An Exorbitant Demand

"Ambush is not a good habit, Mr. Kizaru." Nangong Yan's voice emerged from the smoke and flames, strong and steady.

"How strange. You took one of my laser beams and you're completely fine. You really do have some skills, brother." As golden particles gathered together, the future Marine Admiral, currently a Marine Vice Admiral, appeared, speaking in that infuriatingly lazy, drawn-out tone.

The two following behind him appeared at Kizaru's side as well. One was a middle-aged man wearing frog-eyed glasses, with his beard braided into twists and a Justice cape draped over his shoulders. He was the current Marine Admiral and future Fleet Admiral, Sengoku the Buddha!

The other was an old acquaintance of Nangong Yan's. They had met not long ago, and it was because of him that Nangong Yan had abandoned the idea of joining the Marines. It was Akainu.

As the two appeared, the smoke and flames gradually dispersed, revealing Nangong Yan's figure. Although he already knew the identity of the Dragon Person he had kidnapped, the moment Akainu saw Nangong Yan and Evilbane at his side, his face darkened like ink, as though it would drip black at any moment. His entire body looked like a volcano on the verge of erupting.

A spatial vortex appeared once more. The rapidly spinning vortex spat out the Dragon Person, and Nangong Yan grabbed the terrified man, smiling apologetically. "Sorry about that. That Marine in the yellow-striped suit ambushed me just now. If you want to blame someone, blame him."

The instant he finished speaking, before the Dragon Person could react, Nangong Yan placed one hand on his right shoulder and unleashed his strength. With a crack, accompanied by a shrill scream, the Dragon Person's right arm was dislocated in an instant.

How could a Dragon Person who had always lived in luxury ever have experienced such pain? Tears and snot immediately streamed down his face as his entire body trembled. His narrow eyes glared resentfully at Kizaru, apparently blaming him for everything.

Uh... Seeing the Dragon Person's reaction, Kizaru's heart skipped a beat, and he wisely decided to keep his mouth shut.

After giving Nangong Yan a long look, Sengoku the Buddha said, "Release him, and we can let you leave the Sabaody Archipelago safely."

"Hahahaha..." Nangong Yan immediately burst out laughing. His wild laughter made the Marines and government officials around them frown.

"What are you laughing at?" Sengoku pushed up his glasses and frowned.

"I'm laughing at you. You're supposed to be called the Resourceful General, yet do you really think I went to such lengths and took such enormous risks to kidnap a Dragon Person just so I could leave safely?"

"You think far too little of my ambition and vision." Nangong Yan stopped laughing, utterly disdainful of Sengoku's proposal.

"Hmph. Then what do you want?" Sengoku the Buddha snorted.

"Can you make the decision?" Nangong Yan swept his gaze over the three of them with amusement.

"The three of us were sent by the Marines and the World Government to handle this matter. Naturally, we have the authority to make decisions."

"Heh, is that so? Then I'll state my terms. If you can't decide, hurry up and consult your superiors. Otherwise, this guy has only one road left: death!" Nangong Yan sneered and stated his demands.

"I want one billion Beli, the best cultivation methods for Observation Haki and Armament Haki, one of the Supreme Grade Blades, Seastone, and documents on the technology to make objects consume Devil Fruits!"

Everyone around them stared at Nangong Yan in dumbfounded shock, seemingly stunned by his enormous appetite.

"Impossible! You're asking for too much!" Sengoku instinctively objected upon hearing Nangong Yan's demands. This was a negotiation, after all. Naturally, there had to be bargaining.

Unfortunately, Nangong Yan never played by the rules and had no habit of haggling. Hearing Sengoku's straightforward refusal, he sneered and lifted the Dragon Person higher. "You're supposed to be descendants of the Creator, aren't you? Look at this. Even the Marines, the World Government's dogs, aren't willing to part with such worldly possessions for you."

"The World Government is the lapdog of you Dragon People. Now even the lapdogs' lapdogs dare to show you Dragon People such disrespect. How tragic!"

"In that case, there's no need to continue these negotiations. I'll execute this descendant of the Creator!"

"Trading one life for one life before I die isn't a loss for me. After all, he's a descendant of the Creator, a World Noble!"

As he spoke, Nangong Yan began to act. He held the Dragon Person by the neck with his right hand and extended the middle finger of his left hand. The entire finger burned with pale Solar True Flame, radiating a terrifying heat. The moment it neared the Dragon Person, his hair began to dry out and curl.

Nangong Yan gave a sinister smile. "Hehe, don't be afraid. It won't hurt too much. It'll feel like someone is shoving a red-hot iron rod into your brain. It might even feel rather refreshing."

