The street, which had been bustling with people a second ago, was now eerily silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
Everyone was prostrate on the ground, their cheeks pressed tightly against the rough cobblestones, their bodies trembling uncontrollably from extreme fear. They dared not look up, dared not breathe loudly, fearing that the slightest movement would bring about their own demise.
After all, what appeared before them at this moment were the most noble Celestial Dragons in the entire world, enjoying all privileges. Anyone caught by the eye of a Celestial Dragon, regardless of gender, regardless of status, would become their servant, slave, or plaything!
Especially the Charloss family of three, who would visit Sabaody Archipelago every now and then, always returning with a full haul. Several young and beautiful women, having caught the eye of Saint Charloss, were forcibly abducted to the Holy Land and have not returned to this day.
Now that Saint Charloss had appeared on the street again, they were naturally terrified of him, especially the women with some looks, who were now prostrate, not daring to even breathe loudly.
In the restaurants and bars on both sides of the street, the atmosphere was equally oppressive.
Through the dusty glass windows, pirates from the Four Seas and the Grand Line watched the absurd scene outside with various complex expressions.
"Heh, compared to us pirates who live by the sword, these so-called 'World Nobles' are the biggest villains in this world."
In a corner of a restaurant, a Pirate Captain with a scarred face and a thick gold chain around his neck squeezed the wine glass in his hand, making a creaking sound. He bared his teeth, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, his eyes full of unconcealed disdain.
"If offending a Celestial Dragon didn't attract an Admiral, I'd really want to rush out right now and twist off the heads of those pigs to kick around like balls!"
"Captain! Keep your voice down!" A navigator, thin as a monkey, next to him, turned pale with fright and quickly reached out to cover his mouth. "You absolutely mustn't act rashly! The Marine has gathered one hundred thousand elites and the Three Admirals at Marineford for Ace's execution. This place is too close to headquarters; making trouble now will cost you your life!"
"I said 'really want to,' not 'going to'!" The Pirate Captain slapped away his subordinate's hand, took a fierce gulp of wine, but the fire in his eyes ultimately dimmed a little.
Meanwhile, in another relatively quiet restaurant, a well-dressed man, meticulously cutting a steak with a small knife, watched the scene outside with keen interest. He was a bounty hunter, completely uninterested in so-called justice or evil.
His companion across from him asked in a low voice, "Who do you think will be the unlucky one today?"
The bounty hunter didn't even raise his head, pointing his dining knife at a figure prostrate in the street corner, a cold sneer escaping his lips: "I bet one hundred thousand Berries on the one in the blue dress. Look at that figure, she's not fully developed yet, exactly Saint Charloss's type."
Just then, the Saint Charloss family, strolling down the street, suddenly stopped.
Saint Charloss's face, with two streams of snot hanging down, slowly turned towards the roadside. His gaze precisely landed on a young girl kneeling on the ground, trembling like a leaf in the wind.
"Hey."
Saint Charloss sniffed loudly, staggered over to the girl, and poked her forehead with the muzzle of his golden pistol.
"Lift your head, let me see."
The girl's body stiffened, yet she dared not disobey, trembling as she slowly raised her head. She revealed a delicate and terrified face, her bright, watery eyes filled with tears and despair.
"Oh! That's the taste!"
Saint Charloss's eyes instantly lit up. He excitedly sniffed his snot, saliva dripping from the corners of his mouth, falling onto the inner wall of his glass bubble helmet.
"Quick! Quickly tie this woman up and take her back to the Holy Land! I want her to be my eighth wife!"
At Saint Charloss's command, two black-suited bodyguards behind him immediately stepped forward, their thick arms mercilessly grabbing the woman's shoulders.
"No! Please! Let me go!"
The woman let out a piercing scream, desperately struggling and begging for mercy.
However, her cries not only failed to elicit sympathy but instead made the excitement on Saint Charloss's face even more twisted. He waved his pistol, urging, "Hurry up! I can't wait any longer!"
As the woman was about to be forcibly dragged away, anger flared in the eyes of the kneeling public around, yet no one dared to speak, let alone stand up.
In the crowd, a young man bit his lip tightly, letting the metallic taste of blood spread in his mouth. He clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms, but his legs, which should have been swung at the villain, felt as heavy as lead, unable to move.
That was his sister. He wanted to stand up and save her, but deep down he knew that whatever he did, it would not only be futile but would also incur the greater wrath of the Celestial Dragon!
In the restaurant, the Pirate Captain slammed his wine glass heavily on the table, wine splashing everywhere.
"Damn it! I really want to rush out and kill this accursed Celestial Dragon!"
"Captain, don't be impulsive! We are pirates, not heroes who uphold justice!"
Just at this moment of intertwined despair and anger, a completely unexpected turn of events occurred.
Saint Charloss, who had been arrogant and overbearing a second ago, his smile suddenly froze.
He and his father, Saint Rosward, next to him, looked as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight, their eyes wide and round, the color draining from their faces at a visible speed, leaving only a deathly pallor.
Only Saint Shalria, far from being afraid, had a sickly blush on her cheeks, and her eyes shimmered with an infatuated light, looking exactly like a lovesick woman.
"What's going on?" The Pirate Captain in the restaurant blinked in confusion. "What kind of reaction is that? A mouse seeing a cat, or seeing a demon?"
Before he could figure it out, a clear and steady sound of footsteps came from the other end of the street.
It sounded particularly out of place on this deathly silent street.
Following the sound, everyone was stunned.
On that street, filled with kneeling people, a group of individuals was walking directly towards the Celestial Dragons.
The man at the front was extraordinarily handsome, dressed in a well-tailored casual outfit that made him look like a young noble inspecting his territory. His arm was linked with a woman equally breathtakingly beautiful, and behind him followed a group of glamorous women dressed in various styles.
They ignored the prostrate public, and even more so, they ignored the three gods wearing glass bubbles, strolling as if in their own backyard garden.
The pirates in the restaurant all widened their eyes.
"Who is that guy?"
"Is he crazy? Not kneeling before a Celestial Dragon, and daring to walk past them?"
"Doesn't he know who is standing opposite him? This isn't how you seek death!"
Under the gazes of sympathy, astonishment, and schadenfreude, Ian stopped in front of the Saint Charloss family.
He wore a gentle smile, but the words he spoke froze the air on the street: "Charloss, you really can't change your ways, can you?"
Before the public and pirates, who heard Ian's 'blasphemous' words, could react, Ian suddenly turned his head to look at Gunko beside him, and spoke with words that would shock the dead: "Gunko, a slap to the face!"
"Give him a few slaps to teach him a lesson!"
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