Sabaody Archipelago.
Located in the middle of the Grand Line, beneath the Red Line, it is composed of the exposed root system of the world's largest Yarqi Mangrove.
The mangrove roots secrete a special natural resin through respiration, which forms bubbles upon contact with the air, creating the unique "bubble culture" of Sabaody Archipelago.
The floating Bubble Cars, shops, bars, and hotels built on the thick tree roots together form this seemingly fantastical fairy-tale world.
Of course, it only appears that way.
...
Sabaody Archipelago is divided into 79 areas, with the entire island controlled by the Celestial Dragons.
Areas 1-29 are dedicated to human trafficking and illegal activities.
Areas 30-39 house the soap bubble parks, while areas 40-49 are tourist zones and specialty shops.
Areas 50-59 contain shipyards and coating shops.
Areas 60-69 are heavily guarded by the Marines.
...
It's ironic, isn't it? Despite the Marine presence, human trafficking still exists.
Let me reiterate.
The primary purpose of the Marines is to protect the interests of the Celestial Dragons, not the common people.
This place is the backyard of the Celestial Dragons. The Marines here exist not to combat crime, but to maintain the experience of the Celestial Dragons.
...
Sabaody Archipelago, Area 1.
Doll stared at the scene before her, her heart unable to calm for a long time.
These were her own kind, yet they were treated like stray dogs and cats—chains around their necks, some locked in cages...
There were even children among them!!
Even the worst gangsters she had encountered would never treat their own kind as inferior beings!!
"Are they... not human?!" Doll cried out in protest.
"How can such things happen?!"
...
Aside from Doll, no one else in their group found the scene unusual.
An older-looking lieutenant spoke up: "Colonel Doll, it's understandable that you wouldn't know about such things..."
"The islands near our base had their human traffickers purged years ago by Colonel Smoker and Colonel Griffin. That was a truly difficult battle..."
"Outside our region, this kind of thing is considered normal... especially here."
Crack—
Doll gritted her teeth tightly, her watery eyes boiling with rage: "Normal... how could this be normal?! This shouldn't be acceptable no matter how you think about it!!"
"Those are human beings!! And children!!"
...
"Too naive. It's hard to believe you were once Griffin's vice-commander."
Lucci spoke coldly: "Everyone in this world is born as slaves to the Celestial Dragons. Are you actually feeling pity for these slaves?"
"The weak submit to the strong—hasn't this been the eternal truth since ancient times?"
...
"But—"
"You won't find answers by just asking questions."
Griffin calmly watched the passing slave traders and their "merchandise," quietly interrupting Doll: "Doll, this is the world we live in."
"These are the rules. Until we have the power to change them, we can only adapt."
...
Doll frowned deeply: "Do you... actually think this is right too...?"
"Why should we obey those—"
Just as Doll was about to utter words that could endanger her life, Griffin spoke again to interrupt her.
"Think carefully before you speak. Reckless boasts without the power to back them only expose your incompetence and serve no purpose."
"I..."
"I understand..."
The words stuck in her throat, and Doll swallowed them back down.
Perhaps in the original timeline, she would have realized the truth of the world much earlier. It was the 179th Branch that Smoker and Griffin had built that made her mistakenly believe that even the worst of people were just like ordinary gangsters.
"Prepare yourself to receive Saint Shalria. Keep your emotions in check—this isn't the West Sea Branch!"
Griffin rarely spoke to Doll with such severity.
He was reminding Doll, but also reminding himself.
Back during the incident with Luo, if not for the unexpected appearance of the Sea Kings, he would have been unable to restrain himself from attacking a Celestial Dragon.
And later, he indeed failed to hold back.
If he hadn't killed Luo and obtained the Shaped Magic Puppet as a result, he would already be on the run—or perhaps he would have joined the Beasts Pirates.
The Beasts Pirates had always been one of his envisioned fallback options, because that guy Kaido would never refuse an Ancient Zoan ability user joining his ranks. Moreover, Kaido possessed both the capability and the courage to oppose the World Government.
