Mind Reading? Is That Possible?!

"In other words, from the very beginning, Doflamingo had already predicted that we would come to Dressrosa," Franky said, stroking his chin.

At least that's the case based on the information this man provided.

"Even if we didn't come, Ace and the others would have," Xi Yan said. "So no matter which group gets tricked in, Doflamingo won't lose out."

Whether it's capturing the Straw Hat Pirates or the Spade Pirates, it would be a huge win for Doflamingo.

'I wonder if our Straw Hat Pirates can get Doflamingo back his title of Shichibukai,' Xi Yan thought to himself.

Based on their value, they should be about the same.

"Should we still go?" Merry asked worriedly.

Judging from the current situation, the enemy may have already prepared for their capture.

"Why not go?" Xi Yan said, "Don't forget why we came here."

"Besides..."

At this point, Xi Yan paused, then pointed to Luffy, who was looking eager, and continued, "Do you think this guy will give up?"

Luffy is no pushover, so he doesn't think the other side will give up on going to the Colosseum.

Upon hearing this, Merry glanced at Luffy, then fell silent.

What Xi Yan said seems to make sense; Luffy does indeed want to go.

"When are we going?" Luffy asked.

"Luffy," Merry said, "Aren't you afraid?"

"This time it's a trap."

"Afraid?"

Luffy looked at Merry with a puzzled expression and said, "Aren't we determined to steal the Diamond Fruit? Why are we afraid?"

This was confirmed from the beginning, so why be afraid?

That's true, but...

"Okay, we're here."

Xi Yan smiled and ruffled Merry's hair, indicating that she shouldn't worry about such things.

Seeing that Xi Yan had already said so, Merry didn't say anything more.

"So when do we set off?" Luffy asked again.

"Wait, I still have questions to ask," Xi Yan said, rolling his eyes.

Why is this guy always so impatient?

After silently muttering a helpless complaint to himself, Xi Yan turned to the man in charge and asked, "Tell me, why aren't you afraid of the Navy?"

"I remember there was a news article this morning about Doflamingo resigning from his position Shichibukai."

"Didn't you read the newspaper?"

"No, I did read the newspaper," the man in charge said. "I was quite scared at the time, after all, without the title of Shichibukai, we would become the enemy of the Navy."

"But the people above said we didn't need to worry about such things, that we didn't need to be afraid of the navy, that they wouldn't arrest us, so I stopped being afraid."

Although they didn't know what was going on, since it was the young master's order, they, as his underlings, had no choice but to obey.

As for the navy?

Anyway, the navy didn't lay a hand on them, so there's really nothing to worry about.

"It seems this is indeed similar to what Xi Yan thought," Franky frowned. "The Navy has indeed reached an agreement with Doflamingo."

Otherwise, the Navy would have no reason not to take action against someone who has lost his title of Shichibukai.

"Hmph, that despicable Doflamingo!"

Luffy showed his displeasure, clearly hating people who schemed against his brother.

If he had the chance, he would definitely beat that bastard to a pulp!

"What do we do now?" Merry asked. "Are we still going?"

"Of course I'll go."

Franky said, "It's quite convenient for us to get things done now that we're hiding in the shadows."

Since they haven't been exposed yet, the plan can still proceed.

Then, he looked at Xi Yan and continued, "Xi Yan, you..."

He realized something was wrong before he could finish speaking; Xi Yan's expression looked strange.

"What's wrong with you?"

"That navy officer may have already spotted us," Xi Yan said.

"Ha?"

"How is this possible!"

Franky retorted, "According to you, that man is Marine Admiral."

"If he really discovered us, wouldn't he take action?"

Although he had never fought Marine Admiral, he knew what kind of monster such an existence was, so why wouldn't the other party make a move?

That's clearly unreasonable.

"Then why did he say those things when he left?" Xi Yan countered.

Franky paused for a moment, then fell silent.

Yes, if the other party hadn't discovered their identities, why would they have said those things?

"Is it possible that he just thinks we're ordinary pirates?" Merry asked innocently.

