Chapter 13 - Mount?!

Seeing that the transponder snail had fallen asleep, Gawain carried the little creature as he walked out of the bedroom. At the entrance, two maids stood respectfully, remaining silent even as Gawain approached; they continued to stand quietly in place.

Gawain glanced at them, puzzled by this peculiar custom. After all, he wasn't a born Celestial Dragon and had no understanding of the traditions that came with their lifestyle. However, he decided not to dwell on it. Gawain had a strong ability to adapt, so he simply walked past the maids and moved forward.

As he took two steps out, the two maids immediately dispersed: one followed Gawain, while the other headed back toward the bedroom. Gawain allowed the maid to follow him, and after walking a bit, he asked, "Do you know where Donquixote Mjosgard lives?"

"I'm not sure, my lord."

"Who does know?"

"This is your main residence. Unless permitted by you, other lower-class males are not allowed to enter here. Therefore, your new guards are all waiting outside your main residence for your instructions."

"Lead the way."

Gawain nodded and followed the maid's guidance toward the area outside the main residence.

Before long, after passing through three corridors, Gawain exited the main building of his castle. As soon as he stepped outside, he was greeted by an incredibly fresh aroma in the air. At that moment, he couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Before arriving in this world, Gawain had never imagined that air could carry such delightful scents. The freshness was almost addictive! At this moment, in the One Piece world, where the oxygen content was far higher than that of Earth, every hint of floral fragrance was amplified to an unimaginable degree!

The locals might not understand this, but for Gawain, the outsider, breathing felt like pure bliss! Just inhaling the air outside the castle made him anticipate his future on the sea.

Meanwhile, as Gawain silently enjoyed the air, over forty men dressed in crisp black suits, accompanied by more than two hundred guards clad in heavy full-face armor, approached him. They stopped about twenty steps away from Gawain and knelt on the grass with a thud.

Among the crowd, the only member wearing a black top hat, also in a black suit, knelt and spoke. "Saint Gawain, my name is Winslet. I am the captain of the sixth guard squad of the second division at the Cipher Pol Zero. I hope to earn your recognition and be granted the honor of safeguarding your safety with my life!"

"Oh?"

Hearing Winslet's words, Gawain pondered briefly before asking softly, "CP0?"

"Yes, Saint Gawain. Your previous security detail indeed came from the Navy, but that was merely the standard security authority available to ordinary Celestial Dragons. However, you—two hours ago, the Five Elders elevated your security clearance and announced that you have officially inherited the title of head of the Gawain family among the nineteen Celestial Dragon families!"

"Hmm."

Gawain nodded calmly, but inside, he felt a tumult of emotions! After acknowledging this, he continued to probe Winslet without revealing much of his feelings.

"Winslet, since I have become the head of the Gawain family, what about the other members? Is there no one else coming to see me?"

Indeed, Gawain was worried about these so-called other members. If he had relatives among the Celestial Dragons like Charlos, he would truly feel disgusted!

Hearing Gawain's question, Winslet's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Gawain, seemingly confused. After a moment, he realized his rudeness. He bowed his head in fear and spoke carefully to Gawain.

"Saint Gawain, your recent injuries may have left you a bit disoriented. Your Gawain family has never had a second member. Unlike most Celestial Dragon families, your family has maintained a tradition of passing the name down through one line only since the establishment of the World Government. Moreover, every generation's head inherits the family name Gawain along with the title. Have you forgotten?"

At that moment, Gawain finally understood. Although he didn't know the specifics, from every angle, his background in this world was impeccable and left no room for complaint.

"I see now, Winslet. You may rise along with your subordinates."

"Yes, Saint Gawain!"

Winslet took a deep breath, then stood up with restraint, and the bodyguards behind him followed suit.

As they straightened up, Gawain casually asked, "Unlike the maids, as bodyguards, you should know Mjosgard's address, right?"

