What Marine Says They're Going to Kill Celestial Dragons?

Having finally stepped away from the world, he truly did not want that. Besides, he wanted to see what kind of person Roger had been waiting for.

Rayleigh immediately laughed. "Oh? So I let you borrow a different kind of Marine?"

"Hey, I told you, I'm a Marine now. That might not be the case in the future."

Facing this question again, Rayleigh grew curious. "What do you mean by that?"

"Why wouldn't you be one in the future?"

Mu Chen did not hide anything from Rayleigh's question. "My rank is still low. I was only just promoted to colonel, so for now, I'm just training and catching pirates. What else could I do?"

"If I become a vice admiral or an admiral someday, it'll be different."

"Oh? You're quite confident, kid."

"An admiral?"

Mu Chen's words were simply outrageous. Was becoming an admiral really that easy?

Still, Rayleigh had some understanding of Mu Chen's strength.

And there was Mu Chen's pair of blood-red eyes. Rayleigh always felt that those eyes were incredibly powerful.

But Mu Chen was not simply boasting. First, he had the system, so becoming stronger was only a matter of time. Second, he had a pretty good relationship with Garp and Zefa. He would inevitably receive special treatment in the future, so becoming an admiral was not impossible.

"But I'm rather curious. If you become an admiral, how would things be different?"

Hearing Rayleigh say that, Mu Chen gave a bitter smile and spoke indifferently. "At that level, I'll inevitably have dealings with the Celestial Dragons. I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from killing a couple of them."

The moment Mu Chen said that, Shanks and Buggy, who had just been watching the show, were utterly stunned. Their eyes widened like lightbulbs, and their mouths hung open wide enough to fit a ball inside.

Once he reached the rank of admiral, his strength would certainly be among the very best. Mu Chen would probably become even more uninhibited. If any Celestial Dragons got in his way or interrupted his slacking, he genuinely would not mind killing one or two.

"Do you know what you're saying?"

Rayleigh had never expected the young man before him to be so bold. What kind of outrageous words were those? He could talk about killing Celestial Dragons without even changing expression. It was simply shocking.

"Enough, Rayleigh. You've all been to Laugh Tale. Don't make such a big fuss."

Faced with Mu Chen's unpredictability and casual manner, Rayleigh did not know what to say.

Only they knew Laugh Tale's secret, and they had sworn never to reveal it. That secret was indeed connected to the Celestial Dragons. But Mu Chen's words made Rayleigh suspect that Mu Chen might also know Laugh Tale's secret.

"Could it be..." Rayleigh asked suspiciously.

"Don't overthink it. I don't know Laugh Tale's secret."

What exactly Laugh Tale hid remained a mystery to this day. After all, the manga still had not ended.

Mu Chen merely guessed that the secret had to be related to the vanished hundred years and the Celestial Dragons.

Rayleigh opened his mouth, wanting to say something else.

"Enough, stop guessing. It's getting late. I need to return to Marineford. I snuck out this time to slack off."

"Slack off?"

Rayleigh did not understand the term, but he understood that Mu Chen had snuck out.

Mu Chen did not care what Rayleigh and the others thought or what expressions they wore. Given the situation, they probably would not fight.

"All right, Uncle Rayleigh, I'm leaving. I'll come chat with you next time I'm slacking off."

Mu Chen spoke calmly as he prepared to leave, casually undoing the ropes binding Shanks and Buggy.

"If you two are going to sea as pirates, remember not to kill civilians like everyone else. Otherwise, I really will arrest you."

Though Mu Chen said that, if they were to be arrested, it probably would not be by him.

Shanks and Buggy no longer knew what to say. They had never seen a Marine like this. What pirate did not kill civilians? He trusted them that much?

Just as Mu Chen was about to leave, Rayleigh called out to him. "Kid, I'm planning to open a bar in Area 13. Come find me when you have time. Oh, right—what's your name?"

"Mu Chen."

With that, Mu Chen left without looking back.

The quiet alley now held only Rayleigh, Shanks, and Buggy.

"Vice Captain Rayleigh, you're just letting that Marine leave? Won't he call in the main force to kill us?"

"And you even told him where you'll be?"

Buggy was still terrified. He did not trust any Marine at all, especially one who had just beaten them up. "It's fine. He won't."

"All right, work hard from now on and sail the seas. I'm retired. I don't want to get involved in anything anymore."

Rayleigh watched Mu Chen's retreating figure, growing increasingly interested in the young man. He had never seen a Marine like him. If Mu Chen had deliberately approached them, Rayleigh would not believe it. What Marine would be bold enough to say he wanted to kill Celestial Dragons? Whether it was true or not, as long as word got out, Mu Chen would die regardless of whether he was still a Marine.

Yet Mu Chen had said it to him so openly. Clearly, Mu Chen had something on him.

After saying that, Rayleigh left.

"Vice Captain Rayleigh, don't go! We finally got to meet you."

Shanks wanted to keep Rayleigh around, but Rayleigh had already vanished without a trace.

"Forget it, Shanks. The Sabaody Archipelago isn't safe. I'm leaving. I don't trust that Marine."

Buggy did not waste another word and immediately slipped away.

Shanks was still recalling the battle from earlier, as well as Mu Chen's words. He had wanted to ask Buggy what Mu Chen had done to him, especially about Mu Chen's eyes. He was very curious, but Buggy had already left, so he let it go.

"Mu Chen, I'll remember that. Next time, I won't lose."

At dusk, Mu Chen was already waiting on the warship's deck for Jia Ji. He had gained quite a lot today—nearly five hours of slacking had earned him 1,800 Slacking Points. Earning Slacking Points this way felt amazing. He had to do it again next time.

But the most unexpected thing was running into Shanks, Buggy, and Rayleigh.