News of the Celestial Dragons' deaths spread across the entire Sabaody Archipelago with astonishing speed.
Within a short ti, almost everyone on the island had heard the sa shocking report. A man nad Aether, whose real na was Augustus D. Aether, had killed two Celestial Dragons in the auction hall. Even worse, the recently arrived Supernova crew led by Monkey D. Luffy had been involved as well.
Panic erupted throughout the archipelago.
Pirates rushed to their ships, desperate to leave the island before disaster struck. Everyone understood what this ant. Killing a Celestial Dragon would never go unanswered. The Marines would deploy an Admiral without hesitation.
For ordinary pirates, the arrival of a Marine Admiral was equivalent to a natural disaster.
Even the civilians of Sabaody were frightened. Shops closed early, ships were prepared for departure, and many residents began temporarily abandoning the island. A large battle was clearly about to break out, and anyone caught in the middle could easily lose their life.
Among those who had previously encountered Aether, several reacted in their own ways.
Old Luke had already packed everything he owned. His hands moved quickly as he prepared to leave Sabaody for a while. When he first t Aether, he had already sensed that the man might cause a major incident soday. Now that day had arrived.
anwhile, the Marine undercover agent X Drake stood quietly after hearing the news.
During his investigation, Drake had already learned Aether's true background. Because of that, he understood exactly who this man was. If the Marines chose to hold him responsible for any connection, he would accept it without complaint.
Deep in his heart, the justice he believed in despised the Celestial Dragons just as much.
On the other side of the island, Jewelry Bonney was reacting very differently.
She sat at a table, biting into a huge piece of at while loudly cursing.
"I knew that bastard was insane! Killing a Celestial Dragon and dragging everyone into the ss with him!"
Bonney slamd the bone onto the table and stood up.
"Boys, get the ship ready. Forget the coating process. We leave imdiately!"
Her eyes flashed with anger.
"That lunatic better pray I don't run into him in the New World."
---
Holy Land Mary Geoise
Far away at the center of the world, the headquarters of the World Governnt was already in turmoil.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat in his office, pressing a hand against his forehead. His expression was extrely grim.
The murder of a Celestial Dragon was an incident that had not occurred in twenty years. The last person who dared commit such an act had been a legendary monster from the previous era.
And the situation could not have been worse.
The Marineford War against Edward Newgate, was only a week away. Every Marine force had already been carefully arranged. Any disruption at this mont could lead to serious consequences.
Sengoku gritted his teeth.
"That fool Garp's grandson actually punched a Celestial Dragon. What is wrong with that family?"
His voice grew more irritated.
"And this Augustus D. Aether, where did this lunatic co from? Killing two Celestial Dragons without hesitation."
Across the room, Admiral Kizaru sat calmly, sipping tea as if nothing unusual had happened.
The reporting Marine Lieutenant Colonel felt imnse pressure standing there, but he still forced himself to continue.
"Fleet Admiral, two Celestial Dragons have been confird dead. Another one was briefly taken hostage. The Gorosei demand an imdiate response."
The room fell silent for a mont.
Then Kizaru placed his teacup down and slowly stood up.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, perhaps I should go take care of it. Pirates these days are quite frightening."
Sengoku nodded with a heavy expression.
"Take several Pacifistas from the Science Unit. Clean up the pirates on the Sabaody Archipelago."
His voice beca cold.
"While we are preparing for the war against Whitebeard, I refuse to hear any more bad news."
---
Sabaody Archipelago, Human Auction House
Inside the damaged auction house, the purple suited host staggered into his office while clutching his injured shoulder.
His hands trembled as he picked up a Den Den Mushi and dialed a number.
The mont the snail's face changed, the host spoke frantically.
"Doffy, please help ! The auction house is in chaos!"
His voice was filled with desperation.
"A man nad Augustus D. Aether killed two Celestial Dragons in the hall, and the pirate called Straw Hat attacked another one. Please help recover my losses. You are one of the major stakeholders after all."
The Den Den Mushi's face changed, now wearing sunglasses and showing a wide grin.
A sinister laugh echoed through the room.
"I am sorry, my friend. The human trafficking business is already outdated."
The voice continued slowly.
"The era is calling . The Marines have issued a mandatory summons for the Seven Warlords of the Sea. The war between the Warlords and the Whitebeard Pirates will decide the future of the world."
