"Bang!!"

  "Damn it—"

  "That bastard Fallen Angel, El!"

  The situation at sea had finally stabilized, and now he was trying to stir up trouble again.

  At the peak of the Red Line, within the Hall of Authority in Mary Geoise, the Five Elders erupted in fury upon receiving the news, smming the table into splinters.

  For years, Celestial Dragons had beeargets of repeated assassination attempts—all because of that Fallen Angel, El, who had brazenly pced a massive bounty on their heads.

  However, thanks to the Wover’s heightened security—deploying tless agents and even CP0 as personal bodyguards—no major is had occurred. Over time, they had begun to let their guard down.

  Yet, despite all their precautions, they had failed to prevent the iable.

  A Celestial Dragon had been assassinated.

  "Has the perpetrator been caught?"

  Leaning on his e, the Warriod of Sd Defense, Saint Saturn, gred at the trembling CP0 officer kneeling before him.

  "He must be publicly executed to demonstrate that the Wover’s authority is untouchable!"

  "And it must be a slow death—skinning and dismembering him alive as an example to strike fear into any other foolish criminals!" added Saint Nasujuro, adjusting his gsses with a chilling expression.

  "Our deepest apologies, esteemed Five Elders..."

  The CP0 officer, drenched in cold sweat, answered in a trembling voice:

  "The assassin has beeified as the wanted pirate 'The Demolitionist' Farkas Lemm, with a bounty of 75 million Berries, but he has yet to be captured!"

  "Bang!"

  A heavy ashtray was hurled across the room.

  It struck the officer’s head with a siing crack, shattering on impad leaving a deep, bloody wound.

  Blood streamed down his face, dripping onto the floor.

  Yet the CP0 officer remained kneeling in sileoo terrified to make a sound.

  "You useless fool!"

  "You failed to protect a Celestial Dragon, and now you ’t even catch the perpetrator?"

  "Why do we even keep garbage like you?"

  "Isn’t the Navy already taking a?"

  "What the hell is going on?"

  The Five Elders scowled, their killing i palpable.

  As CP0, their primary duty was to protect the Celestial Dragons. Failing to do so was already an unfivable offe allowing the assassin to escape on top of that?

  Uable.

  "It’s like this—although the Navy has pletely surrounded Sabaody Archipego..."

  The CP0 officer hurriedly expined:

  "The target was well-prepared and immediately sought sanctuary with the 'Hell Trading pany.' Before the Navy could arrive, he had already escaped Sabaody using the Coating underground waterways!"

  "What?!"

  "Those bastards!"

  "Are the Fallen Angel Pirates truly determio stand against the Wover?!"

  The Five Elders were ed, their faces twisting in fury.

  They couldn't believe it—the Fallen Angel Pirates had actually dared to shelter a criminal who had assassinated a Celestial Dragon.

  It was btant defiance.

  A direct challeo the authority of the Wover.

  "tact the Fallen Angel Pirates immediately!"

  "Demand that they hand over the assassin!"

  "And force them to revoke the bounty on the Celestial Dragons—"

  A sharp gleam fshed.

  The legendary bde, Shodai Kitetsu, was drawn from its sheath.

  "If they refuse to ply, let them suffer the sequences."

  With a cold, murderous tone, Saint Nasujuro tinued:

  "The Wover will retaliate at all costs!"

  "Additionally, issue direct orders to the Navy and all member nations of the Wover—intensify the crackdown on the Hell Trading pany! We ot allow those sdrels to bee even more brazen!"

  "This..."

  Hearing this, the CP0 ageated for a moment.

  For years, the Wover and the Fallen Angel Pirates had been locked in an ongoing shadow war, filled with open and covert cshes.

  Though both sides had suffered losses, the Fallen Angel Pirates had ruly been at a disadvantage.

  Would they really back down so easily?

  As for the Navy and allied nations to suppress the Hell Trading pany...

  The Wover had already been trying for years, yet their efforts had yielded little success.

  The extent of the Hell Trading pany’s influence remained unknown, but it had deeply infiltrated various naval branches and member nations.

  Many leaders had been pletely promised, and the anization effectively trolled entire regions from the shadows.

  Even CP0 agents had uncovered traces of corruptio no crete evidence had ever been gathered.

  Evehe Wover executed rogue royalty and naval officers as a warning, the Hell Trading pany merely became more discreet—but they ruly stopped.

  Despite his inner doubts, the CP0 officer dared not voice them.

  "Uood!"

  "This i is an unpreted disaster..."

  With icy determination, Saint Mars suddenly interjected:

  "I believe we should issue a Buster Call on Sabaody Archipego!"

  "Otherwise, ambitious criminals across the sea will believe they simply rely on the Fallen Angel Pirates for prote and attempt simir acts!"

  "We must utterly crush any delusions of defying the Wover—lest our authority crumble entirely!"

  "A Buster Call on Sabaody?"

  The others narrowed their eyes in shock.

  They hadn’t expected Saint Mars to be this radical—after all, the assassin had likely already escaped uhe Hell Trading pany’s prote.

  "But Sabaody holds a special position..."

  Saint Valkyrie furrowed his brows, stating:

  "Aside from Mary Geoise, it is one of the world’s most vital political and cultural exge ters. The isnd is highly sensitive..."

  "So what?"

  Leaning on his e, Saint Saturn scoffed:

  "Gods do not o justify their as to mere mortals."

  "I agree."

  With a chilling gaze, Saint Nasujuro sheathed his bde.

  "The Wover has suffered repeated humiliations i years. It's time to remind the world of its pce."

  "That reasoning is... irely wrong..."

  After a moment of ption, Saint Valkyrie nodded slowly.

  "Now that I think about it, every single Celestial Dragon attack has taken p Sabaody. That isnd has already bee a 'den of sin'—unfivable."

  "Then it’s settled."

  Seeing no further objes, Saier made the final decision.

  "Issue the order immediately—"

  "The Navy will unch a Buster Call on Sabaody Archipego!"

  "The entire isnd is to be buro the ground!"

  With a chilling expression, Saint Mars turo the bloodied CP0 agent.

  "Deliver the and."

  "Y-yes, my lord—"

  Though his heart trembled, the CP0 officer dared not hesitate.

  That day, Sabaody Archipego’s fate was sealed.

  The isnd would be drenched in blood...

  And possibly erased from the world’s map forever.

  Bleam