Chapter 154: Chapter 154
You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04
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"Yeah! We want a few angel races! No one else owns the Holy Land of Mary Geoise!" The male Celestial Dragon was filled with excitement, a hint of longing in his eyes.
In Mary Geoise, no Celestial Dragons had angel slaves, especially those who could fly with wings! Bringing back some angel races as slaves would be a huge deal!
"Oh, right! We want angels with wings! Those other angels have such short wings!" The male Celestial Dragon suddenly remembered and spoke quickly.
While they could fly on their own, the angelic beings with short wings couldn't fly and belonged to the angel family. However, the latter were far less valuable than the former.
In the black market, flightless angels typically sold for over 500 million Berries, which was just the starting price. Flying angels, on the other hand, started at one billion Berries! You needed at least 1.5 billion Berries to even hope to acquire one!
If they wanted a few angel races as slaves, they needed to have wings.
"Angels with wings?" Arthur nodded, then smiled and asked, "Do you think I can make it happen? If I become your slave..."
At that moment, a flash of lightning appeared behind Arthur as two magnificent wings, crackling with thunder and lightning, spread out from his back. They looked incredibly cool, like a special effect.
"This..." The male Celestial Dragon was taken aback, confused. "Can the king really be a slave?"
The female Celestial Dragon's eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at Arthur, mesmerized by his impressive wings and the thunder surrounding him.
"Huh? What?" Arthur's expression suddenly changed; his smile faded.
The dark clouds in his eyes grew ominous, and a dangerous aura surrounded him.
Even without intending to kill, a powerful figure like Arthur, even when simply expressing anger, could chill others to the bone.
The two Celestial Dragons realized Arthur's mood had shifted, and they felt a chill run down their spines.
"You... what do you want to do?" the male Celestial Dragon stammered, a hint of fear in his voice. The female Celestial Dragon felt the same.
"I genuinely want to know how the Five Elders convinced you foolish Celestial Dragons to think you could still enslave a few angels in front of me. Do you really believe I wouldn't kill Celestial Dragons?" Arthur's expression shifted from a grin to a terrifying blankness.
"We are Celestial Dragons! We are descendants of gods!" The female Celestial Dragon, no longer so confident, started to panic.
Even though she didn't know that the person before her had once been even more powerful than the Celestial Dragons, she understood that he was one of the strongest individuals in the world, on par with an Admiral.
From the moment Arthur said, "Do you think I can do it?" they sensed something was off.
Arthur remained silent, his face dark and dangerous as he stared at them, exuding a menacing energy.
Could he fight the Celestial Dragons? Absolutely! At most, he would be expelled from the franchise country, but that was not enough!
While the WTO was an international organization established outside the world government, if the Angel Empire ceased to participate, it would only strengthen the world government.
This series of actions would not benefit Arthur; instead, it would greatly enhance the power of the world government.
Moreover, many of Arthur's ongoing plans relied on his identity as a franchise king for cover. Just like Doflamingo, whose Shichibukai title allowed him to gain significant advantages.
If Arthur were only a Celestial Dragon who knew their secrets, they would simply want him dead.
Of course, while Celestial Dragons still wanted to kill Doflamingo, they had to hold off for a while.
However, it was undeniable that Doflamingo's Shichibukai status brought many benefits and kept him safe from being hunted. This was evident when he was defeated, removed from Shichibukai, and immediately assassinated.
"Blubru~ Blubru~"
Suddenly, a phone worm rang, and a smile crossed Arthur's face, hinting at his hidden emotions.
The reason for his apparent anger yet inaction was that he was waiting for this call.
Click~
He answered the phone.
"King Arthur..." As soon as the call connected, a voice came through—one of the Five Elders.
"Five Elders...?" Arthur's tone suggested he was curious but also cautious.
"This time, we hope you can exercise restraint!" another voice from the Five Elders warned.
"I really want to know how you spoke to those Celestial Dragons and why anyone would still think about enslaving my people. Don't you communicate with the nineteen Celestial Dragon families?" Arthur hovered in the air, retracting his wings, asking indifferently.
On the other end, there was a moment of silence, likely because Arthur's intense gaze made them hesitate.
"The two of them have been in the New World for almost a year. They are not fully aware of certain things. This time, we hope you can show restraint. Otherwise, there will be no chance for negotiation." After a while, the voice of the Five Elders came through again, sounding somewhat softer.
However, this was definitely not a sign of compromise with Arthur; it was simply due to the presence of the two Celestial Dragons and fear of what Arthur might do.
They were afraid that if conflicts arose, Arthur might just kill the two Celestial Dragons on the spot.
More than half a year ago, three Celestial Dragons had already died!
This had been one of the most significant events since the world government was established eight hundred years ago. If two more were to die, it wouldn't just be another important matter; it would embolden others to resist the Celestial Dragons.
The Celestial Dragons' supposed sanctity and supremacy must not be undermined! This was crucial for the protection of the Celestial Dragons, their own maintenance, and the bottom line for the world government.
"So..." Arthur shot a cold glance at the two silent Celestial Dragons, who looked somewhat shocked.
"Yes! After all, the five of you discussed this, and I don't want to withdraw from the list of franchise countries. This time, I will let it go! But..."
Arthur's initial words brought a sigh of relief from the Five Elders, but they were also surprised. 'Is he really this easy to convince?' They found that thought strange.
