Feiyun carried Kanata on his shoulder as he made his way from the port to the central district of the Flower Country.
The Celestial Dragons—if it was an order from Saint Krysaor, they could not disobey. Even in the foulest of moods, if they defied the World Nobles, they would be killed without complaint.
Such was the power of the "descendants of the Creator."
Kanata wasn't exempt from this either. She had pulled her hood deep over her face to conceal it, but if accused of being disrespectful, she'd have to remove it. She had confidence in her appearance, but in this case, it worked against her. "Being beautiful is also a sin," she thought, though she didn't have the energy to make light of it.
In any case, Kanata's mood was at its absolute worst.
Feiyun, noticing her state, spoke with a slightly troubled expression.
"Don't worry about it. You caused such a commotion, so it's understandable that they'd be curious."
"But that doesn't give them the right to treat me like a spectacle. I am Feiyun. I said I would take you aboard my ship, so I intend to see it through to the end."
She understood that trying to reason with Celestial Dragons was pointless.
But still—
Unconsciously, she was emitting Conqueror's Haki, causing the very air to tremble.
As they stepped into the town center, Chinjao was waiting at the entrance. Kanata jumped down from Feiyun's shoulder and glared at him.
"You're quite angry, Kanata."
"Of course I am. He's the worst possible opponent I could face."
"But that's precisely why you can't let your anger show. I have my own position to consider. For now, suppress your aura."
Realizing what he meant, she took a deep breath and suppressed her Conqueror's Haki.
She had been so furious that her head was spinning, but once she calmed down, she realized there were quite a few powerful individuals in this town.
They must be the Celestial Dragon's guards.
If they continued toward the palace in the town center, they might be apprehended by those guards.
"...I'm sorry for the trouble."
"Haha. You're being quite well-behaved. That way, you won't attract unnecessary attention."
"I hope so."
Either way, Feiyun was being watched. If they could somehow get through this, that would be ideal, but it wasn't something she could count on.
Especially since Saint Krysaor, who had come this time, was said to have a fondness for "rare beasts."
"Let's go. We're keeping Saint Krysaor waiting. But it's not at the palace—it's on the outskirts of town."
"I see. That's why you came to guide us."
Considering Feiyun's immense size, he couldn't possibly transform into his true form near the palace in the city center.
Without enough space, he wouldn't be able to use his abilities properly.
She furrowed her brow, wondering if the powerful individuals in town weren't the Dragon's guards after all.
"Follow me. The 'Celestial Dragon' is waiting."
☆
The Celestial Dragon known as Krysaor was, in a word, a "collector."
He gathered rare beasts and treasures from around the world and boasted about them at parties with other Celestial Dragons. He was a World Noble with somewhat unconventional tastes.
He had four Cipher Pol "Aegis" Zero bodyguards standing by, and he smiled smugly behind the soap bubble mask he wore to avoid breathing the same air as commoners. Georges and the others had been summoned ahead and were kneeling beside the slaves.
Kanata adjusted her hood, and Chinjao steeled his resolve.
The naval guards seemed to have been told they weren't needed on the ground, as they were concentrated around the palace and the port—she could sense this with her Observation Haki. There were government guards, but not many.
As Kanata and the others approached, they were ordered to stop at a certain distance.
They were commanded to kneel, and Saint Krysaor stared intently at Feiyun.
"Hmm? He doesn't seem much different from an ordinary giant. What's going on here?"
Among the slaves being held back like possessions, there were also giants. Ignoring them, Saint Krysaor addressed Georges and the others who were kneeling.
Georges and the others did not respond, and CP-0, who had been briefed beforehand, answered instead.
"Saint Krysaor. The giant's further enlargement is due to the power of a Devil Fruit."
"Hmm, I see. Well, it doesn't matter. If we can see something rare, that's fine."
Satisfied, he sat down on a chair prepared outdoors and immediately gave an order to Feiyun.
"Then show me how you grow larger."
"Yes."
Feiyun instantly expanded, his height increasing from less than ten meters to over a hundred meters.
Even Saint Krysaor couldn't believe his eyes, staring up at Feiyun with his mouth agape. The giants behind him were equally speechless.
"I see... Now I understand the legend of the 'giant that pierces the sky.'"
Krysaor couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
He knew the legend of the demon Oars, who was said to have performed the "continent pulling" long ago, but he wondered if that demon had been as colossal as this.