...
But now things were different.
The emergence of the Shaped Magic Puppet meant he didn't have to consider fleeing every time he killed a Celestial Dragon. If handled properly, he could maintain both identities simultaneously, significantly accelerating his own growth in strength.
Killing that Celestial Dragon in the Goa Kingdom had already given Griffin a taste of the convenience his identity could provide.
As long as that woman called Shalria doesn't go mad and demand that I become her slave, no matter what, I must endure it...
There will be plenty of opportunities to kill her later!
I must hold back!
——
——
"Father said things have been unstable lately and no longer allows me to descend to the lower world, but he knew it was you assigned as my guard."
"No matter what, I still came, Lord Griffin!!The girl's clear voice came through the glass cover, somewhat distorted.
Saint Shalria.
She appeared to be a girl of about fifteen or sixteen, wearing a bubble helmet like other Celestial Dragons, with orange-yellow hair and a fairly pretty face.
Originally, Griffin had no particular impression of this name, nor could he see a photo of his mission target.
But upon seeing her, Griffin remembered...
More famous than her was her younger brother, hailed as the 'Shield of the Celestial Dragons,' Charlos, who had endured several violent attacks.
That would be the guy who, about ten years later, got punched away by Luffy, triggering the Celestial Dragon incident.
...
At the same time, the Celestial Dragon radar in Griffin's mind activated.
"Mission target discovered—Celestial Dragon—Shalria"
"Hunt difficulty—Extremely Simple"
"Mission completion rewards one-third of a single draw chance. Options are as follows—
1.
Shaped Magic Puppet.
2.
Ice Release Ninjutsu Collection...
...
Knowledge-based rewards like the Fire Release Ninjutsu Collection are removed from the options after being drawn, while item-based rewards like the Shaped Magic Puppet can be drawn repeatedly.
So far, the Celestial Dragon with the highest hunt difficulty Griffin had encountered was Red-Haired Shanks, with a difficulty rating of Ultra High Risk.
Next was Luo, whose difficulty was rated Hard due to the presence of guards like Barladi, and completing it granted three draws.
As for the one in the Goa Kingdom, like the current Shalria, it was rated Extremely Simple, and completion only granted one-third of a single draw.
Whether the difficulty was calculated based on strength or bloodline concentration, Griffin wasn't sure—he lacked sufficient material to make a judgment.
...
The overly simplistic criteria slightly diminished Griffin's murderous intent.
If killing Shalria could grant multiple extraction opportunities, it would be harder to resist such temptation.
Wait...
Something felt off...
It dawned on Griffin belatedly—he initially thought some lieutenant behind him had addressed him as "Lord Griffin," but...
He confirmed it now—the voice came from the Celestial Dragon girl standing before him.
"Finally, I meet you! You're even more handsome than in the newspapers!! So perfect!!"
Shalria bore no resemblance to someone who dwelled high above in the heavens; she seemed more like a starstruck maiden gazing at her idol.
That Newspaper King guy... Did he even deliver papers all the way up to the Holy Land?
...
"Marine! How dare you not kneel in the presence of Saint Shalria! Such insolence!"
One of Shalria's guards spoke sternly.
Griffin took a deep breath, about to flip the bird and deliver the same spiel he'd given Luo to Shalria.
Right at that moment...
BANG!!!
A gunshot rang out, a bullet flew, and a spray of blood blossomed.
Thud—
Shalria coldly watched the guard whose head had been blown open, slowly lowering her still-smoking gun.
"Who gave you permission to shout at Lord Griffin, you lowly creature!"
This arrogant, brutal demeanor—treating others as disposable objects...
Indeed, this was the true nature of a Celestial Dragon.
...
Griffin bowed his head in greeting, his lowered hair shadowing his eyes.
"Greetings, Saint Shalria. Official duties prevent me from kneeling—I beg your understanding."