Kapitel 52: Chapter 52: The Five Elders: Are the Celestial Dragons Pigs? They're Useless
"Did they really kill him? Someone actually dared to kill a Celestial Dragon."
The scene before them left Sabo's young mind in a state of disbelief.
Suddenly, he noticed Ace bolting away.
Quickly chasing after him, he shouted, "Ace, where are you going? What are you doing?"
"I'm going after Mr. Kuke," Ace declared, his eyes ablaze with determination.
"Ace, didn't Mr. Kuke say that you'd meet him on the sea someday?"
Ace nodded, but continued to run until he reached the shore.
Watching the departing Radiant Eclipse, he opened his mouth and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Mr. Kuke, I'll come find you! I'm Ace!!!"
He shouted until his face was flushed red.
"Ace, you'll expose yourself to the Navy's attention if you keep this up," Sabo said helplessly.
But despite his concerns, Sabo was also moved. He couldn't help but shout out as well, "I want to become a man like you, Mr. Kuke!"
The two of them stood side by side, watching the Radiant Eclipse sail away, their gazes filled with unshakable resolve.
They looked at each other and burst into carefree laughter.
"Sabo, we need to get stronger, much stronger."
"Absolutely!"
Their fists met in a resolute promise.
Only by growing stronger could they set sail.
...
Onboard the Radiant Eclipse.
Kuke heard the two kids shouting from the shore, and his face darkened for a moment.
But then, he let out a small smile.
Those two kids were interesting.
"Your destinies have already been altered. I'm looking forward to seeing the future versions of you both," Kuke murmured, waving at Ace and Sabo standing on the shore.
Ace and Sabo, full of excitement, jumped up and down in response.
Gion approached Kuke. "Kuke, something seems off with Stussy. Perhaps personally killing a Celestial Dragon was too much for her to bear. Should you go comfort her?"
"Not for now. Let her think it through herself. Only by figuring it out on her own will it leave a lasting impact," Kuke replied.
...
...
"A Celestial Dragon has been killed."
"They were killed by Mr. Kuke and the Queen of the Pleasure District, right in the Goa Kingdom."
"How did the Queen of the Pleasure District end up with Kuke?"
"Wait, how could they dare kill a Celestial Dragon?!"
"This is going to change everything—a bigger event than freeing slaves or destroying Enies Lobby."
The entire Goa Kingdom witnessed the scene firsthand.
There was no hiding it.
The news spread like wildfire across East Blue, before reaching the Grand Line and causing massive waves.
Newspapers across the Grand Line went into a frenzy. "Get this out there, now!"
"But boss, if we publish this, the World Government might retaliate."
"Who cares? Worst case scenario, we relocate headquarters."
The news spread quickly, far faster than the World Government could contain it.
By the time the Five Elders received the report, it was too late to suppress the story.
"Kuke killed a Celestial Dragon?"
The initial reaction of the Five Elders was dismissive.
Hadn't this already happened? In the Holy Land, during the slave liberation, nearly a dozen Celestial Dragons had died by his hand.
Then the Five Elders' eyes widened, and they shot up from their seats.
"This just happened?"
The Five Elders' temples bulged with veins as they grabbed the report, their eyes scanning the photographs.
In the photos, there lay the corpse of the Celestial Dragon.
And Kuke holding Stussy, with her aiming the gun at the Celestial Dragon.
"It happened in the Goa Kingdom?"
The Five Elders were stunned.
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
Then one of them finally roared, "Why was Lord Dragula in the Goa Kingdom?!"
The news about Kuke being in the Goa Kingdom had spread more than ten days ago.
So why did the Celestial Dragon go there?
"The Dragula family visits East Blue every three years, and they usually go to the Goa Kingdom," the intelligence officer explained.
The veins on the Five Elders' foreheads grew more pronounced. "They knew Kuke was in the Goa Kingdom, and they still went? Couldn't they have waited?"
Are they pigs?
Even pigs wouldn't be so foolish.
The fight between Kuke and the Red-Haired Pirate had already been reported across the seas.
Why did they still go?
Even if it was tradition, they could've waited.
"Lord Dragula likely wasn't paying attention to news about pirates," the intelligence officer offered.
The Five Elders' faces darkened even more, their expressions turning grim.
"We explicitly told them not to venture out to sea for the time being. The Holy Land had just invaded, and Enies Lobby was destroyed. The seas are full of threats—Kuke, the rising Revolutionary Army. Other pirates fear them, but Kuke certainly doesn't. And they still went."
The intelligence officer spoke hesitantly, "Many of the Celestial Dragons have left the Holy Land over the past two months."
The Five Elders were stunned.
Many?
Are they all pigs?
Inwardly, the Five Elders unleashed a torrent of curses.
A bunch of useless idiots.
They couldn't even stay put.
They just loved strutting around the seas.
Granted, in the Holy Land, all the Celestial Dragons were equals, with no slaves around to assert superiority over. Life must have seemed unbearable.
But to be willing to risk death just to feel superior?
The Five Elders were exhausted.
These foolish allies were simply impossible to work with.
"Send an order immediately. All Celestial Dragons out at sea must return at once."
"Yes, sir!"
Once alone in their office, the Five Elders let their frustrations boil over.
The sound of smashing echoed as desks were broken, teacups shattered, and priceless antiques turned to shards.
After their outburst, the Five Elders sat back down on the couch, slowly calming themselves. One of them happened to glance at the photo of Stussy.
His pupils contracted.
Damn!
...
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein