"Can't you see how badly he's hurt? Don't just stand there. Bandage him up, now."
Ye Chen hurriedly laid Smoker on the sofa and gave the order. Everyone rushed over.
Some prepared hot water, while others fetched towels. Lucci pulled Ye Chen aside and pressed him for an account of what had happened. He was curious: how had Ye Chen run into Aokiji and still made it back unharmed?
Lucci had no doubt Ye Chen could escape a Vice Admiral, and it would hardly have surprised him. But Aokiji was one of Marine Headquarters' strongest fighters. After everything that had happened in the Holy Land, there was no reason Aokiji would let Ye Chen go if he found him.
Ye Chen shook his head. "Lucci, that's a cold thing to say. Are you telling me I wouldn't have the slightest chance of escaping Aokiji?"
Lucci nodded firmly. "Not the slightest!"
Fortunately, the Celestial Dragons had been frightened out of their wits. Ye Chen had robbed them of their judgment. Otherwise, sending any one Admiral would have been enough to capture or kill him.
But the Celestial Dragons feared something might go wrong. If the Marines failed to catch Ye Chen and backed him into a corner, even more Celestial Dragons on the island would die. They would rather leave him alone than provoke him further.
In the end, they considered their lives too precious to risk any mistake. Even sending an Admiral would not have reassured them. The last time Ye Chen had rampaged through the Holy Land, he had killed more than a hundred Celestial Dragons. This time, their losses were nearly as great.
The situation had grown dire. The Celestial Dragons' decision stunned the Marines: not only were they forbidden to arrest Ye Chen in the Holy Land,