One Piece: King of the World

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: Saint Claudius Has Beaten Celestial Dragons Again!

Overwhelmed by the sudden violence, he hadn\'t even seen who had kicked him. Still clutching his broken nose, he screamed in a shrill voice, "Who dares hit me? I\'m a Celestial Dragon! Kill him! Kill him now!"

But despite his orders, none of his servants moved a muscle. They exchanged wary glances, their gazes shifting to the figure standing before them. While Charros might not have recognized who attacked him, his servants certainly did. They were all too aware of who Donquixote Claudius was—a Celestial Dragon unlike any other, with status and power that made him untouchable even among his kind.

Claudius was not just any Celestial Dragon; he was an upper-rank member of the Donquixote family, one of the most powerful in Mariejois. Anyone foolish enough to challenge him would be digging their own grave.

Claudius, hearing Charlos\'s pitiful demands for retaliation, chuckled coldly as he picked up an iron bar from the broken cage. He flexed his shoulders and called out with a sardonic smile, "You want to kill me, huh? Who do you think you are? You, a lower-ranked Celestial Dragon, dare to threaten me, Donquixote Claudius, head of the Donquixote family? You must be out of your mind!"

Claudius\'s voice turned harder as he continued, "If I don\'t teach you a lesson today, you\'ll think you can get away with anything. Maybe tomorrow, you\'ll even try pulling stunts in front of the Five Elders. Someone has to set you straight."

With that, he strode toward Charlos, dragging the iron rod across the stone floor with a screech that sent shivers down the spines of everyone present. Even Tesoro, who was watching from the now-broken cage, was stunned. The scene was surreal. Moments ago, he had been on the brink of despair, and now, here was someone who seemed to be a powerful Celestial Dragon, coming to his rescue and attacking another.

Claudius\'s approach snapped Tesoro out of his daze. He wasted no time in scrambling out of the cage and pulling Stella into a protective embrace. "Are you okay, Stella?" he asked urgently, his voice shaking.

"I\'m fine, Tesoro," Stella said, clinging to him as tears of relief streamed down her face. The nightmare they had endured was shifting, though neither of them could quite believe what was happening.

Meanwhile, Charlos, who now recognized Claudius, was stricken with terror. The stories about Claudius were infamous in Mariejois. Years ago, he had slapped another Celestial Dragon in public at the Sabaody Archipelago and faced no consequences. To make matters worse, Charlos remembered mocking that incident at the time. He never thought he would be at the receiving end of this notorious man\'s fury.

Desperate and panicking, Charros babbled, "Claudius, don\'t come any closer! I\'m a Celestial Dragon too!"

"Celestial Dragon, my foot!" Claudius scoffed. "I\'m ashamed to even share that title with trash like you!" He lifted the iron rod and brought it down with a resounding thud.

A chorus of gasps erupted from the onlookers as Charros\'s pained screams echoed throughout the area. The gathered crowd included many servants and even some fellow Celestial Dragons, among them Corinne, who had only just parted ways with Claudius earlier.

Fights among Celestial Dragons were rare but not unheard of, usually occurring once or twice a year. Most disputes were limited to shouting matches or, at most, pulling hair. But this? This was brutal. Blood had been drawn, and one of their own was being beaten like a criminal.

"Unbelievable... is this really happening?" whispered one of the bystanders.

"Is this what a real man looks like?" Corinnelu\'s eyes shone as she watched Claudius wield the iron rod, dispatching his version of justice. Compared to the disheveled, foul-smelling mess that was Charlos, Claudius looked like a hero—a striking, charismatic figure who was now even more dazzling in her eyes.

Some of the other Celestial Dragons started cheering Claudius on, their disgust for Charlos outweighing any sympathy they might have had. His antics, especially involving his notorious lack of hygiene, had long made him a nuisance.

"Good job, Claudius! Teach him a lesson!" one of them called out.

"Yeah, make him pay for sullying our dignity!" another jeered.

Claudius paused his beating for a moment, smirking at the encouragement from his peers. He raised a hand in acknowledgment and called back, "Don\'t worry! I\'ll make sure he learns that hygiene and basic decency are mandatory for Celestial Dragons!"

The crowd erupted into laughter and applause, except for those too terrified to react.

Charlos could barely move now, his body bruised and swollen, his face an unrecognizable mask of pain. His cries had dwindled to weak whimpers. Claudius knew when to stop; he wasn\'t interested in killing Charlos. That would bring complications, even if the Five Elders were inclined to protect him. Murdering another Celestial Dragon would carry consequences that even Claudius preferred to avoid.

After one final strike, Claudius let the iron rod fall to the ground with a clang. He looked down at the pitiful form of Charlos and addressed the stunned servants. "Well? What are you standing around for? Take your master and get him out of here. He\'s polluting the atmosphere."

The servants rushed forward, trembling as they carefully lifted Charlos, who whimpered pitifully. A few of them made tentative moves toward Stella, intending to retrieve the property of their master.

"Touch her and you\'ll regret it," Claudius warned, his voice icy. "You think I\'d go through the trouble of beating your boss just to let you take her back? She\'s mine now."

The servants looked between each other, fear in their eyes. No one dared challenge Claudius. Reluctantly, they backed away.

Claudius then turned to Tesoro, who was holding Stella tightly. He caught sight of the slave merchant nearby, who was watching the scene with wide, terrified eyes. "And this man," Claudius said, gesturing to Tesoro, "is mine too. Name your price."

The merchant, still shaking, stammered, "N-no, Your Highness. I wouldn\'t dream of asking for payment. Consider it a humble gift to Your Highness."

A small smile touched Claudius\'s lips. "Good answer." He pulled a jade bracelet from his wrist and tossed it to the merchant. "Take this as a token of my appreciation."

The merchant scrambled to catch the bracelet, bowing repeatedly. "Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you for your generosity!" He knelt, forehead touching the ground, unable to contain his gratitude.

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