"That guy Renault is completely mad! Is he addicted to killing Celestial Dragons?!"
"He's a madman through and through!"
"We have to get out of here quickly! If we wait for the Marine powerhouses to arrive, we won't be able to escape."
"He's right, run!!"
...
The remaining pirates in the auction venue fled in panic after witnessing the scene. If the Marine powerhouses arrived and saw them, they'd be guilty by association.
They truly hadn't expected Renault to be so bold, so utterly insane.
"You... you actually killed two Celestial Dragon Nobles, you!!!"
The CP0 agents, seeing the separated bodies of Saint Neymar and Saint Charlos, turned deathly pale. As CP0 agents tasked with the personal safety of the two Celestial Dragons, they couldn't escape blame now that the Nobles were dead.
"Kill him!!"
The CP0 Captain glared viciously at Renault and, along with the other CP0 agents, launched an all-out attack. One of them quickly grabbed a Den Den Mushi to notify the Marines.
"You're asking for death!!!"
Renault's gaze narrowed. His figure weaved back and forth, and he dealt with the agents quickly.
The CP0 agents lost their lives and dropped one by one.
As for the news leaking out, he didn't care at all. With so many people here, it would be impossible to keep it a secret.
After dealing with the agents, Renault walked straight to the fish tank containing the mermaid. His voice was gentle:
"You are free. Hurry back to Fish-Man Island. Don't let them catch you again."
The rescued mermaid quickly offered her thanks:
"Th-Thank you."
Renault smiled faintly and looked at a nearby box. Due to the earlier chaos, the Island-Island Fruit was still resting quietly inside.
Beside it was the stunned host.
"Here is eighty million Berries. I'll take this Devil Fruit."
Tossing the gold worth eighty million Berries onto the ground in front of him, Renault left the venue. He had to reach the Cast Kingdom before the Marines.
...
...
Holy Land, Mariejois.
The moment the Five Elders (Gorosei) received the news, they erupted in fury.
"What did you say?!"
"You bastard, Kong! Do you, the Fleet Admiral, want to keep your job or not??"
"Two more Celestial Dragons died at Renault's hands?? Does this hateful brat truly think we won't dare to kill him?!"
"Trash! A bunch of utter trash! They dare to kill Celestial Dragons right on the Sabaody Archipelago! You Marines have absolutely no deterrence left!!!"
"To provoke the authority of the World Government repeatedly—this is beyond endurance!!"
"If we don't eliminate this brat now, next time he might launch an attack on the Holy Land itself!"
The Five Elders roared in a fit of rage, their furious shouts echoing throughout the Power Chamber.
Feeling the terrifying pressure seeping out from under the doors, the guards outside were shaking with fear.
"That useless trash Rocks! I truly overestimated him."
"We were planning to use him to eliminate Renault, but he's been taking his sweet time."
Even the Elder holding the sword couldn't maintain his composure this time; his face was extremely grim.
"Regardless, we absolutely cannot tolerate this again. Three Celestial Dragons have died at Renault's hands so far. The previous incident happened in a remote location, which we could cover up."
"But this time, it was at the Sabaody Archipelago, witnessed by countless people. Even we are powerless to conceal it."
"We must eliminate Renault this time, cutting out the source of the danger!!"
"You're right! With three Celestial Dragons dying consecutively by his hand, if he remains alive, what prestige do we have left?!"
"But what about Rocks?!!"
Although they were furious about the killing of the Celestial Dragons, they hadn't completely lost their minds. Rocks' threat to the World Government was self-evident. They couldn't ignore him for the sake of temporary gratification.
"You don't need to worry about that," the blonde Elder waved his hand.
"The agents monitoring Rocks report that they haven't found any trace of him in the New World recently."
"Even his subordinates have completely retreated and remained holed up in their stronghold."
"If I'm not mistaken, Rocks should not be in the New World right now."
"Otherwise, there's no reason we haven't heard anything from him for over a month."
The other Elders nodded upon hearing this; the analysis was sound.
"In that case, proceed without reservation."
"While Rocks is still away, we must eliminate this fellow Renault root and branch!!"
"Agreed!!"
"Agreed!!"
"..."
"Kong, you heard all of that, didn't you??"
"The entire Marine High Command, including you, is to mobilize. You must make the Cast Kingdom disappear from the New World, no matter the cost, understood?!"
"This mission must succeed; failure is absolutely not an option!"
"Understood!"
Kong responded in a deep voice and hung up the Den Den Mushi.
...
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
When the first-degree alarm at Marine Headquarters blared urgently, all Marine high-ranking officers dropped whatever they were doing. They rushed to Kong's office immediately.
