Simultaneous traversal: All Abyss difficulty.

Chapter 768 is today!

The air in the Sabaody Archipelago has never felt so stagnant and heavy.

The salty sea breeze seemed to carry the scent of gunpowder and fear, blowing through the bubble of false prosperity, through the whispering streets, and finally striking the cold exterior walls of those glittering but tightly closed auction houses.

The Fifth Royal Order's declaration of war, which swept the globe, stirred up the most terrifying waves here.

Everyone knows that the monster who sank the Marine Headquarters with two blows and sent the Admirals and Fleet Admirals to the abyss will inevitably target the Holy Land of Mary Geoise next—and the Sabaody Archipelago, the Celestial Dragons' playground, the breeding ground of evil, and the last gateway to the Holy Land, has now become the most vulnerable bridgehead before the storm arrives.

Fear spread like a plague, especially among the Celestial Dragons who usually swaggered around and the criminal organizations that depended on them.

Every unfamiliar boat that docks attracts countless suspicious glances, and every slightly loud noise makes people on the street corner shudder nervously.

The huge sign of the No. 1 GR population auction house gleamed ominously in the dim light of the day.

Unlike the usual bustling "Open for Business" atmosphere, the doors were tightly shut, and the air was as somber as a fortress.

But standing in front of the door were several figures that seemed out of place in this environment.

Several slaves, dressed in rags and with heavy shackles on their hands and feet.

Their eyes were vacant, their bodies trembling slightly from exhaustion and fear. Forced to stand with their backs to the cold metal doors of the auction house and facing the empty square, they were like human shields.

The air was torn apart by a sharp roar.

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

On the second floor of the auction house, a Celestial Dragon wearing a bubble hood was hysterically pounding on the expensive window frame.

His obese body trembled with rage, and his spittle nearly pierced through the resin cover.

He stared intently at the few slaves below and the deserted streets further away—the elite naval forces that should have been guarding this place were nowhere to be seen.

"Where is the Navy?! Are all those lazy idiots dead?! They can't even defend their headquarters! They let a mere pirate climb over us! Shame on us! This is the greatest insult to the descendants of the Creator!"

He brandished his luxurious cane, pointing wildly towards the door, "Look! Look at these ants! They're not even worthy to shine my shoes! And now we're expecting anything from them?!"

He flung open the window and roared at the terrified slaves below, his voice distorted with extreme anger:
"Listen up, you lowly trash!" His finger seemed to poke at the noses of the slaves. "I don't care what methods you use! Use your lives to pay the price! Use your bones to block it! If that damned Fifth Emperor, that lowly commoner named Fang Yu, dares to step into this street..."

"You! Yes, you bunch of trash! You must die before they even get near this door! Do you hear me?! Even if you become corpses, you'll be piled up at the door! We absolutely cannot let them defile the property belonging to the descendants of the Creator! This is the only value of your existence, you lowly scum!"

The slaves were stiff and their lips trembled, but they dared not resist. They could only nod numbly and mechanically, uttering indistinct "Yes, Master." The heavy shackles made a harsh metallic scraping sound with their humble movements, which was both sad and comical.

Have them guard the place and prevent the Fifth Emperor from entering.
The Navy, that once colossal force representing the world's highest military power, collapsed like a sandcastle in front of the Fifth Emperor.

Marshals, generals, heroes—those lofty names, are now lost to fate.

Let's have a few.
Several lowly slaves who couldn't even get enough to eat and were in constant danger of dying.
To stop a monster that could sink even the Navy Headquarters with two blows?

If we had that kind of ability, would we need you to ride on our necks and shit on us?
That's kind of funny.

Just have some fun~
Just as everyone was in a state of panic, the heavy clanging of anchor chains and the shouts of sailors suddenly rang out in several ports of Chambord.

Several enormous pirate ships of various shapes and sizes, exuding a menacing aura, violently docked at the shore!

A chilling flag fluttered on the sails! On the ship flying the "Whitebeard" flag were the enormous, seemingly foolish Edward Weevil, who claimed to be Whitebeard's bastard son, and his cunning mother.

Beside Whitebeard Jr., the Flamingo docked with an unsettling, sinister aura.

Additionally, Hanafuda, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea defeated by Ace, also landed on a small boat. Bartholomew Kuma, another of the Seven Warlords, also arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago.

Many elderly people came, and the newlyweds were also present.

Cavendish's White Horse, Basil Hawkins' Divination Ship, X Drake's warship-shaped pirate ship, Scratchman Apoo's musician pirate ship, and Kira's silent yet murderous vessel all docked one after another.

In addition, the crew also includes many pirates whose bounties are not even listed in the newspapers.

But these pirates didn't exude the aura of some young punks; they all radiated a terrifying presence, making them clearly not to be trifled with.

If the pirate Fang Yu were here, he might recognize some of them.

Because of his years of imprisonment, he got to know many prisoners.

These pirates were actually death row inmates from Impel Down released by the World Government!
This is clearly the first line of defense hastily cobbled together by the World Government, composed of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Impel Down prisoners, and the Worst Generation Supernovas!
However, the first thing this seemingly powerful reinforcement did upon landing on the island was not to maintain order or appease the people.

The pirate's true nature was revealed the moment he landed.

They charged into the chaotic town like a pack of hyenas that had caught the scent of blood.

"This is the Celestial Dragons' territory? Quite a lot of good stuff!" Weevil chuckled, casually smashing half of a shop with a punch, and grabbing the scattered money amidst the shopkeeper's cries.

The prisoners in the city were even more ruthless, committing murder, arson, and all sorts of atrocities!
For them, this release from prison is both an embrace of freedom and a release of pent-up anger!

What they did was what traditional pirates do. But if you remove the filter of youthful passion manga, it's just a horror movie for ordinary people.

Ironically, when vehicles or slave convoys bearing the Celestial Dragons' insignia passed by, these pirates, who had just been robbing and plundering with arrogance, immediately became much more subdued.

Most people simply pretended not to see it or went around it.

His face clearly showed his bullying of the weak and fear of the strong.

The oppressed slaves and the civilians hiding in the gaps between the ruins witnessed it all.

The faint hope that the arrival of the powerful pirate crew might have given them the strength to intimidate the Fifth Emperor was instantly extinguished by the cold reality, replaced by a deeper despair and an indescribable anger churning in their chests!
"Pah! What a load of bullshit world government coalition!"

"Birds of a feather! They're all bloodsucking wolves!"

"They're just lackeys of the Celestial Dragons. Expecting them to protect us? Dream on!"

"They only wag their tails in front of their owners, then bare their teeth at us!"

I don't know when it started, but this kind of talk began to circulate among the people.

"Actually, if the Fifth Emperor really overthrows the World Government, it might not be such a bad thing?"

"Don't talk nonsense! Be careful you don't get captured and tortured to death by Tian Tian or something!"

"I keep wondering, are they really descendants of God? But why are the descendants of God so cruel?"

"Don't mention state affairs!"

Gradually, the reputation of the Fifth Imperial Division, which had been smeared by the World Government, began to turn around among the civilians of the Sabaody Archipelago.

In fact, people started to look forward to when the Fifth Emperor would launch a counterattack against the World Government.
Standing aboard the Ghost Carrot, Fang Yu gazed into the distance, "Then...today!"

(End of this chapter)