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Garp's eye twitched. He'd forgotten about the Celestial Dragons Noir had captured!
Noir, a faint smile playing on his lips, called down to Garp, "There are ice spikes below. I'm going to drop him~"
Garp, seemingly unconcerned, continued to charge towards Noir.
He didn't care about the Celestial Dragon's life, and Noir cared even less!
Lifting the squealing Celestial Dragon, Noir hurled him downwards.
The World Noble plummeted, his screams of terror echoing through the air.
Garp's powerful fist sent Noir reeling back, but he couldn't help but glance at the falling Celestial Dragon.
Sengoku had given him specific instructions before he left…
"Tch."
Garp clicked his tongue in annoyance, abandoning his pursuit of Noir and diving after the Celestial Dragon.
Just in the nick of time, before the World Noble could be impaled on the ice spikes, Garp swatted him to safety with a mighty backhand.
The Celestial Dragon tumbled across the ice, his fat face contorted in rage. "I'm a Celestial Dragon! How dare you treat me like this!"
Garp picked his nose, ignoring the outburst.
Anyone who could truly threaten Garp probably wasn't even born yet.
Meanwhile, Noir, having successfully diverted Garp, caught up to the Ark Maxim, which had sailed a considerable distance. He turned back to Garp, a smug grin on his face. "Farewell, Mr. Vice Admiral."
The Ark Maxim crackled with blue lightning, its twin paddle wheels churning as it accelerated.
"Oh, and one more thing," Noir added, snapping his fingers. A gentle breeze ruffled his dark hair, revealing a triumphant smile. "Never make the mistake of underestimating me."
Garp's heart skipped a beat at Noir's words. He whipped around to look at the ranting Celestial Dragon beside him.
As if responding to a command, the World Noble's body began to convulse violently.
The shadow beneath his feet writhed and detached itself, flying back towards Noir.
The fate of a shadowless person exposed to sunlight was a foregone conclusion.
"No! Stop!"
The Celestial Dragon's screams turned to shrieks of agony as his body, bathed in sunlight, rapidly disintegrated into a pile of ash.
The Marines were horrified, but Garp remained calm, his eyes narrowed. "Moria's ability..."
Onboard the Ark Maxim, Noir toyed with the shadow in his hand, absorbing it back into his body.
This was Noir's remotely activated assassination technique, exploiting the weakness of shadowless beings to sunlight.
He'd extracted the Celestial Dragon's shadow and replaced it with an artificial one he could control. This allowed the World Noble to walk in the sunlight undetected.
But whenever Noir wished, he could remotely recall the shadow, instantly ending the person's life.
Looking at the pile of ash that remained of the Celestial Dragon, Noir's voice boomed across the distance, "Thirty-four left. Tell Sengoku not to push me too far!"
Watching the Ark Maxim disappear over the horizon, Garp sat down heavily on the ice, a troubled expression on his face. "Ace sailing with a schemer like that... it only makes him more dangerous..."
Marine Headquarters had dispatched two top-tier fighters and several Vice Admirals, yet the Underworld Pirates had escaped.
Though the news of Noir kidnapping Celestial Dragons and threatening the World Government was suppressed, the fact that an Admiral and Garp had been involved couldn't be hidden from the World Economy News Paper.
News of this newly formed pirate crew spread like wildfire, their notoriety reaching every corner of the globe in a matter of days.
Back at Marine Headquarters, Akainu and Aokiji were severely injured, Kizaru was exhausted, and Sengoku received a call from the Five Elders.
Sengoku answered the Den Den Mushi, bracing himself for the Elder's furious voice. "Sengoku! What in the world are you doing?!"
"How many more Marines and Government agents have to fall before you deal with this Noir?!"
Sengoku's face darkened as he explained, "Noir's abilities are unique, and he has Fire Fist Ace and his crew helping him..."
Furthermore, Dracule Mihawk seemed to have some connection with Noir.
Before Sengoku could finish, the Five Elders interrupted him. "We don't care about excuses! We want results!"
"The longer this drags on, the more Celestial Dragons Noir will kill! Do you have any idea the panic and outrage this is causing in the Holy Land?!"
"We're giving you three days. If you can't resolve this within three days, the Government will take matters into its own hands!"
A sense of foreboding washed over Sengoku. "What do you mean?!"
Another Elder's voice spoke. "We'll negotiate with him. And then... we'll offer him a position as a Warlord of the Sea!"
Sengoku slammed his fist on the desk, rising to his feet, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Negotiate?! He's injured so many of our forces, and you want to recruit him?!"
"Are you just going to ignore the fact that this devil wreaked havoc in the Holy Land?!"
The voice on the Den Den Mushi calmed slightly. "Calm down, Sengoku."
Sengoku took a deep breath, regaining his composure. "I understand negotiating, but why make him a Warlord?"
"Noir's strength is now known throughout the world. He also killed Gecko Moria. Making him a Warlord would perfectly smooth things over and maintain the Government's image."
Always about maintaining their image…
The conversation aged Sengoku several years. He felt as if his hair had turned a few shades whiter.
But there was nothing he could do. The Marines, despite their power, were ultimately just the strongest military force under the World Government's control.
Funding, weapons, personnel, technology – everything revolved around the Government. Without control over these resources, the Marines could never be truly independent, could never fully uphold their justice.
What could he do? Resign?
That wasn't an option…
The Five Elders had given him an ultimatum: three days.
That meant the Government's tolerance was limited to the deaths of, at most, three more Celestial Dragons.
But three days... what could they possibly accomplish in such a short time?
With two Admirals injured, what high-ranking fighters did the Marines have left?
Sengoku picked up his Den Den Mushi, his voice grim. "Inform all officers of Vice Admiral rank and above to return to Headquarters within twenty-four hours!"
After issuing the order, Sengoku sat alone at his desk, staring at the new bounty posters that were about to be distributed. All of them were core members of the Underworld Pirates.
The most prominent one was Noir's.
Below the image, a bold line of text stood out:
Devil Noir, Extremely Dangerous. Bounty increased to 300,000,000 Berries. Dead or Alive!
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