"You call it sneaky to attack someone's main base? Can that even be considered (underhanded)?"
At this moment, it wasn't just the Five Elder Stars or others on the World Government's side who felt speechless; even Whitebeard and the others on Lin Xuan's side found it somewhat hard to process.
Of course, the Five Elder Stars had no time to dwell on whether Lin Xuan admitted to being shameless or not. They believed Lin Xuan's last sentence was an admission that Kaguya Ōtsutsuki had indeed gone to launch a surprise attack on Mary Geoise!
Naturally, when they had left to join this war, Mary Geoise wasn't left undefended. They had to guard against other forces with ill intentions, didn't they? Like the Revolutionary Army, or the Big Mom Pirates, or the Kaido Pirates!
Before the battle with Lin Xuan's forces began, they had been quite confident in Mary Geoise's defenses. But now, that confidence was utterly shattered.
Especially after witnessing Lin Xuan's Time Slow Barrier during the fight, realizing he could manipulate a forbidden power like time with such ease—their confidence plummeted further. Moreover, they had a strong feeling that Lin Xuan was still holding back many other tricks.
At this thought, the Five Elder Stars didn't want to stay a moment longer. Compared to Mary Geoise, what was the worth of a mere "Fire Fist" Ace? Or even the entire Whitebeard Pirates?
Leaving now might bring shame upon the World Government, a loss of face. But if Mary Geoise were truly targeted by Lin Xuan's group on a large scale, the resulting loss of face would be far greater.
After a quick exchange of glances, the Five Elder Stars reached a decision: ignore the situation here and immediately return to Mary Geoise! Coincidentally, the Second Elder Star, the Long-Bearded one, had mostly recovered from his injuries.
Thus, the Great Elder Star, the Curly-Haired one, looked towards Fleet Admiral Kong's direction and shouted, "Fleet Admiral Kong! We leave this to you! We must return at once!"
Hearing this, Kong was dumbfounded. What? Leave it to me? How am I supposed to handle this!
But he also knew the Five Elder Stars couldn't possibly ignore the situation at Mary Geoise, leaving him utterly uncertain of what to do. The others on the World Government's side were even more panicked. With the Five Elder Stars present, we were already struggling this much. If they leave now, won't we be utterly slaughtered?
Fortunately, Lin Xuan spoke again: "You think you can just come and go as you please? That's far too disrespectful to us."
His words plunged the entire scene—and viewers worldwide watching the broadcast—into dead silence once more.
No one had expected Lin Xuan to be this assertive. Now, he wasn't even letting the Five Elder Stars leave! The sheer audacity left everyone speechless.
Upon hearing Lin Xuan's words, Uchiha Madara and the others immediately moved to block the Five Elder Stars' path, poised to attack and stop them at any moment.
"You!" The Five Elder Stars were furious, itching to engage Madara and the others in another fight, to eliminate these pesky obstacles before leaving.
But they knew it was unrealistic; Uchiha Madara and his group simply couldn't be killed!
Just then, Lin Xuan's voice drifted over again, calm and measured: "Moreover, are you even sure you'd be of any use if you went back? Can your speed possibly compare to mine?"
These words sent a chill down the spines of the Five Elder Stars, cold sweat breaking out on their foreheads. Especially the Golden-Bearded, Mustachioed, and Bald Monk elders, who vividly recalled Lin Xuan summoning over a hundred powerful ninjas right before their eyes.
Coupled with the fact that multiple members of the Ninja Association, including the recently vanished Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, were capable of spatial teleportation or instant movement, they had to consider the possibility: What if Lin Xuan appeared directly at Mary Geoise and performed another mass summoning, unleashing the entire Ninja Association upon the Holy Land?
Hadn't the Ninja Association members done exactly that during the last war on Sabaody Archipelago, forcing the Marines to retreat?
The Five Elder Stars never imagined they'd fall for the same tactic again! It was their overconfidence that had led them here. They had believed their personal involvement would surely crush the Ninja Association, and with Im-sama guarding Mary Geoise, nothing major could go wrong. They hadn't even considered evacuating the Celestial Dragons beforehand.
Now, realizing they had severely underestimated both the Ninja Association and Lin Xuan, regret was useless.
Finally, the Great Elder Star, the Curly-Haired one, spoke with immense humiliation: "We will hand over Fire Fist Ace. Consider this war our loss. Is that acceptable?"
Lin Xuan actually laughed out loud at this. "In your eyes, the lives of the Celestial Dragons at Mary Geoise are only worth one Fire Fist Ace?"
The Great Elder Star was rendered speechless, unable to respond.
What shocked him even more was Lin Xuan's follow-up statement: "Besides, the matter of Fire Fist Ace is no longer yours to decide!"
"Huh?!"
This exclamation came not only from the Five Elder Stars but also from many on the battlefield and viewers around the world. All eyes swiveled towards the execution platform.
There, they saw Rob Lucci being sent flying by a Three-Gear-powered punch from Luffy, while Sabo successfully unlocked Ace's seastone cuffs, setting him free.
"Yahahaha! Ace! Great! We finally saved you!" Luffy, shrunken down to a mini-size after using Gear Third, cheered excitedly.
Sabo also wore a wide, relieved smile.
Freed at last, Ace clenched his fists, his emotions surging. "You guys... I never thought the day would come when I'd need you two to rescue me."
"Hehehe!"
The three brothers reunited, creating a joyful scene.
However, the Five Elder Stars found no joy in the spectacle. Their faces were dark.
Ultimately, the Great Elder Star, his voice heavy with humiliation and frustration, demanded of Lin Xuan, "What exactly do you want to end this war?!"
----------
T/N:
You'll also get 5 extra chapters just for being a free member!
Access 40 chapters in advance on my Patreon: [email protected]//allbluestories