<h4>Chapter 121: Saint udius Has Beaten Celestial Dragons Again!</h4>


    Charlos writhed on the ground in pain, his nose broken and blood mingling with the tears streaming down his face. His privileged, pampered body had never experienced such pain before, and he screamed and iled in front of the cage, unable toprehend the situation.


    Through his agony, Charlos struggled to grasp what had just happened. He was a Celestial Dragon—untouchable! Yet someone had dared toy a hand on him. He couldn''t believe it; not even his father had ever hit him.


    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 nces, 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 udius was—a Celestial Dragon unlike any other, with status and power that made him untouchable even among his kind.


    udius 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.


    udius, 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 udius, head of the Donquixote family? You must be out of your mind!"


    udius''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,ing to his rescue and attacking another.


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


    "I''m fine, Tesoro," Ste 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 udius, was stricken with terror. The stories about udius were infamous in Mariejois. Years ago, he had pped another Celestial Dragon in public at the Sabaody Archipgo 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, "udius, don''te any closer! I''m a Celestial Dragon too!"


    "Celestial Dragon, my foot!" udius 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 udius earlier.


    Fights among Celestial Dragons were rare but not unheard of, usually urring 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 udius wield the iron rod, dispatching his version of justice. Compared to the disheveled, foul-smelling mess that was Charlos, udius 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 udius on, their disgust for Charlos outweighing any sympathy they might have had. His antics, especially involving his notoriousck of hygiene, had long made him a nuisance.


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


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


    udius 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 intoughter and apuse, 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. udius knew when to stop; he wasn''t interested in killing Charlos. That would bringplications, even if the Five Elders were inclined to protect him. Murdering another Celestial Dragon would carry consequences that even udius preferred to avoid.


    After one final strike, udius let the iron rod fall to the ground with a ng. 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 Ste, intending to retrieve the property of their master.


    "Touch her and you''ll regret it," udius 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 udius. Reluctantly, they backed away.


    udius then turned to Tesoro, who was holding Ste tightly. He caught sight of the ve merchant nearby, who was watching the scene with wide, terrified eyes. "And this man," udius 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 udius''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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