Unlike the other side, where dozens of lives were being lost every moment, the area around the Celestial Dragons was unnaturally quiet. The sounds of explosions and the cries of battle in the distance seemed to have no effect here.
"Latriss, what's happening over there?" asked a Celestial Dragon, seated atop a slave's back. He was the very man Groo intended to kill.
"Saint Jolarude," Latriss replied respectfully, "according to CP's reports, some pirates are attempting to steal Devil Fruits, causing a bit of chaos. But rest assured, none of it will disturb the greatness of Saint Jolarude."
"Ooh! How interesting! Those filthy peasants are actually fighting over food meant only for slaves? Take me there, now!" The Celestial Dragon clapped and cheered like a spoiled child, gleefully waving his arms.
He had seen battles in the arena, tortured slaves, and fed Devil Fruits to them for amusement. But this—this was new. He had never seen people fighting each other just for a Devil Fruit.
"Saint Jolarude, there's nothing worth seeing about these pirates. Their filthy bodies will only sully your noble eyes. The Groo family castle has far more delightful toys prepared for you!"
"Are you trying to stop me, you worthless man? I said I want to see it! It sounds fun! If Father hadn't ordered me to treat you differently than other slaves, you'd already be dead!"
"Now take me there!" The Celestial Dragon squirmed on the slave's back, growing agitated when the slave didn't move. He began kicking violently.
"You damn slave! Why aren't you moving yet? Go!"
...
...
Jolarude quickly lost his patience. He drew a pistol, aimed at the slave's head, and fired without hesitation. With a loud bang, the slave's life was snuffed out. But in his final moment, a flicker of clarity seemed to return to his eyes.
CP agents showed no reaction. As though accustomed to such scenes, they immediately removed the corpse and brought forth another slave to carry the Celestial Dragon.
This time, Latriss didn't dare object. Normally, he wouldn't have dared to defy a Celestial Dragon's command, but today he had panicked—panicked at the thought of inheriting the entirety of the Groo family's estate slipping through his fingers.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he hurried to keep up, silently vowing never to make the same mistake again.
As the Celestial Dragon changed direction, the CP agents across the island moved swiftly, adjusting their plans to follow him toward the battlefield.
Meanwhile, inside the castle, Groo sat calmly. He had just received word that the secret agents he'd deployed had all been eliminated. He had underestimated the pirates—and more importantly, he had underestimated just how desirable Devil Fruits were to them.
If the Fruits were left lying around, pirates would fight among themselves. But once someone picked one up, they'd become the target of every other pirate nearby.
The island had now devolved into five chaotic battlegrounds, each centered around a single Devil Fruit.
The situation had spun out of his control. Originally, he had planned for five decoys, each holding a Devil Fruit, to lure the bloodthirsty pirates toward the Celestial Dragon's path. That way, even if the Celestial Dragon remained unharmed, Latriss—who brought him there—wouldn't escape death.
But now, the pirates seemed to be nearing their decisions on who would claim the Fruits… and the Celestial Dragon was nearly at the castle gates.
"I'm a merchant, and yet I underestimated pirates..." Groo murmured to himself.
"Have the messages been sent?" he asked, his expression unreadable, as if no misfortune could ever touch him.
"They have. But how many people will respond, we can't be sure yet."
"Then reveal the abilities of the five Zoan-type Devil Fruits. That should be enough to convince them." Groo seemed to have made up his mind.
Knock knock.
A servant entered. "Master, the Celestial Dragon is heading straight toward the pirates!"
"What? That's fantastic news!" Groo's eyes lit up with excitement.
But Matt, standing nearby, felt something strange. Isn't this overkill just to eliminate a steward...?
The Celestial Dragon arrived—right in the middle of one of the five battle zones.
CP agents immediately surrounded the area. The pirates hadn't yet noticed; they were still locked in ferocious combat.
The Celestial Dragon looked around at the chaos—streets littered with bodies, blood staining the ground. Pirates continued to fight wildly. He clapped in delight. "How amusing! This is far better than the arena. So much more fun!"
"I'm going to tell my brother when I get back—we should make our arenas like this too! Gather hundreds of pirates and have them fight to the death over a Devil Fruit! That would be so entertaining!"
"Saint Andrea would surely agree with such a brilliant idea," Latriss flattered from the side. He was desperate to regain favor after his earlier blunder.
"Really? I thought so too! Hahaha!"
The pirates on the street gradually began to notice something was wrong. Groups of black-clad agents were appearing in the trees and on rooftops, silently surrounding them.
If they still didn't sense danger now, they'd be fools.
Jack was hiding inside a house nearby. The residents had long since fled due to the fighting, making it a good vantage point.
Kadun moved nimbly through the fray, weaving between pirates—until he realized their movements were slowing. Some had stopped altogether.
He looked more closely. That man sitting atop a slave, wearing the iconic glass dome... laughing and waving his hands—
A Celestial Dragon!
No one knew when he'd arrived or how long he'd been watching. But his presence changed everything. No one on the seas had good feelings toward them.
Calling them arrogant monsters was almost too kind. They claimed to be gods, yet acted worse than beasts. Calling them animals would be an insult—to animals.
Look at the slave beneath him: lifeless eyes, stiff body, a walking corpse.
And yet no one could lay a finger on the Celestial Dragon. Because doing so would be like poking a hornet's nest. One punch, and an Admiral would arrive.
"Why did they stop fighting? These damned peasants! Don't they know they're supposed to entertain me, their divine master?! Why is no one taking the Devil Fruit?!"
"No, great Saint Jolarude, they are in awe of your divine presence. That's why they stopped. They await your judgment!" Latriss lied smoothly to calm him down.
"No matter. Tell them to keep fighting! Whoever gets the Devil Fruit will receive the highest of honors—becoming my slave!"
"Understood! I'll take care of it immediately!"
Latriss composed himself, then strode forward toward the pirates. "The great Saint Jolarude has spoken! Whoever claims this Devil Fruit shall earn the honor of becoming his personal slave!"
At those words, all the pirates turned toward the Devil Fruit lying quietly on the ground—and promptly stepped back in unison.
"Hell no. That might be an honor to him, but to us it's a damn death sentence. You want it? Take it yourself."
Kadun, hidden further back, slowly crept toward another building, preparing to escape. Just as he was about to make his move—
A black-clad figure appeared before him.
---
For the members: You can check out the New Translation story at Ko-Fi (already at chapter 35). It will be uploaded here once it reach chapter 50.
Naruto: Getting Stronger Just by AFK
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27