Chapter 11

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011: Celestial Dragons? So What?

...

This moment.

Atop the heavily damaged escort ship 'Heavenly Gold'.

"Live... survive...!"

"Huh~!"

"Huh~"

Marine Rear Admiral Rot clung tightly to the crumbling main mast of the warship.

I noticed that the terrifying shock from the warship below me had finally begun to subside gradually.

All I could do was squat down on the ground, gasping for breath, unaware that cold sweat had already soaked my back, with only lingering horror on my face.

Facing the terrifyingly huge wave caused by the overturning of a large Sea King...

...I thought I was going to die!

A heavy fear welled up in my heart.

Rot had witnessed the unforgettable scene of seawater flooding into the warship.

For the first time in his life, he felt that he had really walked through the 'Gate of Ghosts'.

As a dignified Marine Rear Admiral, even if only locally promoted in the North Blue...

I felt as fragile as an ant...!

"That's right... that's right! That honorable lord can't have any accidents!"

Rot managed to calm himself down.

Suddenly, he turned his head and subconsciously looked in the direction of the second floor on the rear deck.

There resided the one from the North Blue who collects all the 'heavenly gold' – a being less than one ten-thousandth of the whole.

Rot quickly got up, ignoring the trembling flesh under his Marine uniform, and hurriedly ran towards that place.

"Quick! Move aside, move aside! Make way for this Rear Admiral!"

He didn't even check to see who was blocking his way.

Right now, Rot just wanted to make sure that the incomparably noble adult was safe.

However, under normal circumstances...

He could easily remove that very distinguished guest from the warship at his feet.

As a Marine Rear Admiral, no one on the entire warship would dare to disobey his orders.

After all, those who disobeyed him were thrown into the sea to feed the fish years ago.

Even to avoid leaving any evidence, he would use the pretext of exterminating pirates to silence the families of those who dared to resist him.

Thus, in the North Blue, Rot's own number one branch...

Unofficially acquired the nickname 'The Tyrant' from the locals.

But he took no shame in it; in fact, he boasted about it.

But now...

In his panic and chaos, Rot only thought about ensuring the safety of that adult.

He hadn't noticed...

The person he was about to collide with wasn't a Marine at all.

Or rather...

"Boom-!"

The sound.

It was like bumping into an immovable mountain.

He found himself squatting heavily on the deck once again.

"Bastard... bastard!"

"You idiots! Are you courting death?!"

The veins on his forehead bulged.

Rot's eyes flew open.

Without hesitating, he took out a short sword from his waist and stabbed it out.

What time was it now?

If something happened to that incomparably noble lord...

Cutting off the heads of these idiots wouldn't be enough to appease the anger of that lord.

Right now, I was being obstructed, and these fools weren't making way.

Were they not courting death?!

Anger flooded my heart.

I stabbed with the short sword!

However...

Instead of seeing blood splatter and the fool who dared stop me scream, followed by an unforgettable "lesson"...

What appeared before my wide-eyed gaze...

Was a slash of light and the sensation of hot blood on my face.

A... severed hand holding the short sword had flown past!

Rot didn't immediately scream.

Or have the clarity to see the person before him.

With eyes wide and flickering with incredible lingering fear, I saw a person wearing a white shirt with gray hair...

Wasn't it the 'old thing' who had single-handedly blocked the warship before?

But before Rot could find an answer...

The severe pain of his palm being severed hit him.

"Ah!!!"

He couldn't stop screaming; Rot collapsed to the ground and began rolling uncontrollably.

Sweat poured down his face.

The pain I endured at that moment was visible to the naked eye.

Bai Ye watched this scene, his face showing no concern.

Or rather...

There was a cold flicker of disdain in Bai Ye's eyes.

"As a Marine Rear Admiral, you can't bear even this bit of pain..."

Having served in the Marines for 40 years...

Bai Ye's past was mostly filled with days of clocking in at work to catch the usual riffraff.

In an era swarming with pirates, Marine attendance is inevitable—even outside the most dangerous New World. For Bai Ye, battles and injuries are not uncommon, which is why he has built up a daily exercise routine. Even the most common Marines, those who have participated in battles to exterminate pirates, would not yell out loud on the spot because of an injury. Doing so would make the pirates subconsciously attack the wounded first, causing trouble for your companions and increasing your chance of dying in battle!

Yet, despite being a Marine Rear Admiral, some don't even understand these basics. The most frightening thing is that those with little to no experience in injury can concoct a plan to destroy all the forces of the North Blue by annihilating its towns.

At that moment, Marine Rear Admiral Rot, who was standing before Bai Ye, was blinded by pain and roared angrily, "You... you old bastard! I am a dignified Marine Rear Admiral! You dare shoot at me! You're looking for death! Come! Come on! Get this damn old bastard!!!"

Despite the furious outbursts, there was no trace of anger in Bai Ye's eyes. Marine Rear Admiral? So what? Marine Vice Admiral? So what? As someone who has distanced himself from the Marines, he doesn't care about the status of a man who does nothing but scream before dying.

It's like sitting in an office, being able to decide the life and death of others; Bai Ye doesn't mind the hot air from a dying man. Those who thought themselves superior in peacetime now find the tables turned. Staring at the man with a severed hand before him, Bai Ye held a long knife picked up from the deck. Using Ryūjin Jakka to deal with such trash would be overkill. The man was not worthy.

Just as Bai Ye raised his knife, ready to strike, the man in front of him, initially fearful, suddenly burst into laughter. Bai Ye paused, curious. The man's laugh was tinged with madness as he revealed, "You... you have made the worst decision by attacking this ship! You don't even know!"

"There is an extremely honorable person on this ship!" he continued, his voice laced with insanity, "Do you understand?! And with that lord on this ship, attacking us is tantamount to declaring war on the World Government... Ha! You're finished! You're finished..."

However, before the man could finish his speech, Bai Ye swiftly moved and a head was severed, blood spraying as it sailed into the air. The man's face shifted from madness to disbelief. Marine Rear Admiral Rott couldn't understand. The 'old thing' before him had heard 'Holy Land' and should have thought of the legendary Celestial Dragons on board the ship... But still, with no hesitation...

Countless thoughts swirled in his fading consciousness. Suddenly, as Rott's head hit the deck, his eyes widened with a 'world-shattering' realization.

"Celestial Dragons? So what?" said Bai Ye, standing on the deck, looking at the now lifeless eyes filled with disbelief. Not shaken by the news of the world's nobles, he slowly opened his mouth to utter words that would have made anyone else tremble. "Don't worry, you'll meet them in hell soon."