Chapter 55: Robbery of the Gold in the Sky

"It seems inevitable that the World Government will put a bounty on me! Hahahahaha!" Asa's laughter echoed through the sky, wild and carefree.

He shifted sideways, flying toward the bustling pier of Steel City.

The pier on Steele Island was also made of steel and built high enough to extend directly to a ship's deck, eliminating the need for stairways to load and unload cargo.

At this time, the dock was packed with merchant ships—dozens of them at a glance—creating a busy and crowded scene. Some even came from other seas.

Among these ships, one stood out as extremely unique. Its surroundings were eerily empty, as if no one dared to get close. The ship itself was massive, adorned with extravagant decorations, and bore a symbol that made commoners tremble at the sight of it.

A sail marked with the hoof of an unknown animal—the infamous emblem of the Celestial Dragons, known as the "Celestial Dragon's Hoofprint."

Asa descended from the sky.

His figure shrank from a distant black speck to a clearly visible man, and the dock workers, busy with their tasks, immediately noticed him.

"Who is that? He can fly?!"

"What does he want?"

"Could he be a pirate?"

"He's heading straight for their ship!"

The workers on the bustling dock paled in fear at Asa's sudden appearance. Many assumed he was a pirate, as Steele Island frequently saw pirate activity.

"Tsk, tsk. You dare to transport gold from the sky so brazenly? You really don't know the meaning of the word 'death,' do you?" Asa stepped through the air as if walking down an invisible staircase, landing effortlessly on the mast of the sky gold transport ship.

He had expected the transport fleet to operate discreetly, yet it was the complete opposite. These people were parading their cargo for all to see.

Not that it was surprising. After all, aside from the monstrous figures in the New World, few dared to challenge the Celestial Dragons—only fools, and of course, Luffy.

"Who are you?! Do you realize you've just offended a ship belonging to the world's nobles? Do you want to be hunted by a Navy admiral?!"

A fat man, shaped like a round meatball, narrowed his nearly invisible eyes and barked from the deck.

Working for the Celestial Dragons naturally granted one the audacity to act high and mighty, wearing their authority like a tiger's skin.

"Hahahaha! If I feared the admirals, I wouldn't be here... Idiot!" Asa chuckled at the piggish man's bravado. With a single leap from the mast, he landed on the deck in an instant.

He walked up to the fat man, towering over him, then leaned down and slapped his pudgy face.

"You're the captain of this gold transport ship, aren't you?"

Captain "Fat Pig" had never experienced anything like this before. Most people would run at the mere sight of the "Celestial Dragon's Hoofprint," and he had never encountered anyone daring enough to provoke the world's nobles. Asa's blatant defiance made his blood boil with rage.

"I am Ambroise, the captain of this ship! Boy, you're dead! How dare you defy the great Celestial Dragons? No one in this world can save you!"

Ambroise's face turned red from Asa's slap, but his arrogance remained. He was already plotting to report this incident to the nobles, hoping they would send a Navy admiral to crush this ignorant fool before him.

"Oh? Is that so?" Asa had no patience for arguments. He had come all this way for the Door-Door Fruit; wasting words on a doomed pig was beneath him.

"I heard this ship passed by the Kingdom of Flowers and received Devil Fruits as part of its tribute money. Hand them over!" Asa's tone was firm—he had no intention of wasting time. Until the Door-Door Fruit was in his hands, nothing else mattered.

"Devil Fruits?" Ambroise froze.

Indeed, as part of their duty to collect tribute from World Government member nations, they often received Devil Fruits. This time, while traveling through the West Blue, they had acquired several. However, these were prized treasures of the Celestial Dragons—handing them over was out of the question.

"So what if we have Devil Fruits? You filthy lowlife dare to covet what belongs to the great Celestial Dragons? You deserve nothing but death!" Ambroise bellowed, completely ignorant of the fact that he had just sealed his fate.

It was one thing to have treasures—it was another to be too stupid to realize you had them.

Ambroise had spent so many years acting powerful under the protection of the Celestial Dragons that he foolishly believed this sky-walking man wouldn't dare harm him.

"Hah… Talking to an idiot like you is a waste of my breath!" Asa scoffed.

The gold transport ship was right here. Did he really think the Door-Door Fruit would sprout wings and fly away?

With that thought, Asa formed an iron sand sword in an instant—then struck.

Squelch!

The sound of a blade slicing through flesh echoed through the air.

Ambroise's head was lopped clean off, blood gushing two meters high before splattering across the deck.

The crew members, who had been smirking and waiting to see Asa fail, were now frozen in terror. Two of them even pissed themselves, their pants instantly soaking.

None of them had expected Asa to actually kill someone—especially not the captain.

Was this man truly unafraid of being hunted by an admiral?

Would someone really risk their life just for money?

Asa's cold eyes swept over the trembling crew, causing them to instinctively step back, huddling together as if their numbers could offer them safety.

"Where is the treasure vault?" Asa asked calmly.

Silence. No one dared to speak. The crew was still paralyzed by fear.

"If no one answers, you'll all end up like your captain," Asa said, nodding toward Ambroise's lifeless, headless body.

"This… S-Sir! The treasure vault is on the second floor!" one crew member stammered, unable to withstand the looming threat of death.

"Oh? Smart choice. That just saved your life. But listen carefully—if any of you are still here when I return, you'll sink with this ship," Asa warned before disappearing into the cabin.

The moment the terrified crew heard this, they scrambled to grab their belongings and flee. Some even pulled out their Den Den Mushi…

Inside the cabin, Asa flicked his finger, firing a small electromagnetic cannon. The shot blasted through the wooden partitions, clearing a path to the second floor.

Even though the projectile was just an iron bead, its power was devastating. It punched straight through the hull, allowing seawater to pour in. At this rate, the entire ship would sink within minutes.

Asa found the treasure vault and kicked the door open. Inside, mountains of gold, silver, jewelry, and neatly stacked Beri awaited him—but he had no interest in any of it.

His eyes landed on a set of four small wooden boxes. Without hesitation, he grabbed them.

Then, breaking through the ship's hull once more, Asa vanished into the sky.

(End Of Chapter)

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