However, Arthur's last words caught their full attention. 'Is he making another request? What a pain!' The Five Elders thought grimly.
"I hope you can inform everyone in place and don't come to me again to make me unhappy next time! This is the second time—again and again... no more! I am the king, and there are also kings. Dignity!" Arthur's voice was deep and commanding.
There was a moment of silence before one of the Five Elders replied, "Yes."
Click. The call ended, seemingly bringing the matter to a close.
Arthur turned to the two Celestial Dragons with a blank expression. "On this island, you can play, but you are not allowed to destroy, pollute, capture creatures, or oppress others!"
With that, Arthur flickered and vanished from their sight.
The two Celestial Dragons exhaled a sigh of relief, though shock still lingered in their eyes.
"What just happened? How could he speak to the Five Elders like that? How is this possible? Did the Five Elders actually relent?" they wondered.
Since the two had been aware of their surroundings, the Five Elders had always held a position of power. They were Celestial Dragons, comparable in status to the chiefs of their nineteen clans.
"Damn it, Gild Tesoro!" the male Celestial Dragon cursed under his breath.
The Celestial Dragon guards nearby felt greatly relieved. Unlike the Celestial Dragons, they had no personal stake in this. However, they were always on alert to protect the Celestial Dragons from threats.
They were aware of past events—like Arthur's previous altercations with the Celestial Dragons and how he was blocked by Admiral Kizaru when he sought to confront them. They also knew Arthur had met with the Five Elders without any consequences.
Though they couldn't divulge certain details, they had prepared for situations like this. Watching the Celestial Dragons react in fear and helplessness had unsettled them, and they prayed silently that the dangerous Arthur would not remain near.
Once Arthur left, they felt a chill but quickly gathered themselves and called a phone worm to spread the urgent message.
Meanwhile, Arthur returned to the Island of Gods, hovering high in the sky and surveying the celestial landscape.
Zi Zi Zi Zi—
A crack of thunder echoed, activating machinery concealed within the swirling clouds.
Immediately, hundreds of cloud formations across the Angel Empire released small bubbles. Each bubble contained a mini thundercloud.
Boo—
The bubbles burst, and the mini thunderclouds rapidly expanded.
Under Arthur's control, the thunderclouds merged into one vast entity.
Click. Click.
Millions of tourists, over 100,000 service personnel, and nearly ten million angels, along with other creatures enjoying the sky paradise, looked up in shock.
"What is that?!"
"Thundercloud? How is this possible? It's enormous! Is it going to destroy everything?"
"It's... a catastrophe!"
Panic spread among the crowd.
High above the Island of Gods, Arthur stood, his body crackling with thunder and lightning as he harnessed the energy swirling around him.
"Thunder God comes to the world!" he proclaimed.
With a low voice, the thunder and lightning in the massive thundercloud roared, creating an atmosphere reminiscent of an apocalyptic event.
From the cloud, eight colossal faces formed, made entirely of thunder and lightning.
'Is this... Thor?'
That question raced through the minds of many, and some people fell to their knees, tears streaming down their faces as they began to pray.
"I am the god of the Angel Empire, God Arthur. The outside world knows me as King Arthur!"
"Today, I want to reiterate that in this heavenly realm, as long as you don't cause trouble, all visitors are guests. There is no difference between high and low! My rule is the iron rule of this world, the rule of heaven! From now on, any violations will be met with death!"
"Celestial Dragons, the world's top powerhouses, or the Four Emperors! Here, it is I who holds dominion! Anyone who dares to challenge my rules shall meet their end!"
Click.
After his declaration, the thunder and lightning in the sky intensified, illuminating the heavens as if the sun had burst forth. The temperature soared, becoming as hot as Alabasta.
In just a minute, the thunderstorm dissipated, and even the clouds began to clear.
As the people remained stunned, a gentle breeze swept through, followed by a light drizzle that quickly cooled the atmosphere.
Back on the Island of Gods, Arthur reclined on a large sofa, resting his head on Nojiko's beautiful lap while enjoying delicious fruits she fed him.
"You were so majestic! It was so hot that I had to cool down," Nami complained, pouting as she entered, wiping raindrops from her head.
Arthur chuckled, pulling Nami onto the sofa beside him, his hand awkwardly finding its way around her slender waist.
"I hate it!" Nami exclaimed, blushing and playfully swatting at Arthur's hand, glancing at Nojiko with embarrassment.
"I couldn't help it. I've been thinking of a way to deter the tourists in the sky paradise all at once. It just happened that these Celestial Dragons were acting up, so I used that to make a statement."
"During this time, there have been numerous complaints about tourists harassing angels, murlocks, and the beautiful waitstaff from all races. Unfortunately, there's little to do but impose fines, detain offenders for a while, or deport them."
"This should deter them for a time. If word spreads, they won't try anything again, right?" Arthur pondered, though he felt a tinge of uncertainty.
However, his actions proved effective. Following this display, the aforementioned issues would become rare occurrences. The Angel Empire would be hailed as the safest and most equitable entertainment paradise in the world.
The next day, the eight colossal thunder faces became the front page news, spreading throughout the world.
Meanwhile, Arthur returned to his training.
Armament Haki, the realm of Sakura!
Arthur had finally cultivated Armament Haki to this level...