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Chapter 177: Me, a Celestial Dragon?
🕑 Added 2025-09-08 12:57:50 +0000 UTCChapter 177: Me, a Celestial Dragon?
"Shall I go and check the situation, Fleet Admiral?" Aokiji asked, after some thought.
"You've just escorted a batch of prisoners. You're still on Impel Down's side, aren't you? Even at full speed, it would take you three or four days. That's too far."
Sengoku shook his head slightly and looked at Tsuru. "Where's Borsalino?"
"Still at the 8th Research Institute," Tsuru said thoughtfully. "If he goes alone, it will take him at least two days. I'm afraid it will be too late."
"Sakazuki!"
Sengoku facepalmed, another headache coming on.
It had been about five or six hours since the battle had started. He didn't think Sakazuki would lose to that Shane, and they were probably still in a fierce stalemate.
But… could the other Vice Admirals really handle the rest of the Curtain Call Pirates' officers?
Probably not for long.
If monsters like Kuina and Jack were freed up to gang up on Akainu, then if he was lucky, Sakazuki might have a chance to escape.
If he was unlucky… Sakazuki would be the first Admiral to be captured in decades!
And then, where would the Marines hide their face?!
Sengoku and Tsuru exchanged a look.
The three Admirals were all away from Headquarters and couldn't provide timely support. And that unreliable old geezer, Garp, had just taken leave a few days ago to go to the East Blue.
At this point, it seemed…
"…we have no choice but to ask that organization for help," Sengoku said, waving his adjutant and the others out of the room, his face grim.
"We're going to have to endure their taunts and ridicule again," Tsuru sighed softly. "But we have no choice. We can't just sit by and watch Sakazuki fall into danger… Headquarters cannot afford the consequences of losing an Admiral, and the Holy Land will not stand for it either."
"I'll make the call," Sengoku said, taking a deep breath. He picked up the Transponder Snail and dialed a number he would normally never dare to disturb…
…
SWISH!
In the night sky, Kuina's body floated down and landed on the bow of the warship.
As far as the eye could see, the G-1 branch's fleet was severely damaged, a tattered mess.
A few ships were desperately trying to flee, and a few were not so lucky. Their masts had been cut down, and the Marines had to abandon ship, swimming for their lives, wishing their parents had given them a few extra limbs.
Looking at the fleeing Marines, Kuina's expression was calm, and she had no intention of pursuing them.
Turning a blind eye to these low-ranking Marines who posed no threat was the Curtain Call's usual style.
But the leaders were not so lucky.
She looked down at the deck, at the corpses of Red King and Stainless.
The three Vice Admirals had been able to hold their own against her at first, but after a while, she had found an opening and had taken them down one by one.
Only Momonga, the strongest of the three, had managed to escape with his life, thanks to his superior Moonwalk, but she had still taken one of his arms.
And these two…
Kuina ignored Red King's corpse, but she had personally cut off Stainless's head and put it in a cloth bag.
Only then did she use Moonwalk to leap across the sea and return to The Curtain Call.
…
On The Curtain Call, most of the crew had returned.
The Marine fleets from all three directions had been repelled.
On the G-14 branch's side, the base commander, Vice Admiral Doll, had been easily defeated by Jack and had had to jump into the sea to escape with her life.
And on the G-5 branch's side…
That Vergo had clearly been unlucky. He had fought Smoker for a long time, and the two of them were very evenly matched.
But just then, Nojiko and Gin had finished off the other warships and had come over…
The result was predictable.
Vergo had been beaten to a pulp and had passed out on the ground from blood loss.
Smoker was clearly a little annoyed that his comrades had interfered in his duel. He felt that if he had just had a little more time, he could have won. He was now clamoring for a rematch.
The situation was completely under control, so they could afford to indulge him. The crew had cheerfully tied up Vergo and brought him back to The Curtain Call, leaving Jack and Gin to guard him.
