CHAPTER 169 — Kneel
The moment both groups noticed each other, the air changed.
It was subtle at first. A pause in footsteps. A shift in posture. The kind of silence that did not come from calm, but from instinct.
The Marines reacted immediately.
Rifles were not raised, but hands tightened around them. Boots scraped against the stone as lines adjusted without a word being spoken. Shields moved forward just a little, overlapping more than before. It was not a charge formation. It was defensive. Careful. Like men standing in front of something they feared might break loose.
Behind the Marines, the Celestial Dragon reclined lazily atop the slave carrying him, his body relaxed as if this place existed only to serve his comfort. The CP0 agents around him stood still, their masks turned toward the newcomers, eyes hidden, movements precise and controlled.
One Marine stepped forward, swallowing before speaking.
"Saint Marcus," he said, voice respectful, careful, strained. "The auction houses have been robbed. Many slaves have already escaped."
The words hung in the air.
The Celestial Dragon frowned.
"Robbed?" he repeated, as if the word itself annoyed him. He looked around, nose wrinkling. "This place looks filthy. I knew this district was a mistake."
He waved a hand dismissively.
"Vermin," he continued. "That's all they are. Crawling things. Always ruining order."
He thought of pirates, causing trouble again.
The servant beside him bowed deeply, apologizing again and again, his voice shaking as he promised that everything would be corrected.
The Celestial Dragon barely noticed.
"Someone must be punished," he said plainly. "That is how order is restored."
His gaze drifted forward.
And then it stopped.
His eyes landed on Gaius.
The gold armor caught the light even in the dull streets. Clean. Untouched. Solid. It stood out sharply against the cracked stone and abandoned buildings. The Celestial Dragon's expression shifted, boredom melting into interest.
"Well," he said, a slow smile forming. "Now that is something useful."
He leaned forward slightly, peering at Gaius like a child spotting a new toy.
"Kneel," he ordered.
The word was sharp. Final. Expected to be obeyed instantly.
Gaius did not move.
The Celestial Dragon clicked his tongue.
"You," he said again, pointing. "The one in gold. You will make a fine slave."
He laughed lightly, pleased with himself.
The Marines stiffened.
They did not know who this group was. They had not seen Marineford with their own eyes. They had not watched Admirals clash, or seen the balance of power tilt. But they could feel danger. It pressed against their skin like heat before a fire.
CP0 said nothing.
They watched.
They assessed.
They noticed what the Celestial Dragon did not.
The group did not panic.
No one pleaded. No one shouted. No one looked around for escape. Gaius stood calm, breathing steady, eyes forward. Mindy and Saeko were already shifting their weight, ready without being told. Tony's faceplate was open, his gaze fixed, calculating.
One CP0 agent made a small movement. Almost nothing. A tilt of the head. A shift of fingers.
A signal.
Danger.
The others understood immediately.
But none of them stepped in.
The Celestial Dragon's authority was absolute.
Naruto stared at the slave beneath the Celestial Dragon.
At first, it confused him. The image felt wrong, like his mind refused to accept it. A person on all fours. Someone sitting on their back like it was normal.
Then it hit.
Chains. Cages. The terrified faces of people dragged from cells. Hands reaching out as the locks broke. They were the same as the people freed from the slave auction.
His face turned serious.
So this was where they came from.
Mindy drew her weapon smoothly, the gun forming in her arm as if from thin air.
Saeko followed, blade steady in her hand, eyes sharp.
Tony's shoulder plates shifted with a mechanical hum. Small compartments opened. Micro missiles slid into ready position, locking forward.
Gaius stepped ahead of them all.
He placed himself at the front, body straight, unhurried.
The Marines noticed.
Their unease grew.
One of them took a step back, then another, moving quietly toward the docks. He did not run. He did not draw attention. But his purpose was clear.
Vice Admiral Gion needed to know.
The Celestial Dragon frowned again.
"Did you not hear me?" he snapped. "Kneel."
He was carried forward, closer now. Close enough that the weight of his presence pressed down on the street.
Gaius walked forward to meet him.
The CP0 guards reacted instantly, stepping between them.
"Stop!" one shouted.
"Don't come any closer!"
Another added, voice hard, "Do you want to die?!"
Gaius did not answer.
He did not slow.
That was enough.
One CP0 agent moved.
His leg snapped forward in a sharp motion.
Rankyaku.
A blade of compressed air tore through the street, slicing forward with deadly speed, aimed straight at Gaius.
Everything happened at once.
The Marines tensed, some shouting in alarm.
Mindy shifted her grip, ready to fire.
Saeko stepped forward.
Tony's targeting systems locked on.
Naruto's chakra flared instinctively.
The wind blade reached Gaius and struck his armor.
It shattered.
Not in an explosion. Not deflected by force.
It simply broke apart, like glass hitting an invisible wall.
The street fell silent.
Gaius lowered his foot.
He did not draw a weapon.
He did not raise his hands.
He simply stepped forward.
The air changed.
The CP0 agents felt it first, pressure, sudden and absolute, like standing too close to something vast and immovable. Their bodies reacted before their minds could catch up. Muscles locked. Breaths stalled in their throats.
The Celestial Dragon scowled, irritation creasing his face.
"What are you doing?" he snapped. "Kill him."
The order echoed.
So did the impact.
Gaius moved once.
No shout. No wind-up.
His fist struck the nearest CP0 agent square in the torso.
The sound was wrong, too dull, too heavy.
Body collapsed inward like thin metal crushed by a press. The agent's body bent around the blow, spine bowing as the force traveled through him and burst out his back. Air and blood tore free as he was hurled backward, skipping across the stone before slamming into a wall and going still.
Silence followed.
Then panic.
The remaining CP0 agents barely had time to react.
Gaius stepped through them.
Another punch.
Another body folded, chest caving in as if compressed by an invisible weight. The agent was launched across the plaza, hit the ground once, and did not rise.
The third agent hesitated, just a fraction too long.
Gaius struck him mid-step.
Stone cracked where the body landed. Dust rose. No one spoke.
The Marines stood frozen.
The Saint Marcus stared, mouth hanging open, confusion giving way to something raw and unmistakable.
Fear.
"W-what are you-"
Gaius turned.
The slave beneath the Celestial Dragon was trembling, barely conscious, fingers digging weakly into the stone.
Gaius reached out to the Celestial Dragon.
He did not grab.
He punched.
The strike was clean. Controlled.
He had already sensed the strength of the Celestial Dragon's body.
So he held back.
The Celestial Dragon was flew off from the slave and hurled through the air, screaming as he tumbled across the plaza before crashing into rubble in a tangle of silk and blood. Bones cracked, but did not shatter.
He lived.
A sharp tone rang out as Tony's missiles locked on.
Mindy raised her weapon, aim steady.
Saeko lifted her blade, level and calm.
Naruto moved to Gaius' side.
Tony said, "We can't let you have all the fun, can we?"
The Celestial Dragon screamed, voice breaking.
"Kill them! Arrest them! Do something!"
~~~
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