The scar-faced pirate's smirk collapsed into panic.
"Ce… Celestial Dragon… steward."
"Hmph."
Seeing the fear twist the man's face, Bruz felt a warm surge of satisfaction. Hands clasped behind his back, he glared coldly.
"You dare offend me. Are you not afraid of provoking the wrath of the Celestial Dragons."
"I… I…"
The scarred man's lips trembled.
He had not expected to run into iron today and bruise his own head. To offend a Celestial Dragon's steward was to offend a Celestial Dragon by proxy. You still look at the owner before kicking the dog. Cross a Celestial Dragon and Marine Headquarters would hunt you to the ends of the sea. Worse, this was Sabaody, a stone's throw from the Marine base and the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Give him ten thousand lives and he still would not dare.
He knew exactly what that title meant. His face went corpse-white.
"Mister… sir… I did not recognize Mount Tai. Could you maybe"
"Get lost. Do not waste my time. Tell your captain to crawl over here and kneel."
"I…"
The scarred man stood rigid, swallowing his anger along with his fear, hands shaking.
All noise in the bar died at once. Every gawking eye settled on Bruz, faces a mix of shock and morbid curiosity.
Rakuya and Bastille slipped in, found a table, ordered two drinks, and watched.
Some pirates silently thanked the sea they had not crossed this Bruz. Lawless zone or not, pirates or not, the Celestial Dragons were still the one line most dared not cross. Their stewards were not royalty, but they were far from safe targets.
Offend even a minor Celestial Dragon and you would bring down Marine fury.
No one here was that stupid.
"Roko, I told you to fetch a girl. Why is this so hard. What, the brat refused."
A mountain of a man, two meters tall with a thick beard and eyebrows like brushes, shoved through the crowd. An axe emblem was tattooed over his chest. Axe Pirates, without a doubt.
"B… big brother."
The scarred man almost sobbed with relief. "He wants you to kneel."
He pointed at Bruz.
"Oh. You want me to kneel."
The Axe Pirates' captain looked down his nose, pressure rolling off him like a wave.
Bruz flinched, color draining, then forced himself back to hauteur.
"Yes. I told you to kneel. Do you dare refuse."
"Oh."
The captain stared at the posturing clown, then burst out laughing.
"Hahaha. A snot-nosed brat wants me to kneel. Do you know how much my head is worth. You tell me to kneel. Even if I dared to kneel, could you afford to take it."
His bronze bell eyes cut like knives. Bruz scrambled his chair back with a scrape.
"Hah. That is right. Our captain's bounty is seventy five million Beli. And you, little brat. You think you can take his head."
"Kills me."
From the corners of the room, more men rose, shirtless and scarred, each bearing the axe mark. The bar swelled with the Axe Pirates' crew.
"Hmph."
Red-faced from humiliation, Bruz kicked to his feet and roared.
"I am a steward of a Celestial Dragon. You mere Axe Pirates dare show me disrespect. Are you not afraid of Marine pursuit."
"What did you say."
For a heartbeat, the captain's smile slipped. A hint of sobriety entered his gaze.
Bruz saw it and thought he had him. He lifted his chin, voice haughty.
"I serve the Celestial Dragons. I collect treasure for Lord Saints. You dare offend me."
"Hahahaha."
The captain's laughter came back louder than ever.
"You say you are a Celestial Dragon's steward, so that makes you one. I say I am a Celestial Dragon. What then. If a Saint stood here, would you not kneel."
To him, the brat was bluffing, and he mocked him without mercy.
"You"
Bruz's head buzzed with anger. He yanked two heavy chests from beneath the table, slammed the latches, and threw them open.
Inside, golden light spilled like water.
Neat heaps of coins, gem-studded ornaments, strings of pearls thick as a man's thumb, crowns and scepters from distant kingdoms, each piece gleaming with that rich, heavy sheen only old treasure carried.
Gasps rippled around the room.
"Treasure."
"Look at those cuts. That is royal loot."
"Just those two trunks are worth… hundreds of millions."
Bruz's mouth curled into a cold smile.
"This is a portion of what I have collected for Lord Saint Charmaque. Together, a value in the billions of Beli. Do you still think I am bluffing."
The captain's eyes narrowed, flicking over the seals burned into several pieces, marks that were dangerous to touch and even more dangerous to fence.
The bar seemed to shrink around the glittering hoard.
Rakuya swirled his drink, expression unreadable.
Bastille leaned in and whispered, "Those seals… if that treasure really belongs to a Celestial Dragon, stepping on it is stepping on a landmine."
Rakuya's gaze drifted back to the trunks, then to the choking arrogance in Bruz's eyes.
He set his cup down.
Some trouble was about to start.