Luo Chen's words elicited different reactions from all sides. The citizens of the kingdom lining the streets were stunned. Was this person truly from the Jinghai Army?
The expressions of the Donquixote Family members, including Diamante and Baby 5, shifted slightly, a hint of worry surfacing in their eyes. Their Young Master was currently out of the country. If the newcomers were strong enough, they wouldn't be able to hold them back.
Pica sized up Luo Chen's frame and laughed in his shrill, high-pitched voice. "This brat's build doesn't match any of the nine Jinghai Army Admirals. At most, he's a Vice Admiral. Why should we fear him?"
They knew they couldn't defeat the nine Admirals of the Jinghai Army. But if it was just a Vice Admiral, they truly had no reason to be afraid. In any case, the Young Master had already prepared to become an enemy of the Jinghai Army, which was why he had gone to Wano Country to attempt an alliance with Kaido.
Hancock coldly rebuked, "Presumptuous!"
Pica's previous disrespect toward Luo Chen had already ignited her killing intent. Now that he had insulted him again, Hancock could no longer restrain herself. She made a gesture as if drawing a bow, and a rain of pink arrows flew out from before her.
Diamante's face changed as he stomped on the ground. The hard earth became as soft as a fluttering flag, rising into the sky to block the rain of arrows. A few of the pink arrows caused the muddy ground to petrify and crack, turning it into crushed stone that fell away. The remaining arrows continued their flight, striking dozens of family members.
Baby 5 and Buffalo managed to dodge just in time, narrowly escaping being hit. The two high-ranking officers, Diamante and Pica, also managed to block the attack with effort. Everyone else, including the toy soldiers, was completely petrified.
Diamante was a user of the Ripple-Ripple Fruit, capable of making any object as soft as a fluttering flag, though the essence of the object remained unchanged. For example, his red cloak was actually made of steel; it usually hung softly on his back, but its hardness was identical to steel. He had used his steel cloak combined with Armament Haki to block the arrows aimed at him.
Pica, meanwhile, was a user of the Stone-Stone Fruit. He assimilated the surrounding earth and the stones within the buildings, bringing them under his control. He transformed into a massive stone giant dozens of meters tall. Because he was a stone man, Hancock's petrification ability was useless against him.
Although the four of them had escaped disaster, sweat began to bead on their faces. The ability displayed by the tall woman in sunglasses reminded them of a specific person in the Jinghai Army: the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock. Rumor had it she was the woman of the Jinghai Army's Fleet Admiral, Luo Chen. Seeing her here, accompanying a young man, the man's identity became blindingly obvious.
The two red facial markings on Diamante's face were smeared by sweat. He stared at Luo Chen, his throat tightening as he swallowed hard. The rock giant Pica had transformed into moved half a step backward almost imperceptibly. Though he had spoken arrogantly just a moment ago, he knew exactly where he stood. If this truly was Luo Chen, they were dead.
At that moment, Issho spoke up. "Please leave the members of the Donquixote Family to this old man. Consider it payment for the ship fare for this journey."
As he finished speaking, he held his blind cane horizontally in front of him and drew it slightly. A sharp blade hidden within the cane was revealed. An invisible force field radiated outward with Fujitora as the center, instantly enveloping the four people in front of him.
They let out strange cries as their bodies were suddenly slammed downward. Buffalo and the fat man, who were in the air, crashed violently into the ground, causing stone tiles to shatter and fly in all directions. Diamante lay miserably on the ground, his face pressed flat as if an invisible giant hand were pushing him down with immense force.
Pica was equally vulnerable. The dozens-of-meters-tall stone giant collapsed in an instant. His burly body fell from the sky, slamming hard into the ground and eventually creating a deep pit into which he vanished.
"St... stop... mercy... mercy..." Blood continuously leaked from the corners of Diamante's mouth. The immense gravity made his voice raspy, and his expression was one of extreme agony.
With a loud boom, the ground beneath Diamante vanished, replaced by a pitch-black hole that seemed bottomless. Like Pica, he disappeared from sight.
Issho turned to Luo Chen and asked, "Do we need to keep any of them conscious?"
He was referring to Buffalo and the maid-like Baby 5. Issho wasn't entirely sure of Luo Chen's specific purpose for coming here. If all the Donquixote Family members were knocked unconscious, it might disrupt Luo Chen's plans.
"Yes, I want to ask some questions," Luo Chen said as he walked toward the two.
Issho dispersed the gravity and sheathed his cane sword, leaning it by his feet. Luo Chen looked at Buffalo and Baby 5, who were sitting on the ground, and asked where Sugar was located. A portion of the Tontatta tribe had likely been turned into toys as well. Only by dealing with Sugar could they be turned back.
Baby 5 turned her head away, unwilling to betray the Young Master. Luo Chen tapped his forehead, remembering his Tenseigan abilities. A green light orb the size of a fist appeared in his hand. The orb quickly flew into Baby 5's body.
In the next moment, the light in her eyes faded, and her expression became vacant. She stood up slowly and said, "Sugar is in the underground. Please follow me."
Buffalo shouted in confusion, trying to wake Baby 5 up. If Sugar were killed, the Donquixote Family's rule would completely collapse. Everyone in the kingdom would remember their relatives and friends who had been turned into toys.
Issho lightly flicked his cane sword. Gravity surged out, enveloping Buffalo. In the next moment, he followed in the footsteps of Diamante and Pica, disappearing into a deep pit.
Hancock's two sisters and Baccarat followed behind Luo Chen. Violet also took the initiative to call Rebecca over and followed the group.
Rebecca whispered, "Aunt Violet, who are they? And what is the Jinghai Army?"
Because she had defied the Donquixote Family, she had been captured and forced to fight for her life in the Corrida Colosseum. Her environment was relatively closed, surrounded only by enemies, and she had no source of outside information. Consequently, she was quite unfamiliar with the Jinghai Army.
But the scene she had just witnessed truly shocked her. The beautiful older sister in sunglasses had casually petrified dozens of Donquixote Family members. Even high-ranking officers like Pica and Diamante had struggled to resist. The blind uncle in the purple kimono was even more terrifying. Just by drawing his cane sword, Diamante and Pica were dealt with, and two abysses had strangely appeared in the earth.
Though the young man in sunglasses hadn't made a move, he seemed to be the leader of the group. With just a green light orb, he had turned Baby 5 into a puppet. Rebecca was deeply shaken by the abilities of these three.
Violet whispered an explanation to her niece. She felt more relaxed now. Luo Chen didn't seem like an evil person, so her choice was likely the right one. If she hadn't risked coming to seek refuge today, she didn't know how long it would have taken to escape the Donquixote Family's control.
The price was having the Dressrosa Kingdom join the Jinghai Army. However, Violet believed this was bound to happen sooner or later. The Jinghai Army was like the sun at noon, while the World Government showed signs of impending collapse. In the future, the Jinghai Army would replace the World Government. Kingdoms like theirs would most likely be "incorporated" by the Jinghai Army anyway. Trying to remain independent was unrealistic.
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