Chapter 236: An Admiral Makes His Move
"Idiot! Get down!" a burly, scar-faced man hissed, tackling Sanji to the ground. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?! You have to bow before the Celestial Dragons! It's the law!"
Celestial Dragons... Sanji frowned. He'd read about them in a book once, a long time ago... but he couldn't remember the details.
As he was trying to remember, the procession drew closer. Marines and black-suited agents cleared the way for two figures riding on the backs of giant slaves: a goofy-looking man with a mushroom haircut, and a beautiful, slender young woman, both encased in glass bubbles.
"Have it your way," Law said, pulling Bepo into the crowd. He'd done all he could.
"Fool!" the scar-faced man growled, pinning Sanji to the ground. From a distance, with his face in the dirt and his rear in the air, he looked even more reverent than the kneeling crowd.
"Hm?" Saint Shalria glanced over, then nodded with satisfaction.
"Hey, Shalria, look," the mushroom-headed Celestial Dragon, Saint Rosward, said, pointing at the unconscious Chopper. "A tanuki with a blue nose. How rare. Should I buy it for you?"
"I'm only interested in giants, Rosward," she said coldly.
"A shame," he shrugged. "I'm quite the collector of minks, but I already have so many cats... what I really need is a bear... huh?" His eyes lit up as he spotted Bepo in the crowd. "A polar bear mink! How lucky! Hey! Seize that white bear for me!"
"Yes, your holiness!" The agents immediately surrounded the Heart Pirates.
"..." Law's face went dark. So the idiot who wouldn't bow gets ignored, and I, who was trying to leave, get targeted?
"Captain..." Bepo trembled, then took a brave step forward. "Hey! I'll go with you! Just don't hurt my nakama—"
"Bepo!" Law snapped, his hand on the hilt of his cursed sword, Kikoku. "Don't say such foolish things. The Heart Pirates... do not bow to anyone."
"But Captain, they're Celestial Dragons! If we defy them, an Admiral will come after us..."
"An Admiral?" Law sneered, a pale blue dome of energy expanding from his hand. "That title used to be quite intimidating. But after hearing the exploits of a certain man... they don't seem so scary anymore."
"ROOM!"
The surrounding agents were sliced into pieces, their body parts floating harmlessly in the air as the crowd screamed in terror.
"Insolence! How dare you defy Saint Rosward!" the remaining guards roared, opening fire. The bullets stopped in mid-air, suspended within the blue dome.
"So many dogs," Law grunted. He was about to expand his ROOM when a figure shot past him like a whirlwind.
"Diable Jambe: Flambage Shot!"
A fiery kick sent a dozen Marines flying.
"Joue Shot!"
Another dozen went down. The Marine encirclement was broken.
"Hey, mister," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette as he landed gracefully in front of the stunned, scar-faced man. "Thanks for the... help. But in a situation like this, it's hard not to step in."
"Curly-brow!" Law snapped. "This is not a fight for a man with a 50 Belly bounty! Don't get in my way!"
"I have to help!" Sanji shot back. "I'm saving your life, you idiot! Those bullets would have turned you into Swiss cheese!"
"Such a petty man," Law sighed.
"Hey, that bear, Bepo, right? Take care of Chopper for me," Sanji said, gently handing the unconscious reindeer to the mink. "You guys get out of here. We'll hold them off."
"Understood, Captain!" the Heart Pirates said, and made their escape.
"Insolence!" Saint Rosward shrieked, pulling out a golden pistol. "The mink I want is mine! How dare you defy me, you filthy commoners!"
"That's right! Utter lawlessness!" the scar-faced man yelled, stepping in front of the Celestial Dragon and kneeling. "These are the Celestial Dragons! The creators of this world! True, perfect gods! Great gods! I am a humble peacekeeper from the South Blue! Allow me to deal with these two insolent commoners for you—"
BANG!
The man stared in disbelief at the hole in his chest. He looked up to see Rosward holding the smoking pistol, a look of annoyance on his face. "Insolent commoner. When I am about to execute someone, who gave you permission to stand in my way?"
"I... I..." the man gasped, then collapsed to the ground, dead.
"Now, then," Rosward said, turning the gun on Law and Sanji. "It's your turn..."
"Emergency! Two Celestial Dragons have been attacked at the Sabaody amusement park!"
"All units, deploy immediately!"
"Assailants have been identified as members of the 'Worst Generation,' 'Poison Doctor' Chopper, and 'Surgeon of Death' Law, along with an unidentified man with curly eyebrows!"
"Enemy is extremely dangerous! Requesting Admiral support! I repeat, requesting Admiral support!"
...
"What?!" Sengoku shot to his feet. "Someone attacked the Celestial Dragons?! On Sabaody?!" He sighed. "The Supernovas... I understand." He hung up the phone.
"The World Nobles have been attacked. It seems we have no choice but to intervene," Kizaru said, lazily clipping his fingernails with a light-construct hand. "Don't worry, Fleet Admiral. I'll handle it."
"By the way," he said, standing up and putting his hands in his pockets. "Vegapunk's new project is in its final stages. A few of the prototypes are near Sabaody. I'll take them for a field test, if that's alright."
"The Science Unit is your responsibility. Do as you see fit," Sengoku said. "Just make sure the Celestial Dragons are safe."
"Of course," Kizaru smiled, and with a flash of golden light, he was gone.
...
The air was thick with gunpowder. "Hey, Curly-brow!" Law yelled over the sound of explosions. "You were talking a big game before! What happened?!"
"Shut up!" Sanji snapped, kicking away a charging Marine. "A man gets tired! Dammit, where are all these dogs coming from?!"
In the distance, Rosward was still screaming. "Commoners! You dare to defy me?! An Admiral is on his way! And then—"
"The firepower is getting heavier," Law said, deflecting another volley of cannonballs. "Bepo and the others should be safe by now. We can't beat all of them. Let's break through."
"Just like that?" Sanji grumbled. "I wanted to give those two bubble-heads a good kicking first."
"It's not worth it. There's an opening over there! Now!"
They both leaped into the air, but—
VWOOM!
A flash of golden light exploded in front of them, blocking their path.
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