Ye Chen leaned back comfortably on the sofa, crossed his legs, and took a leisurely drag on his cigarette. He looked utterly at ease.
Everyone in the room had their eyes on him. Some were shocked, some were furious, and some gnashed their teeth with hatred. But none of them dared do a thing to him.
Before, Ye Chen had held only one hostage. Now he sat among the Celestial Dragons' representatives. Nearly all these defenseless Celestial Dragons had effectively become his hostages. If the Marines dared move against him, he would slaughter them.
Sengoku wisely abandoned any thought of attacking Ye Chen. He even ordered Akainu to stand down.
After all, the people seated around Ye Chen were members of the nineteen great Royal Houses. The Marines would lay down their lives to protect any one of them.
"Well, well... You're wearing a bubble even in here? What, do you Celestial Dragons breathe different air from the rest of us?"
The meeting had barely begun when Ye Chen started chatting with the Celestial Dragon beside him. On his left sat a man in his forties, fat from head to toe, with a belly like a giant ball. At first glance, he looked like a mountain of flesh.
Curious about the bubble on the man's head, Ye Chen reached over and pulled it off. The Celestial Dragon sprang up in fright and retreated to the side.
Ye Chen watched him with a grin, then turned and removed the bubble from the woman on his right.
"What are you doing?"
The woman on Ye Chen's right was a girl of eighteen or nineteen named Lady Lanbisi. She had just started to rise when Ye Chen grabbed her and pulled her back.
Ye Chen brought his face so close it almost touched