Crates of gold and silver.
Exceptionally handsome young men.
These were the king's offerings to the Celestial Dragon.
It did not matter whether the treasure had been squeezed from the commoners.
It did not matter whether the "gifts" had been seized from the streets.
What mattered was that his tribute had earned the favor of a Celestial Dragon.
What could the people's anger amount to?
With a Celestial Dragon's backing, his rule would be unshakable.
Was there any deal more perfect than this?
The king could already imagine his descendants praising him as "the wisest sovereign" after he secured full membership as a World Government–affiliated nation.
He eagerly directed soldiers to load the gifts onto the Celestial Dragon's vessel. His gaze toward Saint Nalmari was full of flattery.
His gaze toward the Marines, however, was full of contempt.
Justice? Evil?
Empty words. More laughable than the love of commoners.
That was what the king believed—
Until he noticed the Marines suddenly freeze.
One by one, they lifted their heads and looked past him.
The king turned in confusion.
A massive man was walking toward him.
Broad-shouldered like double doors.
The white suit he wore—symbol of elegance—looked strained and grotesque against his bulging muscles, as if it might rip apart at any moment. Draped over his shoulders was the coat of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral .
On his back was a bundle several times larger than himself.
His face resembled a beast's.
Just meeting his eyes made the king's blood feel sluggish—like a rabbit staring at a lion.
Only when the towering man stood before him did the king notice another Marine walking behind him.
Also wearing the coat of a Vice Admiral .
Monkey D. Dragon.
"Vice Admiral Roldy !"
"Vice Admiral Dragon!"
The Marines maintaining order snapped to attention and saluted.
"Huh? Why's everyone gathered here? The Celestial Dragon arrived?"
Roldy tossed his oversized bundle to the ground. Several soldiers hurried over, struggling to carry the massive pile of purchased goods back to the warship.
"Yes, sir. The World Noble is over there."
Roldy turned in the indicated direction.
He saw her.
He blinked.
Then burst out laughing.
"Hey—what kind of… unique appearance is that? If you hadn't said anything, I'd have thought the Marine supply department lost a sow."
His voice wasn't exactly quiet.
The king heard every word.
Saint Nalmari, fortunately, did not.
Dragon's face changed instantly. He punched Roldy in the ribs.
"Lower your voice! If those trash hear you, it'll be trouble!"
"Hey! You're not exactly whispering either!"
Their conversation clearly reached the nearby Marines—and the king.
The soldiers immediately lowered their heads as if they had heard nothing.
The king's jaw nearly hit the ground.
Did he hear correctly?
Someone dared call a Celestial Dragon a pig? Trash?
Fear flooded his face.
At that moment, a CP0 agent who had noticed Roldy 's return approached.
"You are Roldy ? The World Noble has arrived. Why haven't you come to pay your respects?"
His tone dripped with arrogance.
Having followed a Celestial Dragon for so long, even a creature beneath a fox could wear a tiger's skin.
Roldy felt immediate irritation.
But remembering the importance of this mission, he restrained himself from swatting the man's head off.
"Got it."
The agent stood nearly two meters tall.
In front of Roldy 's six-meter frame—
He looked like a child.
Roldy restrained his words.
But not his actions.
He stepped forward—
And deliberately strode over the agent's head.
Dragon followed behind.
Only several seconds later did the agent process what had happened.
How dare he?
He represented the Celestial Dragon herself!
Shock gave way to venomous fury.
He hurried after them, eyes full of hatred—
Until Dragon turned back and shot him a cold glance.
The man froze.
He had risen through flattery, not strength.
One look was enough to silence him.
—
In moments, Roldy entered a ten-meter radius of Saint Nalmari.
The surrounding agents immediately moved to block him.
One of them was particularly short—barely over 1.7 meters tall—and stepped directly into Roldy 's path.
At that moment, Roldy was distracted.
He had been calculating, in all seriousness, how many tons the Celestial Dragon might weigh.
Thus—
His massive foot came down.
Directly onto the agent's head.
Roldy 's enormous body carried staggering weight.
There was no resistance.
The agent's skull collapsed into his torso.
His upper body compressed downward—
Crunch.
With a single heavy step—
He was flattened into paste.
Blood splattered across Roldy 's pristine white leather shoes.
"How dare you!"
The remaining agents shouted, their voices sharp but trembling.
"You dare harm a member of the World Government?!"
These men were all handsome, refined-looking individuals—favored attendants of the Celestial Dragon. Years of indulgent serRear had left them physically weakened.
Their comrade had just been crushed like an ant.
Fear surged—
Then twisted into hysterical anger.
"Huh?"
The shouting snapped Roldy back to reality.
He glanced at Dragon.
Dragon glanced back.
They had been thinking the same thing.
Roldy lowered his head.
His brand-new white shoes were stained with bright red blood.
His expression froze.
Vice Admiral Tsuru had given those to him for his birthday.
Custom-made by a renowned craftsman in the Sabaody Archipelago.
Pain.
Deep pain.
He looked genuinely heartbroken.
Then he noticed—
The flattened corpse.
"…Oh."
He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Sorry about that. I thought it was a speed bump."
"Don't look at me like you want to eat me."
"If there's a problem, take it up with my Fleet Admiral."
He looked up, eyes turning cold.
"Now—move."
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