Chapter 348: Chapter 349: The Vicious Celestial Dragons
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 12.
"I don’t want to be a slave! Get this thing off me! Who will help me get this damned thing off?!"
On the bustling commercial street, a tall, hedgehog-haired man frantically clawed at the collar around his neck, shouting madly. Seeing this, the people on the street recoiled, unwilling to approach him as if he carried something terrifying, and watched him nervously.
Click, click, click, click...
Suddenly, a series of ’click-click’ sounds emanated from the man’s neck collar, growing increasingly rapid.
"No, no, I don’t want to be a pirate anymore! No—!" Hearing the sound, the man shrieked in terror.
Click-click-click... BOOM!
Abruptly, a violent explosion erupted from the man’s neck, hot flames and thick black smoke engulfing his entire body.
Thud!
The man collapsed to the ground. When the smoke cleared, his upper body was riddled with shrapnel wounds, his neck and head a bloody mess, and he was no longer breathing.
"Another runaway slave."
"This seems to be the fourth one in a short time."
"There have been several just in our area, and plenty in other places too!"
"What a tragedy! Being caught by those people is worse than death."
Seeing the dead pirate, everyone on the street looked on with regret, murmuring amongst themselves.
"Slaves, huh..." Amidst the crowd, Aeridar, carrying an ice bucket containing two bottles of red wine, thoughtfully observed the corpse in the middle of the street.
Tap, tap, tap... tap, tap, tap...
At that moment, clear footsteps approached. People on the street saw the figures gradually becoming clearer in the distance, and their faces changed drastically. They immediately fell silent, wordlessly kneeling down.
"Those are..." Aeridar’s eyebrows arched as he watched the approaching figures and the kneeling crowd.
The figures drew closer, about a dozen people. Leading them were two individuals wearing bubble helmets, a man and a woman. The man was around forty, with dull yellow hair, wearing opulent white and gold-trimmed attire, holding a black chain in his hand. The other end of the chain was shackled to a stout, bald giant, five or six meters tall, walking behind him. The woman was young and beautiful, around twenty, dressed in white and silver-trimmed clothes, with a purple veil covering her face and teardrop-shaped amethyst earrings.
These two were none other than the World Nobles, the legendary descendants of the creators, the Celestial Dragons!
Behind the two Celestial Dragons were nearly ten knights, clad in full armor, wielding lances and greatswords, looking imposing.
"Quickly, kneel! Those are Celestial Dragons!" A woman kneeling next to Aeridar kindly reminded him.
"What a kind lady. You’re truly beautiful," Aeridar said, pulling at the corner of his mouth and smiling faintly at the woman who had warned him.
Seeing Aeridar’s smile, a blush crept onto the woman’s pretty face, and she shyly lowered her head.
"Hmph, merely a filthy pirate, an inferior human, trying to escape."
The female Celestial Dragon arrogantly walked up to the deceased slave pirate, her smooth neck held high. She kicked the corpse several times, then ordered the knights behind her, "Someone, take this trash and chop it up to feed the dogs."
"Yes, Raynera-gu!" The knights immediately bowed their heads in response, and then two knights stepped forward, each grabbing an arm, and dragged the body away.
"Alright, if it’s broken, it’s broken. We’ll just buy a few more slaves. I heard there are Fish-Men today. The last Fish-Man is almost worn out, so it’s a good time for a new one," the male Celestial Dragon said dismissively, waving his hand with a languid air.
The female Celestial Dragon, addressed as Raynera-gu, pouted and scoffed, "Father, what’s so fun about ugly, inferior Fish-Men? Longarm Tribe members are more entertaining than them."
"That is... hmm?" Just as the male Celestial Dragon was about to speak, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of someone standing among the crowd. He turned his head to look.
Indeed, a young man stood out conspicuously in the crowd.
Seeing her father’s reaction, the female Celestial Dragon also looked over curiously.
"Nani?! Why?! A mere inferior human dares to stand in front of us?!" The male Celestial Dragon’s eye twitched, and he gritted his teeth.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Damn it, inferior human." The female Celestial Dragon immediately pulled out a pistol and fired three shots.
The young man in the crowd narrowed his eyes and instantly vanished from his spot. The next moment, he reappeared in the middle of the street.
"Well~ what awful personalities you Celestial Dragons have. Oh, no, I should say, Raynera-gu," Aeridar said, crossing his arms, stroking his chin, and looking at her playfully.
"Nani?! He dodged?!" Raynera gasped, surprised by Aeridar’s sudden appearance in the middle of the street.
Similarly, seeing his daughter’s shots had no effect, the male Celestial Dragon erupted in fury: "...He dared to dodge?! Break his limbs and bring him back for the ultimate fasting punishment!"
"Yes, Eanriel-sei!" The knights shouted in response, then brandished their weapons and charged.
"My, my~ what troublesome folk." Aeridar scratched his head, finding them annoying.
If a Celestial Dragon is offended, the Marine Headquarters Admirals are obligated to deploy all their forces to protect them. With the World Government and Marine Headquarters backing them, Celestial Dragons are always vicious, tyrannical, and arrogant, yet they cannot be touched.
While Aeridar wasn’t afraid of an Admiral, if he harmed a Celestial Dragon, the World Government and the Marines would likely revoke his Seven Warlords of the Sea title. That would be a considerable loss.
"In that case, let’s do this." Aeridar pondered for a moment, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips, then narrowed his eyes. Instantly, an invisible, astounding aura erupted, a tangible presence that intimidated all around. The people on the entire street seemed to fall into a black-and-white world.
The next moment.
Thump, thump, thump...
Including the Celestial Dragons and their guard knights, along with the civilians, everyone on the street collapsed, eyes rolled back, completely unconscious. However, one person on the street remained conscious, the only one.
"Oh? Someone didn’t faint. Looks like you’re quite strong," Aeridar said, surprised, looking at the person in front of him.
"Gulp." The burly, bald giant standing behind the Celestial Dragons swallowed, saying in terror, "W-Warlord of the Sea, Golden Ring Aeridar! W-What kind of sorcery is this?"
"You recognize me, and you even blocked my Haki. In that case, I’ll give you a gift." Aeridar walked step by step towards the bald giant, tilting his head back to look at him. "You’re too tall. Lower your head."
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