At the same time, greed began to surface.
"I want that giant."
The collector's blood stirred, and he smiled as he beckoned CP-0.
"I want that giant. Do you have Sea-Prism Stone shackles for giants?"
"There are some, but..."
CP-0 hesitated, and when Krysaor frowned, he was told, "They won't work on a giant of that size."
First, it would be nearly impossible to fit Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs on him. Understanding this, Krysaor shifted his gaze to the two people at Feiyun's feet.
He had wanted to put the Sea-Prism Stone handcuffs on them first to prevent trouble, but he decided it couldn't be helped.
"Hey, you over there."
"Yes, what is it?"
"I'm going to make this giant my slave."
The air trembled.
In the blink of an eye, CP-0 stepped forward before Saint Krysaor, and Chinjao stood in front of Kanata.
It wasn't Haki—just raw killing intent. Still, the murderous aura was so intense that it made them move instinctively.
She had imagined it. The worst possible scenario.
She had hoped it wouldn't come to this—but it had.
"—I refuse."
"...What?"
"He's like my son. I won't let him become a slave—"
"I don't care what you think! I'm telling you to make this giant a slave and present him to me!"
Krysaor drew a pistol and pointed it at Kanata's head.
CP-0 also moved, with two remaining as guards while the other two moved to restrain Kanata.
But before that, Chinjao acted.
"The words of Celestial Dragons are absolute! You have no right to refuse!"
"I never agreed to that."
"If you defy them, you won't be able to survive in this sea! You'll lose everything!"
"If I have to live under such injustice, I'd rather choose the path of battle."
She blocked the Armament Haki-wrapped fist with her own Haki-clad arm, the wind pressure lifting her hood.
The face beneath the hood was revealed, floating upward.
Seeing this, Saint Krysaor grew excited, breathing heavily, and moved toward Kanata.
"Oh, ho, ho~!?"
"Saint Krysaor!? It's dangerous! Don't approach!"
"That woman—I want her too! Take her and the giant as slaves and bring them to Mariejois!"
As expected, it's come to this, Chinjao gritted his teeth.
Georges and the others moved simultaneously, and Junshi quickly blew away one of the CP-0 members and escorted Georges toward Kanata.
After confirming they had created some distance, Kanata called out to Feiyun.
"Feiyun! Blow them away!"
"Yes!"
A kick launched from a body over a hundred meters tall struck with explosive force, blowing away the slaves and guards who had been about to obey Saint Krysaor's orders like insects.
Of course, even the giants were no exception, meaning that nearly all of CP-0's forces, except for the one guarding Saint Krysaor, were sent flying.
Feiyun, now reduced to about twenty meters in size, placed Georges and the others on his palm and began moving toward the port as Kanata had instructed.
"Hey! What are you planning to do?"
"They won't let us escape like this."
"Of course not."
CP-0 were all superhumans who had mastered the Six Powers. They used the techniques to move at high speeds, circling around and trying to catch up to Feiyun.
Junshi was handling Chinjao, and it seemed they planned to leave one guard behind and suppress Kanata with three agents.
Due to the difference in stride length, Feiyun quickly gained distance, but CP-0 created a massive ice wall in front of him to hinder his movement.
"A Devil Fruit user? But this is nothing!"
He attempted to slice through the ice wall with a Rankyaku slash, but it was thicker than expected, leaving only a shallow cut.
And in that instant when his movement stopped—
"One down."
Kanata, who had touched his back, froze his entire body and sensed the two approaching from behind using her Observation Haki.
Multiple Rankyaku slashes were launched, slicing through her body, but Kanata immediately regenerated and set her sights on the next target.
"Damn, troublesome."
One of the agents, clad in Armament Haki, launched another Rankyaku slash at Kanata.
Kanata had no choice but to dodge, and in that opening, one of them leaped over the ice wall using Geppo.
"...I see. These are the 'Six Powers.'"
The combat techniques taught by the government and the navy.
The fighting methods of superhumans.
It was their formidable physique and skills that made them so strong.
"That's right. Normally, we would kill you the moment you resisted, but you are to be enslaved by the order of Saint Krysaor."
"I refuse. I have no intention of becoming a slave to the Celestial Dragons."
"Whether you want to or not is irrelevant. The 'God' has demanded that everything be handed over."
