Chapter 81 - 81: You There, You've Been Drafted! (200 P.S Chapter)

A sudden, deafening crash shattered the quiet, instantly drawing the attention of everyone in the bar. All eyes turned toward the source of the noise. In one corner, Wenfu sat slumped against the wall, eyes tightly shut, his face twisted in pain as he slowly lowered himself to the floor with Smoker in his arms. At the very moment Wenfu collapsed, his arms, which had been protectively wrapped around Smoker went limp and fell away. Only then did Smoker, delayed by the shock, realize what had happened. He immediately turned around and threw himself beside Wenfu, his voice shaking with panic. "Uncle Wenfu! Are you okay?!" "Come on, stay with me, don't fall asleep, Uncle Wenfu!" In response to Smoker's desperate cries, Wenfu forced his eyes open with great effort and gave the worried boy a weak, pained smile. His voice, barely above a whisper, tried to offer comfort: "I'm fine, Smoker... don't worry." But just as those words left Wenfu's lips, a calm, mocking voice rang out from the bar's entrance. "Well, well... I didn't expect someone of that caliber to be lurking in this little backwater called the East Blue." "I wasn't even serious," the man added nonchalantly. "But the fact that you could take that hit... not bad at all." "You're lucky, brat. Just this once, I'll let it slide." The young man in the sharp suit bent slightly, brushing nonexistent dust off his still-polished leather shoes with dramatic flair, as if bestowing mercy. But his arrogant tone ignited Smoker's fury. Wenfu, still weak, couldn't stop him in time. Smoker flung out his arms to shield Wenfu and stepped forward, yelling at the suited man: "Who the hell are you?! Why would you attack someone out of nowhere like that?!" The man in the suit cleared his throat, about to speak but before he could say a word, Smoker interrupted him again. That insolent tone from the white-haired kid made the man's expression turn cold. His gaze darkened as he looked down at Smoker, his words seething between clenched teeth: "You brat... do you even know who you're talking to?!" "I am Billy, personal bodyguard to the Celestial Dragons, the World Nobles." "Saint Jagarcia Saturn has arrived on Shika Island." "That great one enjoys excitement. And all of you, every last one of you must go outside and kneel to welcome the Celestial Dragon." "Brat... do you understand how many lives you could be endangering by standing in my way?" As he spoke, Billy stepped right up to Smoker, grabbed him by the collar, and effortlessly hoisted him off the ground. The grip on his collar tightened around Smoker's throat, cutting off his air. Dangling in the air, Smoker struggled in agony, his face flushed—but the moment he heard the words "Celestial Dragon" from Billy's lips, his thrashing abruptly stopped. The Celestial Dragons, World Nobles. Those three words carried a terrifying weight across the world. Even Smoker, just ten years old, had heard of them. "Celestial Dragons?! World Nobles?!" "They're actually here?! We really have to go welcome them!" The people in the bar had never seen a Celestial Dragon before, but the moment they heard that revered title, their excitement surged. Out here in the Four Blues, when had they ever encountered figures of that stature? The announcement of a Celestial Dragon visiting their island filled them with awe, followed closely by euphoria. Their reaction was like peasants from a feudal era learning the emperor himself would be visiting their home. Seeing the bar patrons so fired up pleased Billy immensely. With a sneer, he glanced down at the gasping Smoker—and then, with a dismissive flick of his wrist, tossed the boy back toward Wenfu. Only now did Billy take the time to actually look around the bar. As his gaze swept toward the counter, he locked eyes with a group of uniformed Marines, every single one of them staring straight at him. Billy, seasoned bodyguard to the Celestial Dragons, instantly recognized one of them. "Ho ho ho!" "Well, if it isn't Captain Bogard! Does your presence here mean that Vice Admiral Garp is on this island too?!" "Oh my, that's excellent news! With Garp the Hero around, guarding the Celestial Dragon should be a walk in the park!" The moment Billy recognized Bogard, his entire demeanor flipped. Gone was the arrogance he'd shown moments ago. Now, he wore a sycophantic grin, his tone dripping with flattery as he tried to cozy up to Bogard. "Urgh... cough... cough..." The flung Smoker was