"Take the money, do the job."

Momonga didn't bother to explain. He just kept walking steadily, speaking flatly.

"That's Daren's rule—and the rule of the North Blue."

...

As they spoke, they arrived in front of a lavish mansion.

It was clearly newly built—blue roof, white walls, and a carefully maintained flower garden decorating the grounds.

Outside the estate, a few hundred poorly equipped militia had formed a basic security perimeter.

"You worthless trash! You can't even handle something this simple!"

A furious voice exploded from inside, followed by the sound of things being smashed.

Moments later, the militia at the front began trembling and dropping to their knees one by one, their faces turning pale.

From the grand entrance, a man in a white silk robe stepped out, his head encased in a glass dome. As he moved, the wave of kneeling spread outward like ripples in water.

Saint Xildes-sama was livid.

He never imagined that what was supposed to be a leisurely outing would end up with him running into that lunatic Byrnndi World.

What shocked him even more was that some lowly commoner actually dared to attack a World Government ship—his personal flagship, no less!

Most of the CP agents accompanying him had perished in that nightmare of a disaster, and then a sea storm had swept him onto this backwater island.

It was the most humiliating moment of his life.

"Damn it all..."

Saint Xildes clenched his teeth, seething with rage.

He glanced back at the two CP agents in black suits behind him.

They were all he had left.

"Move! Get out of my way!"

Irritated, he kicked a kneeling militiaman out of his path, then looked up to see a Marine in a snow-white cloak approaching.

"Saint Xildes-sama. I am Momonga, Vice Base Commander of the 321st Branch in the North Blue. Under orders from Marine Headquarters, I've come to ensure your safety."

Momonga stepped forward and offered a salute, his expression unreadable.

Saint Xildes gave him a sidelong glance, his tone dripping with arrogance and contempt.

"Oh? So the little lapdog from the Marines finally shows up."

"And they only send a vice base commander? Where's your boss?"

Momonga clenched his fist but quickly let it go, responding in a low voice,

"Base Commander Daren is currently coordinating security matters with the city government. From this point forward, your safety will be under the protection of the North Blue Marines until the CP department's ship arrives."

"Tch... I didn't expect much from you house-sitting fools anyway," Xildes scoffed without even trying to hide his disdain. "Whatever. The Cipher Pol ship'll be here in a couple hours. I'll tolerate you until then."

He turned away, not even sparing a glance for Momonga's darkened expression.

Then his eyes landed on Gion—and they lit up.

The greed and lechery in his gaze made Gion instinctively tense. She took a step back, her brows furrowing in discomfort.

"Well, well, well... didn't expect to find such a beauty among the Marines..."

Saint Xildes ogled her openly, his gaze crawling across her like a predator sizing up its prey.

Momonga's expression darkened.

Tokikake's pupils narrowed, and he instinctively stepped forward.

They'd heard stories about the Celestial Dragons' depraved tastes. If he had really set his sights on Gion...

"It's just a pity you're too old... So close, so close—you almost caught my eye and could've become my eighteenth wife! Hahaha!"

Saint Xildes leered at Gion, wagging his brows in amusement.

"Come on, let's go out and find some fun. I've been bored to death holed up in this dump."

With the Marines watching in grim silence, Saint Xildes swaggered out of the mansion.

"That bastard... he actually dared to make a move on you," Tokikake muttered bitterly.

"Obviously, I'm the one who should be your husband."

Gion rolled her eyes, loosening her grip on the sword hilt. Still, a quiet sense of relief settled in her chest.

As a Celestial Dragon, a World Noble, Xildes-sama wielded near-absolute authority. If someone like him had truly taken a liking to her, it would've caused enormous trouble—for her, for Tsuru, for everyone.

"Let's move," Momonga said, his face darkening.

"Lieutenant Commander Gion, stay away from him."

Gion nodded silently, praying nothing else would go wrong.

The group picked up their pace, trailing behind the Celestial Dragon with their escort of Marines.

Led by Saint Xildes-sama, the procession made its way through Batia Island's main commercial street.

Wherever they passed, the once-bustling road fell instantly into silence.

Civilians dropped to their knees in waves, like a tide washing through the streets, their faces pale with fear. No one dared to get too close.

The World Government had ruled the world like a towering giant for over 800 years. Before these so-called gods, wielding the highest authority on the seas, ordinary people could only tremble in awe.

But then—

A child's voice suddenly rang out, sharp and clear, cutting through the dead silence like a blade.

Gion's face turned pale.

Tokikake and Momonga's pupils shrank.

They looked up—and their bodies began to shake.

A little girl with black hair and a floral dress stood there, a large bundle of roses strapped to her back.

She beamed brightly, holding a single vibrant rose high in her tiny hand. Her eyes, wide and innocent, looked straight at the man wearing the glass dome.

"Uncle, would you like to buy a flower?"

Time seemed to freeze.

Under the horrified stares of Gion and the others, they saw a twisted smile slowly spread across the pockmarked face of Saint Xildes-sama—flushed, trembling with delight.

Greed and possessiveness flooded his eyes.

That warped obsession radiated an uncontrollable, sickening excitement—like a spoiled child finding a shiny new toy.

Gion and Tokikake tensed up, their jaws clenched.

Because they saw that grotesque Celestial Dragon slowly raise his jeweled, sausage-like fingers and point at the sweet little girl before him with a chilling grin.

"I want her."

(40 Chapters Ahead)

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