Attacking the Celestial Dragons would prompt the Marine Headquarters to send warships and Admirals to take action. If a Celestial Dragon dies, it will inevitably shock the entire World Government and the world itself.

"What are you doing?!" Rosen was somewhat angry. Although Queen Hathaway was not under his command, and did not follow his orders, killing a Celestial Dragon at this time was definitely unwise.

Rosen occasionally acts recklessly, but he usually manages to control the situation. However, Queen Hathaway's sudden action clearly did not align with Rosen's plan.

"They saw it, I killed him. I'll do my best to keep you out of it," Hathaway said coldly, then swung her sword again, instantly turning more than half of the tied-up Marines into a cloud of blood.

Mr. 5, Bonis, Robin, Valentine, and the others were all shocked. This woman was ruthless—hundreds of lives gone in an instant, without even a blink?!

Could this woman be an enemy? Robin couldn't help but look at Rosen. Where did he find such a killing machine?

"Crazy!" Robin couldn't help but comment. Doesn't she understand what the Celestial Dragons represent in this world? Is following Crocodile really a wise choice? Regardless, kidnapping the instigator, Crocodile would undoubtedly bring trouble. But the biggest trouble was probably Queen Hathaway herself.

But she didn't seem to care.

"Forget it, killing him is done. Let's leave this place for now," Rosen said, though not entirely agreeing.

But since Queen Hathaway wasn't his subordinate, he couldn't restrain her. Besides, she had already made it clear to the surviving Marines that she was the killer! She had taken responsibility for it.

The only thing left to wonder was how the World Government would react.

Thinking about it, Rosen realized it probably wouldn't make much difference. After all, with the Celestial Dragon already kidnapped, the World Government was never going to let him go.

Killing him might actually cut off one problem, but it would create another.

But in the end, no matter which problem it was, once he was caught by the Marines, there would be no good outcome. Too many debts to avoid. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn novel·fire·net

Moreover, the Celestial Dragon had indeed played a role in restraining Admiral Kizaru, so it had served its purpose.

Still, Rosen didn't like how Hathaway acted without even giving notice. How could she be so reckless, like that brat Natalie? He couldn't figure out how she survived with Lantis.

She definitely had extraordinary personal charm and combat power, but her actions suggested she was more of a berserker!

"You are Lantis's benefactors. I won't let you get into trouble. This is indeed not the best time, but even if I die, I must kill this man! This is for the million Lantis people! If you're worried, you can take my head to clear up the trouble!" Queen Hathaway handed the sword back to Rosen and said calmly.

Rosen took the sword, its blade reflecting her indifferent expression. He then inserted it into the deck, lost in thought.

This Celestial Dragon… was the same one who had once visited Lantis Island? And by coincidence, he ran into Hathaway?! This was truly a case of karmic retribution.

In that case, was his death too easy? Rosen thought about Lantis's tragic situation and momentarily lost focus. But for now, he couldn't let Kizaru know about this. Otherwise, they might be relentlessly pursued.

As for killing Hathaway? Not yet. After all, they were on the same side for now. If he had known this Celestial Dragon was behind Lantis's tragedy, Rosen might have struck for his own satisfaction, but he would probably disguise it as a shipwreck.

The Dawn set sail…

Soon, a Marine warship arrived at the scene. The moment reinforcements boarded the ship, panic spread. A Vice Admiral, usually composed, lost control: "The Celestial Dragon, Saint Desmiere, has been killed?!"

This was a bombshell that rocked the entire Marine Headquarters, even the World Government.

When Kizaru received the news, less than an hour had passed, but it was enough. His expression darkened: "Crocodile, you've really played me! Now we're in big trouble!"

"Even if you didn't kill him, you kidnapped a Celestial Dragon first. You're still the main culprit, along with the Queen of Lantis!"

The alarm blared.

At Marine Headquarters, in the Holy Land, at the same time, this devastating news arrived. An emergency high-level military meeting was convened, with Fleet Admiral Sengoku taking the lead to confirm the situation with Admiral Kizaru and what had happened in Lantis.

Sengoku also received an unprecedented reprimand from the Five Elders, who ordered that the most serious crime of the year must be resolved as quickly as possible!

"The Revolutionary Army, the Shichibukai, Queen of Lantis! They're all troublemakers. The Buster Call Order has suffered an unprecedented failure, and Kizaru was even injured. And they all got away…" At the top-level military meeting, Admiral Aokiji, Admiral Akainu, and Vice Admiral Garp, along with other high-level forces, were present.

Most Rear Admirals were urgently recalled to discuss the next steps in taking down Crocodile.

"Bring Kizaru back. Akainu, you lead the fleet to hunt them down. The other Shichibukai must cooperate. Search the entire sea if necessary, but bring Crocodile and the Queen of Lantis back alive or dead," Sengoku ordered coldly.

Things had already spiraled out of control since the Buster Call Order began, and now, with the Celestial Dragon's death, there was no turning back. Crocodile's fate was sealed as well.

If this matter was mishandled, and senior World Government officials were sent down, Marine Headquarters would have to cede a large portion of its power to the politicians, losing the relative independence it currently had.

If the military was controlled by the political side, there would be turmoil during the power transfer, and that would be extremely unfavorable in the current situation.

"I understand," Akainu nodded, his murderous intent visible. Any pirates causing chaos at sea would be eradicated by him.

"At the same time, the Marine intelligence department will intensify the search for the Revolutionary Army's traces. CP0 will assist with this," Sengoku stated plainly. Those present, with ranks as high as Rear Admiral, had the right to know about CP0.

"Garp, you should get out more!" Sengoku then turned to Vice Admiral Garp, who looked half-asleep.

"Oh, yeah, I was just about to head back to East Blue. I'll keep an eye out," Garp replied, as if waking from a dream, not particularly concerned. After all, Celestial Dragons had died before.

For him, it wasn't a world-shaking event.

What concerned him more was that his grandson had set out to become a pirate. He would sail along the first half of the Grand Line and, if he encountered that brat, he'd use the "Iron Fist of Love" to give him a good beating, hoping to knock some sense into him.

"Marine Intelligence, immediately issue reports to the newspapers regarding the expulsion of Crocodile from the Shichibukai and his crimes, and publicly announce a bounty on these two culprits!"