In summary, of the five Marine Vice Admirals, two were dead, one was crippled, one had escaped by jumping into the sea, and one was being kept as a sparring partner.
Now, only Shane and Akainu were left, their battle still undecided.
Everyone was standing at the railing, quietly watching the two figures clashing on the distant sea. No one had any intention of interfering.
"I just don't get it,"
Smoker couldn't help but mutter. "You all know not to interfere in the captain's fight, but why don't you show me the same respect?"
Can your treatment really be the same as the captain's?
The others all rolled their eyes.
"If you want to interfere, no one's stopping you," Kuina said calmly. "You and Sakazuki are old acquaintances, aren't you? I'm sure he'd be happy to see you."
"Err…"
Smoker looked at the earth-shattering scene in the distance and said no more, silently lighting two cigars.
He and Sakazuki weren't really close.
But he was sure that the other man wanted them to be熟.
…
BOOM!
In a massive shockwave, the clouds were torn into shreds, and the two figures crashed down onto the magma sea.
On the magma sea, Akainu slowly stood up from the rubble, gasping for breath, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. His right arm was hanging limply at his side, clearly having been broken in the last impact.
And on the other side, in an almost symmetrical fashion, Shane was also breathing heavily, his left arm also twisted at a strange angle.
"Twelve hours! We've been fighting from dusk yesterday until now! It's almost dawn!"
Shane was completely unconcerned about his left arm. He grinned. "It seems this fight will take at least a few days and nights to settle! I don't mind, but someone is probably at their limit!"
"..."
Akainu's face was dark, and he didn't answer.
He knew what Shane meant. In the lulls of their fight, he had seen the results of the naval battle in the three directions.
But what could he do?
In a battle of this level, he had no room to be distracted. He could only watch as the other branches were defeated one by one, a growing anxiety in his heart.
This operation had indeed been reckless!
He had not expected the Curtain Call Pirates to have grown so strong, that their officers were all so powerful…
And most importantly, he had never expected that Shane's strength had reached such a level that he could only fight him to a standstill, unable to gain any advantage!
"Don't get so smug!"
Magma once again covered his right arm, and Akainu roared, his face a mask of rage. "This was a heavy loss, but as long as I can take your head, it will all be worth it!"
"Such a cold-hearted guy,"
Shane said, shaking his head. Before he could finish his sentence, his figure had vanished. Akainu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly elementalized and dodged—but he was a split second too late!
SWISH!
A fist, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, suddenly slammed into his shoulder. He grunted and was sent crashing into the sea, coughing up another mouthful of blood.
"You didn't even block that one. You're distracted, old dog,"
Shane's mocking voice came. "To be distracted at a time like this, are you just putting on a brave face, but you've actually been trying to figure out how to retreat gracefully since a while ago?"
"Don't judge me by your own despicable pirate standards, brat!"
Akainu's gaze was icy, and he threw a punch at Shane.
Did he see through me?
He was fifty years old, not some hot-headed fool who would fight to the death.
The Curtain Call's officers were now free, and although they didn't seem to be interfering yet, what about later?
If he continued to fight, Akainu didn't believe that these pirates would just continue to watch.
Even if they couldn't cause him any real damage, just by distracting him, they could give Shane an opportunity to slowly gain the upper hand.
So, he had to find a chance to retreat!
But to just turn and run would be too humiliating. He couldn't do that either. He had to…
"Hmm?"
Akainu suddenly frowned and looked up at the sky.
At almost the same instant, Shane also stopped in his tracks and looked up.
"This is…" Shane narrowed his eyes. He suddenly felt a very uncomfortable chill on his skin.
This aura…
…it was as if it had seeped out from hell itself, twisted, full of malice and desire, not of this world, not of this sea.
CRACK!
In the next instant, a massive black bolt of lightning suddenly struck the sea, and in the massive wave it created, a complex black pattern seemed to appear.
But then it instantly vanished, as if it were just an illusion.
An illusion?
