"I heard... you are Rowan's disciple?"
The indifferent voice of the Celestial Dragon fell into the ears of the impostors like a crack of thunder, making their already trembling bodies convulse with even greater terror.
"Yes... yes... we... we are the disciples Rowan just took..." The bloated man, prostrated on the ground and not daring to lift his head, spoke with a wavering voice. Because he was shaking so violently, the word "Justice" on the back of his Marine uniform was almost blurred out of recognition.
Hearing this, the Celestial Dragon seemed to recall something pleasant and couldn't help but chuckle. "Tsk, tsk. To think I'd run into the disciples of the Marine Godfather, Rowan, here. When I return to Mary Geoise, I'll have something quite impressive to brag about to the others."
Brag? Brag about what?
The group impersonating Rowan's students didn't dare speak, nor did they dare speculate. But the very next second, the Celestial Dragon's words made them feel as if they had been plunged into an ice cellar.
"Men! Arrest them all and bring them back to be my slaves!"
As he spoke, the Celestial Dragon's expression was filled with delight, and he even began muttering to himself: "Haha, Rowan's disciples... that would make them the juniors of Sengoku and Garp. To have their fellow student as my slave—the other families will be dying of envy! Hahaha!"
As the Celestial Dragon spoke to himself, several men in black suits stepped out from behind him. They carried collars identical to the one worn by the slave beneath the noble and began walking toward the prostrate men.
"Sla... Slaves?!"
The Celestial Dragon's words exploded through the tavern like a depth charge. Disbelief was written across everyone's faces. The impostors, in particular, couldn't believe what they were hearing.
Upon "confirming" they were Rowan's students, this man's first thought was to drag them back as slaves?! What on earth was going on in his head? Did he not know Rowan's standing in the Navy?! That was a legendary Marine! Was the Navy not an organization under the World Government?!
Why—why could this man say something like that? Or was it... was it because of Rowan's status that he wanted to seize them?
That's Rowan, for heaven's sake! That's the mentor of Marine Hero Garp and Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Even if you are a World Noble, can you really act with such total disregard for the consequences?!
The Celestial Dragon's decree sent the souls of the impostors flying; their hearts were filled with utter despair. They never imagined that a simple scam to get free food using Rowan's name would lead to this.
As the sound of the chains drew closer, the bloated leader reached a breaking point. Better to take a gamble and try to escape than to be a Celestial Dragon's slave for a dark lifetime. With that thought, he lunged up from the floor. His massive frame slammed into the suit-clad man approaching him, knocking him flying. He then whipped a pistol from his coat and fired several shots at the other guards.
BANG! BANG!
He didn't dare fire at the Celestial Dragon. He knew that attacking a World Noble would summon a Marine Admiral, and having roamed the seas for years, he understood the sheer terror of an Admiral.
Having broken the initial perimeter, a spark of hope appeared in the fat man's eyes. Sabaody was huge. If he could just hide, even the Celestial Dragon would have trouble finding him. He swore to himself he would never do something this stupid again. He hadn't expected the name of Rowan to attract a Celestial Dragon, nor that the noble would be so reckless as to want a "Marine disciple" as a trophy.
However...
BOOM!
A deafening gunshot rang out.
The fat man's escaping footsteps suddenly slowed. He felt his breathing become increasingly difficult. Sensing something was wrong, he looked down at his chest. A fist-sized hole of mangled flesh was exposed to the air.
He turned back with great effort to see the Celestial Dragon, still mounted on his slave, holding a specialized golden flintlock pistol. The noble looked at him with utter disdain, muttering:
"To have you as my slave was a sign of my favor. To dare refuse me like that... what a lowly creature you are."
After saying this, he gave a glance to a black-suited guard. The guard caught the signal and trotted over to the dying pirate. He plucked the Marine cap off the man's head, examined it closely, and then reported: "Reporting to Vaskeriel-sei, this man is the pirate 'Tongue-Lasher' Demaro Black, with a bounty of 23 million Berries."
"A pirate?" The Celestial Dragon knit his brows, turning his gaze toward the others who were already being shackled. "You are not Rowan's disciples?"
The remaining men shook their heads like rattles, trembling: "We... we're fakes. Our real identities are just pirates..." At this point, they didn't dare hide a single detail.
"How detestable. To deceive me into coming here by using Rowan's name!" A flash of rage crossed Vaskeriel-sei's face. "Chop these wretches into pieces and feed them to the dogs!"
He was furious. He, a World Noble, had been tricked by a 26-million-Berry pirate into making a trip for nothing. In the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, such trash didn't even deserve to be in their sight. The man he was currently riding, after all, had once been a New World captain with a bounty of 200 million.
As the Celestial Dragon's angry words echoed, the other customers prostrate on the floor were stunned—especially the security guards and Cavendish. So those guys were just faking? To think we actually believed them.
Watching the impostors being dragged away by the guards, Vaskeriel-sei looked back at the tavern sign. "Fine. Since I'm already here, I'll have some food before I leave."
Hearing this, the manager, Gang-zi, who was still kneeling, crawled forward. He touched his forehead to the floor and shouted loudly:
"Gang-zi of 'The Raging Bull' tavern welcomes the great Vaskeriel-sei!"
"Hmph." Vaskeriel-sei didn't even look at him, merely letting out a curt sound of acknowledgment.
Seeing this, Gang-zi—who had dealt with nobles before—slowly rose and stepped aside, making a "please" gesture while keeping his back hunched in extreme respect. "Lord Vaskeriel-sei, our finest Heaven-tier private room is prepared. Please follow me."
Led by the manager, Vaskeriel-sei rode his slave—the former New World terror—slowly toward the private rooms. However, as the Celestial Dragon entered the main hall, his brow suddenly furrowed, and he yanked back the chains to halt his slave.
His gaze fixed on a corner of the tavern, and his face began to cloud with anger.
"Lord Vaskeriel-sei, is something..." The manager was confused as to why the noble had stopped. But when he followed the Celestial Dragon's gaze, his face instantly turned pale.
Vaskeriel-sei was staring directly at the table where Old Man Rowan and Dark King Rayleigh were sitting!
At that moment, not a single person at that table was kneeling. In fact, Old Man Rowan and Luffy were still fighting over food, devouring it greedily. In the otherwise silent tavern, the sounds of their eating were incredibly loud and jarring.
It was as if they hadn't noticed the arrival of the World Noble at all.