Dæmon ended the call and quietly waited for the Rocks Pirates to arrive.
Remaining within the alley, he silently observed the Celestial Dragons approaching along the main street.
There were two of them—a man and a woman who appeared to be in their twenties or thirties.
They walked side by side with their heads held high, utterly indifferent to everyone around them.
Behind the two was the young Marine Vice Admiral whom Dæmon had immediately recognized as Monkey D.
Garp.
Garp had yet to grow his trademark beard.
His black hair was cut short, and his muscular body radiated youthful energy.
He appeared to be under forty and was already approaching the prime of his life.
Garp at his peak should possess combat power comparable to an Emperor of the Sea.
Apart from Garp, the Celestial Dragons were accompanied by several men dressed in black suits.
However, judging by their submissive behavior, calling them bodyguards seemed overly generous.
They were more like servants.
The Celestial Dragon siblings swaggered down the center of the empty street.
Based on their direction, they were likely heading toward a nearby bubble amusement park.
Suddenly, the male Celestial Dragon stopped.
“What’s wrong, Brother?” the woman asked.
“Someone is looking at me with malicious intent.” The man frowned, clearly displeased.
As a high-ranking Celestial Dragon, he was extremely sensitive to the gazes of others.
Ordinary people did not dare look him in the eye, much less stare at him with such an unsettling expression.
He scanned the kneeling civilians and soon noticed Dæmon standing within the alley.
His face instantly darkened.
“Who are you?” he demanded coldly.
“Why aren’t you kneeling?” Dæmon was momentarily speechless.
Isn’t he a little too sensitive?
I’m standing inside an alley, yet he still noticed me.
“You lowly wretch!” the female Celestial Dragon shouted furiously.
“How dare you look directly at us!” Dæmon calmly stepped out of the alley.
“Are the two of you siblings?
Which family do you belong to?” Brother and sister?
Excellent.
We should be able to demand an even larger ransom.
The kneeling civilians were stunned by his audacity.
They secretly glanced at one another from the corners of their eyes.
Some gasped in horror, while the more timid among them began trembling.
Offending a Celestial Dragon was one of the gravest crimes imaginable.
In their eyes, Dæmon was already dead.
As if confirming their thoughts, the female Celestial Dragon’s face twisted with rage.
She raised the pistol in her hand, aimed it at Dæmon, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
“Die, you filthy mortal!” Bang!
A bullet exploded from the barrel.
However, it never reached Dæmon.
A large hand shot out the instant the weapon fired and caught the bullet between two fingers.
Garp looked at the Celestial Dragons and rolled his eyes.
“Leave this to me.
There’s no need to dirty your hands.” “Garp!” The woman glared at him furiously.
“How dare you protect that wretch!” “Hahaha!
Protect him?
Don’t be ridiculous.” Garp laughed as though nothing were wrong.
“I’ll personally arrest him for offending you.” Before the final word had left his mouth, Garp vanished from beside the Celestial Dragons.
He appeared in front of Dæmon almost instantly, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and dragged him deeper into the alley.
“Come with me.
I’ll teach you a proper lesson.” Dæmon smiled.
“Vice Admiral Garp, first of all, thank you for helping me—although I didn’t need it.” “Hm?” Garp looked at him in surprise.
“Secondly…” Dæmon’s smile deepened.
“If someone kidnapped the Celestial Dragons right in front of you, what sort of punishment would you receive?” Garp did not answer.
His expression changed abruptly as he raised his head toward the sky.
Several overwhelmingly powerful presences were descending at tremendous speed—and their targets were none other than the two foolish Celestial Dragons.
“Damn it!” Garp’s gaze sharpened.
He immediately released Dæmon and rushed back toward the siblings.
“Move, you idiots!” Whoosh!
Boom!
Several figures plummeted from the sky and slammed into the street.
The ground shook violently.
Civilians screamed as a dense cloud of dust and debris swallowed the entire area.
Dæmon looked through the swirling smoke.
A towering figure had appeared directly in Garp’s path.
“Gurararara!
It’s been a while, Garp.” “Whitebeard!” Garp’s expression changed drastically.
