one piece: gene extraction and fusion system-Chapter 169: A Newspaper That Dared to Challenge the Heavens

Obeying the command without hesitation, the CP agent prepared to strike.

But in the next instant—

Swish, swish, swish!

Dozens—no, hundreds—of black figures emerged from the deck like shadows from the abyss, instantly surrounding the area.

The CP agent froze, his nerves taut, guarding the Celestial Dragon while his eyes darted around anxiously. The sudden emergence of these mysterious figures made him hesitate to act rashly.

"Why are you just standing there? Kill them! Kill them all!" the Celestial Dragon roared. To him, these shadow warriors were no different from commoners—pariahs. That they would dare to appear on his ship was a grave insult.

Fuming, the Celestial Dragon pulled out a delicate, ornamental revolver and fired.

Bang!

The bullet struck one of the shadow warriors directly.

The CP agent's heart sank. "This is bad," he thought, tensing every muscle in his body. That reckless action might have provoked them.

There had originally been more CP agents deployed with the Celestial Dragon, but due to a sudden reassignment by the Five Elders, most of the elite agents had been diverted to protect another official. He was the only true CP member left guarding this particular Celestial Dragon. The others onboard were merely slaves with no combat ability.

Even though he was decently strong himself, facing these eerie and overwhelming numbers was no small matter. Worse still, the shadow warrior that had been shot vanished into black mist—only to reappear intact just a moment later.

The sight made the CP agent's scalp tingle.

"You realize, don't you?" he said in a low, serious voice. "If any harm comes to a Celestial Dragon, you'll be hunted by the World Government and the Navy Headquarters, no matter who you are or where you go. The admirals themselves will personally see to it."

But even as he finished speaking, one of the black shadow warriors suddenly lunged at the Celestial Dragon.

The CP agent acted immediately, intercepting the first attacker—but the rest surged forward as one, like a black tide.

His face turned pale. He couldn't stop them all.

One of the shadow warriors reached out toward the Celestial Dragon, grasping something unseen.

And just like that—

All the shadow warriors vanished.

Only the stunned CP agent and the Celestial Dragon remained on the deck, along with a lone newspaper fluttering to the floor.

"What just happened?!" the CP agent gasped. He was completely baffled. Weren't they about to attack? Why disappear now, when victory seemed within reach?

He hurried to the Celestial Dragon. "My lord, are you unharmed?"

The Celestial Dragon was shaking with rage as he clutched his belt. "Those damned peasants stole my jade pendant! It's my favorite treasure! Find them at once and capture them—I want all of them as my slaves!"

"Jade pendant?" the CP agent echoed, dumbfounded. His gaze drifted to the newspaper left on the deck.

"Wait a minute... were those people trying to sell newspapers?"

"...No way. Were they really?"

Was there truly a newspaper so bold that it not only tried to sell papers to a Celestial Dragon—but robbed one?

"We'll have to investigate this thoroughly once we return," the agent thought grimly.

Back at the newspaper headquarters in the New World, the staff had no idea what conclusions the CP agent had reached. But they did understand what had occurred in the video.

Just as the CP member suspected—it was indeed a newspaper delivery. An extremely unconventional one.

One staffer turned toward the editor-in-chief in shock. "Chief, those shadowy figures... they belong to a newspaper called Linglong, from the first half of the Grand Line. They use this strange method to distribute papers. What do you think this video submission means?"

The editor-in-chief, a calm and sharp-eyed middle-aged man, replied immediately, "It's obvious. They want us to help boost their reputation in the New World so they can carve out a foothold here."

"Then... should we publish it?" another staffer asked hesitantly.

"No. We must publish it," the editor-in-chief said, shaking his head. "Even if we don't, they'll just send it to another newspaper. Someone else will pick it up eventually. If we're the first, it'll bring us more attention—and it's a win-win with the Linglong paper."

"But I didn't expect them to be so daring... to try selling newspapers on a Celestial Dragon's ship."

That fact clearly startled even the editor-in-chief, but then he chuckled.

"Well, it makes things interesting. We'll see if this Linglong newspaper can survive the wrath of the Celestial Dragons—or if they'll be obliterated."

Soon after, operations at the newspaper shifted into high gear.

Thanks to the editor-in-chief's decision, the story was finalized, formatted, and prepared for distribution.

The next morning, seagulls soared across the skies of the New World—newspapers clutched in their beaks—delivering the astonishing news to every corner of the sea.