Among the kneeling crowds on both sides of the road were several Supernovas.
The "Monk" Urouge, the "Magician" Basil Hawkins, "Red flag" X Drake, and the "Roar of the Sea" Scratchmen Apoo.
These four were well aware of the sleazy man's identity in the middle of the road.
A World Noble.
A Celestial Dragon.
Even if he acted lawlessly, even if he forcibly took women, no one could resist.
Because harming a Celestial Dragon would provoke an Admiral of the Marines.
Moreover, they were all pirates—there was no reason to endanger themselves for ordinary people.
Only X Drake cursed inwardly, sweat beading on his forehead.
But he had his own duties as an undercover Marine and absolutely could not reveal himself.
He could only mourn silently for the couple in his heart.
The nurse was destined to become the concubine of the Celestial Dragon "Saint Charlos."
Her body would likely be ruined, and she would probably be discarded after he grew tired of her.
Even if she survived and returned, her life was over.
As for the nurse's fiancé, who was now at gunpoint, he would surely die.
And the critically injured patient being transported by the nurse, orderlies, and doctors was probably beyond saving as well.
They were simply unlucky to be moving a patient while a Celestial Dragon was around.
Emergency cases should have priority access, but when a Celestial Dragon is present, everything must yield.
BANG!
With a gunshot and a cry of pain, their fates were sealed.
The man was shot through the chest, writhing on the ground as gushing blood spread across the pavement.
"Aaagh!"
The nurse threw herself over her fiancé, pressing her fingers against the bleeding wound, weeping and begging Charlos to spare him.
All she received in return was the sleazy man's scornful gaze.
"Tch... he's quite tenacious. One shot didn't kill him," Charlos muttered, wiping snot from his nose.
His guards silently complained in their minds—this "great" Celestial Dragon was completely unaware that his own poor aim was to blame.
The nurse continued to sob while the man groaned in agony and Charlos only grew more impatient!
"Annoying."
With a wave of his hand, the guards rushed forward and dragged away the pleading nurse.
Then, he raised his golden pistol again, intending to finish off this lowly commoner who dared make a request of him.
Just then.
A green-haired swordsman holding a liquor bottle and carrying three swords at his waist appeared in front of Charlos, blocking his path.
Zoro still hadn't grasped the situation.
He was just trying to find a drink!
Noticing the strange man with a bubble on his head staring at him, he instinctively responded.
"What? You got a problem? Or are you asking for directions too?"
…
Five minutes earlier, in another direction.
Ray was also strolling through the commercial district.
Of course, he was wearing his silver half-face mask—otherwise, how could he take a peaceful walk?
If the fashionable women in the commercial district saw his face, the whole street would go into an uproar.
Coincidentally, Ray ran into Nami and Robin, who had bought a pile of clothes and cosmetics.
The two were carrying numerous bags, large and small.
Seeing how hard they were struggling, Ray casually tossed the heavy bag of premium dog snacks he had bought into Nami's arms.
THUMP.
This was what he called "striking first"—he wasn't about to help women carry their things.
He had his priorities straight!
Seeing the large bag of dog snacks land in her arms, Nami exploded.
"RAY! Is that any way to treat a beautiful girl?!"
Although the 10 kilograms of dog snacks were practically weightless to Nami now due to her training, Ray's behavior had genuinely upset her.
Pouting, she grumbled:
"Robin! Scold him for me!"
Robin couldn't help but laugh at Nami's expression.
"Why don't you do it yourself?"
"Well... I can't bring myself to scold him when I look at him... he's too handsome."
"Haha. Alright, I'll carry them for you."
With that, Robin activated her Hana Hana no Mi ability and transferred the snack bag to the shopping cart floating behind them.
Just then, the crowd on the main street ahead knelt down in waves from the distance.
Seeing this scene, Ray immediately knew Celestial Dragons were approaching.
Nami and Robin had heard about the Celestial Dragons from Hachi earlier.
They frowned deeply upon spotting the bubble-suited figures riding human slaves in the distance.
Their frowns weren't due to hesitation about whether to kneel.
With Ray present, there was no chance this would end peacefully.
They were contemplating what kind of battle would unfold and how to return their newly purchased clothes and skincare products to the ship before the ultimate conflict began.
