Chapter 96: Saint Nerona Shendewas

'Whoosh—Whoosh—'

"Search everywhere—don't let any suspicious targets escape!"

"Seal off the entrances and the entire coastline. No one is allowed to leave without authorization!"

"Be on high alert—our target might have some sort of spatial ability!"

At Marine Headquarters, a sharp alarm echoed throughout the base. Minutes earlier, after receiving an anomaly report from the surveillance room, the Chief of Staff, the Minister of Finance, and several Vice Admirals had rushed to the treasury with the keys.

When they opened the door to find the vault completely empty, everyone was stunned. Their eyes widened in disbelief. For a moment, no one could comprehend what had happened. Chaos quickly spread across Marine Headquarters.

Heavily armed Marines gathered, frantically searching for any suspicious individuals in an attempt to catch the thieves responsible for robbing the vault.

"What did you say?"

Over in Sabaody Archipelago, Marine Fleet Admiral Hammons William received the report. His mind went blank for a second, his body swaying as if he was about to collapse.

"I deeply apologize, Fleet Admiral William... It's entirely our fault for being so negligent..."

On the other end of the transponder snail, the Marine Chief of Staff was sweating profusely, on the verge of tears as he reported, "At first, the monitoring room personnel thought the signal issue with Vault 24 was just a technical error due to the room's isolation. They tried to fix it... But in those few minutes, by the time we got there, the entire vault had been cleaned out!"

"Damn it! Fallen Angel El!!!"

Upon hearing this, Hammons William's face turned bright red. Blood surged up his throat, and he coughed up a mouthful of it.

"Fleet Admiral William—" Several Marines rushed forward, their faces pale with worry as they tried to support him.

"I'm fine..." William's fists clenched tightly, his knuckles cracking. His bloodshot eyes burned with fury as he struggled to control his anger. "That Lunarian brat... I won't let him get away with this!!!"

He couldn't believe it. Fallen Angel El had not only kidnapped the Celestial Dragons and killed a Marine Admiral, but also emptied the entire Marine treasury. The plan had been meticulously crafted; it wasn't a spontaneous act of defiance. It had been planned for a long time.

"Hammons William, did someone infiltrate Marine Headquarters and empty the treasury?" A tall, middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, wearing a uniform and an air of authority, approached the Marine Fleet Admiral. His luxurious attire, adorned with the unique emblems of the Celestial Dragons, made his status clear.

"Yes, Commander Saint Nerona Shendewas. We're not sure how it was done, but there's no doubt that this is the work of Fallen Angel El," William gritted his teeth. He paid no mind to the commanding tone of the Celestial Dragon, for Saint Shendewas was not only a Celestial Dragon but also the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights, holding a rank far above that of a Marine Fleet Admiral.

"Kidnapping and killing the descendants of the creators, slaying a Marine Admiral, and emptying the Marine treasury... This Lunarian survivor is truly insane," Saint Shendewas muttered, his expression dark. Earlier, when they had heard about Admiral "Iron Claw" Hark's death, they had blamed the Marines for being incompetent. But after witnessing firsthand the combined power of El and that young woman, they understood just how terrifying their strength was. No wonder a Marine Admiral couldn't stop him and ended up decapitated.

'Clang~~~Clang~~~'

At that moment, Hammons William's transponder snail rang.

"I am the Fleet Admiral—"

But before he could finish, the transponder snail, simulating the face of an old man with a mustache, began to shout angrily: "Hammons William, is your Marine force a bunch of useless idiots?"

"You didn't capture a single criminal, and you let Fallen Angel El—the last surviving Lunarian—escape!"

"Not only did you fail to rescue the kidnapped Celestial Dragons, but the only one you did retrieve, Saint Fenix, has been left a cripple!"

"First, G-5 and G-1—key strongholds that guard the New World for Mary Geoise—were attacked, resulting in massive casualties... Then the naval fleet sent to surround Sabaody Archipelago, far larger than a standard Buster Call, was almost entirely wiped out!"

"An Admiral, the pinnacle of Marine power, was beheaded by that Lunarian brat! And now your Marine treasury has been looted without a trace!"

"You bunch of incompetent fools—what a disgrace!"

The face simulated by the transponder snail kept shifting, and several furious and elderly voices joined in, mercilessly berating the Fleet Admiral, who stood at the pinnacle of millions of Marines.

"I deeply apologize. It is my failure, elders of the Five Elders Council..."

Hammons William bowed his head. Despite being scolded by the highest authority, the Five Elders, he dared not offer any rebuttal. "I will take full responsibility!"

"As a mere Fleet Admiral, what do you think you can take responsibility for?" one of the Five Elders, the one with a long beard, said coldly through the transponder snail. "Saint Hanic was brutally murdered, Saint Fenix crippled, and Saint Prank and the others are still in that Lunarian brat's hands!"

"William, we'll deal with your responsibility later. Right now, mobilize the entire Marine force and CP units to hunt down Fallen Angel El's pirate crew and rescue the three Celestial Dragons!"

"Elders, before Fallen Angel El escaped, he made a demand that he asked me to relay to the World Government..."

Hesitating for a moment, Hammons William glanced at the grim-faced Holy Knights and spoke directly into the transponder snail: "He said that if we want to rescue the three World Nobles, we must provide twenty Devil Fruits as ransom, including two Logia, two Mythical Zoan, and three Ancient Zoan types..."

"What!?"

"That arrogant criminal dares threaten the World Government?"

"Twenty Devil Fruits, including the rarest types? He's gone mad!"

"We cannot let this slide! The World Government does not negotiate with anyone!"

The Five Elders, far away in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, were enraged. Even the members of the Holy Knights standing nearby were furious upon hearing the demand.

"That Lunarian brat is a lunatic! He said..." Hammons William took a deep breath and continued, warning them coldly, "If we don't meet his demands, he'll give those Celestial Dragons aphrodisiacs and throw them into a pigsty—then broadcast it to the entire world using a large transponder snail."

"What!?"

"That bastard! How dare he—"

"We can't let him get away with this!"

"He's digging his own grave!"

Upon hearing this, not only the Five Elders but also Saint Shendewas and the Holy Knights were shocked, their faces contorted with fury. Flames of anger and killing intent burned in their eyes.

~~~

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