Chapter 511: Admiral's Move (Part 2)

"A real challenge at last," Daniel thought with a smile, watching as the Celestial Dragons' black-clad guards used Moonwalk to descend from the ceiling of the auction house. He silently began moving away, amused by the scene before him.

"Damn it, attack!" Kidd grumbled at Luffy's mess, then signaled his crew to attack as the guards moved in. Law and his men joined in as well, knowing that with the Celestial Dragons' guards spotting their unconscious masters on the floor, they would need to contain everyone as collateral to mitigate the fallout.

With the recent high-profile attacks, the world government had tightened its security around the Celestial Dragons. Had the auction rules not banned personal guards from entry, Luffy's earlier assault would have been far more difficult.

"Trash!" Kidd shouted, seeing a guard knock several of his men to the ground. He activated his Devil Fruit, drawing in the weapons left by Zoro and Sanji's defeated guards and forming a massive metal arm, which he swung to knock out one of the Celestial Dragons' bodyguards.

"Room, Slaughterhouse!" Law's Devil Fruit powers activated as he too joined the brawl against the guards.

"Beppo, seems timid, but he's a fierce fighter," Daniel noted, watching the polar bear-man's relentless assault on a Celestial guard—a testament to the Mink Tribe's fighting prowess.

"Sorry, Luffy. If you aim to be Pirate King, two dead Celestial Dragons shouldn't be too much for you." Amid the chaos, Daniel approached the two downed Celestial Dragons and delivered a precise, invisible blow to each of their heads. Though their bodies appeared unharmed, his qi had caused critical, internal brain damage. Given the power of Luffy's prior hit, it would be easy for investigators to believe that the Celestial Dragons had simply succumbed to a fatal impact.

"Damn, Killer, we're getting out of here!" Kidd saw more guards and marines flooding in from outside, deciding it was time to bail. At this rate, they'd be overwhelmed, and Kidd didn't care to face an Admiral for someone else's problem.

He didn't fear an Admiral, but he saw no reason to cover for the Straw Hat Pirates. The chaos was Luffy's doing—he had no intention of shouldering their mess.

Just then, an overpowering aura swept through the auction house, and the Celestial guards and marines froze momentarily before collapsing. Daniel smiled as his gaze settled on a white-haired old man in sandals standing on stage—Silvers Rayleigh.

"Such precise control of Conqueror's Haki," Daniel observed. Rayleigh's aura was undetectable to most, but the collapse of every enemy in the room attested to his absolute mastery over Conqueror's Haki. 

"Camie." With the enemies subdued, Rayleigh approached the mermaid Camie, who was trembling, restrained by a bomb collar. He patted her shoulder to calm her and then used his Armament Haki to dismantle the collar, rendering it harmless.

"His Conqueror's and Armament Haki are truly at their peak," Daniel noted as Rayleigh's Haki absorbed the collar's explosive force—a display of skill and experience.

"Rayleigh!" Freed from the collar, Camie leapt into Rayleigh's arms, sobbing in relief. Though she had bravely kept her fear at bay, she now allowed herself to release her pent-up dread.

"Silvers Rayleigh…" The mention of his name made Kidd and Law's eyes widen in recognition. Only Nami seemed aware of his significance among the Straw Hats. 

This ignorance of key figures was a peculiarity of the Straw Hat Pirates. Their knowledge of Gol D. Roger's crew extended only to the Pirate King himself, unlike most others who were familiar with the legendary crew.

"So, you're Rayleigh," Luffy greeted him casually, waving as though Rayleigh were just a friend of Camie's.

"Ah, Luffy." Rayleigh grinned warmly. Luffy bore Roger's hat—a sign of his legacy. During the Summit War, Rayleigh hadn't come to Ace's rescue. But when Luffy's journey took him to Marineford, Rayleigh personally joined him for training. Such was the difference in importance.

The pirates valued captains over heirs, and in this world, one earned their position through strength, not lineage.

"Listen up inside, lay down your weapons and surrender!" The marines' announcement blared from outside as they surrounded the auction house.

With a Celestial Dragon assaulted, the Marines had responded immediately. Aside from the Sabaody station, Marine Headquarters had dispatched Admiral Kizaru himself. Though disgruntled, Kizaru couldn't refuse orders when the attacker was Luffy. Sengoku would never have dispatched Aokiji instead.

