The other four Five Elders also heard the Den Den Mushi transmission, and their expressions turned grim.
"Five Elders, Caelan is utterly lawless. We must not let him go unpunished!"
Spandine knelt on the floor, speaking with righteous urgency.
"Shut up! You're just saying that now?!"
Saint Saturn roared.
Just moments ago, they had been discussing how to manipulate Caelan with Berries, even considering raising his bounty.
Now, they all looked like fools.
"He destroyed CP9 two days ago, and now he dares to openly collect a bounty from us?"
"What does he take us for, clowns?!"
Saint Mars trembled in rage.
"We haven't even issued a wanted notice yet, and he's already bold enough to rob the Celestial Dragons. He's clearly decided to oppose the World Government."
Saint Warcury's voice was deep and cold.
Caelan's actions didn't seem carefully planned, more like a sudden outburst. A final act of defiance.
"There's no need to discuss it anymore. He's now the World Government's greatest enemy."
"Order Kizaru and Garp to pursue him immediately. Let him learn what it means to challenge the World Government!"
Saint Saturn grabbed the Den Den Mushi and gave the command to Kizaru, Garp, and Akainu to encircle and eliminate Caelan.
The atmosphere in the hall was suffocating. Spandine, having accomplished his goal, knelt trembling on the floor, not daring to look up.
In his eyes, the Five Elders had transformed into terrifying monsters, each more savage than the last.
…
The dog-headed warship was speeding back toward the Sabaody Archipelago. On deck, both Garp and Kizaru wore grave expressions.
"After wiping out CP9, he acted like nothing happened. Caelan really has guts."
Garp had no energy left to scold his grandson. He could only sigh at how calm Caelan had looked earlier.
Just a while ago, he had been thinking it would've been fine if Luffy had become a bounty hunter instead of a pirate—someone like Caelan.
Who would've thought that Caelan would end up being even more troublesome.
When he acts, it's either all or nothing. And when he does act, it's always earth-shattering.
"Caelan is terrifying. He even dared to attack the Celestial Dragons..."
Kizaru adjusted his yellow sunglasses, clearly exasperated.
Capturing Rayleigh had already been exhausting. He hadn't expected Caelan to go after the Celestial Dragons next.
The mere thought of fighting Caelan gave him a headache.
Ugh… If only I were the one on medical leave in the hospital.
Kizaru thought enviously of Aokiji, who was currently "on vacation" due to injuries.
"Enough talking. Let's go find that brat and have a good fight.
"Hahaha!"
Garp laughed and patted Kizaru on the shoulder.
"Sigh. Such a pain."
Kizaru sighed, his reluctance obvious.
"Luffy, don't run off. Stay put until Grandpa finishes fighting."
Garp looked at his grandson seriously.
The coming battle would be intense, and the scale unpredictable.
Keeping Luffy on the warship was the only way to ensure his safety.
"No!"
Luffy shook his head defiantly.
Garp's brow twitched. This troublesome kid never listens.
Bang!
With one heavy punch, Luffy collapsed unconscious.
When words don't work, the Iron Fist of Love will.
Nearby, Rayleigh, still lying limp next to Bogard, sighed deeply.
So it turns out Caelan wiped out CP9 two days ago…
And they only realized it after handing him over for a bounty.
If he'd caused a scene earlier, Caelan wouldn't have been able to turn him in.
But now that it had come to this, there was no point in regret.
"Heh… fighting the Celestial Dragons? The bigger the mess, the better."
Rayleigh smirked inwardly, secretly rooting for Caelan.
The more chaos, the better his chance to escape.
…
The Celestial Dragons' ship had gone completely silent.
CP0, the supposed elite intelligence agency and strongest shield of the Celestial Dragons, had been incapacitated by Gecko Moria and were now mere resources for his zombie army.
"Haha, these shadows are top-tier!"
Moria was intoxicated with delight, enjoying the CP0 agents' shadows.
He'd clearly been led astray by Caelan and was starting to fear what he'd become.
The World Government? Ha, it's all meaningless!
"Should I form my own CP organization?"
Caelan rubbed his chin, finding the idea amusing.
The combat strength of Moria's zombie army now relied on the shadows of CP9 and CP0 agents.
If the opportunity arose, maybe he really could wipe out the rest of the CP network and build it into his own force.
Using the World Government's own lackeys against them… that would be satisfying.
Just as Caelan was mulling this over, Moria dragged out two Celestial Dragons wearing their ridiculous bubble hoods and brought them before him.
Behind them, the zombie army hauled the treasures from the cabin onto the deck.
"Old acquaintances!" Caelan chuckled as he looked at the Celestial Dragons in front of him.
They were none other than Saint Rosward and his bloated slug of a son, Saint Charlos.
"Lowly trash! Let us go at once! We, the noble Celestial Dragons, are not to be defiled!"
Saint Charlos spat venomously, snot dripping from his nose.
Even now, they still believed that their status would make everyone kneel before them, just like their countless slaves.
"Bastard! Who gave you the nerve to touch the Celestial Dragons?!"
"You'll die a miserable death, and the women beside you will be turned into the lowest of slaves!"
Saint Rosward screamed despite having his face stepped into the floor.
Caelan's expression darkened. He raised his foot and stomped down twice, not using full force.
Killing them instantly would be too easy.
Bang! Bang!
The arrogant Celestial Dragons were immediately reduced to bloody, swollen messes.
"You filthy commoners! How dare you hurt us! You're all dead!"
Saint Charlos glared at Caelan as if he could kill him with his eyes.
Saint Rosward glanced at his son in disbelief. Normally such a coward, why was he acting tough now?
"One stab per person. Don't let them die too quickly."
Caelan snorted coldly, his tone grim.
"What are you doing?! I'm a World Noble! You'll be punished by the heavens if you harm me!"
Saint Charlos was now truly panicking and shrieked in terror.
Nami and the other women stepped forward, grinning.
They no longer feared the so-called "World Nobles." They were already enemies, so why hesitate?
Slaves? The lowest?
In the terrified eyes of Saint Rosward and Saint Charlos, each woman stepped forward and stabbed once.
"Aaagh! Aahhh! AAAAAHH!"
The screams echoed like slaughtered pigs.
The two Celestial Dragons wept, completely broken by the pain and fear.
Soon, several more holes were opened in their bodies. With blood loss mounting, their shrieking stopped, and they finally quieted down.
"They look much better now." Caelan nodded in satisfaction.
"Caelan, here's everything we recovered."
Gecko Moria and his zombie army stacked all the treasures from the ship in front of Caelan, not missing a single item.
(To be continued.)
***
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