No. The three figures that had suddenly appeared on the sea, slowly walking toward them, were proof that it was no illusion.
The three of them were completely shrouded in black robes, and although the uncomfortable aura had mostly dissipated, a part of it still emanated from them.
"Hey, hey, hey,"
Akainu, who had clearly recognized the newcomers, sneered. "What's the deal? Did the higher-ups think I couldn't hold out until reinforcements arrived? To have to trouble these guys."
"Watch your tone, Sakazuki."
an impassive voice said. The leader of the black-robed figures reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing a face that was extremely familiar to Shane.
"Red-Hair?"
Shane was taken aback for a moment, but in the next second, he had realized, and he narrowed his eyes.
No, not Red-Hair.
Although he hadn't kept up with the latest chapters of the manga before he had been transmigrated, he was still aware of some of the more important information.
It's that guy, isn't it?
The commander of the Holy Knights, the son of Saint Figarland Garling, and the twin brother of Red-Hair—
Figarland Shamrock.
Aside from the three scars on his face, he looked exactly like Red-Hair, with no difference at all.
But his demeanor was completely different. He lacked Red-Hair's carefree,豪放air and instead had a cold, arrogant look of looking down on everyone.
Saturn is not yet dead, so Garling is still the commander of the Holy Knights. So, this guy should still be the vice-commander?
"Such an important person, and you've come here personally,"
Akainu said, also a little surprised when he saw his face. "Heh… am I so honored?"
"I owe Sengoku a favor. I've only come this time because he asked,"
Saint Shamrock said calmly, his gaze lingering on Shane for a moment before turning to Akainu. "Sakazuki, you can retreat. Leave the rest to us."
"Retreat?"
Akainu's face was dark. "What's the logic in that? Since you've come personally, isn't the most beneficial course of action for us to team up and take this guy down?"
"That would be beneficial to the Marines. What does it have to do with me?"
Saint Shamrock said, his face impassive. "A soldier's duty is to obey orders, Sakazuki. I'll say it again, retreat immediately. In my presence, you have no right to object."
This guy!
Akainu's breathing suddenly became heavy, and he clenched and unclenched his fists. In the end, he just snorted and turned to leave with a Moonwalk.
Before he left, he looked deeply at Shane, his eyes full of unwillingness.
And Shane also looked at him coldly, but he had no intention of stopping him.
This Shamrock, his aura was very strong, very strong… he was already at his limit with Akainu. He couldn't possibly take on these three, whose depths he did not know, at the same time.
"The meddler is finally gone. Then…"
Shamrock turned to Shane, his right hand on the hilt of his sword. He said calmly, "You're Shane? The brat who has caused so much trouble in just six months since he set sail?"
"That's me,"
Shane grinned, flexing his already-healed left arm. "What, are you going to take Akainu's place and have a good fight with me?"
"I have no interest in that,"
Shamrock said, shaking his head. "I advise you to calm down and not get any funny ideas. Although I told Akainu that I had come to repay a debt to Sengoku, that's not a good enough reason for me to come here personally."
"Then what is your real purpose?" Shane asked, his eyes narrowed.
"To invite you,"
Shamrock said calmly. "You don't need to know our names. You just need to know that we are all members of the Holy Knights. We have come to ask you to join us, to join the Holy Knights."
"To be precise, to become one of the Celestial Dragons."
Behind him, a small figure added coldly, "The Holy Knights are an internal organization of the Celestial Dragons, superior to the ordinary ones. As long as you are willing to join, even without the blood of the gods, you will automatically become a Celestial Dragon."
The voice was cold but also girlish. Although her face was hidden by the black robe, she sounded to be a young girl.
"I see,"
Shane said, listening intently. He then smiled. "This young lady explains things so clearly. Then, what's in it for me?"
"Do you really understand?"
the girl named Gunshi looked up at him, a look of disbelief on her face. "Don't you get it, mortal? The benefit you get is that you will become a Celestial Dragon!"