Had Sengoku known the Celestial Dragons were dead, his reaction would have been far less restrained. 

"We're out of here," Kidd grunted, turning towards the exit with his men as the marines' call to surrender blared from outside.

"Out of my way!" 

"Fire!" 

Emerging from the auction hall, Kidd found himself facing wave after wave of marines. Deeming the pirates without hostages, the marines opened fire. 

However, Kidd's Devil Fruit powers repelled the cannonballs, reversing the assault and causing massive damage to the marines themselves.

"Get out of my way!" Using his Devil Fruit, Kidd's power attracted the surrounding weaponry into two massive metal arms, which he used to mow down his foes.

The marines couldn't stand up to his assault. Like the Navy's G5 station, Sabaody's forces were mostly second-rate and quickly overwhelmed.

"Room, Slaughterhouse," Law created a different path to avoid Kidd's onslaught.

"Rubber Rubber!" Luffy joined in, barreling through the marines with only Sanji and Zoro at his side. Meanwhile, Rayleigh guided the rest of the crew and the freed slaves through the chaos and away from the battlefield. 

Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki left a trail of unconscious bodies as they made their escape.

"They attacked a Celestial Dragon, and now an Admiral is on his way," the announcement spread quickly through the neighboring islands, throwing the area into an uproar. Those who remembered the last incident on Sabaody were already panicking, hurling insults at whoever started the trouble while racing for the shore.

"It's Admiral Kizaru. We're done for." A golden flash obliterated one of the mangrove trees, heralding the arrival of Kizaru. 

"Capture them all!" From the deck of a Navy ship, the giant figure of Sentomaru emerged, bearing a double-headed ax on his shoulder as the marines swarmed ashore.

"That's Bartholomew Kuma! But… how are there so many of him?" Those who saw the identical figures of the Warlord "Tyrant" Kuma were baffled.

"Whoa! What's going on? Why are there so many Kumas here?" Daniel called out, suddenly appearing beside Sentomaru and glancing curiously at the six identical Kumas lined up beside him.

Startled, Sentomaru reflexively swung his ax toward Daniel, a blow strong and fast enough to be reinforced with Armament Haki.

"No need to be so tense. We're on the same side," Daniel remarked, catching Sentomaru's ax and lowering it before releasing the blade.

"PX-1, who is this man?" Sentomaru asked cautiously, addressing one of the pacifistas.

"One of the Seven Warlords," PX-1 responded, instantly identifying Daniel.

"Care to explain why there are so many of him?" Daniel pressed.

"You think I'd tell you this is the government's secret Pacifista weapon? I'm the world's most tight-lipped man!" Sentomaru replied proudly.

"Human weapons, huh? Must've cost a fortune," Daniel continued.

"Obviously. A single Pacifista costs as much as a warship. But I'm not supposed to tell you that," Sentomaru said.

"We've found Supernova Capone Bege!" Sentomaru's receiver announced.

"PX-Series, move out!" Sentomaru ordered, sending the Pacifistas after the Supernovas.

"So, you brought them here for testing?" Daniel asked once the Pacifistas left.

"Yeah, Gramps wanted to test their combat capabilities. With so many Supernovas here, it's a perfect opportunity."

"Dr. Vegapunk's work, I see." Daniel mused, impressed by the technology on display.

While the Pacifistas were lethal weapons, Daniel focused less on their battle potential and more on the impressive laser capabilities and energy system.

"The Celestial Dragons… they're dead?" Kizaru's expression grew solemn as he confirmed the bodies of the two nobles. The commodore stationed on Sabaody looked equally grim.

"Report to HQ," Kizaru muttered after a moment, before vanishing in a flash of gold.

"Karp, your grandson's done it this time." Sengoku's furious roar echoed through Marineford headquarters, shattering his desk. The usually cheerful Karp went silent, doughnut forgotten as Aokiji and Tsuru exchanged wary glances.

After a moment's silence, Sengoku stormed over to the transponder snail to contact Kizaru. Though he had previously refrained from issuing a firm command, with the Celestial Dragons confirmed dead, the stakes had shifted.

When the Celestial Dragons had been murdered last time, the world government had been thrown into turmoil. If they failed to execute the culprits this time, the "sacred inviolability" of the Celestial Dragons would be a laughing

stock.

Even if they didn't particularly value the Dragons themselves, the world government and its ruling class valued the system they represented above all.

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