Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Sengoku was already feeling his scalp crawl.
Clinging to a sliver of hope, he asked the scout again, "Are you sure? Did your subordinate really see Ray?"
"Absolutely certain, Fleet Admiral. Moreover, our scouts have observed that the vast majority of the Straw Hat Pirates have already shown themselves on Sabaody Archipelago."
The voice from the Den Den Mushi was firm and showed no signs of lying.
Seeing his subordinate so earnest, Sengoku's heart ached.
He desperately wished it were false news.
But since it had already happened, he had to respond.
"Notify Borsalino and Kuzan to come to my office immediately."
"Yes!"
"Oh... and contact Zephyr. Have him come as well."
CLACK.
After hanging up, Sengoku's legs went weak, and he slumped heavily into his armchair.
His head throbbed with pain, and he pressed his fingers against his temples to relieve the pressure.
"Ah... that Celestial Dragon who encountered Ray is surely dead."
"But how do we handle the Straw Hat Pirates with Ray present? The losses would be too great—the gains wouldn't justify them."
...
Rewind to five minutes earlier. Sabaody Archipelago.
Ray watched as the procession serving the Celestial Dragon drew closer and closer.
Celestial Dragons, after all, always covered their heads with something, if only to avoid breathing the same air as the "common rabble."
This Celestial Dragon wore a square bubble over his head, his face resembling a bloated onion, and he rode atop a tall, shackled fishman slave.
His name was Saint Jalmack.
Years ago, in the Goa Kingdom, he was the one who had ordered the cannon to fire at Sabo's boat.
Behind him, three women in different styles of revealing clothing accompanied him.
They were a Western dancer, an office secretary, and a girl in an ultra-short dress.
All three women possessed superior looks, only slightly inferior to Nami and Robin.
However, just like the fish-man seated beneath him, these three beauties wore tracking explosive collars around their necks, marking them as slaves.
Based on his slave configuration, it was evident that this Celestial Dragon was a man driven by insatiable lust.
Ray had already guessed what would happen next.
Sure enough, when Jalmack reached Ray, Nami, and Robin, he stopped his slave.
"Stop."
He first roared, "Why haven't you three knelt before me?!"
His first instinct was to raise his gun and shoot.
But when he aimed his golden pistol at Nami and Robin, he froze.
Nami wore a white tube top, ultra-short denim shorts, and white high-heeled sandals, radiating youthful energy.
Robin's skin had returned to its fair and delicate state, her mature charm enhanced by a red dress and high heels, making her utterly captivating.
"Hehehe...."
"Beauties... absolute beauties."
"I've decided—you two will be my personal female slaves! I'll cherish you well and try not to break you within two months!"
"As for this white-haired man beside you... since he refuses to kneel, he shall die for this God."
The moment Nami and Robin heard this disgusting old man declare they would become his slaves, they were already preparing to act.
But just as they raised their arms, they heard him threaten to kill Ray.
Well then... the expressions on their faces instantly shifted from anger to pity.
"Tsk... you're done for," Nami whispered.
WHOOSH!
Before Jalmack could grasp the situation, a long golden whip flashed before his eyes.
SNAP!
In an instant, it bound him and dragged him hundreds of meters into the sky above the ground.
"AH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOU LOWLY COMMONER?! I AM A GOD—YOU CANNOT BEAR THE CONSEQUENCES OF ATTACKING ME!"
Seeing their master ascending rapidly, the armored guards behind Jalmack immediately charged toward Ray.
"RELEASE LORD JALMACK AT ONCE! OTHERWISE, NOT ONLY WILL YOU DIE, BUT EVERYONE CONNECTED TO YOU WILL PERISH!"
Hearing their threats, Robin shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest.
"If we're going to die either way... why not dismantle this filthy man's bones before we go?"
Nami raised her Clima-Tact and addressed the guards charging before her:
"Since your master is about to die, you might as well join him in the grave."
"Those who aid tyranny deserve their fate."
In less than a second, half the guards sprouted Robin's floral arms all over their bodies.
The other half found themselves surrounded by countless black electric bubbles.
Ray had already released the whip binding Jalmack the moment Nami spoke.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
The terrified screams of the so-called "god" gradually reached the ears of those below.
Everyone looked up to see Jalmack plummeting headfirst from the sky like a sack of potatoes.
The guards immediately tried to run to rescue him, but...
"Cien Fleur: CLUTCH!"
"THUNDERBOLT TEMPO!"
"AH!!! YOU CAN'T KILL ME!!!"
Almost simultaneously.
CRACK. (The sound of a spine snapping on impact.)
ZZZT. (The sizzle of bodies being electrocuted.)
CRUNCH. (The crack of skulls shattering from Robin's hold.)
Three distinct sounds of death echoed at once.
...
Not far away, in the food street.
Zoro was currently having a gun pointed at his head by another Celestial Dragon.
He had kindly given directions, only to end up with a gun to his head and threats of being killed.
With a single glance, Zoro roughly understood what was happening.
Hachi had explained the precautions when encountering Celestial Dragons to their entire crew:
Kneel when you see a Celestial Dragon.
Don't make noise when Celestial Dragons are crossing the street.
Never comment on or interfere with what Celestial Dragons do.
Above all, never lay a hand on a Celestial Dragon, or it will attract a Marine Admiral.
All members of the Straw Hat Pirates unanimously agreed that even "gods" didn't receive such preferential treatment from them.
If they ever encountered one, they wouldn't give them the time of day.
If any member of the Straw Hat Pirates stood by and watched Celestial Dragons flaunt their power out of fear of an Admiral, they would undoubtedly be beaten senseless by Ray for their cowardness!
Moreover, aside from Ray, every member of the Straw Hat Pirates had a compassionate heart.
How could they stand by and watch powerful nobles bully ordinary people?
So, Zoro took action.
The moment Charlos fired his gun...
BANG!
Zoro had already drawn his sword and slashed.
SHING!
In an instant, a 30-meter-long flying slash cut through the air.
It sliced through the incoming bullet, pierced Charlos's body, and continued straight down the street.
BOOM!
The sharp slash left a 300-meter-long gash on the ground before finally dissipating in front of a residential building.
Charlos had no idea what had just happened.
He tried to speak and fire another shot, but all he felt was excruciating pain from head to toe.
"Gurgle..."
He could only make a wet sound, unable to utter a single word.
It wasn't until Charlos saw the blood gushing from his own body that he realized—
This scene felt all too familiar.
It was just like the scenes of him torturing and killing slaves.
Slowly, a thought crossed his mind: 'Am I going to die? How dare this lowly commoner kill me?'
Under the horrified gazes of the onlookers, Charlos was cleanly split in half from head to toe.
SPLAT.
His two halves collapsed onto the street on either side.
Even in his final moments, he couldn't understand why a lowly commoner would dare to attack him.
And how he had ended up dying by a commoner's sword.
'Why? It makes no sense...'
Slowly, both halves of Charlos closed their eyes simultaneously.
As for the guards behind him, the moment Zoro unleashed his sword slash, they were already trembling uncontrollably, unable to stand steadily.
THUD. THUD.
Now, they had completely fainted.
The sword slash was terrifying enough, but after the strike, an even more fearsome aura emanated from Zoro.
The guards had completely collapsed, just like the nearby residents.
Only the guard captain and a few special individuals remained standing, though barely.
Today, on Sabaody Archipelago...
Due to the reckless actions of the Straw Hat Pirates, two halves and one intact Celestial Dragon corpse had appeared.