NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 13: The News Spread Like A Storm.
The time had come for the present.
A world noble, one of the Celestial Dragons, had been killed in North Blue—swiftly and without hesitation.
Neither the World Government nor the Marine Government had time to respond.
After all, in this vast sea, whether in the Four Seas, the Grand Line, or the New World, even the most inexperienced rookie pirates understood the weight of the title "world noble" carried by the Celestial Dragons.
For 800 years, the World Government had ruled the seas, and the Celestial Dragons had been the untouchable elite—an absolutely privileged class that no one dared to provoke.
They disregarded rules, acted with impunity, and were shielded by the might of the World Government. Even the smallest injury to a Celestial Dragon wasn't taken lightly.
The World Government would issue an immediate bounty on any aggressor. The Marine Headquarters, an arm of the government, would dispatch a Marine Admiral—one of the highest combat powers—without hesitation to eliminate any threat to the Celestial Dragons.
Regardless of distance. Regardless of time. Regardless of location or identity.
The Admirals would strike swiftly and decisively to neutralize any danger.
Because of this, encountering a Celestial Dragon at sea was a dreaded situation. Even the most ferocious pirates would alter their course without hesitation, steering far away to avoid the endless trouble that came with confronting the Celestial Dragons.
Such was the pressure and fear that these "world nobles" commanded on the seas.
For nearly forty years, since the Rocks Pirates met their end at the Valley of the Gods, no one had dared provoke the Celestial Dragons.
Until now.
In North Blue—a region far from the chaotic New World or the pirate-infested Grand Line—someone had done the unthinkable.
They hadn't just hesitated. They hadn't merely injured a Celestial Dragon.
They had killed one outright.
The act had been so swift and decisive that neither the World Government nor the Marines had a chance to respond.
And this audacious act went unnoticed by the government and Marines for a crucial period. Their focus was on the brewing tension with the Whitebeard Pirates—a far greater concern in their eyes.
The first sign of the Celestial Dragon's death came when one of the health cards stored in Mariejois, the Holy Land, burned to ash.
By then, it was too late.
News of the event spread like wildfire from North Blue to the rest of the world.
The albatross, with its remarkable ability to travel vast distances without rest, had captured the entire incident on camera. From the moment the Celestial Dragon was killed to the time the news reached the World Economic News headquarters, less than an hour had passed.
The First Half of the Grand Line
"Hey, hey, hey! I already bought today's newspaper. Why are you delivering another one?!"
A pirate standing at the port of an island shouted at the albatross circling overhead.
"You birds are nothing but scammers!" he grumbled, reluctantly tossing another coin for the second copy.
Despite his complaints, he unfolded the newspaper, curious about its contents. After all, the recent headlines had been dominated by the arrest of the Whitebeard Pirates' second captain. Everyone was waiting to see if this would lead to a direct confrontation between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marine Government.
The pirate expected nothing new—a recycled headline, perhaps some minor updates.
But as his eyes scanned the front page, he froze.
His pupils widened, and his mouth dropped open in shock.
"This... this has to be a joke, right?" he muttered, his voice trembling.
The pirate pinched his thigh hard, wincing at the sharp pain.
"It's real…" he whispered.
His hands shook as he stared at the headline again, his mind struggling to process the words.
"Someone actually killed a Celestial Dragon... a world noble… Oh my god!"
Fear gripped him. He looked around the port, his heart pounding.
Everyone who had seen the newspaper—whether pirates, merchants, or ordinary civilians—wore the same stunned expression.
Across the Seas
The pirate at the port wasn't alone in his shock.
In North Blue, South Blue, West Blue, and East Blue—everywhere the news reached—the reaction was the same.
Even on the Grand Line, where hardened pirates and ambitious supernovas roamed, disbelief spread like a wave.
Within less than half a day of the Celestial Dragon's death, the entire world knew.
The albatross, flying tirelessly, ensured that no corner of the seas remained unaware of the event.
The news spread with such ferocity that even the Marine Government was forced to temporarily suspend its ongoing meetings.
Something unprecedented had occurred—something that would shake the very foundations of the world.
And it had all started in North Blue.