One Piece: Starting in God Valley as a Slave

"Ahhhh!!!"

Disco clutched his arm, rolling on the ground in agony.

Carl didn't even glance at the writhing Disco. He calmly looked down at Monet, his tone indifferent,

"If you try to run, you'll face the consequences."

A flurry of delicate snowflakes had begun to form around Monet, but the moment Carl spoke, they melted away, and she shuddered, nodding stiffly.

Carl slowly stood up and turned his gaze. The Celestial Dragon was already close, holding a smoking golden flintlock pistol—the shot just fired came from him.

Carl could remember few of the names among the Celestial Dragons in the Holy Land, but he knew this one. His name was Saint Rosward, the father of Saint Charlos, the same man who got punched squarely in the face by Luffy on Sabaody Archipelago.

Saint Rosward, seated atop a slave, let out a contemptuous snort.

"How dare you shout in my presence—disgraceful."

A man in a suit immediately stepped forward and said, "Saint Rosward, there's someone else here showing disrespect. Allow me to take care of them!"

Rosward glanced at him. "Death would be too kind. Beat him within an inch of his life and bring him here."

"Yes, sir!" The suited man's eyes glinted with cruelty, disappearing in a flash with a Shigan.

But in the next moment, the man's head, spurting blood, spun through the air and landed precisely at Rosward's feet, frozen in a mocking expression.

Rosward screamed, toppling off his slave in fright and landing hard on the ground.

Silence fell. Rosward's entourage and the slaves all stared at him, stunned, until he broke the stillness with a tirade of curses,

"You fools! Do you want to die?! Help me up!"

Snapping out of their shock, two suited men rushed forward and lifted Rosward, each earning a slap across the face for their trouble. The remaining attendants knelt, trembling.

Meanwhile, the people kneeling around Carl could think only one thing: they were doomed. They had witnessed the Celestial Dragon's humiliation and would surely face execution. Yet they hadn't even seen what Carl had done—the suited man had moved too fast for their eyes, and they couldn't comprehend how his head had flown back. If not for the headless body beside Carl, they might've thought it all a nightmare.

Monet tightly covered Sugar's eyes, afraid her sister might be scared. Monet herself was pale with fright.

Carl's hand still dripped with blood. He had merely slapped the suited man as Saint Rosward had ordered.

Disco, clutching his arm in pain, sat on the ground, dazed and speechless.

Rosward glared at Carl, standing tall amidst the crowd, and snarled,

"How dare you! I'll have your whole family killed!!!"

"Hm?"

Carl had been helping Monet and Sugar to their feet, planning to leave, but Rosward's threat made him pause. His eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.

In a flash, he appeared before Rosward, leaving the shocked attendants scrambling toward him. But before they could get close, they exploded into clouds of blood, leaving Rosward alone and trembling.

"Do you know who I am?!" Rosward shouted, still unaware of the situation.

Carl set Monet and Sugar down gently, removed his sunglasses, and tugged his collar back.

"Do you know who I am?" he replied coolly.

Rosward's face twisted in terror. Those around him could hardly believe what they saw. The Celestial Dragon trembled before Carl.

Stunned, the crowd stared at Carl, his golden and black eyes shining through the half-obscured face.

Carl placed a hand on Rosward's bubble helmet, speaking softly,

"Do you think you're above me, wearing this in my presence?"

A sharp crack sounded as the helmet shattered into pieces, some shards cutting Rosward's face, though he seemed not to notice, his voice quivering, "C-C-Carl…"

With a pulse of Conqueror's Haki, everyone except for Monet, Sugar, and Rosward fell unconscious.

"Saint Carl!"

Rosward finally called out his name, his fear evident.

Monet's eyes widened as she looked up at Carl. She hadn't known he was Admiral Black Dragon, but she knew enough to recognize the significance of the "Saint" title.

Among the Celestial Dragons, only a few bore that name.

Carl belonged to the Figarland family, whose status surpassed most Celestial Dragons and matched the Five Elders themselves.

Celestial Dragons, too, had their hierarchies.

Previously, Rosward might not have feared Carl. But now, he did, haunted by his own fatal words.

Carl bent down, his voice as chilling as the depths of the underworld, "So, Rosward, did I hear you right? You said… you would kill my family?"

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+170 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg