Chapter 87 - Furious! Killing a Celestial Dragon! How About a Celestial Dragon Hunt at God Valley?
"Renji, release Saint Yago and I'll pretend this never happened."
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Kong was still trying to negotiate.
"Are you stupid? You think just because you say it didn't happen, it didn't? Let me go now and become my slave, or I swear I'll kill you!"
Yago roared in rage. Never in his life had he been humiliated like this.
And today, he was being choked, threatened—and then Kong had the audacity to suggest they pretend it never happened? How could he possibly allow that?!
"Looks like he doesn't appreciate your offer, Fleet Admiral Kong,"
Renji said mockingly, and Kong felt another headache forming.
'These Celestial Dragons… are they all brain-dead? Or did their minds just never finish developing?'
Did they not understand the concept of revenge?
He wasn't the one being strangled, and yet Yago was still acting this arrogant. If not for his Celestial Dragon status, Kong figured he would've died a hundred times over by now.
A woman's voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"Renji, did the Rocks Pirates vanish just for this?"
Tsuru recognized that this could be a key opportunity.
"Who knows?"
Renji casually tossed the Celestial Dragon to the ground and rolled his shoulder. Holding him up all this time had become annoying. CP0 exchanged glances and moved to retrieve Yago, but were blasted back by a sudden bolt of lightning.
"Come any closer and I won't be responsible for what happens next."
Renji raised his foot and stomped directly on the Celestial Dragon's fish tank. Crack! The tank shattered, and he planted his boot on Yago's head.
"Now this feels way better."
"You bastard, I'll kill you!!"
Pinned underfoot, Yago screamed with hatred. "You're all just going to stand there and watch?! Save me! I'll kill all of you! I'll kill every last person in this room!!"
He looked completely deranged. Today's humiliation couldn't be allowed to live on in memory—he wanted everyone who witnessed it dead.
"Renji, you're a smart man. You know what the consequences are for killing a Celestial Dragon."
Tsuru spoke calmly. She didn't want to get involved with the Celestial Dragons, but as a Marine, she had no choice. If a Celestial Dragon died at a pirate's hand, the Marines would be held accountable.
And Renji would be hunted endlessly.
"Are you threatening me?"
"No. I just believe you're intelligent enough to make the right decision."
Tsuru paused, then continued calmly.
She was certain that with this, Renji would…
But before she could finish her thought, the sound of a crack followed by CP0's screams pulled her back to reality.
"Saint Yago!!"
"You actually killed a Celestial Dragon?!"
"This is madness!!"
CP0 knew that if the Celestial Dragon died, so would they. Their eyes were bloodshot with fury—they wanted nothing more than to kill Renji where he stood.
The nobles and pirates watching the scene unfold panicked and began fleeing in all directions.
"It's over…"
The auctioneer's eyes went dull. He stared blankly, then pulled out a pistol to prepare for suicide.
He knew he wouldn't escape blame for this.
Whether he was made a slave or executed, either ending was terrible. The first stripped him of all dignity. Rather than be tortured or humiliated, he figured he'd end things himself.
"Sorry, I guess I'm not that smart."
Renji hung up the Den Den Mushi and looked at the remaining CP0 agents.
"Come on. You only get one move."
"He really killed a Celestial Dragon?!"
Tsuru stared in disbelief at the now-silent Den Den Mushi.
She had thought she had Renji under control—that the situation was in hand.
But he'd just killed the Celestial Dragon outright.
"Is that guy brainless, like Garp?"
Sengoku was dumbfounded. He couldn't make sense of Renji's actions at all.
Did you seriously kill him, man?!
"All of you, head there now! We must capture Renji!"
"Can we even capture him? That guy has the Rumble-Rumble Fruit…"
Tsuru let out a bitter smile. Catching him would be impossible—unless they had someone with the Glint-Glint Fruit.
And Renji could turn.
"Just go."
Kong rubbed his temples, deeply troubled. Even if it was pointless, doing something was better than doing nothing.
Tsuru didn't object. After all, a Celestial Dragon being killed—this was unprecedented.
"Pathetic."
Renji dropped the last CP0 corpse to the ground. His goal was achieved.
Originally, he'd only intended to kidnap. But then he thought—if he really wanted to repay Rocks, he might as well go all the way and kill a Celestial Dragon to draw all of Marineford's forces to Sabaody.
Mission accomplished.
Besides, the Celestial Dragon's arrogance had pushed him past the limit. If he hadn't acted, even his Conqueror's Haki would have felt dulled.
"Um… excuse me. Can I join you on your adventures?!"
Behind him, the mermaid stared at him with sparkling eyes, full of admiration. Her gaze was sincere.
She felt like the stories she had heard as a child were coming true right before her.
There really were knights who saved mermaids in distress!
"Follow me?"
"Mm! I can help with navigation—and even fighting!"
The mermaid's eyes sparkled. She'd studied navigation and, as a mermaid, had certain natural abilities suited to the sea.
"We'll see. I'll toss you into the ocean—make your way back. If you prove your worth, I'll let you aboard."
Renji grabbed her shoulder and, using Kamui, teleported her to the shore of Island 1 on the Sabaody Archipelago, then tossed her straight into the sea.
"Sir! I'll prove myself to you! Please remember my name—Christie Lilia!!"
Her voice echoed in Renji's ears. She had no intention of clinging to him—she knew she would only slow him down right now.
She wasn't strong enough to be his subordinate. Not yet. The power Renji had just displayed was beyond her reach.
"Such a shame. A mermaid like that might just end up the next Granny Kokoro."
The more beautiful you are in youth, the more tragic your fall in old age.
