Chapter 67

After all,

with such a massive commotion,

even a fool would know to go over and take a look!

The two Navy Admirals were busy fighting Li Xiao,

and the remaining small-fry soldiers couldn't stop these pirates who each had their own tricks!

Therefore,

trying to keep this matter a secret was undoubtedly impossible!

Moreover,

Morgans, who controlled the News Coo, would never let such a big scoop go!

Let alone hide it,

in order to attract more people to buy the newspaper,

it would be a surprise if this master of otherworldly clickbait didn't intentionally exaggerate it!

So, in the end,

bundled together with that wanted poster,

was a newspaper describing the specific details of this Celestial Dragon death incident!

——————

(Sorry, sorry, today's update is late again. There's more to come; those who can't wait can read it tomorrow. I'll try to update earlier tomorrow!)

The Celestial Dragons,

as world nobles,

descendants of the creators,

possess the greatest power in this world!

Once a Celestial Dragon is attacked,

a Navy Admiral or CP0 will immediately be dispatched to protect their safety!

Therefore,

for so many years,

every incident involving an attack on a Celestial Dragon has been a world-shaking event,

spreading to all corners of the world in a short amount of time!

Moreover,

this time it wasn't just an attack,

but they were killed on the spot,

and two of them at that!

Therefore,

this news spread outward at a speed that could be called insane,

with the Sabaody Archipelago as the epicenter,

scattering to all parts of the world!

The second half of the Grand Line—the New World,

on an uninhabited island,

a ship was docked at the shore.

On the island,

a bonfire was flickering,

casting shadows of the people around it.

One person was sitting by the bonfire,

with short red hair,

three scars over his left eye,

and an empty left sleeve,

none other than one of the Four Emperors of the New World, Red-Haired Shanks!

And beside him,

sat another familiar figure,

wearing a black top hat and carrying the black blade Yoru on his back,

it was none other than Mihawk!

At this moment,

a News Coo flew overhead,

and Shanks waved his hand,

casually buying the latest news and wanted posters.

When he saw one of the wanted posters,

Shanks couldn't help but be slightly stunned,

and immediately asked Mihawk, who was beside him:

"You said before that the young man who fought you to a draw in the East Blue, and even had the upper hand, was named Li Xiao, right?"

Upon hearing this,

Mihawk was slightly taken aback,

seemingly surprised by the sudden question,

but he still nodded.

Seeing Mihawk nod,

Shanks turned the front of the wanted poster toward Mihawk,

and laughed loudly:

"Hahahaha! He's been given a bounty! A full 3.5 billion Berries!"

Looking at the familiar young man on the wanted poster,

Mihawk couldn't help but reach out to take it,

and began to examine it carefully!

Meanwhile,

Shanks turned his attention to the newspaper that came with the poster,

reading as he said:

"No wonder his first bounty is 3.5 billion Berries; he really did something massive!"

"He killed two Celestial Dragons on the Sabaody Archipelago!"

"Then, he even escaped unscathed after being attacked by Sakazuki and Borsalino!"

"It seems Sakazuki even suffered quite a serious injury in this battle!"

"Hahahaha! Mihawk, his strength is even greater than you described!"

Beside him,

Mihawk stared at Li Xiao on the wanted poster,

and said in a low voice:

"Sabaody Archipelago... he has already entered the Grand Line!"

"And his swordsmanship seems even stronger than it was back then!"

"Perhaps it is time to go find him for a real duel again!"

Just as Mihawk was muttering to himself,

Shanks slammed a hand onto his shoulder,

raised his wine cup toward the sky, and shouted:

"To celebrate brother Li Xiao's first bounty, brothers, let's have a banquet! Hahahaha!"

…………

Meanwhile,

also located somewhere in the New World,

aboard the Moby Dick,

another of the Four Emperors,

known as the "World's Strongest Man," Whitebeard, sat in his main seat,

with IV drips hanging all over his body,

yet a hearty smile remained on his face.

At this moment,

he looked at a wanted poster in his hand,

and laughed loudly:

"Hahahaha! Another incredible figure has appeared on the seas!"

…………

Calm Belt,

Amazon Lily,

inside a bathroom.

Mist filled the air,

and a woman could be vaguely seen sitting in the bath.

Her body from the neck down was submerged in the hot spring water,

and combined with the mist,

it was hard to see clearly!

Looking up from her neck,

there was a stunningly beautiful oval face,

paired with a pair of deep blue eyes,

as if they could capture one's soul at any moment!

On her earlobes were a pair of snake-shaped earrings,

and a head of long, jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall,

floating on the surface of the water!

The world's most beautiful woman, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the current Empress of the Amazon Kingdom, and captain of the Kuja Pirates!

The Pirate Empress—Boa Hancock!

At this moment,

Hancock was leaning against the edge of the bath,

holding a newspaper in her hand,

and the content of the newspaper was none other than the Celestial Dragon death incident that occurred on the Sabaody Archipelago!

Hancock stared blankly at the newspaper in her hand,

and muttered:

"Celestial Dragons..."

Just saying these three words

caused her body to tremble subconsciously;

it was a shudder caused by fear!

These three words

seemed to stir up that memory deep in her mind,

that darkest,

most painful,

most unwanted memory!

After a long time,

Hancock finally regained control of her emotions,

and stood up slightly,

her upper body, previously hidden under the water, now fully exposed to the air!

However,

due to the threat of the River Crab divine beast,

the timid author has abandoned any description of the front of the upper body!

And on Hancock's back,

there was a red mark!

The center of the mark was a red circle,

with three spike-like shapes above the circle,

and another one below the circle!

The entire mark combined

looked like the paw print of some animal!

This was the Hoof of the Celestial Dragon!

The Hoof of the Celestial Dragon,

is the slave brand that Celestial Dragons carve onto their slaves!

Once branded,

it can never be removed!

This indelible mark is seen as proof of being an inferior human that can never be erased.

Hancock reached out her right hand,

passing under her armpit to touch the Hoof of the Celestial Dragon mark on her back,

and time seemed to return to those darkest days many years ago!

She looked down at her reflection in the water,

and whispered slowly:

"Celestial Dragons..."

"He actually... killed two Celestial Dragons..."

After a long time,

Hancock picked up the wanted poster with Li Xiao's photo on it,

stared at it blankly for a long time,

then suddenly her face flushed slightly,

and she said softly:

"He... he's actually quite handsome."

— Author's Notes —

4 ··· 0 Seeking flowers·· ········