Snow weighed heavy on the rooftops. From the overcast sky, mournful flakes drifted down.
The courtyard was deathly silent.
Saint Hilde, a Celestial Dragon, stood at the doorway gripping a bloodstained blade. He placed one hand on the frame, exhaling hot white breath into the cold air.
The thrill of the kill sent shivers through his body. The scent of blood wafting from inside the house only sharpened his senses, twisting his face into a crazed, sadistic grin.
"Don't bother struggling. No one in this world can save you."
His violent gaze swept over the three trembling figures inside.
The middle-aged man was covered in blood, a deep, bone-revealing gash slashed across his chest. Yet despite the injury, his calloused hands clung tightly to a hammer, shielding his wife and child behind him.
"No... the Marines... they'll come to save us," the woman said, her voice trembling with fear.
At her words, a flicker of despair crossed Will's face.
"The Marines? Hahaha!!"
Saint Hilde let out a peal of mocking laughter, as though he'd heard the world's most absurd joke.
"The Marines you're praying for? They've already sealed the island!"
"They're nothing but dogs to us Celestial Dragons! Even if I drag you to the Fleet Admiral and butcher you alive in front of him—he wouldn't dare say a word!"
Will and his family were struck as if by lightning.
His wife turned to him with a pale, pleading face, begging silently for him to deny it.
But all Will could do was grit his teeth. Tears welled up at the corners of his eyes.
He had no words to refute it.
The light in his wife's eyes faded. Her last bit of hope crumbled as she collapsed helplessly to the ground.
"Vice Admiral Daren... he promised he'd protect us..."
She was on the verge of fainting, her eyes rolling back.
If they were facing pirates or the mafia, maybe they'd still have the courage to fight. But against the gods of the sea—the Celestial Dragons—they couldn't even muster a plea for mercy.
"He can't protect anyone."
His gaze shifted greedily to the child—barely five or six years old.
He crooked a finger and licked his lips.
Of course, you start the meal with the finest dish... right?
The boy was frozen in terror, mind blank. Under his parents' horrified, numb gazes, he slowly raised one foot and took a step toward the Celestial Dragon.
Then, everything stopped.
A tall, blood-soaked figure suddenly appeared in the silent courtyard—like a demon descending from the snow.
The boy felt a warm, steady hand press gently on his shoulder, stopping him in place.
He looked up in a daze.
Through the falling snow, he saw a defiant face streaked with blood.
Will and his wife stood frozen, disbelief written across their faces.
"Vice Admiral Daren!!"
They cried out, their voices shaking. The source of thɪs content is novel•fire.net
They had never seen the legendary man in person, but that didn't matter. Every civilian in the North Blue knew his name. They followed his stories in the papers like gospel.
They recognized him in an instant!
"Hide. It'll all be over soon."
"I was paid to do a job."
The blood-drenched figure spoke calmly.
"And I always follow my rules."
With that, his figure vanished from where he stood.
Before Will's family could even react, they saw it happen...
The head of the arrogant Celestial Dragon suddenly burst apart!
Blood and snow fell together.
Red and white mingled, like cherry blossoms swirling through the air.
It was a terrifyingly beautiful sight.
Just as Daren was slaughtering the Celestial Dragons with a speed beyond imagination, the others quickly sensed that something was very wrong.
The situation spiraled downward at an astonishing pace.
Before long, a terrifying piece of news spread among them:
Vice Admiral Rogers Daren—the Marine supposedly assigned to "escort" the Celestial Dragons during the hunting tournament—had turned on them. He was now hunting them down like prey across the island in a mad frenzy!
Rage surged, but it was quickly drowned out by fear.
To hell with the hunting tournament. To hell with the God's Knights...
All that mattered now was staying alive!
They were the noblest beings on the seas. How could they possibly die here—on this wretched, barren island in the North Blue?
Without hesitation, the Celestial Dragons abandoned the tournament and bolted.
But how could they outrun Daren?
As they fled in terror toward the coast, hoping to reach the Marines stationed at the blockade for help, they were horrified to discover...
That very same Vice Admiral had already cut them off completely.
Had someone looked down from the sky, they'd have seen a crimson blur streaking across the island. Daren alone, weaving through the terrain like a phantom, had sealed off every escape route with sheer speed and precision.
The only direction left to run was deeper inland—toward the snow-covered mountains.
Any attempt to flee toward the coast?
"Dammit! That Marine's lost his mind!!"
The Celestial Dragons scrambled toward the mountains, gasping for breath, many of them dropping their weapons in panic.
In their desperation, they grabbed their personal Den Den Mushi and frantically tried to place calls—either to the Holy Land or to the Marine forces.
But what they discovered made their blood run cold.
Every single Den Den Mushi was unresponsive. Asleep.
Not just their personal ones—even the surveillance units spread across the island had gone completely dark. All communication had been severed.
"What the hell is happening?!"
"Why is there no signal?!"
"Where are the Marines? Why aren't they helping?!"
"That useless Sengoku! What the hell is he doing?!"
"He's finished! Once we're back in the Holy Land, I'll see him stripped of his rank and put on trial!!"
Screams of agony rang out across the island, as divine blood soaked this desolate, frozen land.
One by one, the Celestial Dragons fell, their corpses piling up.
Not even two minutes had passed, and already, a quarter of the Celestial Dragons scattered across the island were dead.
At the same time, Daren's aura grew increasingly unstable, teetering on the edge of uncontrollable rage.
Conqueror's Haki +0.01!
Conqueror's Haki +0.02!
Conqueror's Haki +0.008!
Even as the "returns" diminished, his Conqueror's Haki continued to surge!
Suddenly, the massive form of Gyūki came crashing through the snow-laden jungle.
Saint Saturn's fury had reached its limit. His eyes blazed with murderous intent.
"Don't push your luck!"
His swollen, black-furred abdomen pulsed, and in the next instant, it unleashed a barrage of over a dozen purple-black venomous orbs at Daren!
This was his most insidious, most terrifying ability.
The venom was a vile blend of corrosive toxins, weakening agents, and deadly viruses. Even an awakened Zoan user struck by it would be instantly incapacitated—trapped, helpless in the web of the Gyūki.
But what happened next...
Made Saturn's eyes nearly pop out of his skull.
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