Thump-thump-thump.Thump-thump-thump.
The hurried footsteps of the Marine generals echoed throughout the corridor.
"Vice Admiral Garp, do you know what happened?"
One of the Vice Admirals asked, confused. This was the first time in years the Marine Headquarters' first-degree alarm had sounded.
A first-degree alarm only sounded in two situations.
The first was when a powerful enemy was attacking Marine Headquarters, making the situation dire. But things were calm outside, so this was clearly not the case.
The second was an extremely serious incident occurring outside, an incident whose severity was no less than an attack on Marine Headquarters and one that threatened the rule of the Marines and the World Government.
"I have no idea either."
Garp, who was just about to clock out for the day, was equally bewildered. What kind of urgent situation was this, demanding the assembly of all Marine generals? Since he became a Vice Admiral, this had happened no more than three times.
In less than half an hour, the office was packed with people. Except for the generals who were out on missions, virtually everyone else was present.
The Vice Admirals whispered to each other, discussing what exactly had happened.
The last time they had gathered was when that guy Renault killed a Celestial Dragon. But even that didn't trigger the first-degree alarm. Clearly, this incident was much more severe than the last.
"Could it be that guy Rocks has started his rebellion?!"
One of the Vice Admirals voiced his speculation. In his opinion, a first-degree alarm meant a world-shaking event had occurred. And the person most likely capable of doing such a thing was Rocks.
"Hehehe... Does that mean Rocks has gathered his forces and is preparing to wage war against us?!"
"That's probably impossible."
The Vice Admiral's statement was immediately denied by a neighboring Vice Admiral.
"If that were the case, the commotion wouldn't be small. There's no reason we wouldn't have received any news."
"Not Rocks?? Then who did it?"
Listening to the surrounding discussion, Zephyr leaned toward Vice Admiral Tsuru and whispered, "Tsuru, who do you think it is?"
"It's quite rare for them to summon all of us so dramatically."
"I want to know too, Tsuru, do you have any candidates in mind?!"
Sengoku and Garp also looked at Vice Admiral Tsuru. Among them, Tsuru was known for her meticulous thinking. On certain matters, even Fleet Admiral Kong would heed Tsuru's advice. They trusted her analysis and understanding implicitly.
Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned, speaking gravely: "I don't have all the specific details either."
"However, given the current situation on the sea, only three people have the ability to do this."
"The first is Rocks, the second is Roger, and the third is Renault."
"We are familiar with the first two. Rocks wouldn't rashly start a war without certain assurance, nor would he take actions that would push us to our limits."
"As for Roger, it's even less likely. He doesn't have the ambition to conquer the world and wouldn't commit such heinous acts."
"Therefore, the most likely candidate is..."
Vice Admiral Tsuru didn't finish her sentence, but her intended meaning was already clear.
Just then, Fleet Admiral Kong strode in hastily from outside.
Seeing Kong, all the Marine generals immediately sat up straight, their expressions serious.
Kong glanced around and said solemnly: "Gentlemen, the reason I've summoned you so urgently is because a major incident just occurred on the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Half an hour ago, at the auction held on the Sabaody Archipelago, Celestial Nobles Saint Neymar and Saint Charlos were both murdered."
"The killer is Renault, the same person who killed Saint Rosward last time."
"The news was transmitted by the CP0 agents accompanying Saint Neymar. I immediately contacted the Marine general stationed on Sabaody, and he confirmed that the incident is true."
"Moreover, many people were present at the time and can also corroborate the story."
"Both Celestial Nobles and their personal guards all died tragically at Renault's hands. By the time the general arrived, Renault had already vanished."
Boom!
As Kong's words fell, the large office erupted in an uproar.
Renault, it was Renault again!!!
Last time he killed one Celestial Dragon, and this time he was insane enough to kill two!
Madness! This was truly madness!
In two consecutive months, three Celestial Dragons had died at Renault's hands.
"Hehehehe... That bastard! Killing Celestial Dragons one after another is openly declaring war on us!!"
The expressions of the many Marine generals were grave.
"I fear that the 'borrow-a-knife-to-kill-a-man' plan enacted by the higher-ups was completely useless and instead led that fellow Renault to the mistaken belief that he can oppose the Marines and the World Government."
"How ridiculous!!"
"That's enough!" Kong interrupted everyone's discussion sternly.
"The matter has been thoroughly investigated. The Five Elders have issued a death order: this time, we will eliminate Renault at all costs and make the entire Cast Kingdom disappear from the New World."
