#11 The Celestial Dragon's Fall

A sudden burst of wild laughter stopped Saint Larcher in his tracks. His eyes widened in disbelief. Who would dare intrude on his private territory without permission? And to speak to him like that?

Saint Larcher, who was used to being feared and obeyed by everyone, was enraged by this audacity. He didn't know the meaning of fear and immediately pulled out his pistol, scanning the empty hall for the disrespectful intruder.

"Who...!"

Saint larcher began to shout, but before he could finish his sentence, his vision went black, and he collapsed unconscious.

As he fell, a large figure draped in a black cloak emerged from the shadows. It was Blackbeard.

"Now I understand why Carlo calls you an idiot. It fits perfectly," Blackbeard sneered, kicking Saint Lacher's limp body before hauling him up and jumping to the window to leave.

After they left, the black mist over the surveillance snails around the hall slowly dissipated.

"What just happened? Why did all the surveillance snails go dark?"

"And where did the master go?"

In the monitoring room, the guards responsible for the hall's security were baffled by the sudden blackout and the reappearance of the clear screens.

"Maybe the master didn't want us to see something."

"I have a bad feeling. Should we check the hall? If something happens to the master, we're dead!"

"Get real. Who would dare come here? It's probably the master doing something private."

"If you want to check, go ahead. But if you disturb the master, you might not survive!"

"Uh…"

"Alright, alright, you're right. Better safe than sorry."

With that short conversation, Saint Larcher's safety was dismissed by the guards. None of them knew that their master had vanished.

Not far from the palace, in a secluded spot, Carlo leaned against a tree, waiting patiently. This time, he hadn't joined the mission. Blackbeard's ability was key to its success. With his own abilities being more limited in this situation, Carlo had chosen to wait.

"Did you get him?"

After about half an hour, Carlo saw a figure rapidly approaching. He raised an eyebrow and stepped forward.

"Zehahaha, there was no trouble at all! That idiot and his men were so dumb. I got him easily," Blackbeard boasted, dropping the unconscious Saint Larcher at their feet.

This scene looked odd, like Carlo was the captain giving orders and Blackbeard was the subordinate reporting back. But Blackbeard didn't mind. He was thrilled by their success and the ease with which they had pulled it off.

"Let's go back."

Late that night, in a room at a hotel on Sabaody Archipelago's Groove No. 1, Blackbeard and Carlo sat across from each other, grinning at the slowly waking Saint Larcher.

"Kneel before me, you lowly slave…"

Even half-conscious, Saint Larcher's arrogance showed as he instinctively barked orders.

Slap!

A loud slap echoed in the room, snapping Lescharl Saint to full awareness. The sting on his left cheek was intense, and his transparent headgear was knocked off.

"Idiot, know your place," Carlo said, standing over him with disdain. The slap was his doing.

Slap!

Another slap followed, this time on the right cheek, delivered by Blackbeard. The force nearly knocked Saint Larcher unconscious again.

"Ha ha ha, hitting this idiot feels great!" Blackbeard chuckled, enjoying the rare opportunity to vent on a Celestial Dragon.

"You… who are you?! Do you know who I am?!" Saint Larcher, now fully awake, was shocked. He couldn't believe anyone would dare treat him this way. Not even his father had ever laid a hand on him.

Thud!

Blackbeard's response was a kick that sent Larcher spinning into a wall.

"Shut up and answer our questions. Say one more word, and I'll take your arm!" Carlo threatened.