One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 144: Being a Bandit is Fun, Especially When Stealing from Celestial Dragons!

Hearing the relentless pounding on his courtyard gates, Saint Rosward was both nervous and furious.

"What the hell is Claudius trying to do? I've shut the gates and stayed out of his way, and now he's banging on my door?" Rosward fumed, pacing back and forth in his courtyard, his face red with anger.

Surrounding him was a group of slaves, along with his mentally deficient son, Saint Charlos, who was sitting on a chair being carried by attendants.

Charlos, still recovering from the beating he'd received from Claudius some time ago, flinched at the noise outside. His injuries had yet to fully heal, and every movement reminded him of the pain. Hearing the commotion, Charlos looked panicked.

"Father! That guy is here for trouble again! Let's run away!" Charlos blurted, his voice trembling with fear.

He didn't dare provoke Claudius anymore. The last time, he'd only taken his shoes off, and yet Claudius nearly beat him to death. He still couldn't take care of himself not that he ever really could. Just the thought of Claudius storming in made him shudder.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Charlos' mind, and he twisted his bloated body in a panic. "Quick! Someone bring me water to wash my feet! If my feet are clean, maybe Claudius won't hit me!"

Rosward's eye twitched as he watched his son. He nearly spat blood in anger.

"What kind of idiot are you?!" Rosward roared, slapping Charlos across the face. "Calm down! I'm here! Let's see if Claudius really has the guts to lay a finger on you while I'm standing! If he tries anything, I'll take this straight to the Five Elders and demand justice! We're Celestial Dragons! How dare we endure this kind of persecution?!"

Charlos froze in shock, holding his cheek where his father had slapped him. "Father... you hit me?" he stammered in disbelief.

Rosward's anger flared again, and he looked like he was about to kick his son, but a young Celestial Dragon girl tugged at his arm.

"Father, don't be mad at Brother. He's just scared," said the girl gently.

Rosward sighed and patted her on the head. "Shalria, stay behind me. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."

From their conversation, one might think Claudius was some notorious villain terrorizing the innocent. Well, given the current circumstances, perhaps that wasn't entirely wrong.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. The ornate gates of Rosward's estate fell to the ground with a thunderous bang, crushing the manicured flower beds below.

Through the settling dust, Claudius strode in with his usual carefree demeanor. He looked around the courtyard, rubbing his chin as if inspecting the place.

"Not bad, not bad. The landscaping here is pretty unique," he mused aloud.

"Claudius! What is the meaning of this?!" Rosward roared, stepping forward in fury.

"What's the meaning of this?" Claudius replied casually. "I was just passing by and noticed your door seemed broken wouldn't open no matter how hard I knocked. So I did you a favor and opened it for you. Don't worry, I'll send someone to install a brand-new one later. I'm very considerate like that."

Rosward's face turned crimson with rage. His hand trembled as he pointed at Claudius. "Get out of here! You're not welcome in my home!"

Claudius didn't bother responding. He stepped forward, brushed aside Rosward's hand with ease, and leaned down slightly. Using his height advantage, he tapped Rosward on the forehead with his finger and said, "Listen here, Rosward. Don't stand here pointing at me like you're somebody important. Don't forget your place. We may both be Celestial Dragons, but there's a hierarchy even among us. You're just a mid-level Celestial Dragon, while I'm from the Donquixote family. Don't get too full of yourself."

The tap on the forehead made Rosward stagger back a few steps. He clenched his fists, swallowing his humiliation as he stared at Claudius with a mix of anger and fear.

"Don't be too arrogant, Claudius!" Rosward finally snapped. "I haven't even settled accounts with you over what you did to Charlos last time. Now you come storming into my home? If you don't give me an explanation, I'll take this straight to the Five Elders!"

"Oh? Are you threatening me?" Claudius asked, his voice dripping with mockery. Then, with a smirk, he added, "Let me give you a little advice, Rosward: don't push your luck. Resisting the law is a serious offense, you know?"

Rosward felt like his brain had short-circuited. Resisting the law? He was sitting at home minding his own business, and now Claudius was accusing him of breaking the law? What law? What nonsense was this?

Ignoring Rosward's dumbfounded expression, Claudius shifted his gaze to Charlos. The moment Charlos caught Claudius' eye, he flinched as though he'd been struck, trembling in his seat. Claudius, however, didn't bother with him. Picking on Charlos was hardly satisfying, it was like bullying a puppy.

Behind Rosward, Claudius noticed a young girl peeking out nervously. Shalria, if he remembered correctly. She was pretty, but he had no time to concern himself with her.

"I hear you've got four mermaid slaves in your house," Claudius said, his tone turning cold. "Hand them over now. If even one is missing, you'll find out why the flowers are red."

"Preposterous!" Rosward roared. "Even if you're a high-ranking Celestial Dragon, you can't just waltz in here and rob us! Those mermaids are my property, my slaves!"

Claudius waved dismissively at one of his attendants and said, "Write this down. Rosward obstructed justice, resisted law enforcement, and refused to surrender illegal slaves. Record this as an act of defiance against the World Government."

Behind him, one of his clerks dutifully scribbled the words into a notebook.

Rosward was livid. "What law did I break? What nonsense are you spewing, Claudius?!"

Instead of answering, Claudius slapped Rosward across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. He then turned to his entourage and ordered, "Go inside, find those four mermaids, and bring them out. Take anything else that looks interesting while you're at it, we can't visit a place like this and leave empty-handed."

Rosward writhed on the ground, his voice trembling with rage. "Claudius, you're nothing but a bandit! This isn't over, I'll make sure you pay for this!"

Claudius casually dusted off his hands, ignoring the outburst. "Bandit? Me? Nah, I'm just following orders from the Five Elders. See for yourself."

He tossed the royal edict onto Rosward's chest, then leaned down with a grin. "This is official business, sanctioned by the highest authority. If you've got a problem, go ahead and take it up with them. But let me give you some advice, don't waste your breath. I've got more houses to raid today, and as long as you stay out of my way, I couldn't care less about you."

Without waiting for a response, Claudius strode deeper into the estate, his entourage following close behind.

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