To Renji, Lilia's looks were comparable to Shirahoshi's, with a distinct allure unlike Robin or Nami. But he wasn't looking for someone to share a bed.
He was looking for crew, not a mistress.
The current Three Admirals of this era…
Renji looked into the distance.
Marineford was very close—and with the Navy rushing at full speed toward him, the Sabaody Archipelago was about to be completely surrounded.
Inside the auction house, the place was already deserted—only corpses remained scattered across the floor.
The Marines first secured the Celestial Dragon's corpse. Tsuru, Sengoku, and a curly-haired man were surveying the scene.
"Looks like he's already gone."
"That guy has the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Capturing him alone is no easy task."
"The Rocks Pirates didn't come. They sent Renji here to kill a Celestial Dragon—what's really going on behind the scenes?"
Tsuru was speculating about the Rocks Pirates' motives. Renji appeared alone, and the Rocks crew was nowhere in sight. Ever since their disappearance, the situation had grown increasingly confusing.
"Are they trying to lure the tiger from its mountain?"
Sengoku offered his analysis.
That would explain why Renji acted separately from the rest of the crew.
After drawing the Marines' attention here, he could use the Rumble-Rumble Fruit to escape and regroup with the others.
But what was their real goal?
Buru buru buru buru
Just as they were trying to decipher Renji's objective, the Den Den Mushi on the curly-haired man began to ring.
"God Valley!! Those Rocks bastards went to God Valley! And the Roger Pirates are there too!"
Kong's voice came through urgently. He had no idea how the Rocks Pirates found out about God Valley.
But now wasn't the time to figure that out.
Renji's stunt had been a diversion—Kong understood that much. And right now, there were a lot of Celestial Dragons on God Valley!
"We can't make it there in time. We'll have to call in Marines nearby."
"I think Garp's on vacation somewhere near there."
Sengoku remembered that Garp's holiday spot was relatively close to God Valley.
"I suggest we send Garp as soon as possible. If Renji dares to kill a Celestial Dragon, the ones on God Valley are definitely in danger."
Tsuru had a bad feeling. If Renji could kill one, others might follow his lead. Even if they didn't, Renji himself was enough of a threat.
"Understood. You all head there too."
Though the location was far, and the battle might already be underway, Kong still ordered them to head out.
Then he hung up and immediately dialed Garp.
"Garp, head to God Valley. The Rocks Pirates are there."
"I'm not going. Who told those bastards to steal pirate treasure and make it a prize? Of course that lunatic Rocks would target them!"
Garp sounded like he was enjoying the chaos.
That treasure was stolen from Pirate Island—and the Celestial Dragons dared to flaunt it as a prize? How could Rocks possibly let that slide?
He wasn't going. He was on vacation!
"Roger's there too."
Kong added helplessly, knowing this would change everything.
The moment Garp heard that, he rolled up his sleeves and roared: "Roger's gone there too!?"
Looks like he couldn't avoid going after all.
"God Valley, huh... so that's their target!"
"I'll go."
Saint Saturn spoke calmly. He hadn't expected the Rocks Pirates to target God Valley directly.
"And that brat must be eliminated. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit is far too troublesome."
Saint Mars added coldly.
The incident with Renji killing a Celestial Dragon hadn't yet spread, but once it did, it would be a heavy blow to the Celestial Dragons' prestige.
Killing Renji would contain the fallout.
His Rumble-Rumble Fruit was too dangerous—and combined with his complete disregard for order, the idea that someone could at any time use such power to kill a Celestial Dragon was unacceptable.
If Renji wasn't dealt with, wouldn't every Celestial Dragon be in danger?
"Fine. My ability counters his."
Saint Saturn nodded. While the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was powerful, his own ability could neutralize it. If he could pinpoint Renji's location, then escape would be impossible.
"Then let's go."
Saint Saturn activated a magic circle and teleported directly to God Valley.
God Valley, meanwhile, had already received word that the Rocks Pirates were on their way.
The Knights of God and the ordinary Celestial Dragons on the island had very different reactions.
But the hunt continued.
No one wanted to leave halfway.
As for the Rocks Pirates—
A bolt of lightning struck the deck. When they saw Renji return, Rocks gave a twisted grin.
"Jihahaha! You're back already?"
"Nothing interesting. I killed that Celestial Dragon. Most of the Marines are focused over there, though they'll probably still send some reinforcements."
Renji shrugged, as if killing a Celestial Dragon was no more significant than stepping on a bug.
The others immediately perked up.
He'd actually killed a Celestial Dragon?!
"Jihahaha! You really killed one? Quit bragging!"
"Don't tell me you're scared of killing a Celestial Dragon, Golden Lion?"
"You think I'm scared of that? It's just one Celestial Dragon! You make it sound like you stabbed Mary Geoise itself!"
Golden Lion bit down on his cigar, irritated.
So what if the guy killed a Celestial Dragon?
"I heard there's a Celestial Dragon hunt happening on the island right now?"
Renji's lips curled into a grin. Then, as if struck by inspiration, he turned to the other division commanders and Rocks.
"So… how about we turn it into a game of our own? A Celestial Dragon hunt. Let's see who can kill the most. We can stream it live via Den Den Mushi. The winner gets a big favor from the rest."
If the Celestial Dragons could hold hunting games on the island, why not flip the game around?
Why not make them the prey?
His words made Rocks' eyes light up with interest.
He had already planned to eliminate the Celestial Dragons on the island. This suggestion was just too good to pass up.
But the others hesitated.
(End of Chapter)
Want More Chapters? Get Early Access Now!
Join my Patreon and unlock 20 chapters instantly—plus, you'll gain access to 60+ chapters weekly across 8 fics! Your support helps me continue creating and keeps the stories coming.
📖 Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44 ☕ Support via Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44