Using Soru for high-speed movement, he closed in and kicked Kanata with an Armament Haki-wrapped strike, sending her flying.
As expected of someone called a superhuman, even Kanata found it difficult to win.
That is, if they fought conventionally.
"I think... it was like this."
"What!?"
Imitating what she had observed, Kanata used Soru and slipped into the CP-0's guard. If the body had reached the required standard, all that was needed was the technique to execute it.
The CP-0 agent instinctively used Tekkai, but Kanata avoided it and only touched him lightly.
"Two down."
The CP-0 agent froze with a sharp crackling sound.
Feiyun was also a concern, but Zen and Kuro were at the port, and Georges had a Den Den Mushi. It shouldn't be a problem for now.
More importantly, Kanata was more concerned about the Celestial Dragon.
She had put up this much resistance. Becoming a wanted criminal was inevitable, and continuing their business would be impossible. Plus, she couldn't forgive them for trying to enslave Feiyun.
The remaining CP-0 member attacked Kanata with a flying Shigan, but Kanata dodged it with her Observation Haki and closed in.
Saint Krysaor, who had wanted her as a slave, showed no sign of using the pistol he held in his hand.
"You... Do you think you can get away with this?"
"It's a choice between becoming a slave or a wanted criminal. I choose the latter. That's all there is to it."
Holding a spear made of ice, she charged at the remaining CP-0 guard.
After exchanging blows, she targeted the Celestial Dragon behind him, who was unable to dodge the attack. However, the guard wouldn't go down so easily.
He blocked the spear with Rankyaku, then slashed her shoulder with an Armament Haki-enhanced strike.
She stepped back slightly and looked down at the blood flowing from her shoulder.
"Damn... It's been a while since I've bled like this."
Since eating the Hie Hie no Mi, she hadn't suffered any serious injuries except when training with Junshi and learning Armament Haki.
But if she was letting her Observation Haki get disrupted by this pain, she was still too lenient on herself.
The wound was shallow, and the bleeding wasn't enough to worry about. She kicked the ground, creating multiple ice spikes, and charged forward, aiming to impale the agent. He tried to dodge, but with Saint Krysaor behind him, he couldn't avoid it completely, so he grabbed the Celestial Dragon and used Geppo to escape into the sky.
"Damn it, if this continues—What!?"
"If you show me enough times, I'll figure out how to do it."
Like the CP-0 agent, she used Geppo to dash through the sky and thrust her spear toward his heart.
The agent instinctively guarded with Tekkai and Armament Haki, but Kanata's spear, wrapped in Armament Haki, pierced through it. Missing the heart, it instead pierced his right lung.
Out of pride as a bodyguard, he managed to hold Saint Krysaor and descend to the ground, but he collapsed onto his back moments later.
"Haa, haa... Damn it, you useless bodyguard!"
She froze the feet of Saint Krysaor, who was trying to escape by kicking the fallen CP-0 agent, forcing him to stop.
Kanata lightly stemmed the bleeding from her shoulder and approached.
"Damn it, I'm important...! I'm a member of the World Nobility! What is this insolence?! What do you think the 'bloodline of the Creator of this world' is?!"
"The Celestial Dragons may be great, but if you strip away the power that protects them, they're this fragile."
Just for defying the Celestial Dragons, a bounty would be placed on her head.
Navy Headquarters would move, and the World Government would mobilize.
Then, killing one Celestial Dragon wouldn't make much difference in the consequences.
"I've reached my limit of tolerance. You turned the children who follow me into a spectacle, and now you're going to enslave them?"
The blood-red ice spear was aimed at Saint Krysaor.
Struck by Kanata's deep crimson eyes, he fell to his knees, struggling to escape while begging for his life.
"Stop! I am Don Quixote Krysaor! I am a Celestial Dragon, descendant of the Creator!"
"A Navy Admiral will mobilize? Are you defying the World Government?"
For Kanata, this crew was the only place she belonged.
Abandoned by her parents, sold to an orphanage, with no friends, she had carved out her life with her own strength.
If she could be relied upon like a parent, if she could have companions to laugh with, if she could have a family—
She would even kill a dragon.
"I will take that heart—"
"Stop—!!?"
Kanata's spear pierced the heart of Saint Krysaor without missing by even an inch—and finally, the "voice" was silenced.