Once all the Celestial Dragons had gathered, Saint Garling surveyed them, his expression darkening as he took in their injuries—some minor, some severe.

He took a deep breath before roaring at them.

"You idiots! You can slaughter defenseless trash, but you can't even handle pigs and dogs that fight back?! When we return, every one of you will face reprimand for this hunting festival!"

"And three fools died here! Their noble Celestial Dragon blood staining this filthy land—this is the greatest disgrace of all!"

"All of you stay here right now. I will go and capture those pigs and dogs, then have you kill them one by one! Remember, the dignity of the Celestial Dragons must not be violated by anyone—even if you are Celestial Dragons yourselves!

Today, these three individuals did not die from falling into traps during the hunt.

They died because they accidentally fell off a cliff while chasing their prey. Understood?!"

Garling voice boomed, amplified by the blood still dripping from his rapier, sending shivers down the spines of the Celestial Dragons who had never truly experienced such terror.

If there was one organization in this world that all Celestial Dragons feared, it was the God Knights—the only group with the authority to execute those among their own who erred.

This was a right bestowed by Imu-sama, and the only organization in the world that could kill a Celestial Dragon without consequence, leaving the deceased's family in utter shame.

From childhood, these arrogant Celestial Dragons had been taught by their elders: Never, under any circumstances, provoke the God Knights!

That was precisely why, even as Garling hurled such humiliating insults at them, none of the Celestial Dragons dared show the slightest discontent.

....

Meanwhile, on the other side, Jake, using the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's enhanced observation haki, monitored everything with a grin.

He turned to the high-ranking Marines before him and said.

"Things are going smoothly. Those prisoners even killed three Celestial Dragons. That old bastard Garling is shaking with rage right now! He's decided to personally capture the prisoners so the injured Celestial Dragons can complete this Hunting Season.

According to Garling, this Hunting Season is a disgrace."

Hearing this, Garp couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Pfft—HAHAHA! That bastard is having a hard time give me enough satiesfaction! I should've beaten him up back then too. Would've saved me from holding in this grudge until now.

Oh, you guys don't know this—back at God Valley, that guy once crossed blades with Whitebeard. Guess what happened?

PFFT—HAHAHA! He nearly got his arm chopped off in one swing!"

No one at the scene tried to stop Garp's unrestrained mockery.

After all, to every person present, the Celestial Dragons' Hunting Season was utterly repulsive.

Kizaru sipped his coffee, his voice drawn out and cheerful—clearly in a good mood.

"Seems like our long overtime was worth it. Three Celestial Dragons dead? In the past, even if I were on vacation, I'd probably be dragged back to work. But this time, it looks like they don't even have the face to report it."

Zephyr, surprisingly, agreed with Kizaru's complaint.

"Normally, I'd disapprove of your lazy attitude, Borsalino, but this time I'll have to side with you. Back when you were still rear admirals and commodores, whenever something happened with the Celestial Dragons, it was always me and Sengoku who had to clean up the mess."

That era was even more chaotic than now, and the Celestial Dragons loved to roam around, purchasing slaves everywhere.

This meant that back then, Zephyr and Sengoku almost never had a day off—they were either on their way to find the Celestial Dragons or cleaning up their messes.

"If it weren't for the emergence of a Glint-Glint Fruit user like you later on, we probably still wouldn't have any downtime even now. Your fruit ability is truly useful. You should develop it further in the future. As for the things I used to say, don't take them too seriously."

Listening to Zephyr's slightly amused tone, Kizaru's lips twitched slightly before he replied.

"Zephyr-sensei, while I do hope for your approval of my training methods, being acknowledged from this angle is somewhat depressing. Clearly, I'm the laziest guy around, yet I ended up with the most hardworking fruit. Really... sigh."

Seeing Kizaru's deflated expression, even the usually stern Sakazuki couldn't help but laugh.

"I should thank you too, Borsalino. If it weren't for you, the Marine Headquarters' three Admirals would have become the Celestial Dragons' personal bodyguards by now."

"So the bodyguard duties all fall on me alone?"

Jake chose this moment to add insult to injury.

"Not just that, Borsalino-sensei. You still have to handle the Marine Headquarters' daily missions too!"

Hearing their words, Kizaru downed his coffee in one gulp and let out a long sigh, tears slipping from the edges of his sunglasses.

"It seems that the moment I ate the Glint-Glint Fruit was the beginning of my life's misfortunes."

....

In stark contrast to the cheerful atmosphere among the Marines, the mood among the Celestial Dragons was oppressively grim.

By the time Saint Garling threw the last prisoner's body before the Celestial Dragons, it was already close to midnight.

His pristine white clothes were now completely soaked in blood, and the blood on his rapier had nearly congealed into a dark brown crust.

Seemingly annoyed by his breathing helmet, he had taken it off, and his once-styled hair now lay flat—softened by blood.

"Kill them and hang their heads. When we set out tomorrow, I don't want to see a single one of you with fewer than three heads at your waist!"

At these words, nearly all the Celestial Dragons rushed at the prisoners like madmen.

They brandished their weapons, charging at the barely breathing pirates, delivering the final blows without hesitation as they fought over the trophies they would wear the next day.

In an instant, the island of Borudoana became a devil's carnival.

....

Of course, no one cared about any of this—because from the very beginning, only scum remained here.

Jake stood at the ship's bow, observing the island's events through his Observation Haki with a faint smile on his lips.