Chapter Ninety-Eight: The Death of the Celestial Dragon (Additional Chapter for Dieu)

Saint Charlos sat cross-legged atop a panda, with Marines clearing the path ahead and a giant slave holding a parasol over him from behind. He pulled a gem-encrusted flintlock from his waist and fired a shot at Kohza, who was blocking his way.

"Lowly commoner!"

The abrupt gunshot and the voice of Saint Charlos drew everyone's attention, and the cheers praising Buffon fell silent.

"Mr. Kohza!" the revolutionaries shouted, ready to fire back at the Celestial Dragon.

But they were stopped by the Marines nearby: "That is a Celestial Dragon! Do you have a death wish?"

Buffon and Cobra, who had already returned to the city walls, frowned.

"How did a Celestial Dragon get here?" Buffon’s brows furrowed tightly, and in a flash, he appeared in the square. He leaned down to check Kohza’s injuries and began extracting the bullet and stitching the wound.

Just then, an abrupt female voice rang out: "Step aside! Do not block Saint Charlos's path!"

Buffon acted as if he hadn't heard, continuing to focus on stitching Kohza’s gunshot wound. Stussy, recognizing Buffon, felt a jolt of alarm, instinctively sensing that something terrible was about to happen.

Sure enough, Saint Charlos fired his flintlock again, the bullet whistling toward Buffon’s back. Yet, Buffon showed no reaction; he didn't even intend to dodge. Just as the lead ball was about to strike him, Bagio appeared in front of him. With a gentle block from the scabbard of Shusui, he deflected the bullet.

Seeing this, Saint Charlos, sitting on the panda, laughed instead of getting angry: "Excellent! I need a powerful slave like that! You lot, go! Put a slave collar on him!"

Hearing the command, a giant slave stepped forward to seize Bagio, but at that moment, Lily appeared. Facing one of her own kin, she felt both heartache and fury; she grabbed the giant by the hair and executed a back-throw, stating coldly, "Do not disturb Captain Buffon!"

"Ooh-la-la! A female giant! I want her too!" Saint Charlos said, his heart racing with excitement, completely oblivious to the danger slowly closing in on him.

Seeing this, the female CP0 agent who had accompanied Saint Charlos took action. In her view, they could no longer hope to capture this group as slaves; she would have to intervene personally. Although Buffon did not know this person's background, compared to the strength of CP0 chief Lucci, he held her in no regard. As for the giant slaves behind the Celestial Dragon, Buffon cared even less. And the Celestial Dragon himself was already a dead man in Buffon’s eyes.

It wasn't as if no one had ever fired at him or attacked him before, but Buffon had never felt the urge to kill. Whether they were following orders or acting for survival or profit, Buffon found those reasons acceptable. If he were in their shoes, he would have attacked without hesitation. But Saint Charlos was different; his reason for firing that shot at Buffon was perhaps merely because he felt like it.

The Celestial Dragon society belonged to an old-era slave system, characterized by a rigid belief in bloodlines, a strong sense of racial superiority, and profound discrimination against anyone who was not a Celestial Dragon. Simply put, they did not view others as human beings. For Buffon, this was entirely unacceptable; the concept of bloodline was, in his eyes, nothing but a baseless excuse. Moreover, the privilege that this bloodline afforded them stood in stark contrast to the incompetence of the group itself.

The moment the female CP0 agent drew the sword at her waist, Buffon realized his previous assessment might have been wrong. However, when she attacked Lily, her blade remained sheathed. Buffon didn't move, because Bagio did.

Bagio held his sword in his left hand, blocking Lily’s path. Shusui was unsheathed by a mere inch, and the purple light emanating from the blade caused the advancing CP0 agent to stop in her tracks.

"A chaotic blade with a large inverse clove pattern... the black blade Shusui!" She spoke, then slowly drew the sword at her waist. The snow-white scabbard was covered in neat, seven-treasure patterns. The moment it was unsheathed, it emitted a red glow, appearing eerie and seductive.

"A chaotic blade with a mutual clove pattern... is this one of the twelve Supreme Grade Swords, Senbonzakura? Then this person must be the 'Snow Colt' Konohanasakuya! And that black blade... could it be the legendary sword of the dragon-slaying swordsman, Shusui?"

As a swordsman and a blade enthusiast, Tashigi knew the appearance and names of these famous swords by heart. While excited, she also felt a pang of resentment toward Bagio: "To think such a famous sword has fallen into the hands of a pirate zombie; it truly insults Shusui's reputation and status."

She hadn't spoken quietly, and Buffon frowned slightly upon hearing her. He had never heard the name Konohanasakuya in the original story, but judging by the Supreme Grade Sword and the title "Snow Colt," she was undoubtedly at the level of an Admiral. That such an individual was acting as a bodyguard for a Celestial Dragon in CP0 was something Buffon had not anticipated.

However, he was not afraid. Having fought Mihawk, he now had a full understanding of his own strength compared to Admiral-level combatants. With full power, victory would not be difficult!

