Mu Chen, you were right. Those eyes were beautiful and unusual—rare, even. That in itself was nothing, but hardly anyone had even heard of the Genjutsu those eyes possessed, let alone seen it. That was the problem.
At this point, Mu Chen grew a little nervous and clenched his fists slightly, feeling that something was wrong.
With such rare eyes and Genjutsu to go with them, many people might set their sights on him—or even study him. Including...
Zefa frowned deeply and pointed upward with a finger. Mu Chen understood instantly. "Teacher Zefa, you mean the Celestial Dragons? My abilities are rather special, so it's very likely I'd be targeted. The best-case scenario wouldn't be becoming a slave, but being recruited into Cipher Pol. But would that really be any different from slavery?"
It seemed Mu Chen had been thinking too simply. He had never considered such things before, but now that he thought about it, wasn't that just how the Celestial Dragons were? Whenever they saw something rare or valuable, they would seize it. Not only did they enjoy enslaving all kinds of races, they would even dissect them for research.
That immediately made Mu Chen think of Yan Zaijing. The Marines could protect him, but if his rank was not high enough, it would still be difficult to handle matters properly.
"Teacher Zefa, I understand. I'll have to be more careful from now on. Before I become a Vice Admiral, it's best not to use Genjutsu in front of others."
Just as Teacher Zefa had said, the most likely outcome for someone with Genjutsu would not be having their eyes dug out, but being sent to Cipher Pol. It was an espionage organization; using Genjutsu to interrogate prisoners would be effortless. If they later found him useless, they might dig out his eyes for collection or research. The applications of Genjutsu were far too broad.
Forget it. Mu Chen did not want to think too much about it. Those were matters for the future. Besides, if the Celestial Dragons really came for him, he would just fight them.
Days passed. Ever since Mu Chen got Kuzan's warship, he had been going to the Sabaody Archipelago every few days to slack off. His Slacking Points rose rapidly, reaching over forty thousand in just a few days.
Not only that, Mu Chen had also learned Geppo during this period.
Geppo was an excellent skill. It truly would not do to be unable to use it.
"Mu Chen, you brat, you're here!"
At that moment, Mu Chen appeared in a bar near Area 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago, and the person calling out to him was Silvers Rayleigh.
Mu Chen acted as though he were one of their own, found a recliner, and lay down in it.
"I haven't been here in days. I came to slack off at your place."
"Sister Shakky, one drink, please."
Mu Chen lazily called out to the beautiful short-haired woman smoking nearby.
Coincidentally, when he had come to find Rayleigh a few days earlier, he discovered that Rayleigh and Shakky had long since gotten together. Speaking of retirement, Shakky had retired even earlier than Rayleigh. And her identity was far from simple: she was the former former empress of Amazon Lily and the former captain of the Kuja Pirates. She was a major figure in her own right.
"Mu Chen, you really don't treat yourself like an outsider. Aren't you a Marine?"
Rayleigh was somewhat helpless at Mu Chen's attitude. Mu Chen was a Marine, while they were pirates. How had they really ended up getting along?
"Mu Chen, don't listen to Rayleigh. I think Sister Shakky likes this Marine little brother of ours quite a bit."
Rolling his eyes, Mu Chen said, "Sister Shakky treats me much better than Rayleigh does. Unlike Uncle Rayleigh, who acts like it'll kill him if I lie on his recliner. You brat, you call me Uncle but call Shakky Sister. Aren't you embarrassed?"
Rayleigh no longer knew what to say to Mu Chen. Mu Chen was like a shameless, sticky plaster—every time he came, he had to lie on Rayleigh's recliner. He called Rayleigh Uncle but called Shakky Sister. Even if he was playing favorites, wasn't this too much? Could you compare yourself to Sister Shakky?
"Just look at all the wrinkles on your face, then look at Sister Shakky's skin. It's so tender it seems like it would break with a touch. Calling her Sister already makes me feel like I'm calling her old."
Mu Chen's praise made Shakky bloom with delight.
"Little brother Mu Chen, your mouth is so sweet. Unlike this old fellow, who doesn't have a shred of humor."
Faced with the two-sided attack from Mu Chen and Shakky, Rayleigh was so battered that his head nearly drooped to the floor.
Wrinkles, no humor... Rayleigh wanted to find a hole and crawl into it. How had he ever come to know a brat like Mu Chen? He should never have told him where he lived. But then again, even if he had not, Mu Chen would definitely have found him.
"Hey, little brother Mu Chen, you became quite famous at Marine Headquarters recently. You actually defeated Kuzan."
"Sister Shakky, your intelligence is as accurate as ever, but that was only a coincidence." Although Shakky had retired here with Rayleigh, she dealt in intelligence, and her information network was exceptionally thorough. "Still, I think you'd better not return to Marine Headquarters for the next few days."
Mu Chen was puzzled by what Shakky said. "Why?"
Shakky's face turned grave. "Golden Lion Shiki will probably head to Marineford within the next few days. If you go there, you'll be walking straight into your death!"
Mu Chen had already heard Sengoku and the others mention that Golden Lion Shiki was coming to Marineford, but this was the first time he had heard intelligence that Shiki would arrive within days.
"That's right, Mu Chen. Golden Lion is not someone you can handle. Back then, Golden Lion Shiki was someone even Captain Roger had to avoid. He also has his Flying Fleet. He always regarded Captain Roger as his only opponent in this world, so he has only one purpose in going to Marineford now."
Rayleigh took a sip of wine, his eyes filled with memories of the past. "To prove that he's stronger than Roger, right?"
Of course Mu Chen knew why Golden Lion was going there, but if he did not return to Marine Headquarters under these circumstances, would he not become a deserter?
Now that he had this intelligence, he still needed to notify Teacher Zefa and the others, just in case.
"That's right. He's bringing his Flying Fleet with him, so I advise you to stay here with Shakky for a few days first."
Before you continue