"Roar!"
The Bull Demon let out a thunderous bellow, its voice forming a shockwave. Satan Saint's barbed tail struck from an unnatural angle, lunging straight at Ritter's throat.
Ritter tilted his head, narrowly avoiding the strike. The venom scraped across his blood mist with a vicious hiss, corroding the air itself.
"This old man's poison is no joke." Ritter grinned.
The blood mist condensed instantly, forging itself into chains that snapped around the Bull Demon's front limbs. The Black Tide Greatsword swept sideways in a brutal arc, forcing Satan Saint backward. He skidded more than ten meters and crashed straight through a wall.
Dust exploded through the hall.
From within the smoke, Nasujuro Saint roared, "Stop them!"
But the exits were already sealed behind a wall of swirling crimson mist. Ritter's voice echoed coldly through the haze.
"Anyone takes a single step and I will send the entire Celestial Dragon class to the grave tonight. Tell Imu to come out. Let's see whether I can slaughter all of you before he arrives."
The blood mist spread across all of Mary Geoise, smothering the sky.
"Trying to use blood against me?" Ritter laughed softly. "I invented this craft."
The mist contracted suddenly, shaping itself into a massive hand that slammed down with terrifying force. It crushed the Gorosei warrior who had been ready to counterattack Nasujuro Saint.
The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.
Shanks stood at the edge of the battlefield, one hand resting on the hilt of Gryphon. He had not drawn it yet. He was waiting for Ritter's signal.
"Ritter," he called out. His voice cut cleanly through the sound of collapsing masonry. "Do not forget. They still have hostages."
Ritter's movements paused for a heartbeat. The swirling blood mist slowed.
Satan Saint seized the chance and swung his scepter violently, forcing Ritter back several steps. He sneered, "So you finally remembered."
"Old man." Ritter wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth with a feral smile. "You think that will threaten me?"
"This is not a threat. It is a negotiation."
Volruli Saint, the God of Environment, finally stepped forward. He motioned for a servant, who brought in a projector-style Den Den Mushi.
The device flickered to life, showing several figures shackled with seastone chains. Former members of the Roger Pirates.
"If Shanks agrees to return to the Celestial Dragons, we will not publicize it. This is our greatest concession. It does not harm you. We can also guarantee that no one else will be implicated."
Shanks' pupils constricted sharply.
Ritter suddenly burst into laughter.
"Interesting. But you seem to have forgotten something."
The blood mist surged like a tidal wave, crashing toward the Five Elders.
"I hate threats the most. I want you kneeling before their graves, repenting. And I will take the heads of countless Celestial Dragons with you."
Mary Geoise was completely engulfed.
Screams erupted from all directions. At first they were full of arrogance and disgust, but they quickly collapsed into pure terror.
"You lowborn commoner! Do you know who I am? I command you to stop this insta ah! My skin!"
A shrill female voice was suddenly cut off, replaced by the corrosive hiss of melting flesh.
"Guards! Where are the guards? Get rid of this damned mist!"
A male Celestial Dragon shrieked in panic, but only the continuous screams answered him.
"No. My hand. My face. Help me. Father, help me. Ahhhh!"
"Damn you, Ritter! The World Government will never forgive you. I will tear you apa cough, cough!"
His curses were drowned out by choking as mist seeped into his lungs.
"I do not want to die. I am a descendant of the Creator. I can give you money. Berries. Devil Fruits. Anything. Please, plea ahhh!"
His pleas dissolved into a final agonized scream, then silence.
Ritter's expression gradually lost its earlier ferocity.
The Five Elders, surprisingly, looked calm. As if this outcome had already been accounted for.
They called for servants to bring another table, then personally poured Ritter a cup of tea.
"We heard you like this one," Peter Saint said pleasantly, gesturing for him to drink.
Ritter sat down casually and took a sip.
If one ignored the ruined hall and the distant dying screams of Celestial Dragons outside, it almost felt as though the earlier battle had never happened.
"Even among Celestial Dragons, some stand above the others," Ritter remarked as he sipped. The tea was good. He took another drink.
"Ritter, have you calmed down?" Peter Saint asked.
"More or less."
Outside, the cries gradually faded. They must have returned home to sleep, as if nothing had happened.
In truth, Ritter knew the truth. The mist covered all of Mary Geoise, yet the Celestial Dragons inside behaved like fools. Those strong presences he had sensed on his first day in the Holy Land were gone.
His guess was simple. Either someone with a Door-Door Fruit ability had spirited them away, or they were protected behind a Barrier Fruit shield.
As for the ones who remained, Ritter was certain of one thing:
No one would ever hear about the Celestial Dragons he killed today. If the news never left, then in the eyes of the world, Ritter had done nothing.
Someone had already decided which Celestial Dragons were truly "Celestial Dragons".
Expendable sacrifices were the currency used to fix misunderstandings.
"Celestial Dragons are supposed to be very precious, are they not?" Ritter asked.
"Do not joke, Ritter," Peter Saint replied with a gentle smile. "We have no shortage of Celestial Dragons. What we value is the exceptional ones."
"What happened earlier was a misunderstanding. These crew members were captured shortly after Roger's death. At that time, you were rising in prominence. We never used them to threaten you. You killed some of our own today, and we captured some of yours. Let us call it even."
Ritter lifted his teacup, but did not drink. He stirred the liquid slowly, his blood-red eyes fixed on Peter Saint through the rising steam.
"Is the payoff still not enough? What is this now, friendship? Since when did the Five Elders become so agreeable?"
Peter Saint's smile tightened.
"The times are changing. We must adapt. Your strength has already proven your worth. Instead of destroying one another, we can each take what we need."
Ritter snorted.
"Sounds nice. But you seem to have forgotten something."
He set down the cup. His gaze sharpened.
"Where are my people?"
Volruli Saint signaled to adjust the Den Den Mushi projection.
The chains were removed. The former Roger Pirates were escorted into a spacious room. They looked tired but otherwise unharmed.
Dragon, lifting his head, grinned toward the camera.
"Ritter, these old men are pulling tricks again. Do not worry about us. If I drop dead, remember to bring good wine for my funeral."
"You will not die. I will pick you up shortly and share a drink."
Ritter watched them.
After Roger's death, the Five Elders had arrested several of his crew. Such events should not have happened in the original timeline, or perhaps the story never had room to depict them. Ritter had always wondered why Shanks would willingly go back to the Celestial Dragons. These men were his.
As for the current Pirate King, no one knew whether the arrests were meant to restrain Ritter or to pave the way for Shanks' return.
Originally, the Five Elders had indeed planned to use these men as leverage against both Ritter and Shanks.