"Hahaha, I knew it. That kid was never the type to swallow his anger," Garp laughed when he saw Rosinante appear.
"Rosinante, you finally showed up. What, not hiding anymore? But even if you're here, so what? This is a decision made by more than one third of the Celestial Dragons. No one can defy it," Roswald said smugly as he looked at Rosinante.
In truth, once Roswald had gathered so many Celestial Dragons, he could have pressured Rosinante directly. So why wait until now?
It was precisely to humiliate Rosinante in front of everyone during the opening ceremony of the City of Nightless.
That was why, upon seeing Rosinante appear, Roswald was not worried at all. On the contrary, he felt delighted. He simply did not believe that with so many Celestial Dragons, CP0 agents, and the Navy's two strongest forces present, Rosinante could still stir up any waves.
"Your business can wait. I'll deal with a few things first before talking to you," Rosinante said, shaking a finger at Roswald.
Then Rosinante turned his gaze to one of the BloodSworn Guards nearby.
"You. Yes, you. They pointed a gun at you and fired shot after shot, and you still didn't fight back. What use do I have for someone like you? Starting today, you're stripped of your status as an BloodSworn Guard. Go back to the reserve unit and retrain," Rosinante said, pointing at the guard who had earlier blocked Roswald's gunfire.
"Yes. However, Your Majesty, I request to return to the reserve unit after this incident is over," the guard said. Not only did he not argue, he saluted and made his request.
"Approved," Rosinante replied.
With Rosinante's decision, instead of being shaken, the BloodSworn Guards' morale surged. One by one, a chilling aura radiated from their bodies.
"All right. I'm done handling my own matters. Now let's deal with yours," Rosinante said as he turned back toward Roswald.
While Rosinante was disciplining the BloodSworn Guard, Roswald had already begun to feel uneasy.
Originally, he believed that under the pressure of so many Celestial Dragons, even Rosinante would have no choice but to submit.
But after seeing Rosinante's actions, Roswald realized that submission was something that would never happen to Rosinante.
However, that was perfect.
Roswald sneered inwardly.
He actually hoped Rosinante would resist. That way, he could openly and legitimately join forces with the Navy to deal with Rosinante.
The reason Roswald had been able to gain the backing of a major figure among the Celestial Dragons was because, recently, Rosinante had been getting very close to the Five Elders.
Not only had the Five Elders personally stepped in to suppress dissent among the Celestial Dragons for Rosinante, they had even invested together with him.
Meanwhile, those major figures had already sent messages expressing their desire to recruit and invite Rosinante, yet they never received a response. That made them extremely displeased.
That displeasure, combined with the suspicion that Rosinante had been drawn to the Five Elders' side, was precisely why they supported Roswald in causing trouble for Rosinante and seizing the City of Nightless, to demonstrate their own power.
Of course, those big shots among the Celestial Dragons still held a certain appreciation for Rosinante and had not ordered Roswald to kill him.
But Roswald himself wanted nothing more than to tear Rosinante to pieces.
That was why he was eager for Rosinante to resist, so he could deal with him even more ruthlessly.
"What, are you trying to defy the Celestial Dragons' decision?" Roswald asked with a cold laugh.
"The Celestial Dragons' decision? How truly domineering. You huddle together and mutter a few words, and suddenly the City of Nightless that I spent over a trillion to build belongs to you? Who gave you the nerve to be this arrogant? Is it the two CP0 agents beside you? Or the so-called big figure behind you?" The faint smile on Rosinante's face vanished, replaced by an icy cold expression.
"Hey, how about we make a bet?" Rosinante said, staring at Roswald with a chilling smile. "Let's bet on whether, if I want to kill you, the two CP0 agents beside you and the Navy's two strongest forces over there can actually protect you."
"Heh heh heh, an ignorant brat who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth. Who do you think you are? Just because you defeated Golden Lion, you think you're something special? I've got two admiral-level CP0 experts here, plus the Navy's two strongest forces. Even if Whitebeard were here, he wouldn't be able to hurt us," Roswald sneered.
"Oh, really? I'm so scared," Rosinante said lightly.
He raised his hand, snapped his middle finger and thumb together.
Snap.
It was just a casual snap of the fingers.
Yet it caused the expressions of the two CP0 experts, Sengoku, and Garp to change simultaneously.
The CP0 agents instinctively felt waves of danger suddenly appear all around them.
"This is bad. This feeling… wormhole traps? How is that possible? They clearly weren't here just now," Garp's expression changed dramatically, shock filling his face.
"Wormhole traps? Appearing out of nowhere? Then we've been set up. Rosinante came prepared," Sengoku said, frowning as he scanned the surroundings.