Chapter 26: The Precepts and the "Revere the Gods" Quest
Sabaody Archipelago.
After meeting Blackbeard here, Satan felt the gap between himself and the true great pirates. In that instant, urgency finally pressed down on him.
Blackbeard Teach.
This guy was worthy to be his opponent.
Next time they met—drinks at the table, or blades at close quarters?
"Make way, make way!"
While Satan was walking and thinking, a woman ran toward him in a panic.
Bang.
She crashed into him, bounced off, and fell hard to the ground.
"Stop! Catch that damned slave!"
A roar sounded from behind her.
"Celestial Dragons!"
"Kneel, hurry and kneel!"
At the shout, the surrounding crowd panicked. One after another, everyone dropped to their knees. Only Satan stood tall, a crane among chickens.
"Celestial Dragon, slave?"
Satan looked at the woman. She was in utter disarray, whip marks striping her body. Her features were unclear, but her eyes blazed with an unusual light—unyielding, unwilling, angry.
"Help me. I will not be a slave."
She reached a pleading hand toward Satan. Those eyes stirred a trace of pity in him.
"Help you? Who in this world dares rescue a Celestial Dragons' slave?
"Be good and go back to serve them."
In a heartbeat, four or five men in suits caught up. Despair welled in the woman's chest.
"I will never become a Celestial Dragon's slave."
She stood her ground, eyes full of rage and defiance.
"Ding. Wrath detected. Absorb or not?
"Absorb.
"Ding. Absorption successful. Gained 200 Wrath. Randomly converted to +20 Agility."
"Two hundred Wrath?"
Satan glanced at the woman in surprise. Anyone who could yield two hundred points was no ordinary person.
As he hesitated, the suited men struck. With a single motion, one of them slapped the woman and sent her flying.
"Just a slave—don't get carried away.
"Being a Celestial Dragon's plaything is a blessing for you."
They were vicious, never once treating her as human.
The woman struggled to her feet, eyes still burning with fury.
"Even if I die, I will never be a slave."
"Ding. System task issued.
"Ten Commandments vessel detected. Save the runaway Celestial Dragon slave Vivian to obtain the Commandment: Piety.
"Accept?"
"Piety? Interesting.
"Accept."
Satan grinned. A Commandment was an exceptionally powerful ability. No wonder the woman felt oddly compatible—she could trigger Piety. It was the first time the system had taken the initiative to issue a task.
"Hmph, die?
"You die only when Saint Charlos allows it.
"If Saint Charlos doesn't allow it, you aren't even qualified to die.
"Filthy wench, running off and wasting my time."
Snarling, the suited man raised his hand for another slap. As a Celestial Dragons' guard, he would be punished if a slave escaped, and his anger boiled.
The woman closed her eyes in despair.
"Tsk, tsk. Big tough men throwing a tantrum at a girl—doesn't that shame you?"
Satan's voice rang out. The woman opened her eyes to a handsome figure standing before her, towering in the sunlight.
"Your name is Vivian?"
Satan looked back and smiled at her.
"Mm."
Vivian nodded hard—asking for help had worked. In that instant, Satan was like a ray of light warming her heart.
"Brat, you dare block our way? She's a Celestial Dragons' slave!"
The suited man's face changed. No matter how he pulled, his arm wouldn't come free—Satan had gripped it like iron.
"From this moment on, she's mine.
"Now get lost."
Satan's voice turned cold. A flash of Conqueror's Haki swept out and vanished. The suited men felt as if a ferocious beast loomed over them; their legs went weak and they dropped to their knees.
"You dare ignore the Celestial Dragons? Just wait—Saint Charlos is coming at once!"
They stumbled back in fear.
"The Celestial Dragons are coming!
"This guy's insane—he even dared snatch a Celestial Dragons' slave!
"We're doomed—they'll be enraged. Run!"
Terror rippled through the crowd. The Celestial Dragons—someone was defying them?
Vivian gazed at Satan, eyes shining. She had thought her life was over. It wasn't—Satan had saved her.
"Let's go, quickly. The Celestial Dragons will be here any moment."
She tugged Satan's hand to run.
"Why run?
"I was just looking to have a heart-to-heart with the Celestial Dragons."
Satan grinned. He had been fretting over how to amass the Seven Deadly Sins quickly. The Celestial Dragons were the perfect cards to play. Keeping Vivian would earn him a Commandment. Could there be a better day than this?
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