Uchiha Madara now radiated nothing but murderous intent from head to toe.
He had survived the chaotic Warring States Period in the Shinobi World, fought countless battles, and slain innumerable foes—his aura of killing was terrifying to the extreme.
Under that dreadful killing intent, everyone present except Lin Xuan felt an urge to drop to their knees and beg for mercy.
Seeing Madara stride toward the Saint Rosward family with such ferocity, intense unease swept through the crowd.
"W-what… he's not actually going to hit Celestial Dragon, is he?"
"Impossible! Who in this world would dare do something like that?"
"No way — I don't believe anyone would be that bold!"
Those so-called high-society people shouted that he must be posturing. But to their horror, Madara did not stop. He walked straight up to the three Celestial Dragon and looked down at them.
The three Celestial Dragon, being glared at, were both furious and terrified.
"Slave, what do you think you're doing? Do you know who we are? You—" Saint Charlos began indignantly, but didn't finish.
"Such noise."
Madara snorted coldly, swung out, and shattered the hood over his head with a single punch. Then he grabbed him up like a chick and began slamming him onto the ground!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The heavy, ugly thuds rang through the entire auction hall.
He actually hit them! He picked up a Celestial Dragon and smashed him on the floor!
The horrifying sight left everyone in the hall—except Lin Xuan—eyes wide, utterly stunned as they stared at Madara.
Saint Charlos's father, Saint Rosward, and his sister Saint Shalria were equally dumbfounded, frozen and unsure how to react.
Madara slammed Saint Charlos down five times, breaking bones until the young noble was completely unconscious, on the verge of death. Only then did Madara stop.
With a dull thud, Saint Charlos lay on the floor like a dead dog.
Only then did the crowd snap out of their stupor.
"Charlos!"
"My son!"
Saint Rosward and Saint Shalria cried out, staring at the mangled Saint Charlos in disbelief.
After the initial shock, people began trembling all over. The timid even wet themselves in fright.
"That slave actually… actually did it… this—"
"Madman! He's a lunatic!"
"We're done for, he'll kill us all!"
"Run! Get out of here before the Marine Admirals and ships arrive!"
"No, I don't want to die, I haven't enjoyed my life yet!"
After a moment of wailing and panic, the auction hall descended into utter chaos. Some screamed to the heavens, others scrambled desperately to escape the Sabaody Archipelago.
In a corner of the auction hall, unnoticed by most, an old man crouched in hiding — none other than the king of the underworld, Rayleigh.
Rayleigh had escaped from the dungeon earlier and hadn't left. He'd been watching quietly, curious what Lin Xuan and the others were planning. Seeing Madara savage a Celestial Dragon left him baffled even though he'd already known part of Lin Xuan's scheme.
"They actually went through with it… Who are these lunatics who just popped up out of nowhere?!" Rayleigh muttered.
Even someone like Rayleigh—the former right hand of the Pirate King—wouldn't lightly lay hands on a Celestial Dragon, because it would invite enormous trouble. But Lin Xuan and the Impure World Reincarnation Madara seemed utterly unconcerned about consequences, as if they were deliberately courting them.
Of course Rayleigh didn't know that neither Lin Xuan nor the Madara resurrected by him were from this world; they hadn't been indoctrinated with this world's reverence and untouchability toward Celestial Dragon.
By now, Lin Xuan was the only one calmly seated in the auction hall; everyone else had fled or hidden.
He glanced at Saint Charlos and said with a hint of pity, "That guy really is unlucky."
He meant it: Charlos had been the one beaten by Luffy in the original pirate story, and now, without Luffy present, he'd still been beaten — and worse—by Madara.
Lin Xuan nodded approvingly at Madara. Although Saint Charlos might end up dying from his injuries, Madara had shown restraint by not finishing him off—leaving life in him as a favor to Lin Xuan.
At that moment, Saint Rosward's furious voice reached Lin Xuan.
Pointing at Madara, he raged in hysterics, "You damned commoner! How dare you strike Charlos! You're dead! Everyone with you will die! And you!" — he jabbed a finger at Lin Xuan — "I will make you suffer the most excruciating tortures and slowly kill you!"
Unfortunately for him, such threats didn't intimidate Lin Xuan or Madara; instead, they only dug him a deeper hole.
—
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