As the dust settled, Rosen, Hathaway, and Sabo were all badly injured. None of them had expected Kizaru to have such a terrifying hidden technique.

Had they not been strong and reacted quickly, they might have been vaporized in the explosion. Its destructive power rivaled the quake powers of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

"I haven't suffered such a loss in ages. Crocodile, you're truly formidable. Looks like I can't let you leave here today," Kizaru said, stepping out of the smoke and glancing at his wrist.

The skin there was withered and necrotic, spreading up to his elbow. If he hadn't reacted in time, he might've lost his entire arm.

Though the opportunity was created by the other two attacking him, Crocodile's power and combat strength were clearly the greatest threat.

That was when Kizaru resolved to eliminate Crocodile at all costs.

"Still not enough?" Rosen wasn't bothered by Kizaru's threat. Battle was a gamble with one's life—if you weren't strong enough, you only had yourself to blame.

But that last attack had failed to seriously injure or kill Kizaru. That meant this fight wouldn't end anytime soon.

"Sorry about that, but Kizaru, I'm going to ask you to wait here quietly for an hour. Infernal Dragon Tornado!" Rosen smiled as he unleashed ten massive sand tornadoes toward Kizaru.

Taking advantage of the opening, he discreetly pulled out a well-protected Den Den Mushi and made a call.

Queen Hathaway and Sabo also unleashed powerful attacks at the same time.

Kizaru covered himself in Haki and charged forward, lasers gathering between his spread fingers, aiming straight for Rosen—the most dangerous opponent.

Then, a crazed, furious voice came through Rosen's Den Den Mushi:

"You filthy lowlifes! Let me go! Do you know who I am? A descendant of the Celestial Dragons! The ruler of this world! Your god! I'll kill you all! Kill you all! How dare you bind me—" Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn N0veI.Fiɾe.net

The unhinged roar stopped Kizaru in his tracks. Even Hathaway and Sabo turned toward Rosen in shock. Was that a Celestial Dragon?

Especially Hathaway—her face had never looked so grim, though Rosen didn't notice.

"A Celestial Dragon?" Kizaru froze. Given that Rosen chose this moment to make the call, it clearly wasn't a bluff.

"He said his name is Saint Desmeire. Does that ring a bell, Admiral? If not, I'll order my men to kill him. Maybe he's an impostor," Rosen said calmly.

"Boss, should we do it?" MR.5's voice came through. Rosen didn't respond and looked at Kizaru instead.

"Oh, and by the way, it's not just a Celestial Dragon on that ship—there are guards too. If you want to claim a rescue came too late, that won't be easy. There are plenty of witnesses," Rosen added.

"Hold on, hold on…" Kizaru's serious look vanished, replaced by his usual lazy, slightly sleazy grin. He raised both hands as his mind raced.

He didn't know why a Celestial Dragon was here, but there was no doubt now—it was a real one. What a pain.

"Don't kill him. He's not an impostor," Rosen said. He already knew that but wanted to see how Kizaru would handle the situation.

Truthfully, with the strength of the three, they could've retreated anytime. The concern was that Kizaru might pursue them or call for reinforcements from Marine Headquarters.

That would complicate things. So using the Celestial Dragon as leverage was the smart move—not only did it bring them two powerful warships, but it also cleared their exit and forced Kizaru to back off.

By now, the Lantis convoy had likely sailed far away.

Without knowing their destination, it would be almost impossible to track them down on the vast sea—they were essentially safe.

"Your terms?" Kizaru asked helplessly. He didn't care what happened to a Celestial Dragon—just not on his watch, or the elders above would never shut up.

"Stay here. Don't move for an hour. Keep your eye on this Den Den Mushi. If you leave, you'll be collecting your master's corpse. Let's go," Rosen said, tossing a video Den Den Mushi to the ground.

There was a simple receiver installed on the warship they'd captured.

"So this was all premeditated. Then why bother messing with me in the first place?" Kizaru muttered.

"I just wanted to see the power of Marine Headquarters firsthand," Rosen replied as he turned to leave. Hathaway followed. Sabo hesitated but eventually went with them. Though they hadn't injured Kizaru badly, the results spoke for themselves.

The Buster Call had been stopped midway, and Kizaru was left looking foolish. That was no small achievement. Sabo was satisfied.

After all, killing an admiral was still far too difficult.

"Any way you look at it, this is trouble. The seas won't be calm for long," Kizaru murmured as he watched Crocodile's group depart, glancing at the video Den Den Mushi on the ground.

Crocodile and the Queen of Lantis were now clear enemies of the World Government. Their bounties would be updated soon.

The loss of a Shichibukai, the queen's rise, and her ties to the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command—these were forces that could shake the world's power balance.

Still, with a Celestial Dragon in their hands and everything going according to plan, Kizaru couldn't act rashly.

For now, as long as the Celestial Dragon didn't die, things would be fine.

In a reef-filled sea zone, the Dawn and the Celestial Dragon's Rosamara ship were hidden. The rest of the fleet had already departed—only Rosen's ship remained, waiting for the last few crew.

Sabo had parted ways with Rosen earlier, saying he had matters to deal with. He left his contact info, promising to reach out later.

So only Queen Hathaway and Rosen returned to the Dawn.

As soon as they boarded, Hathaway saw the tied-up guards on the adjacent warship—and the once-familiar vessel.

"Boss."

"Set sail," Rosen ordered. Though he was confident Kizaru wouldn't act, there was no reason to linger here.

"What about the Marines and the World Nobles?" Daz Bones asked. Compared to before, his presence felt much more oppressive. Something must've happened while he was unconscious.

MR.5 had only mentioned they came to find a doctor, and he didn't know the full story of what had occurred on the island.

But considering what they'd just done—capturing a Celestial Dragon—it was an act the World Government would consider heinous.

"Leave them. The Marines will soon launch a major search. Most areas have been covered—it's only a matter of time before they reach this last blind spot." Rosen replied. Though he disliked the Celestial Dragons, killing one now would be unwise.

Suddenly, a terrified voice rang out:

"You! You can't kill me! No—"

The voice was cut off. Rosen's face darkened as he turned toward the warship—only to see Queen Hathaway sweeping her sword across Saint Desmiere's neck. A line of blood appeared, and then the head fell, its bubble helmet shattering.

Everyone—Robin, Daz Bones, Law, the Marines—froze in shock.

The Celestial Dragon… was dead?!

Had they just shattered the world itself?

(End of Chapter)