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All the civilians who had noticed the four figures about thirty meters ahead of the Celestial Dragon froze, their faces etched with pure terror.
"What's with those four? They actually dared not kneel!"
"Oh my God… they angered the Celestial Dragon! They're going to get killed for sure!"
"Just hope the Celestial Dragon doesn't involve us…"
"They must be newcomers to the island. To be so bold… they're asking for death!"
Those kneeling silently cursed in their hearts while casting sympathetic glances at the four.
"Those four idiots… do they want to die?"
The young man in the baseball cap muttered under his breath.
"Utterly foolish!"
Even with enough power to challenge a pirate ship, they were about to throw their lives away in the hands of a Celestial Dragon. It was a waste beyond comprehension. And as for whether they'd dare resist? He was almost certain they would.
The man the Celestial Dragon held had been a Supernova from a year ago. After offending the Celestial Dragons, he had been enslaved; back then, his bounty was 230 million!
But in the next moment, something happened that made the man's eyes widen in disbelief.
"Fuck me… no way!"
He cursed aloud, in his mind, at least.
He saw it, one of the four black-robed figures slowly raised a hand, and in it, something jet-black materialized.
A gun.
Oh my God, are they insane? That person actually dared to aim at a Celestial Dragon! Was he planning to shoot?
What made the young man want to scream in anger even more was that the other three didn't try to stop him! What are you doing? Don't you realize what your companion is about to do? That could bring an Admiral down here! You idiots!
The young man in the baseball cap was losing his mind, cursing loudly inside.
The street fell silent. In the next moment, everyone clearly heard a short exchange:
"Did it break?"
"Break!"
The brief dialogue left everyone bewildered. And before they could grasp its meaning, the hand holding the gun pressed down on the trigger.
"Bang!"
The muffled but decisive sound made everyone's hearts skip a beat.
At that moment, the Celestial Dragon, still surrounded by protective bubbles, raised his revolver-hand.
"Pop!"
Everyone saw the bubbles above his neck shatter.
The Celestial Dragon's eyes reflected disbelief, and the first flicker of fear. A three-centimeter hole appeared in the center of his forehead, blood gushing instantly.
Gradually, the light in his eyes faded, and he slumped to the ground.
"Heavens!"
Time seemed to stop. Three seconds later, a voice rang out from the crowd. Slowly, everyone snapped back to reality, their faces draining of color as panic set in.
"Run!"
At the shout, every civilian sprang up and ran for their lives.
"Shit!"
The young man in the baseball cap grabbed his bewildered companion and bolted without looking back.
"Run, mad! Those four bastards are going to get us killed!" he shouted as they ran.
His companion quickly grasped the gravity of the situation, his face tight with fear.
Mad… what had they just witnessed? A Celestial Dragon had been taken down. In all these years, nothing like this had ever happened! It was clear, the area would soon be swarmed by the full might of the Marines, maybe even an Admiral, and they would be furious.
From this moment on, every pirate on the island was doomed.
"Move!"
Having shot the Celestial Dragon, the four black-robed figures seemed to realize the gravity of their act. Without hesitation, they turned and fled.
Only when the street was clear did the trembling men in black suits glance at the fallen Celestial Dragon, swallowing hard, sweat beading on their foreheads.
They were stunned, terrified, utterly frozen, unsure what to do or say.
"Team… team leader, notify the Marines, quickly!"
Someone behind finally spoke.
"Oh, notify the Marines!"
The team leader was still in a daze, his voice confused.
He fumbled to dial the Den Den Mushi, contacting the stationed forces on Sabaody Archipelago.
"Hello?"
Soon, a stern voice came from the other end.
"Hurry, send troops to Area No. 40! Something serious has happened!"
The team leader swallowed hard and shouted urgently.
"What happened?"
The stationed Marine asked, puzzled.
"A Celestial Dragon has been killed!"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, silence fell abruptly, followed by a quick hang-up.
Something major had happened, an incident of tremendous gravity. Almost immediately, the news spread like wildfire across the island, sparking panic everywhere.
In a nearby bar, Doflamingo and his crew were drinking.
"The Celestial Dragon has been killed!"
"Move!"
Without hesitation, Doflamingo's expression hardened. He lost all desire to drink and strode quickly toward the door.
Outside, seeing squads of Marines racing past, they quickened their pace.
"Mad… which bastard did this? Let's go!"
At that moment, countless pirate crews temporarily docked on Sabaody Archipelago could no longer stay. They turned and left.
Within just five minutes, at least a dozen pirate ships departed the harbor, as if the end of the world had come. Fear gripped their hearts, leaving them no thought of staying.
Of course, some braver, bolder groups, upon hearing the news, were only shocked briefly before calmly resuming their drinks.
"Old… old boss, something bad has happened! A Celestial Dragon has been killed!"
The young man in the baseball cap, out of breath from running back, shouted loudly.
"Someone actually killed a Celestial Dragon?"
Crazed Lion Liam was slightly surprised, then broke into a grin.
"My path is not lonely. I didn't expect there to still be such daring people today. Excellent, excellent!"
He wasn't afraid; he laughed heartily.
"Are we running?"
The young man in the baseball cap asked, puzzled.
"Run? Why would we run? We came here to witness a truly rare war. Don't worry! At this crucial moment, the Marines' attention is entirely on Headquarters; they won't notice here."
Liam smiled confidently, his face filled with assurance.
In a quiet café, a tall man wearing a bear-ear hat read calmly.
When he heard a Celestial Dragon had been killed, he paused slightly, then continued flipping through his book, unfazed.
Outside the outskirts, under a large tree, a group of women played cards, laughing boisterously.
"Big sister Minco, something's wrong! A Celestial Dragon has been killed!"
The shout startled the card players.
But nearby, a young woman sitting cross-legged, quietly cultivating, opened her eyes and spoke calmly.
"No need to panic. Isn't this perfect? There's an even greater spectacle ahead."
Any pirate crew daring enough to come to this land was undoubtedly powerful and incredibly courageous.
Even amid such upheaval, they remained unshaken, confident in their own strength.
(End Of This Chapter)