His eyes remained fixed on Whitebeard, but he could clearly sense what was happening behind the pirate.
“I’ve got them, Captain!” Stussy held one Celestial Dragon in each hand, lifting the siblings by their collars as though they weighed nothing.
“That was surprisingly easy,” Gloriosa said, placing her hands on her hips.
“We have Dæmon to thank for that.” “We’ve captured our targets,” Kaido said impatiently.
“Can we retreat now?” Shiki descended last, hovering above the street.
“Jihahaha!
Two Celestial Dragons?
We’re in luck!” His grin widened.
“How many Devil Fruits should we demand for their return?” Rocks stood in the center of the street with his sword drawn.
Rather than paying attention to the captives, he stared directly at Garp.
“Garp, why don’t you join my crew?
What’s the point of wasting your strength as a Marine?” Streusen was the only member of the group who had remained aboard the ship.
Even without him, however, the sudden appearance of so many infamous pirates threw the entire district into chaos.
The civilians who had been kneeling scrambled to their feet and fled.
“The Rocks Pirates!” “Run!” “It’s the legendary Rocks Pirates!” Their fear of the Rocks Pirates was even greater than their fear of the Celestial Dragons.
Everyone ran for their lives.
Even the black-suited attendants instinctively turned to flee before remembering whom they were supposed to protect.
Garp’s expression became grave.
“Rocks…
What are you planning?” At that moment, Dæmon calmly walked past him.
He stopped in front of Stussy and reached for the female Celestial Dragon’s right wrist—the same hand still clutching her pistol.
“You were trying to shoot me earlier, weren’t you?” The woman struggled in Stussy’s grasp, but fear left her unable to answer.
“This is hardly an appropriate toy.” Dæmon examined the weapon with a faint smile.
“You gave me quite a fright.” Crack!
With a sharp twist, he snapped her wrist.
“Aaaaaah!” The female Celestial Dragon shrieked in agony.
She stared at Dæmon with terror filling her eyes, unable to comprehend how someone could dare injure her.
Even Garp now understood the situation.
That man is also a member of the Rocks Pirates.
No wonder he wasn’t afraid of the Celestial Dragons.
His mind raced as he assessed the enemy formation.
Their goal is ransom.
Damn it…
I’ll only have one opportunity.
Even if I can’t save both captives, I have to rescue at least one!
Without hesitation, Garp bent his knees.
Bang!
The ground shattered beneath his feet as he launched himself forward.
A figure immediately intercepted him.
Clang!
Shiki’s sword stopped Garp’s Haki-coated fist mere inches from the captives.
“Jihahaha!
Did you really think I’d let you rescue them, Garp?” Shiki grinned viciously.
“Tell the World Government that if they want these two returned alive, they’ll have to hand over ten Devil Fruits!” “That’s enough, Shiki,” Rocks ordered.
“Take the others back to the ship.
I’ll deal with Garp.” Although reluctant to abandon the battle, Shiki obeyed.
He withdrew his sword, moved behind Rocks, and slammed his palm against the ground.
“Float!” Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
A vast section of the street tore free from the surrounding earth, forming an enormous stone platform.
The platform rose into the air, carrying Dæmon, the captured Celestial Dragons, and the other members of the Rocks Pirates.
Only Rocks remained on the ground.
Garp could do nothing but watch as the two Celestial Dragons were carried away.
“Leave them here!” With a furious roar, he leaped into the air like a streak of light and charged toward the floating platform.
“Now that’s rather disrespectful.” Rocks moved instantly.
He intercepted Garp in midair and swung his sword.
Garp answered with his fist.
Their weapons never touched.
Boom!
The collision between their Advanced Conqueror’s Haki erupted like a natural disaster.
Black lightning tore across the heavens as the overwhelming pressure shook the entire Sabaody Archipelago.
The clouds above them split apart.
A gigantic fissure stretched across the sky for hundreds of miles, as though the heavens themselves had been torn in two by the wills of these kings.
Standing atop the rising platform, Dæmon looked up at the spectacle.
His eyes gleamed with fascination.
“Truly magnificent.” …