The Dragon Person struggled violently. Seeing that the three men still had not agreed to Nangong Yan's terms, he began cursing loudly. "Bastards! Agree to his demands now! I don't want to die! If I die, my family won't let any of you off! The three of you, and your families, will all be buried with me!"

The three men's expressions became exceedingly ugly. In the end, Sengoku let out a deep sigh, looked at Nangong Yan, who was placing overwhelming pressure on the Dragon Person's life and death, and said, "Fine. The three of us agree to your demands, but our agreement means little. We need to seek approval from the government's higher-ups."

"I'm a reasonable person. I know you three can't make the decision, so I'll generously give you fifteen minutes."

"Within fifteen minutes, I hope to hear the answer I want. Otherwise, we'll all perish together! Oh, and remove the barrier covering the Sabaody Archipelago."

"Seeing those things puts me in a bad mood. When I'm in a bad mood, my hands tend to move around. And when they do, I can't control my strength. If this guy loses an arm or a leg later, don't blame me for not warning you."

Nangong Yan's Mangekyo Sharingan caught sight of a colorless, transparent barrier spread through the sky. If not for the Mangekyo Sharingan's sensitivity to energy, it truly would have been difficult to notice.

Although an expert from the World Government had used a Devil Fruit related to barriers to seal off the entire Sabaody Archipelago, it could not truly do anything to Nangong Yan. At worst, he could hide in the Mangekyo Sharingan's alternate space and wait for the Marines and World Government personnel to leave.

However, in order to leave this troublesome place, the Sabaody Archipelago, as quickly as possible, Nangong Yan naturally did not mind threatening the World Government once more.

After this incident, if his guess was correct, the World Government would use him as an example to deter others. Even if they could not do anything to him for now, they would issue an enormous bounty and hunt him across the world, using others to kill him.

If an opportunity ever arose to kick him while he was down, Nangong Yan had no doubt that the Marines and World Government would ruthlessly strike at him.

Nangong Yan's words made every Marine and government official look extremely grim, but because of the Dragon Person, they had no choice but to comply with his demands. The rage in their hearts was almost enough to make them explode.

Nangong Yan brought the Dragon Person back to the top floor of the government building using Geppo. He activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. On the surface, his body stood atop the building, but in reality, it was inside an alternate space.

Nangong Yan held Evilbane against the Dragon Person's neck with his right hand, preventing anyone from acting rashly, while his left hand held a bottle of red wine that he drank from heartily.

After this, I should become famous across the seas. Of course, there will also be plenty of people who want my life, and the World Government's bounty probably won't be small.

But it will all be worth it. Money, cultivation methods, a top-tier Supreme Grade Blade, and a technology I value greatly—what are a few risks? Wealth is sought amid danger. Fighting and killing are the fastest ways to increase one's strength!

Nangong Yan drank atop the building, high above the world and alone in the cold. Fifteen minutes later, Sengoku returned on time with Akainu and Kizaru.

It seemed that the Dragon Person's threats had made the three of them deeply wary. After all, Dragon People held an exceptionally special status in this world.

Other than fools like Luffy and people like Nangong Yan, who had grown up in the new century and held so-called nobles in utter contempt, no one really dared provoke Dragon People.

The legendary pirates of the New World naturally had the qualifications to provoke Dragon People, but they would not do so casually either.

Only Nangong Yan, relying on Kamui's absurd ability, dared to boldly kidnap a Dragon Person while possessing merely the strength of a Marine Rear Admiral.

"Put the items on the ground. Let me warn you first: if you dare try to fool me with fakes, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

"There's still time to take them back. Once I discover they're fake, hehe, I'm afraid Dragon People will need to be more careful when they leave Mary Geoise to travel in the future."

"You'll need to assign every Dragon Person at least a Marine Vice Admiral-level bodyguard. And as my strength grows, the strength of those bodyguards will have to grow as well. Otherwise, they won't be able to protect the Dragon People."

"You should already know about my ability. With my spatial powers, you won't find it so easy to catch me!"

"Lord Dragon Person, if they dare fool me, I'm afraid you'll need to be more careful in the future."

Nangong Yan spoke with a smiling face, but his words made the Marines and World Government personnel nearly explode on the spot. The Dragon Person, already scared out of his wits, broke out in a cold sweat.

"Don't you dare fool him! Once I regain my freedom, I'll mobilize my family's power and make you pay!" the Dragon Person shouted when he saw Sengoku and the others.

The expressions of Sengoku and the others were extremely ugly. Even Kizaru, who was usually smiling and lazy, had a dark look on his face.

Sengoku took the items and used Soru to leave quickly. A minute later, he returned and placed everything on the ground.

Nangong Yan activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. The mysterious, sinister triangular sickle patterns spun rapidly as powerful ocular force surged forth. A spatial vortex appeared again, swallowing all the items on the ground into the alternate space.