Chapter 12: Celestial Dragons
"..."
Sakazuki halted mid-step, staring silently toward the distant street where a plume of smoke had suddenly risen—it confirmed what he'd just witnessed wasn't a hallucination.
Zoro, the boy who had only moments ago reminded him to stay safe—someone his own age—was simply... gone, killed without warning or reason.
Replacing him on the street now stood a man clad in black. He was tall—nearly three meters—wearing sunglasses and a sword at his waist, radiating an overwhelming aura of menace and strength.
"Hmm?"
The man in black turned his head, locking eyes with Sakazuki. In an instant, he shifted his murderous intent toward the boy.
In a blink, the man disappeared from his position.
Too fast.
Before Sakazuki could even react, the man was already in front of him, raising his leg—just like he had with Zoro—preparing to kick Sakazuki straight into the air.
"Am I going to die?"
Everything around Sakazuki slowed, the events of his life flashing through his mind like a flickering film reel. The opponent was far too strong—so strong that even a single casual move rendered Sakazuki's body incapable of resistance.
Every cell in his body screamed at him, sending a single, urgent message:
You can't block it! You can't win! Run!
"Master… sorry, I think... I might really die here—"
BOOM!
A loud crash erupted beside his ears.
Just as the man's kick was about to connect with his head, a wall of clouds suddenly appeared and intercepted the blow. A sound like metal striking metal rang out, and the man's expression twisted.
"Master!"
Sakazuki's soul, which had nearly flown from his body, returned at once. His heart surged with relief.
It was Master Ross! He was watching all along!
"A hidden expert?"
Lowering his raised leg, the man in black carefully shifted into a defensive stance. He kept his eyes sweeping the surroundings behind his dark lenses, trying not to reveal any weakness.
Damn it—why is someone this powerful in little ol' Sabaody? They blocked my full-strength attack so casually—and without even showing themselves.
Please let them leave quietly… I don't want any more trouble.
He wasn't one of those CP0 maniacs. He valued his life.
Damn it. If I'd known I'd run into someone this tough just cleaning up the streets, I would've let those lapdogs take the shift! Damn it all!
Fortunately, Ross didn't seem interested in conflict. Standing above the street on a cloud, he simply moved a finger, enveloping Sakazuki in white clouds.
Ross first floated the boy safely into a building, then used Observation Haki to guide him through blind spots—ascending into the sky.
"Huuh… good, they're gone. At least I survived."
The man in black breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling tremors underfoot, he quickly used Soru to dash away.
As he vanished, a crimson carpet unfurled behind him, rolling down the street all the way to its far end.
Thud, thud, thud— the ground trembled lightly.
From the distance came a woman in a bubble-shaped helmet and a space suit.
She wasn't particularly beautiful—but what stood out was her grotesque mount: a small giant, roughly five meters tall, crawling forward on hands and knees.
A thick metal collar clamped around his neck. His eyes were empty, lifeless—silently telling his tragic story.
He carried heavy bags strapped to his limbs and a wide pack across his back. Two ornate ropes extended from his collar to a padded seat rigged at the back of his neck, controlled by a golden rod resting in a groove beside the seat.
With just a tug of that rod, the woman could pull his head to steer.
The image was horrifying.
The giant moved like a broken beast of burden—hauling both goods and his master—without a hint of will, no clear direction in his steps.
Surrounding her were numerous black-clad guards—two of whom wore strange masks, setting them apart from the rest.
"Master… who are those people?"
Sakazuki stood beside Ross, safely hidden above the chaos, head lowered as he stared down at the surreal scene below. His understanding of the world had just been shattered—again.
And this time, the shock was far deeper than before.
"Celestial Dragons," Ross replied in a flat, emotionless voice. "And the organization behind the man who tried to kill you—CIPHER POL. CP for short."
He didn't hide his disgust. "I was planning to show you this during the auction… didn't expect it would happen early. Honestly? What a cursed day."
It was cursed.
Sakazuki didn't respond. His eyes remained fixed on the people kneeling on the ground—and on the monstrous 'human carriage' riding over the red carpet.
He felt no pity for the people groveling. In a place like this auction house, nobody was a saint. Even if they all dropped dead, Sakazuki wouldn't flinch—he might even applaud.
But…
What if this happened in a place full of innocent civilians? A kingdom in one of the Four Seas?
He didn't have to guess. It would look exactly like this.
In that moment, Sakazuki suddenly understood the real reason Ross had brought him here.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Gunshots rang out.
Sakazuki looked toward the noise and saw the Celestial Dragon woman draw a revolver—crafted from gold and inlaid with jewels—and fire repeatedly at the black-clad man who had killed Zoro and nearly taken Sakazuki's life.
The man didn't dodge.
He took the bullets directly and fell without even a scream. His colleagues quickly dragged him away.
"…Unbelievable," Ross muttered, shaking his head.
He had heard everything through the cloud he'd hidden among the crowd. The Celestial Dragon had been watching that CP9 agent the entire time.
In her eyes, he was trash—not even capable of completing a task as simple as "cleaning the streets."
For failures like that, the Celestial Dragons had one response: death. And then insults. And then replacement.
The CP9 agent had thought he was lucky to escape the wrath of his attacker's opponent—but in the end, he still died, without even a moment to resist.
Was it loyalty? Pathetic? Or something else entirely?
Sakazuki stood silently, once again overwhelmed.
He had already guessed why that man was killed.
These people didn't just disregard life—they reviled it.
He had always believed pirates were the vilest beings in the world.
But then… what was this?
Just because they appeared, ordinary people were expected to kneel. One wrong move meant death.
At least pirates looted and killed for a reason!
"Calm down, Sakazuki. Breathe. Control yourself."
Ross's voice pulled him back.
He could sense the emotions surging inside the boy.
And this was just the appetizer.
The true evil of this world… ran far deeper.