Dark King Rayleigh and Buddha Sengoku
"Let me tell you, you are no one's slaves, nor are you inferior to anyone else. We are all birds yearning for freedom. These shackles cannot bind a heart that desires freedom. If you want to live a meaningful life, you must break out of this cage, pursue the mysterious sea, and roam freely across the vast ocean!"
After hearing Tianqi's words, the black-haired little girl showed a hint of longing, but she still asked with some unease, "Can you really protect us?"
"In this situation, I'm probably the only person I can trust, because I'm not afraid of the Navy or the Admirals. I don't even care about the Five Elders who are at the top of the power hierarchy, because nothing can hold a heart that wants freedom back!" Tianqi said proudly, tilting his head back.
Rayleigh and Shanks behind him also had a strange look in their eyes when they heard this. How dare this person say such arrogant words so casually? The Five Elders, those old guys at the top of the power, were people that even their captain, the Pirate King Roger, could not ignore. What kind of capital did this guy have to dare to say such arrogant words?
"Since you can protect us, then... then we're willing to go with you!" Although the person in front of her spoke arrogantly, for some reason, the black-haired girl had a feeling, a feeling that the person in front of her had the power to protect them.
However, remembering the thing still binding her neck, she frowned and said dejectedly, "But we can't get far with this around our necks. If we try to escape rashly, it will kill us... this..."
"This is not a problem at all. Remember what I said: nothing can hold back a bird that wants to pursue freedom!" As he spoke, Tianqi's Eternal Mangekyo transformed into the Rinnegan. He placed one hand on the collars binding the girls, activated the Time Force, and the collars binding the girls were visibly corroded and fell off.
The girls were overjoyed to see their restraints gone, but just as they were freed, several gunshots rang out from outside.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Listen up, you pirates inside! You're surrounded! Release Hiroz Heroes and the others right now, or you won't escape Sabaody Archipelago today!"
Gunshots rang out, accompanied by warnings from the Navy. Only Tianqi and his companions, along with the stunned guards, remained in the venue. If the Navy hadn't been worried about the Celestial Dragons' lives, they would have rushed in long ago. However, they were unaware that the Celestial Dragons were already dead.
"Young man, the navy is here. Aren't you going to run away?" Rayleigh looked at Tianqi's back with a smile. Although this guy had just spoken arrogantly, it remained to be seen whether he had the courage and ability to be so arrogant.
"Oh dear, this is really troublesome. The naval operation is far too fast. I don't even know where my lovely crew members have gone. My friend, please take good care of me later!" Shanks tugged at his straw hat, saying he asked Tianqi to look after him, but he wasn't worried at all.
Unlike Rayleigh and Shanks' composure, the three girls shrank back upon hearing the Navy's gunfire and warnings, unable to contain their fear. The experience of being captured had left a deep scar on their hearts, and at this moment they had little courage left to fight.
Looking at the girls, Tianqi reached out and patted their heads, saying calmly, "Don't be afraid. I told you I would protect you. The navy outside is nothing but a bunch of ants. There's no need to be afraid of these ants!"
Hearing Tianqi's confident words, the black-haired girl's fear gradually subsided. She reached out and grabbed Tianqi's hand, completely entrusting herself to this person she was meeting for the first time.
"Hey, hey, hey, young man, now that these kids are willing to go with you, shouldn't you be thinking about how to escape? You know this place is surrounded by the Navy!" Rayleigh shouted a reminder, but he still had a grin on his face and didn't seem worried at all.
"Escape? The word 'escape' doesn't exist in my life!" Tianqi sneered, then looked at the three sisters beside him and said, "Don't be afraid, just stay close behind me, understand?"
Although they didn't know what Tianqi was up to, Tianqi was their only lifeline. Having finally escaped their slavery, they didn't want to be ended by the navy. They immediately nodded frantically to show that they understood.
"Young man, don't be impulsive. The navy outside isn't as weak or as small as you think!" Rayleigh said calmly, narrowing his eyes as he thought about what Tianqi was planning.
"Impulsive? I never fight a battle I'm not sure I can win. You guys don't have much to do with me, and I'm the one who killed the Celestial Dragons. The Navy's main target is me. I'll go out first, and with me drawing the Navy's fire, it shouldn't be a problem for you to leave!" Tianqi said calmly.
"Heh heh, that's true, but I've been annoyed with the Navy for a long time. With you leading the charge, I can teach them a lesson. How about I charge in first?" Shanks chuckled, clearly not wanting to leave just like that.
Hearing Shanks' words, Tianqi raised an eyebrow slightly. Since they wanted to get involved, Tianqi didn't care. Whether Shanks or the other two were there made no difference to him. Then, Tianqi said to the girl beside him, "Don't worry, with me here, I can definitely get you out of this place!"
After reassuring the three girls, Tianqi and his group walked out of the auction house. As soon as they came out, a large group of navy soldiers with swords and guns pointed at them. Looking up, they saw a dense mass of navy soldiers, at least several thousand in number. The sheer number of navy soldiers was incredibly intimidating.
The admiral leading the navy was a man in his thirties with glasses and a black beard. This man would later become Fleet Admiral Buddha Sengoku, but at this moment he was just an admiral.
"Pirates in front, drop your weapons and surrender now, or you will be killed on sight!" a rear admiral wearing a naval justice coat said.
Before Tianqi and the others could speak, Sengoku stopped the major Tianqi from speaking, stepped forward, fixed his gaze on Rayleigh, and said loudly, "Pluto Rayleigh, your Roger Pirate Crew' captain Gol D. Roger has been killed. You should be hiding in a corner of the world like everyone else. Do you want to make a comeback by killing Celestial Dragons today?"
"Hey, Sengoku, that's not very interesting. And don't get me wrong, your business with the Celestial Dragons has nothing to do with me. I just happened to be browsing the auction house today. The real culprit is this young man next to me. If you want trouble, go find him!" Rayleigh said with a smile, instantly betraying Tianqi.
Although Tianqi maintains the appearance of being thirty years old, in the world of Pirate King, he looks to be around twenty-five. Rayleigh calling him a young man is not wrong.
Hearing Rayleigh's words, Tianqi didn't feel anything. He knew what kind of person this Pluto Rayleigh was. Given his personality, even if something had nothing to do with him, he wouldn't sit idly by if Tian Qi were to be defeated in the end.
The three sisters, unaware of Rayleigh's character, cursed Rayleigh entire family in their hearts, even bringing up Rayleigh ancestors to hurl insults. However, despite their cursing, they were also astonished by Rayleigh's status as the vice-captain of the Pirate King. They couldn't bear to look at such a shameless old man as the second-in-command of the Pirate King's ship.
"Since this has nothing to do with you, hurry up and leave. You're no longer a pirate, and I don't want to waste time catching you. Go!" Sengoku, who knew Rayleigh's Sengoku, didn't make things difficult for Rayleigh. Instead, he turned his attention to this young man who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Actually, it wasn't that Sengoku didn't want to capture Rayleigh, but he never expected Rayleigh to be here today. Rayleigh is known as the Pluto, which means he must have killed a lot of pirates and marines in the past. Rayleigh has an astronomical bounty. If he wasn't worried about Rayleigh's strength and his side wasn't fully prepared, he would have already taken him down.