Even though Enel had already been killed by Whiteflame, Enies Lobby had been wiped off the map by him, and Crocodile had also died at his hands… none of that had affected Luffy's journey.
The only difference was—
Without Nico Robin and Nami, what kind of new crewmates would Luffy and his gang end up recruiting?
"Ace has already been defeated by Blackbeard. By now, he should've been handed over to the Navy in exchange for a Warlord position," Whiteflame thought.
"It won't be long before the Marines announce Ace's capture to the world… and launch the Paramount War against Whitebeard right on schedule."
His eyes gleamed.
The time left to him… wasn't much.
Before the war at Marineford began, he had to wage a battle of his own.
And this war would be enough to skyrocket his power to a completely different level.
By the time he stepped onto the battlefield at Marineford, he wouldn't just be some pirate with a 1.5 billion bounty—
He'd be the man about to rule the world.
"In that case… looks like I'll have to use that method."
These past few days hadn't been fruitless.
At the very least, Whiteflame had remembered something crucial—
How did Luffy get into Impel Down in the first place?
Right.
The key person who helped Luffy infiltrate the prison was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea:
The Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock.
"As long as I get her to make the request to the Marines, then place an IBM on the ship, I can slip into Level 6 of Impel Down with zero effort."
It was the perfect plan, and one that had already been proven in the "original story."
But there was one problem—and it was a big one.
How was he supposed to convince Boa Hancock to agree?
"No matter if it's through force or some other means… as long as I make her yield, it's fine."
Whiteflame's eyes gleamed as he picked up a mug of beer and drained it in one go.
Clink.
He flicked a golden coin onto the counter and left the tavern.
The moment he stepped outside, he spotted several arrogant Supernovas.
"Red Flag" X Drake.
"Gluttonous Woman" Jewelry Bonney.
"Sea Roar" Scratchmen Apoo.
Right now, they were all watching two pirates facing off in the street.
Both of them had bounties in the tens of millions, glaring at each other with clear bad blood between them. The atmosphere suggested things were about to explode.
But Whiteflame couldn't care less.
Those "small-time pirates" with a few dozen million Berries on their heads, or even so-called Supernovas—none of them were even qualified to become his feed.
"If this place weren't so boring, I wouldn't waste my time watching two nobodies brawl like this."
Bonney said around a mouthful of pizza, sounding annoyed.
"Someone just kill them both already. Taking this long to fight is disappointing," Apoo yawned.
"Watching a bloody duel during lunch… not a bad meal," said Capone "Gang" Bege from the second floor of a nearby restaurant, cutting his steak while glancing at the street.
X Drake remained silent, choosing to simply walk past without even slowing down.
Just then—
"The Celestial Dragons are here!!"
"Get on your knees! It's the Celestial Dragons!"
"Those World Nobles came here to have fun again? Who's gonna be unlucky this time?"
As soon as someone shouted "Celestial Dragons" from within the crowd, everyone's faces instantly changed.
Hearing that, the gathered Supernovas all frowned.
"Celestial Dragons?"
When Whiteflame heard those three words, his eyes flashed with disgust at first.
Then, suddenly, they brightened.
"The Empress… and the Celestial Dragons…"
"Now I know how to convince her."
"Celestial Dragons… you've just done me a big favor."
He stopped walking and turned his head, his sharp gaze falling upon a Celestial Dragon slowly approaching from the end of the street.
People on both sides of the road dropped to their knees.
They trembled, afraid to even raise their heads.
A brawny man, shackled head to toe, crawled on all fours like a beast. His body was covered in wounds, yet without a word from the Celestial Dragon, he didn't dare stop.
If he slowed down or collapsed, he knew he'd be beaten bloody on the spot.
On his back sat a grotesque man, pig-like in both face and body, licking an ice cream cone. A transparent spherical helmet covered his head, and his special "World Noble" outfit made his status unmistakable.
"So it really is him…"
Whiteflame recognized him at a glance.
This Celestial Dragon was the same one Luffy had smashed across the auction hall in the original story.
Following behind him, aside from a black-suited attendant devoted to serving the noble, there was a line of chained dancing girls. Each one walked with her head bowed, shivering, not daring to look at anyone.
"Click. Celestial Dragons really are disgusting trash," Bonney said, jamming another slice of pizza into her mouth, face full of irritation.
"I'd only heard stories about how vile they were… seeing them in person is enough to make a man lose his appetite," Bege said coolly, putting down his knife and fork and wiping his mouth with a napkin.
"Heh… so these are the Celestial Dragons? First time seeing them. They're exactly like the rumors," Apoo chuckled from the upper floor, peering down with interest.
Celestial Dragons were the kind of beings you usually only read about.
Seeing one in reality was rarer than winning a massive lottery.
Not that anyone wanted to see them.
Their infamy had spread across the entire world. Everyone knew how disgusting they were.
But because they were "World Nobles," backed by the Marines, able to summon an Admiral with a single call… no one dared touch them.
"Coming here once in a while really is delightful."
"I wonder what the auction house is offering today. Father just gave me my allowance—I'll need some new toys to take home and play with!"
The Celestial Dragon—Saint Charlos—mused aloud.
"Saint Charlos, I've heard the auction house caught a big-name pirate today. Supposedly the captain of a pirate crew. If you buy him, he should keep you entertained for some time," the black-suited attendant said obsequiously.
"Boring."
Charlos' lip curled.
"I'm not buying pirates anymore. The last one I bought… killed himself before I even had fun for a full day. So dull."
"This time, I want a maid. With a good body. Also—when we go back, make sure to send Nos. 1 through 5 back to the slums. I'm tired of them. Let them be common trash again."
"Yes, Saint Charlos," the man replied with a fawning smile.
Just then, the big man acting as Charlos' mount staggered, his strength failing.
Charlos immediately slammed his foot into the man's head.
"Trash! You're crawling too slow—and wobbling? I'm not comfortable at all!"
"Move faster! Or I'll throw you into the fighting pits!"
At the mention of the "fighting pits," the man trembled violently and hurriedly quickened his pace.
At that moment, Charlos looked up—and saw a white-masked figure standing motionless at the end of the street, directly in his path.
"Hey! You insolent mongrel!"
"You dare stand before me without kneeling?!"
"Are you begging for death?!"
Charlos whipped out his pistol and fired at the figure blocking his way.
The More It Hurts, the More It's Worth
The bullet hit the masked figure and passed straight through his body.
"What's that idiot doing? Standing in the way of a Celestial Dragon… is he crazy?"
Bonney frowned.
"A madman with a death wish," X Drake muttered, glancing at the white-masked figure.
The mask didn't cover the whole face; the lower half of the mouth was visible.
X Drake felt like it was familiar, like he'd seen that chin and mouth somewhere before… but he couldn't quite place it.
"Heh… now this is interesting," Apoo snickered. "Celestial Dragon passing by and he doesn't dodge? This guy's got a death wish—and I'm here for it."
"To stand right in the middle of the street while they're coming through… does he have no sense of self-preservation at all?"
Bege's subordinates all looked horrified.
When a Celestial Dragon passed by, you had two choices:
Dodge—or kneel.
There was no third option.
If they noticed you standing around, they'd kill you on the spot.
And now this masked man wasn't just refusing to kneel—he wasn't even dodging bullets.
Besides a desire to die… what else could explain that?
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