"T-This is bad! A Celestial Dragon has been killed! A Marine Admiral will be here soon!"
Inside the auction house, guests who hadn't managed to escape in time were ashen-faced, nearly collapsing to the floor.
Even if a Celestial Dragon were merely attacked, Marine Admiral Kizaru would undoubtedly appear to suppress the situation, let alone now that a Celestial Dragon had been killed on the spot.
What terrified them most was that the one who had killed the Celestial Dragon was that very criminal who had committed major crimes before and remained at large—the man codenamed 'Fox.'
It was hard to imagine just how furious the World Government would be upon learning this news.
Panicked guests scrambled to flee, frantically spreading the news of the Celestial Dragon's assassination.
In no time, the entire Sabaody Archipelago descended into unprecedented chaos.
Yet amid this boiling turmoil, a few individuals remained calm.
Their gazes were fixed on Ivan, quietly awaiting the next move from this madman who dared to slay a Celestial Dragon.
The guards of the slave auction had long since scattered and fled, leaving the slaves in the cages completely unattended.
Rayleigh rose leisurely, removed the explosive collars from the slaves who caught his eye, and then strode toward the auction hall's main chamber.
Just moments ago, he had distinctly sensed a fleeting trace of Conqueror's Haki.
This Haki was extremely peculiar.
The moment it enveloped him, uncontrollable layers of illusory visions surged before his eyes: Roger on the execution platform, fallen pirate comrades strewn across the ground, Shakky drenched in blood...
Following these fantasies came gnawing panic and heart palpitations.
And this was merely the residual ripple of that Conqueror's Haki.
Rayleigh was almost certain that if one were directly swept up by this Haki, those with weak wills might suffer cardiac arrest and die under the extreme terror.
"How interesting, the youngsters these days. Let me see what you're really up to!"
Upon reaching the auction hall, he saw the fleeing guests, the bold rookie pirates watching from the sidelines, and at the absolute center of the auction hall—the dead Celestial Dragon Charlos, and beside him, the Shadow Garden member wearing a fox mask.
His Observation Haki had already informed him of what had happened here. He wasn't surprised by Fox's assassination of the Celestial Dragon.
He just couldn't help but sigh, "Have I grown old? The youngsters these days are all monsters!"
Even so, Rayleigh wasn't as shocked as the others; he merely felt a sense of emotion.
As the vice-captain of the Pirate King, he had witnessed too much. Compared to the final island, what did killing a lofty Celestial Dragon even amount to?
However, before Rayleigh could remain calm for long, Ivan's next move stirred waves in his tranquil heart. Even the well-traveled Rayleigh couldn't help but show a look of astonishment:
"W-What on earth is this kid trying to do?!"
Besides Rayleigh, many pirates had gathered on the Sabaody Archipelago, including the so-called pirate Supernovas.
The most famous, of course, was Fire Fist Ace, followed by the idol of the masses, Cavendish.
At this moment, they also noticed Ivan's actions, which sent their emotions spiraling out of control:
"You bastard, what are you trying to do? Do you want the World Government to launch a Buster Call on Sabaody Archipelago?" The blond-haired, handsome Cavendish roared furiously at Ivan.
In the center of the auction hall, Ivan leisurely took out a Visual Den Den Mushi, turned it on, and aimed it at himself.
He actually intended to start a live broadcast—and the content of the broadcast was the execution of a Celestial Dragon!
Ivan ignored Cavendish's question; it was a foolish one.
Every time the World Government launched a Buster Call, it required mobilizing vast amounts of manpower and resources. Only sufficient benefits could drive them to initiate such an action.
After Ivan killed the Celestial Dragon, they might launch a Buster Call to suppress the information, but they would never destroy a core island like Sabaody Archipelago after the news had already spread.
Marineford was not far from Sabaody Archipelago, and Ivan knew he only had a few minutes of free time. He had to complete the broadcast before Admiral Kizaru arrived.
Soon, the expensive Visual Den Den Mushi Ivan had purchased activated, its signal forcibly intruding into the channels of various Projection Den Den Mushi.
Though it couldn't cover the entire world, a portion was enough. He wanted to shatter the world's perception of the Celestial Dragons.
They were not gods—they were nothing but pigs!
Buzz…
After a tremor, Projection Den Den Mushi across the world suddenly froze. The projection flickered before switching from its original content to a man wearing a mask.
New World, Moby Dick.
The Whitebeard Pirates were watching a racing program, hosted by Gran Tesoro, where participants could freely attack other racers. It was immensely popular on the seas.
"Take down that Marine, Count Thames, you bastard! How could you be defeated by a damn Marine!"
"Jozu, quiet down! I can't hear the audio!" Marco pressed his hand against Jozu's face, pushing him down and finally silencing the excited Jozu.
Just as Marco and Jozu were roughhousing, the projection suddenly flickered, shifting from the racing competition to the image of a man wearing a fox mask.
This left everyone bewildered.
Jozu broke free from Marco's grip and glared angrily at the Projection Den Den Mushi. "Hey, what's going on with you? I want to watch the racing competition!"
Thud!
Another large hand pressed Jozu to the ground, leaving him extremely displeased. "Marco, what are you doing? Looking for a fight?"
"Shut up, Jozu. Pay attention—that's no ordinary person. It's Fox from Shadow Garden!"
The deep, authoritative voice immediately silenced Jozu. He then realized it wasn't Marco holding him down this time—it was the Old Man!
The Old Man's words carried absolute authority among the Whitebeard Pirates, not out of fear, but from admiration and reverence.
Jozu obediently watched the projection and suddenly noticed a familiar figure not far from Fox:
"Old Man, that's Ace! Why is he with Fox?"
Marco rolled his eyes. "Idiot, have you forgotten Ace went to Sabaody Archipelago for fun? He must have just run into him by chance."
"Oh, I see." Jozu nodded, but then a new question arose. "What's Fox doing on Sabaody Archipelago anyway? What's he up to?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the previously somewhat noisy cabin suddenly fell silent.
Aside from a few fools, everyone else wore serious expressions.
In the end, it was Whitebeard who broke the eerie silence. He slowly stood up, his gaze more solemn than ever before:
"Guhahahaha, that kid is trying to slay a god! He wants to usher in a new era!"
Jozu: "..."