Back in God Valley, Dotor Gick might have been just a small supporting piece on that high-level battlefield.
But in the eyes of ordinary people, he had always been a full-blown monster. A man who had mastered both Armament and Conqueror's Haki was easily on par with a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral.
During the Battle of God Valley, he had to avoid the top Marine brass and the Holy Knights, sure, but when it came to regular Celestial Dragons, every punch landed right where it hurt.
He had personally crushed more than a few with his own hands.
The World Government had never been something he feared.
Of course
He was old now. His strength had declined badly with age.
Fortunately, he had a good grandson.
Thanks to the effects of Pure Gold, his body had stopped deteriorating. With all kinds of rare treasures pushed into his hands to eat and drink, he was even showing signs of slowly growing younger again.
His dual Haki was basic now, but at least he could bring it out properly once more.
"A lowly commoner dares to attack a Celestial Dragon?!"
Saint Rosward drew a golden pistol and aimed it at Gick without hesitation, finger tightening on the trigger.
That scared the CP agents half to death. They rushed forward, ready to throw themselves in front of the gun.
Gick did not need their help.
"Out of my way, CP0. You are nothing but dogs for the Celestial Dragons. I am going to kill this lowborn scum."
He watched this walking stereotype of arrogance, and his mind flashed back to those days in God Valley.
The Celestial Dragons back then had the exact same faces.
They truly could not imagine anyone daring to lay a hand on them.
Now, Gick wanted to relive a bit of that youthful feeling.
"My name is Gick. Try and remember it."
With a hearty laugh, the little old man stepped on a CP agent's shoulder and shot up into the air.
His fist, wrapped in jet black Armament Haki, drew back.
He came crashing down from above, fists crashing into the stream of bullets, knocking them aside as he drove his punch straight toward Saint Rosward's head.
No one dared to move.
Those who were strong enough understood who he was.
Those who were weak were held back by the ones who knew better.
Everyone watched as that small frame sliced through the air like a gust of wind, fist slamming down.
Bang.
Squelch.
A single punch.
The glass helmet exploded into shards. Rosward's face caved in, eyes rolling white as he spat blood and collapsed to the ground.
"Ah…"
"…"
Silence crashed down over the plaza.
Even Shirahoshi, bound in chains, raised both hands in shock to cover her mouth.
"Grandpa…"
The girl's soft voice drew the old man's attention. He lifted his head to look at the enormous mermaid princess.
"So you are the mermaid princess. I hear that brat of mine is very fond of you.
Though you really are a bit big."
The old man still had his pride. Although that punch had taken quite a toll on him, he clasped his hands behind his back and acted completely at ease in front of little Shirahoshi.
His stubborn, straightened figure was quickly surrounded by CP agents.
That put him in a foul mood.
"What? You lot want to lay hands on an old man like me?"
"N no…"
The leading CP0 hesitated, but forced himself to speak.
"But a Celestial Dragon has been injured. We beg you to help us explain this to the Holy Land, or we truly will not survive the aftermath…"
Gick was just about to explode after hearing that
When a figure appeared at his side without anyone noticing.
Clang.
The flash of steel along the blade's edge was so bright it stung the eyes.
"Step back, if you do not wish to die here."
Gick turned his head. A man in a fine long coat stood there holding a black sword, hawk like eyes locked on the CP agents.
It was impossible to doubt a threat spoken with that gaze.
"One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Dracule Mihawk!!!"
They recognized him at once. Every CP agent's heart tightened as they remembered whose territory this was.
They turned and saw several figures standing together. Each one was a notorious pirate.
Crocodile, Donquixote Doflamingo, Enel…
Gulp.
Someone swallowed hard. A bead of cold sweat slid down from between his brows.
The atmosphere grew taut. Every guest nervously watched those fearsome Warlords of the Sea, afraid that open conflict would erupt at any moment.
After all, none of them had brought personal guards ashore. Most had little to no combat ability. If things really went bad, they would almost certainly die.
In the crowd, Vinsmoke Judge, tall and powerful, was not too nervous. He simply watched with his monster children, taking it all in.
"Monsters who can decide the fate of a nation with a single word."
He had never hidden his wariness toward the Warlords of the Sea. He knew the rumors well. More than one of them was eyeing a throne.
"Father, should we leave first?"
Reiju, the only one who retained her full emotions, was not like her arrogant, fearless brothers. She could instinctively sense that something was wrong.
Her pink eyes were full of caution and worry.
The next second, a large hand dropped gently onto her head.
"Do not worry. It is just a small scene."
The touch made her trained monster body react on instinct, ready to counterattack, but it did nothing at all.
The owner of that hand had already stepped past her and was walking straight toward the center of the plaza.
"That is…"
She stared blankly, reaching out before Judge caught her arm.
She turned to look and saw that the man she had always known as a war madman, a father who seemed eternally stern and imposing
Was shaking.
His pupils were violently trembling with fear.
The newcomer's appearance instantly released much of the tension in the air.
Every gaze focused on him.
Dotor Gick was the first to recover. He turned his head, saw him, and his face lit up with surprise as he spoke the first line.
"Brat. You are late."
"Sorry."
The man everyone had been hoping for had finally arrived.
Ozz.
"I had some things to deal with. Hopefully I did not miss the main event."
Dotor Gick walked out of the crowd, hands clasped behind his back, smiling broadly. Clearly, seeing Ozz had put him in an excellent mood.
"No, no. We have not even started the meal yet."
Grandfather and grandson chatted easily like they were at home, as if the rest of the world did not exist.
Only Mihawk and the others were enough to earn a moment of his attention.
"You are here."
The hawk eyed swordsman said coolly, as always.
Enel took a bite of his apple and gave a little nod, saying nothing at all.
Someone noticed that the thunderclouds above had silently begun to disperse.
Crocodile and Doflamingo let the sandstorm and wave of strings in their hands fade away, then walked up to Ozz with matching grins.
"Even without you showing up, we could have wrapped this up quickly."
"Fufufufufu… yes. An internal slaughter among CP would have been quite a show."
Gick was very pleased by their presence. He even patted Ozz's leg.
"Exactly. Hawk-chan and the others came very fast."
Once he had greeted them all, Ozz finally had time to look at the so called Celestial Dragon and his "dogs."
"So it was you who wanted an explanation from the old man just now?"
"N no…"
Facing Ozz, the CP agents could not even string a full sentence together.
"Good."
Ozz smiled.
He put his foot down on the unconscious Saint Rosward's head.
"This is the explanation."
Crunch.
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