"It's not like that. Ordinary contracts don't need this, of course. As long as I'm stronger than the other person and make physical contact with them, I can force them into a Substitute Contract. But the Symbiotic Contract is different. Since both parties have to give something to each other, they both have to accept it. That's why there's a ceremony!"
"Is that so? That's really amazing!"
Hearing Lin's explanation made Chen Qiang even more impressed by the strange powers of her Devil Fruit.
"By the way, try sensing it. Have you gained any of my abilities?" After marveling at the ceremony, Chen Qiang remembered that his abilities had been given to him when he crossed over. He wondered whether Lin could use them through the contract.
"Okay!"
At Chen Qiang's words, Lin didn't hesitate. She closed her eyes and began to sense the abilities he had passed on to her.
"That's incredible! But why can't I sense the super-fast regeneration you mentioned? You weren't lying to me, were you?"
Lin first sensed the power she had received from Chen Qiang. She hadn't gained all of it, but she had acquired about a third. Even that fraction made her feel as though her once-weak body had become more than ten times stronger, which left her amazed.
But after that, she kept sensing for a while and still couldn't detect the super-fast regeneration Chen Qiang had described. Her amazement turned to suspicion.
"Why would I lie to you? I wouldn't joke about my own life. Maybe my ability is unusual, so your Devil Fruit power can't copy it. Don't believe me? Look!"
To prove he was telling the truth, Chen Qiang viciously tore off one of his fingers and threw it aside. The moment it landed, a new finger quickly grew from the hand he had just mutilated.
"That's amazing!"
When Chen Qiang had suddenly ripped off his own finger, Lin had been about to call him a freak. But then she saw it grow back, and her astonishment only deepened. The word on her lips changed from "freak" to "amazing."
"So you can relax now. If you get hurt later, just transfer the injuries to me. I'll be fine, no matter what."
Chen Qiang merely smiled at Lin's astonishment, then reminded her again.
"Mm-hmm!"
Now Lin was confident that Chen Qiang could help her rescue her fellow villagers. He had already shown her his powerful healing ability. With such strength and regeneration, he was sure to save them.
"Let's go!"
Seeing Lin's happy expression, Chen Qiang didn't tell her about the powerful enemy inside the palace. He knew his own weakness, and the captain of the Defu Slave Group knew it too. That meant the Marines must have written something about it on his wanted poster, so anyone who knew about him probably knew his weakness and would exploit it.
Of course, that was only Chen Qiang's guess. It wasn't necessarily true. Besides, they had already come this far, so they had to keep going.
Without hesitation, Chen Qiang reminded Lin once more, then led her out of the alley.
"Clatter!"
Back at the entrance, Chen Qiang said nothing. He shook the chains off his body and sent them shooting toward one of the guards at the gate. He yanked the man toward him, snapped his neck before he could react, then took the sword from his waist.
"Who's there? How dare you cause trouble here?"
Chen Qiang moved so quickly that the other guards didn't react until he had already taken the sword from the dead man.
By the time they realized what was happening, Chen Qiang had drawn the long blade. Blood-colored energy covered his body as he swung at the palace gates.
"Tiger Roar!"
"Roar!"
A gigantic blood-red tiger's head appeared before Chen Qiang and let out a mighty roar toward the gates. As the guards heard it, countless crimson wind blades burst from the tiger's mouth, engulfing them all.
"Ahhh!" "Ahhh!" "Ahhh!"
The wind blades tore through their bodies, leaving countless wounds. Blood poured from them as the guards managed only a few shrill screams before collapsing to the ground.
"There really was an ambush!"
After taking out all the guards with one move, Chen Qiang didn't rush into the palace. Instead, he quickly searched the first guard he had killed. Before long, he found a gas mask on the man, confirming that the palace was hiding an ambush prepared specifically for him.
"Put this on!"
Lin was clearly unaccustomed to Chen Qiang's approach of starting a fight the moment they reached the entrance. She was still dazed when he handed her the gas mask. She took it absentmindedly and obediently put it on.
"You mean this place is a trap set to capture us?"
Once she had put on the mask, Lin finally reacted. With her vision obstructed, she turned to Chen Qiang and asked in confusion.
"Yeah. When I came here earlier, I sensed a powerful presence inside. So I guessed the person who brought us here had been arranged by someone in advance, with the goal of luring us here and capturing us!"
"And the only way to capture me is to poison me. So when I found gas masks on the guards just now, that confirmed my suspicions."
As he answered Lin, Chen Qiang searched another guard.
"Then should we go inside now?" Lin asked again after seeing Chen Qiang find another gas mask on a guard and put it on.
"No. Now that I know there's a trap inside, why would I walk right into it?"
"Then why are we wearing these? And if we don't go inside, how are we going to find the villagers?"
"Just in case. As for finding your people, once I start fighting them and wreck their setup, you can go inside and look for the people you're searching for."
"What do we do now?"
"Just watch."
During their brief conversation, Chen Qiang had returned to where he had been standing earlier. He crouched into a horse stance, holding the long blade horizontally in front of him.
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