As soon as he arrived on this planet, Hui obtained a Devil Fruit, which instantly lifted his mood.
He stored the Devil Fruit away, planning to study it later.
As for eating it himself? That was absolutely out of the question. There was no way he would take the risk of gaining an unknown ability at the cost of developing a fatal weakness to seawater.
It simply wasn't worth it.
"Now then, what should I do next?"
After putting away the Devil Fruit, Hui muttered to himself, considering his next course of action.
A few seconds later, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Well, might as well keep looking around the world."
With that, he turned and left.
The moment he stepped out of the palace, he was met with a large number of soldiers waiting outside.
"That's him! He killed the Celestial Dragon!"
Someone shouted loudly, as they gathered to surround Hui.
"Damn it! This bastard is going to get us all killed!"
"Quick, capture him! Hand him over to the Marines, to the World Government! That's the only way we might survive!"
"Catch him! Capture him!"
A crowd of people shouted in unison, their eyes filled with hatred as they glared at Hui.
Yet, despite their aggressive words, not a single one of them dared to step forward.
Oh?
Hui found their behavior quite strange.
"If you're so afraid of being implicated, then instead of wasting your time here, wouldn't it be smarter to flee to another place?"
"Or... are you all so confident that you think you can actually capture me?"
As he finished speaking, he took a single step forward.
In that moment, he didn't release any power, didn't even exude the slightest bit of aura. It was nothing more than an ordinary step forward.
Yet, despite that, nearly everyone instinctively took a step back.
They were afraid, terrified.
Even though Hui hadn't demonstrated much of his power, the way he had so effortlessly slaughtered so many people just moments ago had made it clear.
He was a terrifying existence.
There was a difference between shouting threats and actually taking action.
"What a disappointment. But oh well... Farewell, everyone."
Hui had no intention of wasting his time on these people. As soon as he finished speaking, a pair of Wings of Wind appeared behind him. With a single flap, he soared into the sky.
In the blink of an eye, he had disappeared from sight.
He had no interest in wasting time on them, nor did he feel the need to crush these insignificant ants.
All that was left were the people on the ground, staring up at the now-empty sky, wide-eyed in silence.
The Celestial Dragons held a special status in this world. As a result, the events that had just transpired spread quickly to both the Marines and the World Government.
Marine Headquarters – Fleet Admiral's Office
At this time, the Fleet Admiral was not Sengoku, but Kong.
As he read the intelligence report handed to him, he couldn't help but rub his eyes before taking another look.
Then, he sucked in a deep breath.
"Is this information accurate?"
Even as he asked, disbelief was evident in his voice.
"Absolutely."
The reply came from a man with round-framed glasses and a distinct afro hairstyle, Sengoku, the future Fleet Admiral of the Marines.
To be honest, when Sengoku first saw the report, his reaction was almost identical to Kong's, utter disbelief.
He had even asked the informant to confirm the news multiple times.
But in the end, the conclusion remained the same.
The report was completely, undeniably true.
A Celestial Dragon had been killed.
And it had happened in broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of countless witnesses.
This was nothing short of an earth-shattering event, one that was bound to cause a massive upheaval.
"Which bastard did this?!"
After confirming the authenticity of the report, Kong roared in fury.
Even though he personally found the Celestial Dragons detestable, the fact that someone had actually dared to kill one still enraged him.
After all, the Celestial Dragons were officially under the protection of the Marines.
"We don't know. Based on people's descriptions of his appearance, there is no record of such a person existing anywhere in the world."
Sengoku shook his head, finding the whole thing somewhat amusing.
That kind of face… could it really exist?
But as if suddenly remembering something, Sengoku continued, "However, this person claimed that he walks in the shadows of the world to seek answers as to why the Celestial Dragons consider themselves superior. He said his footsteps have traversed endless years, and his gaze has seen through the long passage of time."
Hearing this, Kong was momentarily stunned, his brows furrowing slightly.
Walks in the shadows of the world… endless years… the passage of time.
These three phrases interested him.
"So what you're saying is… this is actually some ancient monster who has existed for a long time? Someone who ate a Devil Fruit related to immortality or time?"
Kong speculated aloud.
After all, in this world full of bizarre Devil Fruits, one that granted immortality wasn't impossible.
Like that old vampire's Devil Fruit.
Sengoku nodded. "If we judge purely from his words, that does seem possible. But who knows if what he said is actually true? However, according to eyewitnesses, when he left, he manifested a pair of wings. So if he does have a Devil Fruit, it probably isn't one that grants immortality."
As the "Strategist General, Sengoku had manipulated countless pirates with his intellect. Naturally, he wouldn't blindly believe a person's words without careful analysis.
From the descriptions of the mysterious man's appearance, he seemed to be just a young man in his early twenties.
Moreover, he had the ability to fly.
So, in Sengoku's opinion, he was more likely some reckless brat who had recently obtained a powerful Devil Fruit and was now stirring up trouble.
Hearing this, Kong nodded before speaking, "Send Garp—no, never mind. You handle this."
At first, he had planned to send Monkey D. Garp, but after reconsidering Garp's personality and views, Kong decisively changed his mind and assigned the task to Sengoku instead.
To be honest, Kong didn't even want to send Sengoku.
But there was no choice.
A Celestial Dragon had been killed.
When it came to matters involving the Celestial Dragons, the Marines couldn't just send some random officer.
"...Understood."
Sengoku accepted the order, though inwardly, he was complaining.
That guy can fly. How am I supposed to catch him? Wouldn't Garp be better for this?!
Despite his internal grumbling, Sengoku still obediently set out to hunt down Hui.
Though he personally had no sympathy for the Celestial Dragons and almost wanted to applaud the man's actions, as a Marine, he still had to go through the motions.
After all, that was his duty.
…
Meanwhile, at the World Government Headquarters;
When the Celestial Dragons learned about the incident, they flew into a rage.
Completely furious, they issued an ultimatum, The man must be captured alive and brought back!
Faced with the Celestial Dragons' wrath, even the World Government was left helpless.
They immediately dispatched a high-level operative with the ability to fly to capture Hui.
Based on intelligence gathered from the city where the incident occurred, they managed to collect a lot of information about him.
Unfortunately, they hadn't obtained an image of his face.
However, if the young man's appearance was truly as extraordinary as the witnesses described, then finding him should still be relatively easy.
For now, they chose not to publicly announce the incident.
After all, a Celestial Dragon being assassinated in broad daylight was a scandal that could shake the foundations of the world.
Neither the World Government nor the Marines wanted this news to spread.
Their best-case scenario was to silence the matter entirely, making it as if nothing had ever happened.
But that was impossible.
Too many people on that island, especially pirates, had witnessed the event.
By now, many of those pirates had already left the island and scattered across the seas.
Since they couldn't erase the incident, the World Government and Marines decided on an alternative approach, controlling the narrative.
Shortly after, countless Marine bases and government branches around the world received a worldwide directive:
–Wanted: A young man, around twenty years old, dressed in white robes, with long hair, and possessing an unparalleled appearance.
–He is accused of stealing a Celestial Dragon's treasure.
–The Marines and all government forces are ordered to capture him at all costs.
When officers across the world read the bounty poster, silence fell.
"...A young man, around twenty years old?"
That age range was way too broad.
"Dressed in white robes?"
Okay, that narrowed it down a little. But what if the guy changed clothes?
"Long hair?"
What, he can't get a haircut?
And finally—
"Possessing an unparalleled appearance?"
...Are you kidding me?!
This is a joke, right?!
How were they supposed to find someone based on that description alone?!
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