Toby

"Giant Tiger Pounce!"

Massive amounts of blood-colored energy erupted from Chen Qiang's body. Simultaneously, the blood from the guards who had just died flowed rapidly from their corpses, converging around Chen Qiang. Threads of blood then detached from the pool, weaving together in the air to form a colossal blood-red tiger.

"ROAR!"

With a thunderous bellow, the newly manifested blood-red tiger lunged from behind Chen Qiang, slamming directly into the magnificent palace ahead.

"BOOM!"

A violent impact echoed out as the palace's grand gate was smashed to pieces. Just as the giant tiger charged inward, a bright red gem shot out from the second floor of the palace, striking the tiger squarely on the head. A violent explosion dispersed the beast; had it not been for that, the entire palace might have been brought down by the tiger's charge.

"The Undying Chen Qiang, that is hardly the behavior of a guest, is it?"

After the red gem intercepted Chen Qiang's tiger, a burly man appeared at the jagged opening of the blown-out second-floor wall, looking down at Chen Qiang.

"I'm no guest, just someone who can't stand the sight of you. And what's with this outfit? You look like a dame."

Upon seeing the man on the second floor, Chen Qiang's attention was immediately captured, as he truly didn't know how to describe the man's attire.

While the man had been in the shadows, Chen Qiang could only tell he was burly and wearing a suit. It was only after he stepped fully into the light that Chen Qiang saw the details.

The man's suit was divided into a grid of squares, and every single square contained a sparkling, glittering gem. It looked incredibly gaudy. Add to that the gem-encrusted rings on his fingers, plus the mountain of jewelry hanging from his ears and neck!

This was why Chen Qiang was so shocked by the man's equipment; he wasn't really wearing clothes so much as he was wearing a suit made of gems.

"I am Toby, the master of Copperfield. The Undying Chen Qiang, have you considered the price you will pay for causing trouble on my turf?"

Clearly, Toby had heard Chen Qiang's earlier remark, and the smile that had been on his face vanished, replaced by a dark scowl.

"So this city is called Copperfield? I just found out myself. Doesn't matter, though—it's destined to vanish from this world anyway, so what it's called is irrelevant!"

Chen Qiang didn't care about the man's attitude at all; instead, he retorted with a mocking smile. While speaking, he used their connection to notify Lin behind him, telling her to seize the chance while he fought Toby to enter the palace, find the people from the Defu Slave Ship, and interrogate them about the whereabouts of the villagers.

Since they had signed a Symbiotic Contract, a single glance from Chen Qiang was enough for Lin to understand his intent. As Chen Qiang turned away, Lin nodded, preparing herself to charge in at any moment.

"You want to destroy this place? That depends on whether you have the ability to do so!"

As the ruler of this city, Toby could not tolerate someone more arrogant than himself. Without hesitation, he launched an attack against Chen Qiang.

"Poison Gem!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Deep green gems shot from Toby's hands, flying rapidly toward Chen Qiang. Before Chen Qiang could even move, the gems detonated in front of him, releasing a lethal cloud of toxic gas that quickly enveloped him.

"Tiger Roar!"

"ROAR!"

Chen Qiang moved swiftly. Just as the toxic gas was about to consume him, a blood-red tiger head manifested, shielding both him and Lin while letting out a roar toward the sky.

As the saying goes, clouds follow the dragon and wind follows the tiger. As the giant tiger roared, a violent gale rose around Chen Qiang, rapidly blowing the surrounding poison gas up toward the ceiling of the cavern.

"Now, go!"

After clearing the gas, Chen Qiang gave a low shout to alert Lin, then gripped his long blade and charged straight at Toby.

Hearing Chen Qiang's command, Lin didn't hesitate for a second. She vanished from her spot and dashed toward the breach Chen Qiang had created, charging into the palace.

"Hmph! A mere parlor trick! You lot, go catch that little girl; leave him to me!" A massive red gem appeared, blocking Chen Qiang's charge. At the same time, Toby noticed Lin entering the palace and ordered his subordinates.

"Yes!"

The subordinates acknowledged the order and quickly departed, chasing after Lin as she entered the palace.

"Explosive Gem!"

Ignoring his subordinates, Toby kicked the gem in front of him. Chen Qiang, who hadn't reacted in time and was preparing to cleave the gem in two, found himself in intimate contact with the massive red stone.

"BOOM!"

The moment they made contact, the entire gem detonated with a violent blast, sending Chen Qiang crashing back to the ground. The new clothes he had just changed into on the slave ship were shredded into ribbons.

Fortunately, Chen Qiang reacted quickly, shielding his trousers at the moment of the explosion, or he would have been left completely naked.

"Why is the clothing in this world so flimsy? I never saw them destroying their outfits every five seconds when I watched anime! How come it's different for me? What a rip-off!"

Chen Qiang grumbled as he tore off the shredded remains of his clothes and tossed them aside, then charged at Toby once more.

While Chen Qiang was battling Toby, not far from the slave market, a man in a black trench coat opened an inconspicuous door and stepped inside.

"Chief of Staff, it has been confirmed. The previous noise was caused by The Undying Chen Qiang fighting Toby."

After entering, the man in black reported to a figure sitting in the main seat—a man dressed in noble attire, wearing a gentleman's hat, with a burn scar visible on his face.

If Chen Qiang were here, he would have recognized this man in an instant: he was Sabo, the other brother of Luffy and Ace.

"The Undying Chen Qiang? How did he end up here?"

Upon hearing the report, Sabo looked surprised. He immediately stood up, his expression turning anxious.

"No, I have to go save him. I can't let him fall into Toby's hands."