"You should take home the uneaten food! I was saving you money, Xia-chan!"
Kagura looked bewildered. As she spoke, she reached her small hand into the pot on her head, grabbed a piece of meat, and instantly slurped it into her mouth with a swoosh.
"I think you're just greedy!" Xiang En's mouth twitched. He grabbed and tugged her cheek, eliciting a cute yelp from the girl.
"Little fellow, you still haven't told this old man why you chose to leave without a word? Could it be that you don't want to join the Navy?" Kizaru released their shoulders.
The reason has already been stated by you! Xiang En muttered internally.
As an office worker who had died from overwork, and was lucky enough to regain life by transmigrating into this colorful world, even if he didn't pursue the world's most popular profession—a pirate—there was no way he would join the Navy and work for someone else again.
He had suffered enough from being driven around in his past life. In this life, no one would make him work for them or be a beast of burden again.
The more he thought, the more determined Xiang En's expression became. At this moment, he clenched his fists, raised his head, and the previous apprehension, wariness, and fear of the Admiral in his eyes vanished completely.
At the same time, unbeknownst to Xiang En, in the second after his resolve solidified, a prestige that transcended others suddenly erupted from his pupils.
It instantly swept across the entire battlefield.
This aura only appeared for a flash, but it sent a chill through everyone's hearts. A few minor pirate subordinates stumbled, nearly losing their balance and falling.
"This aura is…"
Only Kizaru knew what had happened. His expression immediately hardened, and the eyes behind his sunglasses were filled with shock as he stared at Xiang En.
This young man... actually possesses the talent of a king, one that only appears in a million people!
Xiang En was unaware of what transpired on the scene. His focus was solely on Kizaru.
Right now, he had only one thought: to say no to the Marine Admiral!
"I won't join… Eh?"
Mid-sentence, Xiang En's expression abruptly changed, and the powerful aura around him instantly dissipated, as if he had just witnessed something outrageous.
And in fact, it was outrageous.
Kizaru split apart.
In the literal, physical sense.
The smooth plane, as if cut in half at the waist by a sword, had its upper body fall to the ground with a plop.
Everyone present was dumbfounded, until a gong sound rang out, causing different looks to flash across Hawkins's and Urouge's faces, as they seemed to guess the identity of the person who had secretly attacked.
"Wanted Target Three: 'Scratchman' Apoo, Bounty 198,000,000 Beli!"
The Pacifista lifted its head, which had been in standby mode. It mechanically scanned 180 degrees, finally locking its gaze onto a certain tall building.
That was the location from which the gong sound came, and where Apoo had been hiding all along.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
With the target locked, the Pacifista suddenly spread its palm, and three laser beams shot out instantly!
Their trajectory showed they were aimed at the three pirate fugitives on the field: Hawkins, Urouge, and Apoo!
The battle was about to begin!
"Karma!"
Urouge was the first to react. His muscles surged, his monk's robes tore, and he instantly swelled to more than twice his size. After dodging the incoming laser beam, he abruptly lunged at the Pacifista, engaging it in a test of strength.
Hawkins, at the cost of one of his straw men, once again endured the damage. Just as he pulled out the blade at his waist, preparing to assist Urouge against the Pacifista, a voice suddenly rang in his ear.
"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"What!" Hawkins's pupils contracted. Reflected in his light-drenched eyes was a long leg composed of light particles.
BAM!
Hawkins let out an unintelligible scream, and his figure vanished from the spot. He was launched like a cannonball, smashing through the walls of buildings along the way, and was sent flying nearly a hundred meters.
Simultaneously, beams of laser light, far stronger and faster than those released by the Pacifista, shot out at an invisible speed towards the direction where Hawkins had last crashed.
Rumble!
A thunderous explosion sounded, the earth trembled, and an entire building collapsed.
Hawkins himself was buried beneath the ruins, his fate unknown.
Apoo was pressed against a tall wall, his chest heaving irregularly, cold sweat continuously trickling from his forehead.
He was panicked.
He had found a good opportunity to attack a Marine Admiral, intending to strike and run, but was intercepted by a single attack from that damned "Warlord."
Having missed the best moment to escape, he dared not move now, because the moment he appeared in Kizaru's line of sight, he would certainly not be able to evade the pursuit of light.
"Oh, so you were here."
Suddenly, a playful voice sounded behind him.
Apoo's body stiffened. Before he could turn around, he was kicked towards the ground by a Light Speed Kick.
...Meanwhile, after the fight began, the two who were neither Marines nor pirates became outsiders to the conflict.
This situation was clearly one that Xiang En was happy to see. He didn't have to continue the pretense with Kizaru, nor was he forced to join the damned Navy. All of this was thanks to the one who launched the first attack.
Apoo, I'll remember you. On the racetrack of courting death, I'd call you the champion!
After a moment of silent pity for him, Xiang En didn't hesitate. He grabbed Kagura, who was still gorging herself on the food in the iron pot, and fled the scene without looking back.
On their way, they brushed past a muscular man carrying a longsword and an iron axe.
Xiang En recognized his identity: another Supernova, X Drake, "The Fallen Admiral."
With Kizaru and a Warlord present, all the other pirates were running out, but he alone was heading towards the battlefield, his determined stride suggesting a clear goal.
Xiang En's eyes flickered, meeting Drake's gaze briefly, but he had no intention of talking. He tightened his grip on Kagura's hand and continued running away after passing him.
Dozens of minutes later.
"Xia-chan, I think we…"
While running, Kagura looked at the increasingly familiar scenery along the road. She tilted her small head, sensing something was wrong.
"What is it? Are you… hungry again? That meal you just ate cost me a whole one million Beli!"
"No, I mean, I think we ran the wrong way."
"What!"
Xiang En slammed on the brakes, his heels scraping a long mark on the ground, stopping exactly beneath a Yarukiman Mangrove tree.
Looking up, the sign hanging on the mangrove's branch was clearly engraved with the large characters: "Island 13."
Island 13?
How can it be Island 13! I was running towards the islands with the higher numbers, so why did I end up running back into a more dangerous area!
He and Kagura had run out of the human auction house on Island 1. To avoid getting caught up in the trouble caused by Luffy, they ran straight to Island 27. After escaping Kizaru just now, he had planned to head to the higher-numbered islands to catch a ship and leave the Sabaody Archipelago—this dangerous island where the Protagonist, an Admiral, and a Warlord coexisted.
But things didn't go as planned. Because he was too rushed, he didn't pay attention to the direction and actually ran the wrong way!
Xiang En stared blankly at the sign above his head, frozen in place, speechless for a long time.
He had never imagined that he, who enjoyed mocking Zoro's poor sense of direction while watching the anime, would have a day when he ran the wrong way.
Seeing Xiang En remain silent, Kagura thought he was suffering a great shock.
"It's okay, Xia-chan. Even if you're directionally challenged, I won't dislike you!" she sighed, gently patting Xiang En's shoulder.
"Hey, hey, don't just assume the 'directionally challenged' label is part of my settings so quickly!" Xiang En felt insulted.
"Hmph, stubborn men are out of fashion now, you know."
"Huh? Isn't your setting supposed to be 'gluttony'? Why did you suddenly turn into a smart mouth!"
Just as the two were bickering, a joyful shout suddenly came from behind them.
"Little brother Xiang En, little Kagura?"