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"Looks like I won't be able to avoid a bounty from the World Government after all!" Arthur's laughter echoed across the sky—wild and unrestrained.
His body shifted—moving towards the bustling docks of Steelton.
Steelton's docks were also constructed of steel, and they were elevated, allowing for direct access to the decks of ships, eliminating the need for laborious stairs and cargo handling.
At this moment, the docks were bustling with merchant ships. Dozens could be seen at a glance, some even hailing from other seas.
Among these ships, only one stood out as unique.
It was large, lavishly decorated, and surrounded by an empty space, A flag that would make people tremble hung from its mast.
The flag bore the imprint of an animal's hoof—the infamous "Hoof of the Celestial Dragon," the mark of the World Nobles.
Arthur teleported—descending from high altitude to low.
His figure instantly changed from an imperceptible black dot to a recognizable human form, immediately catching the attention of the busy workers on the dock.
"Who is that? He can fly?"
"Could he be a pirate?"
The dockworkers were terrified by Arthur's sudden appearance. They speculated he was a pirate because the bustling Steelton was frequently visited by such individuals.
"Tsk, openly transporting the Heavenly Tribute. Don't they know how to spell 'death'?" Arthur strolled through the air, step by step, as if walking on solid ground, descending onto the mast of the Heavenly Tribute transport ship.
"Who are you? How dare you trespass on a World Noble's ship? Do you want to be hunted down by a Marine Admiral?" The captain of the transport ship, a corpulent man resembling a round ball of flesh, squinted his almost invisible eyes, shouting sternly.
"Hahahaha! If I were afraid of a Marine Admiral, I wouldn't be here... Idiot!" Arthur seemed amused. He jumped down from the high mast, landing on the deck.
He walked step by step towards the blustering, overweight man, tapping him on his greasy face with the back of his hand. "You must be the captain of this Heavenly Tribute transport ship, right?"
The captain of the Heavenly Tribute ship had never experienced such a situation. Generally, people ran as fast as they could at the sight of the "Hoof of the Celestial Dragon" mark.
"I am the captain of this ship, Ambroise. Kid—you're dead. No one on the Grand Line can save you!"
Ambroise's face was flushed red. He was determined to report this to the World Nobles, so they would dispatch an Admiral to kill this ignorant brat.
"Oh? Is that so?" Arthur was dismissive.
He had traveled so far for the Door-Door Fruit. He had no time to waste explaining to this Idiot who didn't even know his own impending doom.
"I heard this ship passed through the Kano Country and received a tribute that included Devil Fruits? Hand them all over!" Arthur didn't want to waste time.
The sooner he got his hands on the Door-Door Fruit, the better.
"Devil Fruits?" Ambroise was taken aback.
They often received various Devil Fruits when collecting tribute from World Government member nations.
This time, having come to the West Blue, they had indeed received a few. But those things were the favorites of the Celestial Dragons.
How could he hand them over?
"Devil Fruits? So what? You lowly commoner dare to covet what rightfully belongs to the great Celestial Dragons! Know your place—you deserve to die!" Ambroise roared in fury. He was so foolish that he didn't even realize his life was no longer in his own hands.
Flaunting the authority of the Celestial Dragons for so many years, he had come to truly believe in their power.
Ambroise foolishly believed that this person, who had descended from the sky, wouldn't do anything to him.
"Heh, talking to an idiot like you is a waste of my breath!" Arthur didn't bother to continue the conversation. The Heavenly Tribute transport ship was right here. Was the Door-Door Fruit going to sprout wings and fly away?
With a thought, his Iron Sand Sword formed instantly, and he slashed.
The sound of a sharp blade entering flesh.
Ambroise's head was severed by the sword, and the blood spurting from his neck reached a height of six feet—splattering across the deck.
The crew of the Heavenly Tribute transport ship, who had been watching Arthur for any sign of weakness, were immediately terrified by this bloody scene.
Some even wet themselves, their pants instantly soaking through.
Did this seemingly young man truly have no fear of being hunted by a Marine Admiral?
Was he risking his life for money?
Arthur's indifferent gaze swept over these ugly crew members, making them retreat, as if only huddling together could give them a sense of security.
"Where's the treasure vault?" he asked faintly.
Silence. All the crew members were still in shock.
"If you don't speak, you'll end up captain!" Arthur pointed to Ambroise's headless corpse with his chin.
"This... sir, the treasure vault is on the second level of the ship!" Someone couldn't withstand the threat of death and tremblingly pointed the way for Arthur.
"Oh? Smart move. That choice saved your lives. If I come out of the ship and you're still here, I'll sink you along with the ship!" Arthur said indifferently, strolling into the ship's cabin.
The crew members on the deck, trembling in fear, quickly gathered their belongings and prepared to flee.
Some even took out Den Den Mushi.
Arthur entered the cabin and, with a flick of his finger, launched a small electromagnetic railgun, blasting through the wooden planks separating the levels and entering the second level to search for the treasure room.
The small electromagnetic railgun, although fired with an iron pellet, was still powerful, directly piercing through the ship's hull.
Seawater gushed in. It would probably take only a few minutes for the entire ship to sink.
Arthur found the vault.
He kicked open the door and saw the piles of gold, silver, jewels, and neatly stacked Belly inside. But he wasn't interested in any of it.
He walked directly to the place where the Devil Fruits were stored, picked up four small wooden boxes, and broke through the hull of the ship, vanishing into the sky.
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