Break!
Vice Admiral Cameron spun, unleashing a flying slash that shattered Fang Yi's three arrows.
But even though his strike cut them down mid-air, he still felt the sting of being pierced. Despite his entire body being coated in Armament Haki, Fang Yi's Precision skill penetrated cleanly.
The special ability attached to Fang Yi's Trident Skill hadn't triggered earlier, but this time, all three arrows had activated Precision. As a result, Cameron couldn't react fast enough to stop Barrett.
By then, Barrett had already bulldozed through the interfering guards and was standing face-to-face with Saint Mjosgard.
"You… w-what are you doing? I—I'm a Celestial Dragon! If you dare—" Mjosgard shrieked in terror as Barrett strode toward him.
Boom!
Before he could finish, Barrett's fist slammed into his gut, blasting him away like a rag doll.
"Damn it, you fool—what are you doing!?" Cameron's soul nearly left his body. Seeing Barrett preparing to follow up, he ignored his own injuries and dashed forward to intercept.
But someone beat him to it—blocking Barrett's path.
"You… you can't hurt my brother!"
Tiffany Palace, pale with fear, still planted herself in front of Barrett to shield Mjosgard.
But Barrett wasn't the type to spare women, and he suspected she was the one who had betrayed their earlier plan. Without hesitation, he raised his fist to finish her as well.
"Bastard—stop right there!" Cameron barely arrived in time, stepping between them and saving Tiffany.
"Go!" Fang Yi appeared just then, grabbing Barrett's arm and pulling him back.
"You want me to just leave?" Barrett snarled, clearly unwilling to give up such an opportunity.
"There are Celestial Dragons involved—an admiral will be here any moment! Don't waste time! And… last time, it probably wasn't her who betrayed us," Fang Yi said quietly, glancing at Tiffany, trembling behind Cameron.
"N-no… it wasn't me!" Tiffany blurted out, terrified yet desperate to clarify.
Cameron frowned in surprise. The Celestial Dragon behind him… seemed to know this pirate?
"Tch. Fine—count yourselves lucky this time! Next time we meet, you won't get away so easily!" Barrett growled, but seeing Fang Yi's firm nod, he relented and turned to retreat.
Cameron didn't dare move from his post in front of Tiffany. He had felt Fang Yi's arrows himself—the pain was unforgettable. If Fang Yi fired one more volley, the Celestial Dragons wouldn't survive a single strike, and Cameron's career would be over.
Only once Fang Yi and Barrett had withdrawn did Cameron remember—Mjosgard had been blasted away earlier. He quickly ordered his men to stop pursuing and prioritize rescuing the Celestial Dragon.
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, Sengoku had just been about to rest when he was suddenly summoned to the Fleet Admiral's office.
"Fleet Admiral Kong!" Sengoku saluted upon entering.
"You're here. Good." Steel Bone Kong wasted no time, handing him several fresh bounty posters. "Go to the Sabaody Archipelago immediately. A Celestial Dragon has been attacked—the culprits are these men."
"Fang Yi?" Sengoku's eyes widened at the poster of Fang Yi with his bow. "It's them?"
"Yes. Word just came in. The Celestial Dragons intend to wipe them out, so they've requested that headquarters send reinforcements. And if my memory serves… weren't these the same brats who infiltrated Mary Geoise a few years ago?" Kong said with a faint smile.
Sengoku nodded. "Correct. Back then, I personally captured Barrett."
Before Kong could continue, the door burst open and a messenger rushed in. "Fleet Admiral! Two Donquixote Celestial Dragons were attacked in Sabaody—Saint Donquixote Mjosgard is gravely injured and unconscious!"
"What!?" Sengoku and Kong exchanged looks. This was no longer a trivial incident—it was an international crisis.
The Dragon Wolf Pirates had been causing havoc in Sabaody earlier, but that was minor compared to this. Now that they had actually struck a Celestial Dragon, the consequences were severe.
"Sengoku, depart immediately. You must capture them," Kong ordered grimly.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!" Sengoku saluted and left without hesitation.
Headquarters wasn't far from Sabaody. As long as the Dragon Wolf Pirates were stalled, Sengoku would arrive quickly—and then there'd be no escape.