caught by Wenfu, who winced as he braced himself and took the impact. Smoker let out a few violent coughs before finally catching his breath. He looked up and saw Billy now standing before Bogard and the other Marines. That moment, that image, it seared itself into Smoker's mind. And in that instant, the admiration he had once held for the Navy evaporated completely. His impression of Billy was already abysmal, but now, by extension, his feelings toward the Navy who seemed to associate with someone like that soured as well. "…Who are you?" Bogard narrowed his eyes at the beaming man in front of him, Billy, and asked with a slight frown. The question instantly wiped the smile off Billy's face. Straightening his posture and tightening his expression, Billy solemnly declared: "Listen closely, Captain Bogard." "I am Billy, bodyguard to the Celestial Dragons, the World Nobles!" "From this moment on, Captain Bogard, you and your men are being conscripted!" When he saw that Bogard wasn't giving him the slightest bit of face, Billy dropped the act altogether. The arrogance returned to his eyes as he adjusted his tie and issued the order bluntly. He clearly believed that his status was lofty enough to command the Navy. And truth be told, by the rules, he wasn't entirely wrong. As a bodyguard to a Celestial Dragon, Billy had the authority to mobilize a captain. Once you reached the level of CP9, you could summon a rear admiral. At CP0? You could bark orders at the Fleet Admiral himself—demanding he dispatch ten warships from headquarters. Even a famously headstrong Fleet Admiral would be forced to comply with CP0's requests. What did ten warships from Navy HQ mean? In standard protocol, an entire Buster Call, a military operation of absolute annihilation, only required ten warships and five vice admirals. In other words, a single sentence from CP0 could amount to triggering a Buster Call. In some respects, the Navy's status was far beneath that of the World Government's direct operatives and protectors. "Conscripted? What nonsense is that? We only take orders from our superiors!" Before Bogard could respond, one of the marines beside him stepped forward and snapped back. "Tch!" "Your superiors? I am your superior now!" "Even Admirals are tasked with protecting the Celestial Dragons! You should feel honored to be drafted into their service!" "What's this? Are you saying the Navy intends to defy the Celestial Dragons?" Billy's mind worked fast. He instantly invoked the authority of the Celestial Dragons to silence the rebellious marine. Truthfully, he wanted to deal with that insolent sailor right then and there. But with Bogard present, he restrained himself. Not that he bore any deeper grudge toward Bogard, he simply found the man's earlier attitude insufferable and wanted to get under his skin. "And what if we refuse this so-called conscription?" "What then?" It was then that Yoriichi Tsugikuni, who had been watching quietly from the sidelines, suddenly spoke up, curiosity gleaming in his eyes. He genuinely wanted to see how far the Navy would go in debasing itself. Billy turned toward the youthful face of Yoriichi, his tone high and mighty: "The orders of a Celestial Dragon are absolute." "Those who disobey will die!" He clearly thought it wise to establish his authority in front of this young marine, puffing out his chest and speaking with force. "Wow, that really is terrifying." "But hey, could we maybe talk this out, my friend?" "I'd really rather not be drafted to protect a Celestial Dragon." "I'm afraid I might not be able to restrain my admiration for them… and do something regrettable." "Besides, I was hoping to build a career here in the Navy." As Yoriichi spoke, a surge of Conqueror's Haki exploded from him. The overwhelming pressure slammed into Billy like a crashing wave. His once-arrogant expression froze mid-sneer—eyes bulging wide before rolling back into his head. Thud! With a soft sound, Billy collapsed stiffly to the ground. Yoriichi glanced calmly at the unconscious man, and murmured: "Mr. Billy, I'll take your silence as consent." ************************ Hey everyone! I'll be dropping an extra 1 chapter once we hit 400 power stones! If you're enjoying the story, don't forget to spend some power stones. I'd really appreciate the support. Thanks a bunch! For advance chapters, please do visit and consider joining me on P(a)treon, it really helps me out and I'd love to have you along for the journey! p(a)treon.com/Lnee *remove () to open it