"Of course, Saint Gawain. We have been trained from a young age to become excellent security personnel and are very familiar with every detail of Mary Geoise. Even though this is the most central part of Mary Geoise, the residence of the sacred Celestial Dragons and part of the Pangu City where the gods dwell, we have had the opportunity to review the maps to perform our duties effectively. You are here to visit Saint Donquixote Mjosgard, correct? Please follow me!"

With that, Winslet divided his subordinates. The armored guards dispersed throughout the castle, while the black-suited bodyguards formed two teams, one in front and one behind, surrounding Gawain as they walked toward the gate at the end of the lawn and garden.

Just as Gawain was about to exit the gate, Winslet suddenly stopped and turned around to quietly ask, "Great Saint Gawain, may I call you 'my lord'?"

Upon hearing this, Gawain was taken aback but responded softly, "You may."

"It is my honor, my lord. Now, please choose your preferred mount!"

With a flattering smile towards Gawain, Winslet excitedly walked to the right and opened a small door next to the castle's main entrance. The architectural style of Mary Geoise was exceptionally grand; every door here stood at least fifteen meters high. The "small" door Winslet opened was no exception. In contrast, the castle's main door appeared to be at least thirteen to fourteen meters wide and nearly seven stories tall.

Gawain rolled his eyes at the small door and then looked forward with anticipation. Although this mount couldn't possibly be a Tailed Beast, nor could it be invincible, being in an anime world meant that his mount would likely be interesting or impressive, right?

However, the next second, Gawain was met with the sight of a row of various-sized people lying on the ground, their necks bound by reins! At that moment, Gawain helplessly shook his head. Even someone trained like him felt a strong urge to exclaim, "What the hell!"

Beside him, Winslet proudly spoke to Gawain, "My lord, since I have just become your subordinate and am still unclear about your preferred type of mount, I first visited the slave center today to secure the top-ranking excellent riding slaves for you. First and foremost is the leader of the Mosaic Pirates, Moromore, who had a bounty exceeding five hundred million and nearly became a Warlord of the Sea. Even after being captured, he was trained for two full years before being deemed fit for use! For this, Saint Rozwald even angrily smashed his cane."

"But please rest assured, as your head bodyguard, Saint Rozwald would not go so far as to have me killed over a mere slave. I can still serve you for countless years, my lord!"

As Winslet finished speaking, his face was full of excited smiles. However, before he could enjoy it for long, he caught sight of Gawain's expression, which, while not overtly displeased, clearly exuded dissatisfaction.

Before Winslet could feel anxious, Gawain casually pointed to the side and commanded, "Winslet!"

"Here!"

"There's no need to guide me; first, dismiss these slaves and then guard the castle gate properly!"

After saying this, Gawain walked away without looking back, heading toward the distant street. The other black-suited bodyguards nervously followed in his footsteps, leaving Winslet alone with a bitter expression at the entrance.

Time passed slowly, and after Gawain and his party had disappeared from view, one of the maids who had followed him to the entrance shook her head and said to the despondent Winslet, who had knelt on the ground, "Winslet, you need not feel lost. Although the lord is displeased with your actions, he has only given you a small punishment and has not removed you from the position of head bodyguard."

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Though the maid spoke respectfully, he dared not assume any authority over any of the women in Gawain's residence. Winslet bowed and, still kneeling, asked the maid, "It's all my fault; I've made the lord unhappy! However, please try to reveal some of the lord's preferences to me. Understanding the lord better will help us serve him more effectively, right?"

"I understand, Head Bodyguard," the maid replied. "But I'm afraid I'm just as new to the lord as you are. However, while I may not know him well, I can tell that Lord Gawain is different from other nobles. He carries more dignity but is also kinder. As for his preferences…"

At this point, the maid gently pointed toward the row of "mounts" lying on the ground not far away and coldly said, "Thanks to you, even I now know that the lord does not like to ride those lower-class people!"