"Except for a few designated commanders left to guard Marine Headquarters, the rest of the High Command is to deploy the entire force. We must annihilate Cast. The mission can only succeed; failure is not permitted!!"
"Deploy the entire force?!"
Hearing these four words, all the Marine generals realized the determination of the Five Elders to eliminate Renault.
"But Fleet Admiral, what about Rocks' side?"
A Vice Admiral hesitated, asking immediately after Kong's command.
"You do not need to worry about Rocks' side. The Five Elders have made their own determination."
"Tsuru, you don't need to go this time. Stay and guard Marine Headquarters."
"Don't worry."
With Tsuru present, Kong the Iron Fist felt more at ease.
"Relay my order: everyone prepare immediately! We depart exactly one hour from now!!"
"Our target is the Kastle Kingdom!!"
"Yes!!"
All the Marine Vice Admirals in the conference room rose simultaneously and answered in a loud voice. .... .....
Kastle Kingdom.Buzz—BuzzBuzz After a month, the nation's Level One alarm rang out once more. Hearing the siren, the citizens knew that a powerful enemy was approaching again. Just like last time, they immediately sought shelter.
"The Captain is seriously amazing! He killed two more Celestial Dragons! Those guys must be absolutely furious now, right??"
Jess, who enjoyed watching the world burn, burst out laughing. Just moments ago, Reno had contacted them, giving them a concise rundown of the events that had transpired at Sabaody Archipelago. Following Reno's instructions, they immediately sounded the alarm, telling the citizens to take cover temporarily.
"I'm afraid it won't be that simple this time."
"Three Celestial Dragons dying one after the other by the Captain's hand—the World Government won't just let this go."
Compared to Jess, Rogue was far less optimistic.
"What's there to worry about? Are you afraid we won't be able to handle them??"
"Once the Captain returns, no one will be our match."
Jess, dismissing the concern, merely curled his lip.
"We still can't be careless. Don't forget, Linlin is currently forging a sword in Wano Country and can't return anytime soon."
"That leaves us short one incredibly powerful fighter. If the Marines are determined to take revenge, they might send out their entire force."
Longbread, equally worried, analyzed the situation.
"Relax. Although Linlin isn't here, we have Hajrudin this time. Don't forget his current strength—it's comparable to mine."
"Even if he's not as strong as Linlin, dealing with a Marine powerhouse right now won't be a problem."
"That's right, I'm here!!"
The simple-hearted Hajrudin smashed his fists together, full of confidence.
"Let's wait for the Captain to return before we discuss anything else. I hope the Marines don't act too fast!" .... ....
The Next Day.
After nearly an entire night of sailing, the Marine fleet was drawing closer and closer to the Kastle Kingdom. On the sea dozens of miles away from the Kastle Kingdom, twenty Marine warships sailed at high speed.
Compared to the previous lineup, this one was undoubtedly more extravagant. The scale was far greater. Up until now, besides Reno, no one had received this level of attention.
Each warship was commanded by a Marine Vice Admiral, carrying at least a thousand elite Marine soldiers, all fully armed and ready for battle.
And on the highest-spec warship at the very front, the lineup was even more dazzling. Marine Fleet Admiral Kong the Iron Fist. Marine rising stars Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr—although still officially Vice Admirals—their power was in no way inferior to a Marine Admiral.
According to the information they had, the Reno Pirate Crew had a total of three powerhouses comparable to Marine Admirals. Now, four of their top fighters were mobilized, coupled with over ten elite Marine Vice Admirals, twenty Marine warships, and twenty thousand elite Marine soldiers.
A force of this magnitude could easily conquer an entire sea region, let alone annihilate a small Kastle Kingdom.
On the leading warship, Kong the Iron Fist stood at the forefront, the sea breeze howling as his cloak of justice flapped loudly behind him. Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr, standing behind him, were equally silent, their expressions grave.
Pirates in the New World who caught a glimpse of this formation from afar were struck with terror, turning deathly pale, and quickly fled in panic. With this lineup, even a pirate's dog passing by would get a couple of slaps of 'Justice'. No matter who was the target, they were in for serious trouble. Those who were privy to the truth soon made their guess.
"Hehehehe... That direction must be the Kastle Kingdom, right??"
"Are they going to make a move on Reno again?"
"You guys probably haven't heard yet. A pirate friend of mine contacted me last night and saw that Reno guy kill two more Celestial Dragons at Sabaody Archipelago."
"What did you say?! Two more Celestial Dragons? Is he insane?!"
"No wonder even Kong the Iron Fist was mobilized."
"Holy crap, is Garp looking over in our direction?"
"Run, quickly!!!"