One Piece: I am the Fleet Admiral?

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After the Celestial Dragons' command was given, the guards rushed towards Rouge, Stella, and the others without hesitation.

Having worked under the Celestial Dragons for so long, they were all too familiar with this kind of task, having carried it out countless times.

Meanwhile, another group of guards stood their ground, tasked with protecting the two Celestial Dragons.

However, there was one guard with gray-green hair who reacted quite differently from the others.

Instead of moving with his colleagues or dutifully guarding the Celestial Dragons, he just stood there, frozen in place.

His eyes locked on Stella, who was visibly terrified, yet his face showed nothing but joy, his body trembling with excitement at seeing her again.

"Stella..." he murmured softly, her image filling his gaze completely.

But in the next instant, the figures of the black-clad guards blocked his view, snapping him back to reality.

"This is bad."

He quickly realized the situation—his Celestial Dragon masters were planning to take Stella away.

After spending so much time around the Celestial Dragons, he knew all too well what fate awaited those who were captured.

Without a moment's hesitation, he sprang into action.

Unleashing all his strength, he dashed forward, placing himself in front of the girls.

Before his colleagues could even process what was happening, he threw punches and swiftly knocked several guards to the ground.

"You fool, what are you doing?" one of the Celestial Dragons shouted angrily.

Everyone present was stunned, utterly confused as to why one of their own, a guard personally chosen by the Celestial Dragons, would disobey orders.

"Tesoro," Stella gasped, recognizing him instantly.

Back when she was a slave, she had been displayed in a transparent cage. That was where she had met Tesoro by chance, after complimenting his singing, sparking the beginning of their connection.

But on the third night, after she was bought by CP0, Stella never saw Tesoro again.

Unexpectedly, today they were reunited.

Tesoro's heart leapt with joy when he realized she recognized him.

'She still remembers me. We're the same—we've never forgotten each other.'

He desperately wanted to turn and speak to Stella, but the current situation made that impossible.

Tesoro knew the sheer power and cruelty of the Celestial Dragons, and understood that they had to escape immediately. If they were caught, the consequences would be unimaginable.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that a fate worse than death awaited them.

"Stella, run!"

"Run now! I'll hold them off—don't look back!"

Gritting his teeth, Tesoro stepped forward, shouting hastily. He then charged toward his CP0 colleagues, who were just recovering from the shock.

He grappled with them, buying precious time for Stella to escape.

"What are you idiots doing?!" the male Celestial Dragon yelled furiously. "Get them now, don't let them escape! And that traitor—I'll make him the lowest of slaves for daring to disobey me!"

The CP0 agents guarding them rushed forward immediately, not daring to disobey the orders.

Some headed straight for Stella and Rouge's group to capture them, while others attacked Tesoro.

Tesoro clenched his teeth, fully aware that his fate was sealed. Even if he survived by some miracle, life would never be the same.

But there was no way he could stand by and watch Stella be captured, tortured, and broken by the Celestial Dragons.

He couldn't allow that.

Even though he knew he wasn't strong enough to defeat so many opponents, he refused to back down.

"Come on, you bastards!" Tesoro roared, springing to his feet and charging forward.

Since he was the closest, he was the first to clash with the guards. But the outcome was inevitable.

Tesoro, having never undergone proper training and without the power of a Devil Fruit, was no match for the CP0 guards. Two fists couldn't overpower four skilled opponents. Within moments, he was beaten mercilessly, his face swollen and bloodied, collapsing to the ground as he coughed up blood.

"Stella..."

Despite his injuries, his mind was fixated on Stella, desperately hoping that the woman he adored had managed to escape in the time he'd bought for her.

But when he turned his head to check, his heart sank.

Stella hadn't moved.

*It's over... it's over...* Tesoro's face turned pale as hopelessness washed over him. All the strength left his body.

'How could a defenseless woman escape from so many people?' he thought. Once the Celestial Dragons had her, there was no way out.

Bound by the guards, Tesoro could only watch helplessly.

But something puzzled him. 'Why doesn't Stella seem afraid?'

He had expected her to be consumed with terror in this situation, but strangely, she was calm. After her initial fright, she had regained her composure and now simply glanced around, as if searching for someone.

The guards had nearly reached her and were about to seize both Stella and Rouge's group, hands outstretched.

And then—

'Whoosh!'

Suddenly, a series of sharp sounds sliced through the air, and out of nowhere, invisible air bullets pierced the room.

The guards charging at the women froze mid-motion before dropping to the ground, blood pouring from fresh wounds on their foreheads.

The shop fell silent.

The remaining guards, trembling, glanced toward the source of the air bullets, their faces drained of color.

Tap, tap, tap.

The sound of approaching footsteps filled the now eerily quiet space.

The clear sound of leather shoes echoed through the room as the figure approached. Stella and the Rouge girls instinctively stepped aside to make way.

It was only then that everyone got a full view of the scene outside the door.

Earlier, the Celestial Dragons, surrounded by guards, had blocked the way, while the Rouge girls had tried to enter. Now, as the view opened up, hundreds of soldiers lined the road outside, and at the front, walking steadily, was Akira, draped in a cloak of justice.

"Fleet Admiral!" the CP0 guards gasped in surprise.

None of them had expected to run into Akira here.

Their exclamations quickly caught the attention of the Celestial Dragons, who, up until now, hadn't recognized him.

"Fleet Admiral, huh? You came at the right time. One of them killed my guards," the male Celestial Dragon sneered, his smile twisted and ugly. "Arrest them all! And take these women as well. I'm taking them back to the Holy Land."

From his perspective, with the Fleet Admiral himself on the scene, there was no chance of anything going wrong.

But Akira's expression remained unchanged. It was as if he hadn't heard a word the Celestial Dragon said. He approached Tesoro, who was still sprawled on the ground, glanced at the black suit he was wearing, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Tesoro, you're with CP0 now?" Akira asked calmly.

"Yes," Tesoro replied, though clearly battered and struggling.

"I see. How about a change of job? Come with me," Akira offered, his tone casual but firm.