Elsewhere, Shanks was leading his group at full speed back toward the Dragon Wolf.
"Uh… shouldn't we wait for the captain?" Fatty Lucky Roux puffed as he ran, voicing the others' worry.
Tiffany and Jessica turned toward Shanks expectantly.
As first mate, Shanks held higher authority than Barrett, and unlike Barrett's impulsive nature, Shanks was steady and dependable—though sometimes a bit of a goof.
"With Captain and Barrett's strength, they should be fine," Shanks said after a pause.
"But… both of them seemed ready to attack the Celestial Dragons!" Lucky Roux pointed out.
"They were probably just trying to scare the Marines. They wouldn't actually harm a Celestial Dragon—not when Marine Headquarters is right next door. If they did, none of us would get out alive," Tiffany said with a faint smile.
But as soon as she finished speaking, Shanks suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
"Lucky Roux—take Tiffany and Jessica back to the ship! I'm going back," he said solemnly.
He had just remembered—those two Celestial Dragons at the auction were the same ones they had encountered during their infiltration of Mary Geoise. Back then, Barrett's capture had been directly linked to them. With Barrett's temperament, he very well might have attacked them for real.
"I'm going with you! Pirates never abandon their comrades!" Tiffany declared firmly.
Shanks gave a small smile. "It's no use if you come. I just need to make sure Barrett doesn't lose control. If he did attack a Celestial Dragon, we'd have to set sail immediately. So the best thing you can do is return to the ship and prepare."
"This…" Tiffany hesitated. Shanks was right, but she still felt uneasy.
"Miss Tiffany, Shanks is right," Lucky Roux said seriously. "If the Marines have already set a trap, the Dragon Wolf might be surrounded. We need to be there to guarantee the captain's escape route!"
"…Alright. Shanks—bring them back safely. We'll be waiting on the Dragon Wolf," Tiffany said at last.
"Of course. You know our strength—we'll be fine." Shanks nodded, then turned and sprinted back toward the auction house.
The others hurried for the coast, determined to ready the ship for departure.
Meanwhile, Fang Yi, pulling Barrett along, soon crossed paths with the returning Shanks.
"You? Why are you here?" Fang Yi blinked, surprised. He feared something had gone wrong with the ship.
"I couldn't relax… those Celestial Dragons…" Shanks trailed off, but Fang Yi understood immediately.
"Yeah. One of them already got sent flying," Fang Yi admitted with a wry grin as they ran.
"What!?" Shanks glanced at Barrett in shock. "Lucky Roux took Tiffany and Jessica back to the ship. But if a Celestial Dragon really got hurt, Marine Headquarters will respond quickly—we need to set sail now!"
"No problem. By the time reinforcements arrive, we'll already be gone," Fang Yi said lightly.
He didn't yet know that Sengoku himself was en route at full speed.
By the time the three of them reached the Dragon Wolf, all their faces darkened.
"You made it? Looks like I arrived right on time."
Sengoku stood calmly in front of the ship, smiling faintly.
"What did you do to my crew!?" Fang Yi demanded, seeing Lucky Roux, Tiffany, and Jessica lying unconscious on the ground—alongside several downed Marines. From the scene, it was obvious they had clashed with Sengoku when he arrived.
"Don't worry. They were just a little overexcited, so I put them out of action temporarily. After all, I came alone to stop you," Sengoku said with an almost playful chuckle.
"Everyone… looks like today we won't be getting away so easily," Fang Yi said grimly.
All three of them knew Sengoku well. Back when they sailed under Roger, they had fought both him and Garp many times.
"So… where's that red-nosed comrade of yours? Not with you?" Sengoku asked, scanning their group.
"You mean Buggy? He said he didn't want to be a pirate anymore—he's become a bounty hunter. Haven't you Marines heard? The famous bounty hunter, Clown Buggy," Fang Yi said smoothly, eyes glinting.
Sengoku frowned. He vaguely recalled a report like that, though he hadn't paid it much attention at the time. Was Fang Yi telling the truth, or was Buggy hiding nearby, waiting for a chance to strike?
Even so, Sengoku wasn't worried. With his strength, he feared no ambush. And with him standing here, there was no way the Dragon Wolf Pirates would escape.