Gunko stepped forward, and in Saint Charloss's dazed gaze, skillfully removed the bubble helmet from Saint Charloss's head, casually tossing it to the ground.
"Smack!"
A crisp, loud slap echoed for the first time on this street, accustomed only to prostration.
Saint Charloss's corpulent body staggered from the blow, completely stunned.
"Smack!"
The second sound.
His head was slapped to the other side, his snot-streaked cheek visibly swelling and turning red.
"Smack! Smack! Smack!"
Gunko was expressionless, her arm a blur of motion, a flurry of slaps like a storm raining down on that greasy face.
The surrounding prostrate commoners felt their hearts nearly leap out of their throats.
They buried their faces in their arms, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, their teeth chattering uncontrollably, making soft clicking sounds.
Fear, like icy seawater, drowned their mouths and noses, making them unable to breathe, not daring to make any sound.
A little girl, her mouth covered by her mother, stared with wide, terrified eyes, tears silently streaming down.
In the coffee shop at the end of the street.
"Click! Click!"
Several reporters from the World Economic News Agency were frantically capturing this shocking scene with the latest cameras.
"Oh my god! A headline! This is a super headline that could blow up the world!"
A young reporter was trembling with excitement, his voice changing pitch.
"Celestial Dragons slapped in the street! The mysterious woman's astonishing act!"
He had already decided on tomorrow's newspaper headline.
"Quick! Record it! Don't miss a single detail!"
Another senior reporter's eyes gleamed, as if he saw mountains of bonuses.
"Mr. Morgans will go crazy for this news! Our bonuses are going to double!"
Meanwhile, in the restaurant across the street, the pirates who had just been clamoring to twist off a Celestial Dragon's head were now collectively petrified.
A pirate's wine glass fell to the ground with a "clatter," the sound of shattering glass particularly jarring in the dead silence.
Another pirate rubbed his eyes hard, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.
"I… I didn't see wrong, did I? That… that's hitting a Celestial Dragon?"
"Has this world gone mad?!"
"Who is that noble young man? Is he tired of living? So brave!"
Just as everyone was completely stunned by this sudden scene, Saint Charloss, who had been knocked to the ground by the last slap, scrambled to his feet.
He was not enraged, nor did he pull out his golden pistol, but instead, clutching his highly swollen pig-like face, he scurried over to Ian, his tone full of grievance and exasperation.
"Saint Ian! How could you hit me outside!"
"If you're going to hit me, wait until we get back to Mary Geoise! I am Saint Charloss! I am a Celestial Dragon!"
As he spoke, he tried to straighten his back to regain some of a Celestial Dragon's dignity.
Ian was too lazy to even speak, merely sweeping a glance at him.
His gaze was cold, indifferent, as if looking at an ant.
Saint Charloss's body, which was about to stand straight, instantly stiffened and then hunched down again, trembling.
He looked left and right at the commoners prostrate on the ground, then spoke with a mournful, pitiful face: "Saint Ian, can you give me some face?"
"It's a small matter that I got beaten, but for these lowly ants to see me being hit, and for the status and image of the Celestial Dragons to be affected, that's a big deal!"
Ian adjusted his sleeve and said indifferently, "You also know it will affect the image and status of the Celestial Dragons?"
"Get back to Mary Geoise immediately."
"If This Young Master sees you lowering the standard of the World Nobles outside again, This Young Master will certainly let you know what true cruelty is!"
Saint Charloss shrunk his neck, his peripheral vision catching sight of the young woman being carried by a bodyguard nearby, a flicker of unwillingness in his eyes.
He obsequiously rubbed his hands, testing the waters: "Then… that woman, can I take her back to Mary Geoise?"
Ian was too lazy to waste any more words with him, raising his foot and kicking out.
Saint Charloss's corpulent body was kicked away like a ball, rolling several times on the ground before stopping.
Ian did not look at Saint Charloss, his gaze falling on the CP0 bodyguard who was carrying the young woman and was already terrified speechless.
"What?"
Ian's voice turned cold, "The citizens of Sabaody don't recognize This Young Master, but even you CP0 bodyguards don't recognize him?"
"All of you, kneel for This Young Master!"
At these words, the bodyguards and attendants, who had been completely bewildered by their master being beaten, snapped out of their daze.
"Whoosh—"
Without the slightest hesitation, several black-clad bodyguards and all the attendants of Saint Charloss's family uniformly knelt down.
They bowed their heads, their voices trembling violently from fear, and spoke in unison, quivering: "Greetings, Lord Saint Ian!"
The three words "Saint Ian," as if possessing magic, instantly ignited the entire scene!
The pirate Captain in the restaurant directly spat out a mouthful of wine, exclaiming in a choked voice: "Saint Ian? He… he's also a Celestial Dragon?!"
In the coffee shop, the faces of the reporters, who had just been so excited, instantly drained of color.
"Damn it! Quick! Quickly delete all the photos we just took! Not a single one can be left!"
The senior reporter frantically pounced on his colleague, snatching the camera.
"Why delete them?"
The young reporter looked bewildered and utterly confused, "This is even more explosive news! The most powerful crown prince of Mary Geoise teaching Saint Charloss a lesson in the street and rescuing an innocent girl! If this news gets out, we…"
"Do you want a bonus or your life?!"
The senior reporter was practically roaring, "He is Neirona Ian Saint, the most powerful crown prince of Mary Geoise! If the news of him beating a Celestial Dragon gets out, how many people in your family would be enough to kill?!"
"Not just you! All of us will be silenced! Delete them now!!"
On the street, the young woman who had been set down from the bodyguard's shoulder stood in a daze.
She had also heard the name "Saint Ian," but her mind was completely unable to process it, she just stood there foolishly, her small hands nervously not knowing where to rest.
Ian slowly walked up to her, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe.
"Indeed, she's a beauty in the making, but she hasn't fully blossomed yet."
"You may leave."
"From the moment you were saved by This Young Master, no one in this world will dare to bully you again."
With that, Ian did not linger, stepping past her.
The young woman looked up, overwhelmed by the unexpected favor.
Although she didn't know what the name "Saint Ian" truly meant, she only knew that this man's appearance had changed her tragic fate of being abducted by a Celestial Dragon.
Should she leave immediately, or kneel to express her gratitude?
Her mind was blank.
Finally, as Ian's figure was about to walk away, she still gathered her courage, turned around, and bowed deeply to that noble back.
—