Bagio stared intently at the Snow Colt, his eyes filled with the excitement of a hunter encountering prey. He switched the fully unsheathed Shusui to his left hand, dragging the tip along the ground; the friction between the blade and the earth sparked. The moment he raised his sword, the purple blade-light flared, and the Snow Colt did not hold back either; Senbonzakura struck at Bagio with a red glow.

After they traded positions, they sheathed their swords and whispered:

"Dragon-Slaying Single-Character Flash!"
"Single-Character Hundred-Flower Blade!"

Bagio turned around, a wound already appearing on his body, running from his left chest to his right abdomen. If he hadn't been a zombie, it would have been a scene of blood spraying three feet high. Looking at the Snow Colt, she showed no visible wounds, but she keenly noticed a few strands of her silver hair had been severed near her right ear.

She frowned slightly and said softly, "Is this the strength of Shanks's left arm?"

Just as Bagio prepared to strike again, Buffon said earnestly: "Bagio, go find Reiju. I will handle the fighting here!"

Since the Marines entered the fray, Buffon had been worried about Reiju’s safety. With the Celestial Dragon appearing and still no sign of her, he feared something had happened to her.

"Ooh-la-la! Are you talking about this woman?" Saint Charlos tugged on a chain attached to the panda. One of the giant slaves behind him dragged a pink figure to the side of Saint Charlos.

Stussy, who had been defeated by Buffon, saw this and wanted to dissuade Saint Charlos, but having been accustomed to obeying Celestial Dragons for years, she ultimately held her tongue.

"Miss Reiju!"
"Reiju!"

Two cries of alarm came from Lily and Sanji, who had just arrived. Seeing the blood-covered figure, Buffon moved! He used the Navy's Six Styles "Shave" to flash directly toward Saint Charlos.

Reiju was one of his crew; to see her treated this way, he didn't care if the offender was a Celestial Dragon. He had originally intended to let him live a little longer, but now that Reiju had been treated like this, Buffon would not tolerate it for another second.

The Snow Colt’s reaction was extremely fast. The moment Buffon moved, a red "Finger Pistol" struck directly at his path. But this couldn't stop Buffon; he used his right hand, coated in Armament Haki, to block it. Although he wasn't injured, the glove—which had never suffered damage before—was pierced by the red Finger Pistol.

"Flowing Sakura" appeared in Buffon’s mind. The origin of this Admiral-level combatant became obvious. But now was not the time to consider such things; saving Reiju was the most important thing.

Seeing her strike fail, the Snow Colt drew her sword and flashed over. But she was a step too late. Buffon was already holding Reiju in one arm and dragging the incoherent Saint Charlos in the other.

"Buffon, put down Saint Charlos. Perhaps there is still room for negotiation between us!" The Snow Colt’s voice had become incredibly serious.

Meanwhile, the blue-nosed Celestial Dragon in Buffon’s hand was still shouting: "Let me go, you lowly pirate! If you dare to hurt me, just wait to be hunted down by an Admiral!"

Seeing Buffon show no reaction, Stussy hurried to speak in a panic: "Buffon, if you offend a Celestial Dragon, even the reputation of Moria as a Warlord of the Sea won't be able to protect you."

Buffon sneered, threw Saint Charlos to the ground, and gave him a light kick. With the sound of his bubble helmet shattering, blood sprayed into the air. Everyone present turned deathly pale.

"You..."

The Snow Colt swung her sword to strike. Without Saint Charlos as a hostage, she had no more reservations. The red blade-light, accompanied by her figure, instantly arrived in front of Buffon. At this moment, she took this opponent more seriously than anyone else she had ever faced!

Buffon tossed Reiju to Lily and began his "Goalkeeper's Ultimate: Spiral Punch." A black whirlwind, carrying flames, collided with the Snow Colt’s slash. Unlike his duel with Mihawk—which had been a pure test of skill without the pressure of life and death—this was different. He knew his opponent had Admiral-level strength; if he held back, he might be captured by the Snow Colt. Especially since he knew the background of everyone else in this world, but his knowledge of this Snow Colt was a blank slate.

The shockwaves from the clash between the slash and the spiral did not disperse like they had with Mihawk; they remained in a stalemate for a moment. The resulting air pressure blew the surrounding crowd away. In the rain, the invisible shockwaves were made visible by the falling droplets—a visual impact that would be impossible to see in normal weather. Those with some strength were slightly better off, barely managing to hold their ground, but the ordinary soldiers suffered. Without holding onto nearby buildings, they were at constant risk of being swept away.

Just then, Fujitora appeared in the crowd. But just as he prepared to draw his sword, he was stopped by Zoro and Tashigi, one on each side: "Interrupting a fight is not what a swordsman does!"

Fujitora was stunned, then slowly explained: "This old man just wanted to add a bit of gravity to these people so they wouldn't be..."

Before he could finish, both turned their heads away, as if the incident had never happened. Fujitora instantly sheathed his cane-sword. Under the weight of Fujitora’s gravity, those who couldn't stand firm no longer had to worry.

The standoff did not last long before they returned to their previous positions. Buffon’s gloves were completely destroyed, and the Snow Colt’s skull mask had vanished. A delicate face was revealed to everyone—ruby-red lips, skin like congealed fat, and silver hair. Even Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District, felt a sense of inferiority upon seeing it.