"Damn it—"
"You’ll never succeed!"
"You despicable, shameless scum... No one will fall for your trap!"
Hearing Charlotte Linlin’s threats, not only were Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru enraged, but every Marine and CP agent presehe same. Linlin's demand for the Navy’s rerio” to turn on one another was the height of dishonor.
"You ’t manipute me with such crude tactics. Even if I die, I won’t be swayed by your demands!" Tsuru, resolute and unyielding, coldly replied, log eyes with Linlin. She would never betray the rades she had fought alongside, the ones she entrusted with her life. No desire to survive ain her youth would cloud her principles.
"Sengoku, Garp, don’t fall for her tricks," Tsuru shouted firmly. "If either of you hesitates because of me, I’ll take my own life to atone!"
Though it was difficult to accept her sudden transformation into an old woman, Tsuru had no iion of g in to the pirates' vile threats. She wouldn’t make things harder for Sengoku arp, nor would she ever allow them to do something foolish on her behalf.
"Tsuru..."
Hearing her words, both Sengoku and Garp were visibly shaken. In truth, Sengoku had been on the verge of himself up in exge for Tsuru, despite knowing there was little ce Linlin would honor such a deal.
"Damn it! There’s only one dead Celestial Dragon in the au house, and the rest are missing!"
At that moment, the furious CP7 squad leader stormed out of the au house with his team, his face twisted with anger as he gred at Charlotte Linlin, Rock, and their crew. "Where the hell did you hide the other Celestial Dragons?"
Ihe au house, aside from unscious guests, staff, and the gover agents assigo protect the Celestial Dragons, they had found only the mangled corpse of a single Celestial Dragon, crushed beynition but still identifiable by his space suit. The others were o be found.
"Aren’t you CP agents supposed to be good at finding things? Go figure it out yourself!" Linlin sneered, gng dismissively at him.
"Hmph, such righteous resolve for a Navy star," Linlin remarked, Tsuru’s unyielding defiahough slightly impressed, she appeared momentarily unsure of how to proceed. "What a dilemma..."
"Your threats won’t work anymore, Linlin," Nef chuckled, stepping forward. In respoo the fused and suspicious stares of Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru, Nef leaned in and whispered something into Linlin’s ear.
"Oh?" Linlin raised an eyebrow, grinning wickedly. "You always have a way, Nef!"
"What now? What are you pnning?" Garp, furious, stomped forward to attack.
"Spin: Iron Body!"
Before he could act, a green blur shot toward him like a bullet, its speed exceeding that of a normal projectile. Garp’s instincts kicked in just in time for him to dodge the attack, barely esg the strike.
'Bang... bang...'
Trees were pierced by the green shadow, leaving gaping holes irunks.
"What the...?" Tsuru, Sengoku, and the others looked on in shock. In no time, the green figure grew rger as it appeared befarp. It was Oars Jr., slightly battered but otherwise unharmed.
"You actually mao knock me away. You've got almost as much strength as Linlin..." Oars Jr. growled, shaking his head and gring menagly at Garp, standing firmly in his way.
"Don't move an inch..." Linlin warned, her gaze locked on Sengoku and Garp, who were poised to charge again. "One wrong move, and I’ll have someo off the Celestial Dragons’ hands and tongues!"
"I want to see the corpse of that Celestial Dragon in the au house..."
She s the CP agent in charge, baring her sharp fangs. "You CP agents should know by now, we don’t make empty threats."
"What!?"
"You wouldn’t dare—"
"No one make a move!"
"We must prioritize the safety of the Celestial Dragons!"
Hearing Linlin’s threats, the Marines and CP agents were furious but uo act. The lead CP7 agent, though livid, could only issue orders to stand dowuring to Sengoku as well. Relutly, they plied.
"Aren’t you looking for the Celestial Dragons?" Linlin sneered before pulling out a mirror from her bag. "Barry, bring one of them out."
"Got it!" A voice came from within the mirror, and to the shock of Sengoku, Garp, and everyone else, the mirran to expand. A figure in white ulled out—beaten and bruised, without the iic bubble helmet, but still reizable in his extravagant space suit and distinct hairstyle. It was unmistakably one of the missiial Dragons.
"Saint Fenix!!!"
The CP7 agent instantly reized him, g out in shock.
"Mmmph mmmph..." With a green colr around his ned a sve colr to match, Saint Fenix could barely tain his fear, but he couldn’t speak due to Nef’s pet fruit powers.
"My loyal pet, you may speak," Nef said, a hint of amusement in her voice. With her and, the green colr around Fenix’s neck glowed, and he began shouting in terror.
"Navy! CP! Save me!" he screamed. "Get an Admiral here now, or your families will all be turned into the lowest of sves! Capture these vile criminals! I want them ripped apart!"
Sengoku’s eye twitched at the outburst, while Garp’s fists tightened, his face growing dark. He despised these arrogant nobles who saw others as dirt, yet they were still forced to rescue them.
"We’re terribly sorry, Saint Fenix. Please be patient..." the CP7 agent stammered, sweating profusely. "We’re trying our best to rescue you."
"Charlotte Linlin, release Saint Fenix and the other Celestial Dragons now. You ’t escape," Sengoku decred firmly.
"Now, I order you—stomp on the Celestial Dragon’s head!" Nef suddenly asuru, a wicked grin spreading across her face. "It’s a rare opportunity—you should cherish it!"
"What!?"
Sengoku’s face turned pale, his entire body trembling with rage as he gred at Linlin and Nef. "You wouldn’t dare—"
For the first time, Sengoku, known for his strategic brilliance, felt a cold shiver run down his spihe pirates weren’t even trying to hide their iions. This was a btant scheme, aimed at ruining Tsuru’s career and life forever.
The Celestial Dragons wouldn’t care that Tsuru was under pressure. The moment she acted against them, her fate would be sealed. Her reputation, career, and life would all be destroyed. There would be no escape from such a cruel fate.