The laughter echoed again.
"Fufufufufu."
Then the Den Den Mushi disconnected.
The host stared at it in despair.
---
Inside the Auction Hall
After Aether spoke Silvers Rayleigh's na aloud, everyone present stared at the old man in shock.
Eustass Kid could hardly believe what he was seeing.
"The legendary Dark King Rayleigh, the Pirate King's right hand man, looks like an ordinary old geezer?"
He shook his head in disbelief.
"And he actually wanted to auction himself off?"
Rayleigh walked calmly toward the rmaid Camie and smiled gently.
"Do not treat like so famous figure. On this island, people simply call Rayleigh the coating chanic."
His tone was relaxed.
"I am just an old man."
He crouched beside Camie.
"Little lady, stay still. A rmaid who longs for freedom should not wear chains."
Rayleigh coated his hand with Armant Haki and applied a precise burst of force. The explosive collar around Camie's neck snapped open instantly.
He tossed the collar aside.
A mont later, the device exploded harmlessly in the corner of the room.
After freeing Camie, Rayleigh passed by Aether without saying anything and walked toward Hatchan, examining his wounds carefully.
Although Rayleigh had many questions for Aether, this was not the place to ask them.
Nearby, Franky located the keys and began unlocking the chains of the captured slaves one by one.
anwhile, Luffy looked curiously at Rayleigh.
"Old man, why did you say you wanted to see ?"
Rayleigh smiled slightly.
"We can talk about that later."
His eyes moved toward the shattered entrance of the auction hall.
"If we do not leave soon, a Marine Admiral will arrive."
The word Admiral instantly made everyone tense.
At that mont, Aether spoke casually.
"We should hurry. Let so of these energetic young n attract the Marines outside while the slaves escape through the back door."
He shrugged slightly.
"Otherwise the Marines will just capture them again."
Without hesitation, the three Supernova captains began walking toward the entrance.
Luffy, Kid, and Trafalgar Law moved forward together.
As captains, none of them intended to back down.
Aether quietly watched them leave. Logically speaking, those Marines outside should not be a serious threat. The Marine forces were only led by a Headquarters Commodore.
Trying to capture Rayleigh with such a small force was almost laughable.
Even a single Supernova crew would likely overwhelm them.
At that mont, Aether noticed several people looking at him.
Nami spoke with curiosity.
"Aren't you going outside to fight? That was your plan."
Several mbers of the Straw Hat crew nodded.
Even Nico Robin added calmly,
"And you are the one who killed the Celestial Dragons."
Aether laughed lightly, trying to brush off the attention.
"I specifically said energetic young n. Unfortunately, I am no longer one of those."
Suddenly, a system notification appeared in his mind.
SS Rank Characters, Gorosei, generated negative emotions toward the Host.
Emotion level, low level hostility. Experience increased by 10,000 tis 3.
SS Rank Character Sengoku generated negative emotions toward the Host.
Emotion level, low level hostility. Experience increased by 10,000.
Level Up. Level 38.
As the news of the Celestial Dragons' deaths spread across the world, experience notifications had been appearing constantly.
Combined with the reactions of the Gorosei and Sengoku, Aether's level had increased by eight levels in a short ti.
What surprised him even more was the ranking.
The Gorosei were only classified as SS Rank characters.
It seed that in the entire world, very few people reached the level of SSS Rank.
The sudden level increase caused another transformation in Aether's strength.
Host: Augustus D. Aether
Age: 26
Level: 38
Strength: Interdiate, Marine Colonel level
Constitution: Interdiate, Marine Colonel level
Agility: Interdiate, Marine Colonel level
Devil Fruit: None
Combat Technique: Top Tier
Armant Haki: Basic
Observation Haki: Interdiate
Conqueror's Haki: Peak
Weapon: Ace
One new ability had also awakened.
A technique derived from Conqueror's Haki, known as Conqueror's Haki Infusion.
Aether slowly clenched his fist.
Based on his current condition, his body could barely endure the strain of using it.
The backlash would still leave him severely injured, but at least he would not die instantly.
Of course, Aether had no intention of using such power now.
With ti, he believed he would eventually be able to unleash his full Conqueror's Haki without suffering any side effects at all.
===
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