Near Ray, Robin, and Nami, an ordinary-looking resident's pupils trembled violently.
'It's over... the Straw Hat Pirates are encountering Celestial Dragons.'
Thinking this, he immediately ran to a deserted corner, pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket, and rapidly dialed a number.
Puru puru puru...
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku gripped his fountain pen, laboriously planning upcoming operations.
The recent news reports gave him progressively worse headaches, with countless matters demanding his attention.
Moreover, he had the crucial task of finalizing battle plans against Whitebeard.
Yet Ray's updates consistently shattered his concentration.
Ray's power exceeded his expectations—after killing Big Mom, the man had actually slain Kaido too.
Sengoku couldn't comprehend Ray's ultimate objective.
'Was he establishing dominance early to enter the New World?'
That seemed the most plausible explanation.
Yet Sengoku sensed Ray's actions might relate to Ace.
But he lacked evidence.
As a tactical genius, whenever he considered a possibility, he naturally prepared countermeasures.
Ace was Luffy's brother, and Luffy was Ray's captain.
Once the Marines publicly announced Ace's execution, Ray would likely intervene.
As a precaution, he'd already transferred Ace from Impel Down to Marineford, now under Garp's personal supervision in the secure cells.
In his assessment, Ray wouldn't be foolish enough to raid Impel Down, but exceptions always existed.
Thus, relocating Ace to the secure Marine Headquarters was the safest approach.
And having Garp as guard provided even greater security.
Although Garp was Ace's "grandfather," Sengoku felt certain Garp wouldn't privately release Ace—this was trust built through decades of comradeship. Garp knew his duty.
So the war would proceed as planned.
They simply needed to account for Ray as a variable.
"Sigh... originally we only needed to confront one Yonko, but now we'll likely face two."
"The Whitebeard Pirates possess not only those monster commanders and Whitebeard himself, but also tens of thousands of powerful pirates firmly established in the New World."
"Fortunately, the Straw Hat Pirates' forces haven't fully expanded yet—we only need to handle their elite combatants."
"Should I eliminate the Straw Hat Pirates in advance?"
Sengoku rubbed his temples.
"Tch... no good. I have no confidence in blocking Ray right now."
Sengoku felt quite helpless.
To eliminate the Straw Hat Pirates in advance, they must set a trap to encircle all their members and dispatch three Admirals to besiege Ray simultaneously.
Only this way could they ensure the Straw Hat Pirates were dealt with at minimal cost.
The losses had to be small so they could retain sufficient combat strength to confront the Whitebeard Pirates later.
But now, an inconvenient issue arose:
Akainu was still on a mission in the New World and wouldn't return to Marineford for another three days.
Moreover, based on the intelligence he had gathered, Ray was likely still in the New World (Wano).
If the Marines were to wipe out the Straw Hat Pirates in the first half of the Grand Line while Ray was away, Ray would become a lone wolf.
A lone wolf at the level of a Yonko… seeking revenge against the Marines…
Tsk, tsk.
That wouldn't just be a case of the gains not outweighing the losses—it could spell catastrophic disaster for the Marine system. Bases destroyed daily, ships sunk hourly.
Helpless, Sengoku sighed, clasped his hands behind his back, and slowly walked to the window to breathe some fresh air and clear his tense mind.
purupurupuru
Just then, the office dendenmushi suddenly rang.
Hearing the Den Den Mushi's ring, Sengoku felt his head swell with frustration.
He only wished his goat knew how to answer the phone!
He should have listened to Kizaru's advice long ago and hired a secretary—anyone, young or old, male or female—to share at least some of the burden.
Pursing his lips, Sengoku walked over to the Den Den Mushi, took two deep breaths to compose himself, and replied in an authoritative voice.
"This is Sengoku. What is it?"
"Fleet Admiral! It's bad! Our scouts have spotted the Straw Hat Pirates' Ray on Sabaody Archipelago!"
Sengoku was shocked upon hearing this.
'Damn! When did he return?! Wasn't he in Wano Country just two days ago?!'
But then, the voice from the Den Den Mushi nearly made Sengoku faint.
"Ray and the Celestial Dragons… have crossed paths…"
Sengoku's face turned pale.
"HUUUUUUUUH!!"
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator