The moment that face appeared, the world seemed to be muted.
The gaze beneath the two CP0 agents' masks froze solid.
No confirmation needed.
No doubt needed.
That face, that man, that aura of dominion over the world, had long been branded into the depths of every high-ranking official's soul by the World Government's highest-level wanted posters.
"Revolutionary..."
"Monkey D. Dragon!"
In the internal channel of one of the agents, a hoarse electronic voice mixed with the crackling of electricity roared out that forbidden name.
The other forcibly suppressed his pounding heart, his voice distorted by extreme tension, issuing the sternest warning to that figure.
"Revolutionary Dragon! What do you intend to do by appearing here?!"
"Saint Jalmack is here! Do you wish to declare all-out war on the World Government?!"
His voice trailed off with a tremor he hadn't even noticed himself.
On the Celestial Dragons' giant ship.
Saint Jalmack, who had been raging, suddenly stiffened his corpulent body the moment he clearly saw that face.
His eyes, squeezed into slits by his fat, suddenly opened wide, bloodshot.
"Dragon... It's Dragon!!"
He recognized him!
That face was identical to the one on the highest bounty poster, cursed countless times by all the Celestial Dragons!
The world's most evil criminal!
"Ah ah ah ah — —!!"
Extreme terror transformed into a heart-wrenching scream, piercing the night sky.
Saint Jalmack's plump fingers trembled as he pointed at Dragon in mid-air, letting out a beast-like roar.
"Kill him!!"
"What are you two useless pieces of trash waiting for?! Kill him!!!"
"I order you! At all costs! Rip his head off!!!"
This was a death order from a World Noble.
The two CP0 agents, upon receiving the command, felt a chill explode from their spines, instantly spreading through their limbs.
They knew better than anyone how terrifying the man before them was.
But orders were everything.
"Roar — —!!"
The agent in his dire wolf form roared skyward, his massive body expanding again, his dark Armament Haki, like a living entity, instantly engulfed all his mane and claws!
He was burning his own life!
The other agent suddenly clasped his hands together, his eyes bloodshot, preparing to unleash the strongest ability of his life.
"Space Lock · Heavenly Net..."
However, all their preparations, all their desperate resolve, were mere child's play in Dragon's eyes.
Dragon didn't even spare them a glance.
His gaze, from beginning to end, rested on the blond youth who was being held aloft by the wind, his face filled with shock.
He spoke calmly, as if stating a truth.
"In your wind, I sense a will to break free from all shackles."
"That is... a yearning for freedom."
The moment his words fell.
Dragon finally made a move.
He merely slowly raised an index finger in the direction of the two CP0 agents.
Boom — —!!!
An invisible surge of Conqueror's Haki, like a tangible storm, instantly descended!
The two who were preparing for a desperate fight suddenly stopped dead in their tracks!
"Ho... how is that possible?!"
The agent in dire wolf form was aghast; the power he gained by burning his life, and the Armament Haki covering his entire body, were forcibly suppressed to the point of immobility by the opponent's Conqueror's Haki aura!
The other agent was even more terrified.
He frantically activated his Lock-Lock Fruit ability, attempting to seal space.
But his ability had just begun to manifest, and the invisible "chains" hadn't even formed before they were directly shattered and crushed by Dragon's Conqueror's Haki!
"It's Haoshoku... it's actually this powerful!"
What an immense disparity!
Dragon retracted his gaze from Sabo, and finally, his calm, unruffled eyes, for the first time, fell upon the two confined "trash."
He waved his hand.
The gesture was light and casual, like shooing away two annoying flies.
Whoosh!
A violent hurricane formed out of thin air, imbued with Armament Haki as dark as ink and condensed to the extreme!
The wind was his weapon!
Swoosh — —!
Under everyone's horrified gaze, the two figures were swept up by this Armament Haki hurricane, transforming into two pitch-black meteors, and were fiercely smashed back onto the deck of the Celestial Dragons' giant ship at a vision-tearing speed!
Boom! Boom!
Two earth-shattering crashes!
The incredibly hard, specially made deck was as fragile as a thin sheet of paper, with two bottomless human-shaped holes smashed into it.
Two smoking black craters appeared precisely at Saint Jalmack's feet.
In the deep craters, the two top-tier World Government agents had all their bones shattered, their expensive suits fused with their bloody flesh, and they had instantly fainted, their breaths so faint they could extinguish at any moment.
One move.
No, it couldn't even be considered a move.
A glance, a raised hand, a wave of the hand.
Two CP0 agents, instantly killed!
In the distance, on the black ship.
Ivankov's huge face, covered in exaggerated makeup, had his mouth open wide enough to fit a basketball.
"Dragon... Dragon boy... This is just too... too exaggerated, shiha!!"
He was so shocked that even his characteristic catchphrase was off-key.
And on the distant shores of Goa Kingdom.
White Night's consciousness chuckled softly.
"The plot's corrective force is truly powerful."
"After such a long detour, I didn't expect Sabo to still end up in your hands, Dragon."
On the battlefield.
After dealing with the bothersome insects, Dragon's gaze finally crossed the sea, falling upon the opulent giant ship, and upon the World Noble who was already scared witless.
He didn't speak.
Nor did he release any killing intent.
It was merely a calm gaze.
However, this gaze became the final straw that broke Saint Jalmack's spirit.
"Ah... ah..."
The Celestial Dragon's corpulent body trembled violently, his fat rippling like waves.
The world in his eyes was left with only those deep, cold eyes that seemed to pierce through his soul.
That was a judgment... upon a god!
Thud!
Saint Jalmack's legs gave out, and his two-hundred-plus-kilogram corpulent body collapsed heavily to the ground.
A strong, pungent liquid flowed down his luxurious trousers, quickly spreading across the smooth deck.
A World Noble, scared stiff by a single gaze, literally peed himself.
Having done all this, Dragon retracted his gaze.
He no longer looked at that pile of filthy trash, as if looking at it one more time would defile his eyes.
His sight returned to the blond youth who had been in a state of immense shock from beginning to end.
Looking at the complex expression in the youth's eyes, mixed with shock, confusion, and a hint of admiration.
The lines on Dragon's resolute face softened slightly, a rare sight.
He slowly extended his hand towards Sabo.
Calmly, he uttered two words.
"Let's go."