"So here's the question: if we don't know who we are, how would we know we're pirates?" Xi Yan asked again.

Merry opened her mouth, but for a moment she didn't know how to refute the question.

Yes, if we don't know who they are, how can we be sure they're pirates?

It can't be that they have the air of pirates.

This thing is ridiculous, it's completely unreliable.

"So, that Marine Admiral knew we were the Straw Hat Pirates?" Franky asked in surprise. "How did he figure that out?"

"I don't know about that," Xi Yan said. "Perhaps he has some special ability."

"For example, Observation Haki, which possesses special abilities."

"A special Observation Haki?"

Luffy initially looked surprised, but after realizing that the other party might be Marine Admiral, he felt relieved.

Yes, if the other party is truly Admiral- level figure, then it's quite normal for them to possess special Observation Haki.

I just don't know what kind of Observation Haki the other party possesses.

As Luffy pondered, he remembered what Rayleigh had told him before, and he fell into deep thought.

"What is this special Observation Haki?" Franky asked, puzzled.

"You know that Observation Haki can sense presence, right?" Xi Yan said.

"Know."

"That's good."

Xi Yan nodded, then explained, "Some people's Observation Haki possesses very special abilities."

"For example, being able to foresee the near future, having an extremely wide range of perception, or possessing the ability to read minds, etc."

"No, wait a minute!"

Franky looked at Xi Yan in shock and said, "Are you sure someone can read minds?"

"At least that's what Uncle Rayleigh said back then," Xi Yan shrugged.

He was also very curious about this matter at the time, but the other party did not go into details, only saying that there was once a person known as the Red Count.

This person possesses Observation Haki allows them to hear people's thoughts!

The other party did not provide any further details.

Xi Yan thought the other party might not know much and couldn't explain in detail, so he didn't ask any further questions.

"Uncle Rayleigh said it, then it seems to be true."

Franky, realizing the other party's identity, immediately believed Xi Yan's words. He then showed a wistful expression and continued, "I never imagined that such Observation Haki actually existed in this world."

That's truly astonishing.

"This sea is vast," Xi Yan said, "So it's not surprising that there are people like this here."

"Did that person hear our thoughts just now?"

"I don't know about that," Xi Yan shook his head and said, "But I'm more inclined to believe that the other party used some special method to detect something."

"Special methods..."

Franky recalled the Devil Fruit ability the other party had previously displayed and said, "The power of the Press-Press Fruit, perhaps?"

"It's hard to say."

After recalling the scene of their previous encounter, Xi Yan said, "However, under normal circumstances, the Press-Press Fruit shouldn't possess such power."

After all, the Press-Press Fruit is for manipulating gravity, so it shouldn't have this kind of reconnaissance ability.

However, considering the concept of Devil Fruit Awakening, Xi Yan became somewhat unsure.

"Then how did he recognize us?" Franky asked, puzzled.

Xi Yan shook his head; he couldn't figure it out either.

"Could it be that our physical characteristics gave us away?"

Merry raised her head and said, "Like Zoro's Swords."

"Zoro's Swords?"

"Yes," Merry nodded, "There are probably very few people besides Zoro who would come to Dressrosa at this time with three swords hanging from their waist."

Upon hearing this, Xi Yan's lips twitched; he hadn't really thought of that.

Franky stared at Merry, somewhat dumbfounded. Could it be that they had overthought things?

But... upon closer examination, it doesn't make no mistake!

Although they had disguised themselves, Zoro still had three swords, so there was still a possibility that they could be discovered.

Furthermore, Doflamingo and the Navy had exchanged intelligence before... It all makes sense now!

However, after figuring it out, Franky actually breathed a sigh of relief.

"Actually, this is for the best."

Franky said, "At least we can be sure he doesn't have Mind Reading, so our plan won't be exposed."

"It's hard to say," Xi Yan frowned. "Who knows if he'll deliberately pretend he doesn't know?"

Although Merry said made sense, they couldn't confirm whether Fujitora's Observation Haki had any special abilities, so they couldn't draw a conclusion.

"What you're saying is really demoralizing," Franky, sounding a bit annoyed.

