"I want her!!"
Saint Xildes-sama's feverish laughter echoed through the dead-silent street.
Gion and Tokikake's faces drained of all color.
At that moment, a man covered in dirt and grime stumbled through the kneeling crowd in a panic. He pushed forward desperately and dropped to his knees with a thud in front of Saint Xildes-sama.
He yanked his daughter behind him, shielding her tightly with trembling arms. Pale-faced and shaking, he stammered,
"M-My lord... I'm sorry. My daughter was in your way. I'll take her away immediately."
Only now, seeing the fear on her father's face, did the little girl—Lia—realize she had done something wrong. Her own face turned pale, and her small hands clutched his clothes tightly.
"In my way? No, no... she wasn't in my way at all."
Saint Xildes-sama chuckled darkly, his sickening gaze fixed on the child without wavering.
"She's your daughter, right? Hm... very nice."
"Starting today, your daughter will experience the greatest fortune of her life—becoming the eighteenth wife of me, the magnificent Saint Xildes-sama! Hahahaha!!"
At those words, the middle-aged man's legs gave out completely. His eyes went wide as he collapsed further.
He bowed low, forehead to the ground, his eyes bloodshot.
"Please, Saint Xildes-sama... I beg you, don't take my daughter."
"She's all I have left in this world."
Bang. Bang. Bang...
His forehead slammed against the ground with such force that it left smears of blood behind.
Behind him, Lia stood frozen in terror, unable to speak. Big tears welled up in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
Saint Xildes-sama let out a displeased snort. He raised his foot and stomped hard on the back of the man's head.
"What's wrong? You still won't comply?"
"I've taken a liking to your daughter. That's the greatest honor you could ever receive! You should be thanking me!"
"Do you have any idea how many people on these seas would kill to marry their daughters to a great, holy, noble Celestial Dragon like me?"
"If your daughter becomes my wife, you'll never have to worry about food or shelter again. You'll live like a true upper-class citizen!"
Blood oozed as the man's face was ground into the pavement, contorted in pain.
Still, he forced out a strained, broken laugh.
"Saint Xildes-sama... I'm grateful for the offer... but Lia is still just a child. I only want to live a quiet life with her."
Fury twisted Saint Xildes-sama's face. He lashed out with a vicious kick to the man's face.
The man tumbled several meters, his face swelling grotesquely as blood streamed from his mouth.
"Daddy...!"
The little girl finally broke into sobs.
Gion's face turned ashen. Her hand moved instinctively to the hilt at her waist.
Tokikake's fists clenched, his teeth grinding together.
All around them, the townsfolk stayed kneeling, trembling with fear. No one dared to speak. No one even dared to look up.
Their hearts were heavy with helpless rage.
The Celestial Dragons were descendants of nineteen of the twenty kings who created the World Government eight centuries ago. They called themselves the "descendants of the Creator" and wielded absolute privilege.
They were untouchable. Any act of resistance or defiance against them would invite the full wrath of the World Government.
If even a single Celestial Dragon was offended, a Marine Admiral or CP0 would be deployed immediately for retribution.
And now, this little girl had caught a Celestial Dragon's eye.
It was nothing to celebrate.
Everyone on the sea knew the Celestial Dragons' obsessive, perverse, and twisted natures. They didn't bother to hide it.
They called them "wives," but in truth, they were nothing more than toys.
To Celestial Dragons, everyone else was beneath them—vermin to be discarded at will. The life or death of a toy meant nothing.
Once someone became a Celestial Dragon's plaything, death became a luxury.
Lia... would become Saint Xildes-sama's eighteenth wife.
So where were the previous seventeen?
The answer needed no explanation.
"Hahahaha, come now. Follow me back to the Holy Land, Mary Geoise."
Saint Xildes-sama didn't even glance at the bloodied man collapsed on the ground. Laughing wildly, he strode toward the little girl, hand outstretched.
"No! You're a bad man! I don't want to go with you!"
Tears welled in the girl's eyes as she bit down hard on Saint Xildes-sama's hand and broke free from his grasp.
He yelped in pain, but instead of anger, his eyes sparkled with twisted excitement.
"Yes... that look. I like that look..."
He licked the corner of his mouth, staring at the trembling girl trying to muster her courage, and smiled with sick satisfaction.
Terrified, pale, yet still defiant—such resistance thrilled him to the core.
It was a delicious experience, one he knew he wouldn't tire of anytime soon.
"Grab her. Don't hurt her though—if you do, I'll have you butchered and fed to the dogs."
He gave the order with a vicious grin.
The two CP agents behind him moved without hesitation, closing in step by step.
"Damn it! No!!"
The fallen man finally caught his breath and, eyes bloodshot, pushed himself up. With a roar, he lunged toward Saint Xildes-sama.
One of the CP agents stepped forward and drove a brutal punch into the man's stomach.
He doubled over instantly, eyes bulging, choking for air. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he collapsed again.
"Ungrateful trash…"
Impatience flashed across Saint Xildes-sama's violent eyes. Without warning, he pulled out a golden pistol.
"Damn it!" Tokikake cursed, lowering into a stance.
Gion's hand gripped her sword hilt.
Just as they were about to move—
A figure appeared between them like a phantom. One hand pressed Tokikake's shoulder; the other shoved Gion's blade back into its sheath.
They froze in confusion—until their eyes widened in shock. Their pupils contracted, and blood-red veins spread across their vision.
"Die! You filthy vermin!"
Saint Xildes-sama cackled and pulled the trigger—
In the father's desperate eyes…
In the little girl's anguished scream...
Bang!!
The gunshot rang out.
And then—silence.
Time seemed to stop. Everyone stood frozen in place.
The CP agents stiffened.
Saint Xildes-sama froze mid-laugh.
The man and the little girl stood motionless.
A faint humming, like something straining under immense pressure, echoed softly in front of the man.
He knelt there in a daze, not even breathing.
A single bullet, spinning violently, hovered just inches from his forehead, trembling in place.
Suspended.
As if caught by some invisible force.
One second…
Two…
Three...
"Who the hell is that!?" Saint Xildes-sama snarled, veins bulging across his forehead.
From among the silent Marines, a figure slowly stepped forward—his presence cold, vast, and terrifying.
Short black hair. Deep, chiseled features. A face as stern and immovable as a cliff face.
He towered over the others, nearly three meters tall.
A wide, snow-white Marine cloak billowed behind him without wind.
He walked calmly toward the bloodied man, expression unreadable, and lifted the suspended bullet from midair with a casual motion.
Then he turned.
His towering frame cast a shadow over Saint Xildes-sama, exuding an overwhelming pressure that made the Celestial Dragon instinctively recoil half a step.
Only then did the man speak, smiling faintly.
"Rogers Daren, Admiral of the North Blue, Supreme Commander of the North Blue Marines, Captain of Marine Headquarters—at your service, Saint Xildes-sama."
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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