"Oh! And find a few more good-looking slaves. This Saint wants to ride on their backs! Wahahaha!"
This absurd order was clearly transmitted via den den mushi to the deck of the escorting Warship behind.
Smoker stood at the bow, listening to the order coming from the den den mushi, the two cigars in his mouth almost bitten through.
Thick smoke uncontrollably billowed from him, enveloping his entire body, radiating suppressed fury.
A cold gaze was cast from the nearby Marine Headquarters Warship. Onigumo, holding the den den mushi, coldly swept his eyes over Smoker.
"Captain Smoker, you are responsible for maintaining order on both sides of the red carpet."
Onigumo's voice was utterly devoid of emotion, as if giving a perfectly normal instruction.
"Remember, any commoner who dares to look up and directly at Saint Charlimako will be arrested on the spot for 'disrespect.'"
Smoker's teeth ground together. He knew very well that Onigumo's words were the final warning, given out of respect for their shared past as students of Teacher Zephyr.
Arrest?
What a ridiculous word. The Celestial Dragons' guards wouldn't be so gentle. Any commoner who knelt too slowly or even made a slight sound would be executed on the spot.
But what could he do? Resist? And then have his subordinates, who trusted him, sent to a military court or even killed on the spot?
Smoke surged, and finally, all the anger and unwillingness transformed into a single word squeezed from deep within his throat.
"...Yes."
The order quickly reached Loguetown.
At the port, the commander of the Loguetown Marine base, with a solemn expression, read out the orders to the Marines who had already lined up.
"Saint Charlimako of the Celestial Dragons demands that a red carpet be laid from the dock all the way to the execution platform square. All shops along the street must close immediately..."
A young Marine in the ranks, his face filled with fear and unease, tremblingly raised his hand.
"Commander... what if... what if someone kneels too slowly?"
The commander fell silent for a moment, avoiding the young soldier's gaze, and spoke with difficulty:
"Vice Admiral Onigumo will handle all unexpected situations."
The Warship slowly docked, and the heavy gangplank was lowered.
Smoker was the first to stride down, his white 'Justice' coat flapping in the sea breeze, but those two words now seemed incredibly ironic.
"Captain!"
Smoker's subordinate in Loguetown immediately stepped forward to salute, a trace of unconcealed worry on his face.
"The port has been completely locked down as requested... all ships have been cleared."
Smoker uncharacteristically gave no response, not even looking at him.
His gaze swept over the crowd, fixed intently on the distant, glaring red carpet being rapidly unrolled.
White smoke uncontrollably seeped from him in wisps, proof of his intense emotional fluctuations.
The subordinate looked at his tense profile and reminded him worriedly in a low voice.
"Captain, your hand... is shaking."
Smoker suddenly clenched his fist, his knuckles making a faint cracking sound from the excessive force.
He finally withdrew his gaze and commanded in a hoarse voice:
"Go patrol West Street. There are many elderly people in that area... remind them to close their doors and windows, and absolutely... do not come out."
The subordinate nodded heavily, acknowledged the order, and left.
A moment later, the crimson carpet was fully laid out.
Saint Charlimako, riding leisurely on the back of a young slave, stepped onto the red carpet.
The slave was on all fours, a luxurious cushion on his back, his eyes vacant, not daring to make a sound.
On both sides of the red carpet, rows of Marine soldiers stood with their backs to the carpet, facing the street, forming a human wall.
Behind the human wall, the residents of Loguetown were forced to kneel on the cold stone pavement, each with their heads bowed, the street dead silent.
Many parents desperately held down their children's heads, preventing them from looking up out of curiosity, which would invite deadly disaster.
The entire Loguetown, this town of freedom and dreams that ushered in the Great Pirate Era, was now shrouded in an unprecedented atmosphere of fear.
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