This would give him the feeling that he has no secrets at all.

This is really upsetting!

"So you were discouraged?" Xi Yan asked rhetorically.

No, not at all.

"What about the others?"

Franky blinked upon hearing this. He glanced at Luffy, then at Merry, and seeing that neither of their expressions had changed much, he shrugged and said, "Well, they weren't really affected."

"That settles it."

Xi Yan rolled his eyes and said, "Besides, we can't abandon this plan just because of this."

"Don't forget that Robin and Usopp have already set off."

Abandoning the plan at this point would put Robin and the others in danger, which was not something he wanted to see.

Moreover, they wouldn't give up the Diamond Fruit, so they had no choice but to continue with this plan.

"Then let's continue," Franky said.

Ultimately, they couldn't be sure whether the Marine Admiral possessed the ability to read minds, so they still had to continue with this plan.

As for the fact that the other party recognized them...

Just like Xi Yan said, does recognizing it mean we shouldn't do it?

So there's no point in worrying about this, let's just continue with the plan.

"But he is still a potential threat," Merry said worriedly.

It's not a good thing for the Navy to know your identity.

"I know, but don't worry too much. At worst, I'll reveal my identity and lead you out," Xi Yan said.

Although the other party was Marine Admiral, he wasn't afraid at all, after all... he was genuinely unafraid of Admiral.

Therefore, this plan should still be carried out.

After Xi Yan said all that, Merry gradually relaxed.

Yes, with Xi Yan's strength, she really doesn't need to be afraid of Marine Admiral, so she doesn't have much to worry about.

Franky chuckled, "That's true, then there's no need to worry about that guy."

"Besides... the other party may not actually possess the ability to read minds."

This time, the others didn't object; instead, they nodded in agreement.

However, a new thought arose in Xi Yan's mind, and that was...

'If the other party really has the ability to read minds, then they will be able to tell who I am,' Xi Yan thought to himself.

At that point, the other side might call for reinforcements.

But it doesn't matter, even if the other side wants to call in reinforcements, they can't possibly gather enough Admiral and combat power in a short period of time.

Their operation will only take a few hours, so there's not much to worry about.

Of course, it's also possible that Kizaru, the Admiral with the fastest support speed, might arrive here first.

But once the other side arrives, Xi Yan will be able to confirm that the Navy has discovered he is still alive, and he will immediately lead his companions away from here.

Thinking this through, Xi Yan nodded, confirming his idea once again.

"What should we do with this guy?" Franky asked, pointing to the man in charge.

"Needless to say, of course we took them down," Xi Yan said without hesitation.

Once the other party knows who he is, he must be silenced.

Afterwards, Xi Yan pondered whether there was anything he had overlooked.

After confirming that there were no questions left unanswered, they used Earth Release Technique is a technique used in Chinese fantasy novels) to sink the man in charge underground, burying him completely.

After finishing this task, Xi Yan clapped his hands and said, "Alright, problem solved."

"Let's go then," Luffy said. "I can't wait to participate in that duel!"

I just don't know what that duel tournament is like, or how many strong people there are.

"I think it's best to let Xi Yan go alone," Franky said. "How about that..."

"Don't want!"

Luffy replied without hesitation, "I want to participate too!"

Franky:...

Seeing Luffy's stubborn expression, Franky was at a loss for words.

How could that captain be so willful and despicable!

"Don't worry, even if they know Luffy to the Fighting Arena, they won't make a move beforehand," Xi Yan said. "At least not before Law and Doflamingo made their deal."

After speaking, Xi Yan paused for a moment, then continued, "Moreover... with us at the Colosseum, we can attract the Donquixote Family's attention to the greatest extent possible."

"You're participating too?"

"Of course," Xi Yan said matter-of-factly. "If I'm not watching him, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause, so it's better if we go together."

Luffy is such a jerk, there's a high chance he'll cause trouble there alone, so it's better if the two of them go together.

This would also be a good opportunity for him to search around there and see if he could find the whereabouts of the Diamond Fruit.

If we can find it, we will have achieved one of our goals.