The sudden voice shattered the terrified silence, making everyone on the street freeze. In this place, at this time, there shouldn't be any voice other than that of a Celestial Dragon.
Curiosity overpowering their fear for a brief moment, the kneeling citizens looked up. They saw a beautiful young woman with horns, holding a pitch-black club, her eyes blazing with pain and anger as she stared down the World Nobles. It was a scene no one could have possibly anticipated.
Even the two Celestial Dragons were stunned, their eyes wide as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"You!?" the female Celestial Dragon finally managed, her voice dripping with disgust.
The male Celestial Dragon, however, looked Yamato over, and his eyes lit up with a greedy gleam. "Oh, she even has horns! And she's quite beautiful. I'm getting tired of these two women anyway. You'll be my new collectible. Go, capture her for me."
The man in the black suit, a CP9 agent assigned to protect the two nobles, immediately stepped forward and began walking coldly toward Yamato. But after only two steps, he felt something was terribly wrong. He looked up and met the young woman's gaze.
He saw a pair of crimson eyes filled with an all-consuming rage. In the next instant, a terrifying, invisible pressure washed over his entire body. Before he could even process it, his own eyes rolled back into his head, and his world went black. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone. They stared in disbelief, unable to comprehend why the Celestial Dragon's guard had suddenly fainted. Only Bonney, hiding nearby, seemed to understand what had just happened, her eyes wide with shock.
No... no way, she thought, her heart pounding. That pressure... that's...
The two Celestial Dragons were simply bewildered. "You useless bastard! What's wrong with you? Get up!" the female Celestial Dragon shrieked, completely failing to grasp the situation. Annoyed, she pulled a golden pistol from her waist and fired two shots into her fainted bodyguard.
Bang! Bang!
Blood splattered onto the pavement, but the CP9 agent didn't move. The woman looked down at her gun with a puzzled expression, as if wondering if its power had somehow diminished.
Yamato watched this display of casual cruelty, and her astonishment hardened into cold certainty. She finally understood. There truly were people in this world more evil than her father. Kaido ruled Wano with an iron fist and enslaved its people, but he had never debased them with such petty, pointless cruelty. And to his own subordinates, Kaido was a respectable leader.
At that moment, the pirate Diaz, who had been crawling at the female Celestial Dragon's feet, saw his chance. A glimmer of hope appeared in his tear-filled eyes. With a surge of desperation, he stood up, toppling the noblewoman to the ground. He scrambled over to Yamato and fell to his knees, pleading.
"Save me... please, save me! I don't want to die!"
This unbelievable act of defiance sent a fresh wave of terror through the crowd. The female Celestial Dragon, now sprawled on the ground, began to tremble with rage. She looked at her hands and her once-pristine clothes, now soiled by dirt.
"You bastard... you bastard!" she screeched. "How dare you make me look so ugly! You soiled my clothes! Unforgivable... Unforgivable!"
Suddenly, a crisp ticking sound cut through the air. Ding... ding... ding...
Everyone was confused, but the pirate Diaz froze, his body trembling as he looked down at the collar locked around his neck. He knew that sound. He knew he couldn't escape.
But in a flash, a figure appeared behind him. An arm reached out, and a hand closed around the ticking collar. With a gentle squeeze, the metal device was crushed into pieces and tossed away. A second later, a violent explosion lit up the sky like a firework, leaving everyone on the ground stunned.
It took more than ten seconds for Diaz to realize he was still alive, his neck now bare. "I... I'm still alive..." he whispered. He looked up at the young woman, whose expression had become completely dark. Seeing her as his savior, he began to cry with snot and tears. "Thank you... thank you so much..."
Yamato ignored him. She was enraged to a degree she had never felt before. Witnessing the Celestial Dragons' cruelty was one thing, something her justice-loving nature found unacceptable. But the familiar ticking sound from Diaz's collar had awakened a nightmare from her past—the day her own father had locked a similar Sea Prism Stone bomb around her neck, ready to kill her.
That memory was the final spark.
The crowd watched as Yamato tightened her grip on her club and began walking slowly toward the two World Nobles. A terrible premonition settled over everyone present.
No... surely she wouldn't...?
Everyone thought it was impossible, yet a deep sense of unease filled them. Bonney finally realized what was about to happen. "She wouldn't really dare, would she?! Oh no!"
But it was too late. Yamato was already standing before the two Celestial Dragons. Only the two nobles themselves showed no fear, their faces twisted in anger that a commoner would dare to stand before them. The female Celestial Dragon, feeling she had lost all face today, raised her pistol and roared furiously.
"Hey, commoner! Who gave you permission to stand in front of me?!"
Yamato didn't answer. She simply raised her club high, unleashing all of her fury in a single, devastating strike.
"Thunder Bagua!"
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13
In the legendary Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, the "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh, now working as a humble coating mechanic, was quietly having a drink. This was unusual enough to catch the attention of Shakky, the bar's owner and former empress of Amazon Lily.
"What's going on with you?" she asked, a curious smile on her face. "Why haven't you been out carousing these past few days?"
Rayleigh's expression was a bit awkward. "No choice," he said with a sigh. "The sea is a bit chaotic right now. It feels safer to just stay home."
Shakky seemed to understand. "Is it because of Kaido?"
Rayleigh didn't deny it, his expression turning thoughtful. "That's right. I don't know why, but I keep having this bad feeling, as if something important is about to be lost to me."
This surprised Shakky. As one of the most powerful people in the world and a master of Observation Haki, Rayleigh's premonitions were often frighteningly accurate.
"I understand. I'll help you keep an eye on Kaido's movements," she offered. "It is strange, though. Kaido's recent actions have been significant. It feels like he's plotting something big. The New World is a mess too. They say Whitebeard and Shanks are planning to meet soon. It feels like a time of many troubles."
"Indeed," Rayleigh agreed, wiping his glasses. "But we're old now. All we can do is guide the young ones. The rest is up to their generation."
"Mm."
Just then, Rayleigh paused, as if sensing something. A crimson light flashed in his eyes as his perception instantly expanded, blanketing the entire Sabaody Archipelago.
"What is it?" Shakky asked.
A look of surprise crossed Rayleigh's face. "Well now," he said slowly, a small smile forming. "It seems an incredible kid has just appeared..."
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