Goa Kingdom, Grey Terminal.
The Pipe Trio were on their usual scavenging run.
Suddenly, a blast rolled across the sea, drawing their attention.
"Ace, that ship looks like Mr. Amon's! It looks like he's under attack!"
Luffy was the first to notice. His memory had always been sharp, and with one glance he recognized the vessel as Amon's merchant ship.
"Quick, let's get closer and see!"
Ace spoke, then pulled the three of them toward the shoreline to watch.
"It really does look like Mr. Amon. Look, he's on the deck. But the attackers seem to be a government ship."
"What is happening? Why would the government attack Mr. Amon's boat?"
Sabo grew anxious at a glance. He couldn't figure out how Amon had crossed the government.
"No, not the government. Celestial Dragons." Ace's eyes were better than theirs. He quickly recognized the attackers for what they were.
"Celestial Dragons! What do we do?" In the world of pirates, the Celestial Dragons were the unquestioned World Nobles. With the World Government at their backs, they did whatever they wanted.
Anyone who dared to provoke them would draw an admiral from Marine Headquarters.
So ordinary people never dared stir up the Celestial Dragons.
"So what if they're Celestial Dragons? If they dare attack Mr. Amon, I'll punch them into the sky!" Luffy, simple as ever, felt no fear at the name.
He flexed his fists, itching to rush in.
But before they could act, Amon, standing on his ship's deck, gave a casual sweep of his hand. A majestic blade of flying slash coalesced from thin air and shot forward at blinding speed. In an instant, the towering warship might as well have been paper. The slash tore it cleanly in two.
The trio, who'd been ready to charge, froze where they stood.
"Amazing!" Luffy's eyes sparkled. "What terrifying sword aura."
"So this is Mr. Amon's strength? It's incredible."
Ace stared at the sundered ship, muttering under his breath.
Before this, he had taken Amon for an ordinary man with no strength, because he'd felt no energy surging from him at all. Who would have thought that with a single, effortless motion he could rip open a warship that huge.
On the ship, Amon glanced at the result of his flying slash and nodded.
As expected, anything the system granted was top tier.
A casual swing and a Marine warship was split wide open.
After shattering the vessel, Amon bent his knees and leapt, landing on the warship's deck in a single bound.
The Celestial Dragon who saw Amon coming trembled so hard his legs nearly gave out. All his earlier arrogance evaporated.
"Y-you, you lowborn, what do you think you're doing? I-I am a noble Celestial Dragon."
He fumbled up a pistol, pointing it at Amon with shaking hands.
"Nothing much. I just can't stand your face and feel like beating you up."
Amon narrowed his eyes, rushed forward, and hoisted the World Noble up with one hand. His fist crashed into that hateful, piggish face.
Under Amon's knuckles, the Celestial Dragon's face quickly turned into a real pig's head.
"Release that lord!" Seeing Amon seize a Celestial Dragon, the Marines on deck immediately opened fire.
At the same time, the stronger Marine escorts who had accompanied the World Noble moved in as well.
Blades flashed and steel howled as their attacks converged on Amon.
"Noise." Amon's gaze turned cold. He lifted his hand again, and several more blades of sword aura swept out, blasting every Marine on the deck straight into the sea.
Onshore, the nobles of the Goa Kingdom who had come to receive the Celestial Dragon were all struck dumb by the sudden reversal.
The commoners of Grey Terminal never imagined anyone would dare lay hands on a Celestial Dragon.
"Who is that? He looks so strong. He split a warship with a single strike."
"He actually dared attack a Celestial Dragon. Isn't he afraid an admiral will come to punish him?"
"This is bad, use the Den Den Mushi and reach the nearest Marine detachment!"
"Good heavens, I'm going to lose years off my life!"
The standing of the Celestial Dragons was so high because anyone who crossed them would be dealt with personally by a Marine admiral. So when people saw Amon strike a World Noble, every last one of them was stunned.
Amon, however, thought little of it. After finishing up, he hopped back into his ship.
He hadn't gone for the kill, just beat the man thoroughly.
He believed Marine Headquarters wouldn't be foolish enough to provoke someone like him over a single Celestial Dragon.
...
Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
Sengoku was eating biscuits when a Marine rushed in.
"What is it?" Sengoku looked up.
"Report, Fleet Admiral. News from the East Blue. Lord Noxi's ship was conducting an inspection when it was destroyed by a mysterious individual. Reportedly, the man used a single flying slash to cleave the vessel in two. This is the video the Den Den Mushi recorded at the time."
The soldier delivered the information in a rush.
"A single stroke to split a warship? Since when did the East Blue produce someone like that? Could it be Mihawk? Word is he's traveling in the East Blue right now. Never mind, show me first."
Sengoku's curiosity was piqued.
As for a Celestial Dragon getting beaten, that could wait.
Soon, the video played in front of Sengoku.
"Hm. He used no weapon at all, yet produced a flying slash that powerful? Even Mihawk wouldn't create that effect barehanded."
When the video ended, Sengoku looked visibly surprised.
First, the soldier had called him a mysterious man, which meant he wasn't on any wanted list. Someone that strong, and they had no record. That alone was startling.
Second, Amon was far too young for that level of strength, which shocked Sengoku even more.
"Fetch Admiral Kizaru for me. And issue a bounty on this man, set it at 100,000,000 berries."
After a moment's thought, Sengoku settled on one hundred million for Amon.
Assaulting a Celestial Dragon, a nine-figure bounty would be enough to shut up the World Nobles in Mary Geoise.
"Oh, and connect me to Garp's Den Den Mushi."
Thinking it over, Sengoku decided to ask Garp first. After all, Garp should be in the East Blue right now.
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