One Piece: Transmigrated as Crocodile

Chapter 351 - CHAPTER 351 - The Tragic Celestial Dragon and Alberton

"What should we do? Do we fight?" Urouge didn't want to clash with a Celestial Dragon, but the trouble was already right in front of them. Ignoring it wasn't an option.

"Judging by her attitude, she doesn't look like someone we can negotiate with," Rosen said, seeing Saint Shalria's expression growing uglier by the second.

"I'm speaking—did none of you hear me?" Saint Shalria grew furious at the number of people still standing before her. She pulled out her pistol and fired wildly into the crowd toward Rosen and the others, but her aim was poor and every shot missed.

"Move in. Arrest them," Alberton ordered immediately once the encirclement was complete.

"Seize them!" The Marines surged forward at once.

"Open a path first," Rosen ordered. There was no time to weigh gains and losses now.

But there was one person he absolutely couldn't let go. His instincts told him this person was an enemy and might cause serious trouble.

Boom!

At Rosen's command, Urouge took the lead and broke out in one direction. If they stayed too long, powerful Marine officers would likely be mobilized.

At that point, escaping would no longer be easy.

Bonney, Bege, and the others each chose a direction and began breaking through as well.

"Kneel! Kneel!" Saint Shalria saw Rosen actually turn and walk toward her. Her face twisted in rage. This was outrageous.

"If you don't want to die, shut up," Rosen said coldly. He wasn't in a good mood after being shot at nonstop.

If he hadn't previously been involved in the killing of a Celestial Dragon—and feared that killing another would drive the World Government completely mad and put him under relentless pursuit—he would have acted long ago.

"You dare speak to me like that? You deserve to die!" As Saint Shalria raged, gunfire continued until her bullets ran out.

"What are you all standing there for? Get him! Capture him alive! I'll make him understand who the true masters of this world are."

"What is he trying to do?" Alberton suddenly felt a strong sense of unease. By all logic, Crocodile shouldn't know him.

So why was he coming this way instead, and even daring to threaten a Celestial Dragon? While that was something Alberton wanted to see, the unease only grew stronger.

"Get lost." Conqueror's Haki swept out instantly. The charging guards all lost consciousness on the spot, and even the endlessly ranting Saint Shalria fainted as well.

The world suddenly became much quieter.

"Conqueror's Haki!?" Cold sweat poured down Alberton's forehead. The sheer intensity of that Haki was hard for him to endure.

He had strength, but not to an exceptional degree. Compared to a pure soldier, he was more of a seasoned politician.

"What are you trying to do? Offending a Celestial Dragon will get you hunted by an admiral," Alberton said, unwilling to reveal himself too openly. Operating from the shadows suited him better.

"So you're saying I should just wait to be slaughtered?" Rosen smiled faintly, with a hint of cruelty.

Killing a Celestial Dragon would be troublesome—very troublesome—but killing a lackey shouldn't cause too much of a problem.

"Hmph. I'd like to see how you end this. All of you, attack," Alberton ordered the Marine officers closing in. These were capable captains, not weak enough to be knocked out by Haki alone.

Even so, every one of them was on high alert. They weren't arresting a rookie Supernova, but a notorious great pirate.

After giving the order, Alberton retreated slowly under the protection of trusted Marines.

"Black Prison Ferocious Bullets." Though these officers were strong, Rosen didn't want to waste time. Clashing with the Marines in Sabaody was not something he could afford to drag out.

The Marines were preparing for Whitebeard, and no one knew how many powerful forces had already returned to Marine Headquarters. If he got surrounded, it would be disastrous.

Bang bang bang!

The sand bullets tore forward relentlessly. Dozens of charging officers were pierced through their bodies. Even those who reacted quickly and raised their blades had the weapons shot through along with their bodies.

After this barrage, fewer than ten officers were left standing. Seeing their fallen comrades, they immediately dared not advance recklessly.

Crocodile was far stronger than they had imagined.

Boom boom boom!

Rosen didn't stop advancing. He moved straight ahead, knocking down anyone who blocked his path with a single punch each.

"Can't stop him?" Alberton looked at the unconscious Celestial Dragon, then at the Marines who kept charging only to fall. The situation was spiraling out of control.

Was Crocodile's target actually him? This was completely different from any outcome he had anticipated.

"Trying to run?" Rosen saw Alberton turn as if to flee and instantly accelerated, rushing forward.

"Damn it!" Alberton was horrified. If this continued, they wouldn't be able to stop Crocodile, much less capture him. His own life was in danger.

Why wasn't Crocodile fleeing or directly offending the Celestial Dragon? Why was he targeting him instead? Where had things gone wrong?

Alberton would never know that Rosen was acting purely on instinct. As his Observation Haki grew stronger, he could vaguely and instinctively sense malicious schemes directed at him.

Seeing Rosen rushing over, Alberton turned and pulled out a pistol loaded with Seastone bullets, firing rapidly. The bullets passed straight through Rosen's body.

Rosen had already transformed into sand. The bullets weren't fast enough to threaten him, even without focused attention.

"Someone's about to be very unlucky," Rosen said with a strange smile. Then he sank into the ground and vanished.

"Where did he go?" Alberton stopped in confusion. Why wasn't he being chased? Wasn't he the target?

"Ah… Al-Alberton… you lowly commoner, what have you done to me?" That familiar voice rang out.

Alberton's face instantly turned deathly pale. He looked up and saw that Saint Shalria, who had been unconscious, was now awake, as if she had only suffered a light shock.

But just as she stood up, she had been shot twice—one bullet in her thigh, another below her abdomen. Blood instantly soaked her luxurious clothing.

Saint Shalria stared at Alberton in disbelief. She couldn't imagine that such a loyal servant would dare fire at her.

"N-no, I didn't mean to…" No matter how cunning Alberton was, he completely panicked at this moment. Even if he were a fool, he now understood why Crocodile hadn't attacked him directly.

He had been waiting for him to fire.

With sand flying and visibility poor, Alberton never considered who might be standing directly behind Rosen. He never imagined that the unconscious Saint Shalria had already stood up.

He didn't understand Observation Haki.

"You despicable, filthy bastard! You dared shoot me! I'll tear you to pieces!" Saint Shalria's expression twisted in madness. Pampered her entire life, she had never suffered such agonizing gunshot wounds.

She couldn't think straight through the pain. Whether it had been intentional or not didn't matter. A mere servant daring to injure her deserved extermination down to the last bloodline.

Her noble body must never be harmed. If the Celestial Dragons found out she'd been wounded by her own dog, she would become a laughingstock.

The thought of losing face drove her nearly insane. She didn't even know if she would die. In her experience, people who were shot died.

"It's over," Alberton thought as he saw the Celestial Dragon's frenzied expression. Knowing the Celestial Dragons as he did, he understood immediately—there was no way out for him.

To Celestial Dragons, lackeys were disposable. But any dog that bit its master, no matter the reason, would never be kept again. The consequences were unbearable.

"If I were you, I'd run as far as possible right now. I do want to kill you, but it seems I won't need to. By the way, many Marines here witnessed you shooting and injuring a Celestial Dragon. Trying to kill her and pin it on me is impossible. Goodbye—no, farewell forever…" Rosen's voice echoed in Alberton's ears.

It struck him like a thunderbolt. Terror seized him completely, and he turned and fled without hesitation.

Rosen could have ended Alberton's life right then, but he needed him to draw the Celestial Dragon's hatred away.

Seeing her expression, Rosen also understood that compared to what Alberton had just done, the so-called offenses committed by himself and the others were utterly insignificant.