Chapter 482: A Strange Celestial Dragon
Neptune stared blankly at the Celestial Dragon. Deep in his mind, it was as if he had been struck by lightning, and a long-sealed memory began to awaken.
That face, though slightly weathered, remained resolute, making him unable to stop himself from exclaiming in a low voice:
"Could... could you be—!"
Saint Mjosgard simply smiled faintly, raising a hand to signal him not to say more.
That smile was unlike the arrogance and superiority of other Celestial Dragons; instead, it carried a trace of peace, and even a human-like gentleness.
"This is not the place to talk," he said softly, his tone laced with caution. "Let us change locations."
Saint Mjosgard personally led Neptune, Shirahoshi, Garp, Ace, and Luffy's group through the pristine, towering stone steps of the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
The stone bricks reflected a cold light under the sun, and the air was filled with a chilling sense of cleanliness.
Along the way, passing Celestial Dragons cast sidelong glances.
When those Celestial Dragons, wearing white robes and bubble helmets, looked at them, their expressions were as if they were staring at filth:
"Are those... Fish-Men?!"
"Saint Mjosgard actually brought them in? Is he crazy?"
"How filthy... I feel like the air of Mary Geoise has been polluted!"
The grating discussions slithered into their ears like snake tongues, dripping with venom and arrogance.
Shirahoshi instinctively lowered her head, her fingers tightly clutching the hem of her dress.
Luffy furrowed his brows, his fists subtly clenching.
But Saint Mjosgard remained calm. His pace never faltered, as if he had long grown accustomed to such stares.
Soon, the group arrived at Saint Mjosgard's residence.
It was a classic and solemn palace. There were no ostentatious carvings, nor the extravagant scenery decorated by slaves.
Hanging on the walls were not murals of conquest and glory, but several oil paintings depicting the ocean, sunlight, and coral—the colors warm and tranquil.
"Please, sit." Saint Mjosgard's tone was peaceful as he personally ordered someone to serve hot tea.
Shirahoshi still appeared constrained, but Neptune took a deep breath and spoke with sincere emotion:
"Saint Mjosgard, it has been ten years... have you been well?"
Hearing this, Saint Mjosgard sighed softly, a flash of nostalgia passing through his eyes.
"Back then, if it wasn't for Queen Otohime and you all, I'm afraid I would have died long ago in the angry tides of Fish-Man Island."
He tilted his head back slightly, his gaze passing through the sunlight outside the window, as if looking back at that unforgettable past.
"After being saved and brought back by you, I listened to Queen Otohime's teachings. Only then did I understand for the first time—the so-called glory of the 'Celestial Dragons' was nothing more than arrogance masquerading under the name of Gods."
He paused for a moment, revealing a bitter smile: "From then on, I made a silent resolve—that one day, I would repay the kindness of Fish-Man Island."
Garp uncharacteristically didn't make any jokes. He simply lowered his head and took a sip of tea, his expression surprisingly serious:
"You know, doing this makes you a blatant heretic among the Celestial Dragons."
Saint Mjosgard waved his hand, his expression indifferent.
"It matters not. I have long grown used to those stares."
"Ever since Queen Otohime awakened me, I began researching many things—about humans, about slaves, about 'equality'."
He paused, his tone growing deeper: "Sometimes, I feel that my past self, sitting high above everyone else, was more disgusting than any pirate or sinner."
For a moment, only the swirling aroma of tea remained in the room; everyone fell silent.
Luffy looked up at him, asking with half-understanding: "That Otohime you mentioned, she was a good person, right?"
Saint Mjosgard froze for a moment, then smiled faintly: "Yes, she was a woman for whom even the sunlight would bow."
He turned to look out the window, where the deep blue sky met the distant sea clouds, light and shadow intertwining.
"Sometimes, when I look at that sea, I think—perhaps Queen Otohime hasn't truly died."
"Her will is still flowing."
The group then chatted casually for a while, the atmosphere gradually transitioning from tense to peaceful.
Shirahoshi finally revealed a slight smile. Ace leaned back on the sofa, listening to Garp and Saint Mjosgard talk about the past, occasionally chiming in with a sentence or two.
Luffy, meanwhile, had long since leaned against the wall and started dozing off, snoring softly, looking as carefree as ever.
Saint Mjosgard saw them off with the etiquette of a proper host.
"May your journey be safe," he said softly. His gaze lingered briefly on Shirahoshi and Neptune, as if entrusting them with a silent promise.
Night slowly fell. One by one, glazed lamps were lit high up in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, their radiance reflecting against the clouds.
That previously arrogant and freezing sky was now softened by the glow of the lights.
Garp led Neptune, Shirahoshi, Ace, and the rest of the group back to the Ryugu Kingdom's temporary residence.
The lighting inside the room was dim and yellow. The wind outside the window brushed past carrying a chill. Shirahoshi, her heart still unsettled, asked softly:
"Father... do people like Saint Mjosgard truly still exist among the Celestial Dragons?"
Neptune didn't answer immediately. He just let out a long sigh, a sigh mixed with emotion and heavy hope.
"Perhaps."
He spoke slowly, "Just as Otohime used to say—there is light in everyone's heart, it's just that some... have their eyes blinded by power."
Ace leaned by the window, his gaze falling upon the illuminated Holy Land, the flickering light and shadows reflecting in his fiery red pupils.
He suddenly turned to look at Garp: "Old man, so there actually are normal guys among the Celestial Dragons?"
Garp remained silent for a few seconds, not breaking into his usual wide grin.
He leaned back in his chair, hands crossed over his lap, his gaze seemingly looking past the roof in front of him, staring into a much more distant era.
"Yeah—" he said in a low voice, his tone much flatter than usual. "Just like among the pirates back in the day, there were also some incredible guys."
"They didn't set sail for plunder, nor did they sail for fame."
"But rather, they were men who lived carrying a 'will'."
Speaking up to here, his expression suddenly softened a fraction. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if recalling some heavy memory.
"...Just like that guy."
Ace froze, seemingly realizing something. His lips parted slightly, but ultimately, he didn't ask the question out loud.
The room briefly fell into silence, leaving only the low hum of the wind outside the window brushing past the lights.
That night, the lights of Mary Geoise flickered in the wind, and for the first time—it didn't seem so cold.
At the same time, countless nautical miles away from the Holy Land—
Night rain shrouded a deserted island.
The wind whipped up tsunamis, waves crashing against the cliffs. Lightning tore through the dark clouds, illuminating heaven and earth into a ghastly white for a split second.
Atop the cliff, a lone figure stood amidst the storm, yet bizarrely, the rainwater could not get near him.
Roy gazed quietly ahead, his expression calm and profound.
Suddenly, a low laugh echoed from deep within the jungle behind him.
"Zehahaha... This is truly a surprise, Roy."
Accompanied by the laughter, Teach slowly stepped out from the shadows. His cape billowed in the wind, and his face full of smiles hid an obvious wariness.
"Hey, hey, hey, you're not planning on offing me in a godforsaken place like this, are you?"
Roy raised a hand, his tone calm: "Relax, I don't have that intention yet."
Teach's laughter paused, the smile freezing on his face.
Roy took a step forward. His footstep was soft, yet it made the air instantly tense up.
"I just came to tell you some things—"
"Things that you thought you knew, but turned out to be completely wrong."
The wind howled, and the sea roared.
An unknown destiny was thus quietly foreshadowed.
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