Kadun asked.
"I'm fine. Three Celestial Dragons are dead. An admiral fight is inevitable. The World Government won't just let this go."
Karina opened her mouth to protest, but Weiss cut her off:
"That's an order. Move!"