A Successful Retreat

"Not yet! King Neptune, the three princes Fukaboshi, Ryuboshi, and Manboshi have all appeared! But that person still hasn't shown up!"

Is that so?

Hyouzou paused for a moment, surveyed the battle, then gritted his teeth and ordered, "Continue the attack!!"

"Father! Have Hody and the others gone mad?"

Fukaboshi swung his trident, sending a pirate flying, and retreated back to Neptune's side, his face grave.

Facing an army several times his size, he gradually found himself struggling more and more.

Ryuboshi and Manboshi, standing to the side, also began to pant heavily, realizing that the enemies before them were almost endless.

"Damn it! How many of them are there?!"

Manboshi cautiously observed the crowd around him, his hands gripping the halberd were now sweaty.

"There are at least 20,000 people. The situation is dire!"

Ryuboshi leaned on his halberd and said weakly.

"What should we do now?"

Manboshi looked at his father and two older brothers and asked.

"Father! Where is Lord Dongze?"

Fukaboshi knocked away the attacking pirates, retreated to Neptune's side, and asked in a low voice.

"Water Shot!!"

Finding the right moment, Neptune unleashed a powerful attack, sweeping away a large group of pirates in front of him.

Now he has a deeper understanding of what Dongze said before. This was only what happened on Fish-Man Island, and they were already unable to cope with it, let alone at sea.

"Fukaboshi!"

"Don't always place your hopes on others! We are the royal family of Fish-Man Island, responsible for protecting Fish-Man Island safety!"

Neptune tightened his grip on the trident, his eyes filled with determination. In this critical moment, Neptune demonstrated the responsibility of the King of Fish-Man Island.

"This is our Fish-Man Island!!"

Seeing the pirates surging towards them from all sides, the four of them charged out once again.

However, there was one more thing Neptune didn't say. Based on their previous interactions, he could tell that Dongze was a very principled person, and if he didn't want to help, even begging wouldn't work.

Given the current situation, the other party should already be aware of the situation, but since they haven't shown up yet, he guessed that they probably wouldn't make a move.

Fish-Man District, Noah.

The space where Hody Jones had previously come to report on his mission trembled slightly.

Two figures appeared in the dimly lit room, a man and a woman, none other than Dongze, who had disappeared from the Hard-Shell Tower earlier.

"Dongze?"

Robin looked at Dongze with some confusion. It was unusually quiet here; none of those crazy pirates and frenzied Fish-Man were there.

Dongze turned around, his gaze sweeping towards the deepest, darkest part of the room. "This is where it all began!"

"Am I right?"

"Gentlemen from the World Government!!"

Upon hearing Dongze's words, Robin was taken aback and quickly turned around to look into the darkness of the house.

"Yes! It's her!"

Just then, three voices spoke in unison.

Dongze narrowed his eyes. Although it was only four words, he understood what the other person meant.

These people seemed to be looking for Robin. All three of them were quite strong, possessing the combat power of an early-stage Admiral.

But the other party used this method to force him to show himself, which didn't make sense. He wondered what these people really meant.

"You're here to see her?"

"Good!"

"So you know who she is?"

"The sole survivor of Ohara, the Devil Child —Nicole Robin!"

"And of course, you too, the newly appointed Shichibukai — Dongze! We've investigated your background as well. If you don't want to suffer physical pain, I advise you to hand over the person obediently!"

"Of course, you can choose to resist, in which case we won't show any mercy! After all, our only requirement is that we bring Nicole Robin back safely!"

"We've got Nico Robin, and you can continue being Shichibukai. We can let this matter drop!"

Upon hearing the other person's words, Dongze raised an eyebrow. "What does that mean from above?"

"Some things are better left unknown!!"

Instead of answering Dongze's question, the other party gave him a warning.

However, this was essentially the answer he received. Dongze sighed softly. He had thought that Robin's matter was over, but now it seemed that he had underestimated her influence.

Although they hadn't exchanged many words before, Dongze's mind worked quickly. The other side had made such a big show of things, ostensibly to lure him out, but actually using him as a pretext to take Robin away.

If Robin hadn't seen through their plot beforehand and had rushed straight to the Fish-Man Square to fight the Fish-Man, Robin might have taken her away in the chaos.

If they can't find anyone, they'll inevitably suspect Fish-Man Island first, and then a major battle could easily break out.

Furthermore, with Whitebeard coming, and being a close friend of Neptune, he certainly wouldn't stand idly by in this situation. If I were to encounter Whitebeard, a Shichibukai versus Four Emperors, the outcome would be obvious.

At that point, Robin's whereabouts will remain a mystery.

Perhaps Whitebeard won't kill me, but by then I'll probably be seriously injured, and he probably won't let me go.

In this way, this matter will ultimately remain an unsolved mystery.

However, they also made a mistake: although they discovered his identity, he never intended to hide it.

However, they didn't investigate their own strength thoroughly. Even if things were as they thought, it might not be him who would die on Fish-Man Island; it could be the Four Emperors' crew plus Fish-Man Island itself.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered the dream Shirahoshi had had, and coupled with the prophecy he had received from Shyarly, he was certain that the group of people in front of him were the source of that incident.

Thinking of this, Dongze felt a surge of killing intent rising deep within his heart.

"Boy, hand over the man!"

Seeing that Dongze remained silent, the three thought Dongze was scared! One of the men, with spiky hair, laughed loudly.

The remaining two also crossed their arms, looking on with amusement. In their minds, this kid was like an ant in their hands, incapable of causing any real trouble.

Hearing what the other party said, Robin's expression did not change at all. She knew Dongze's strength and personality very well. Even if he was no match for Dongze, she would not become a bargaining chip for him to trade with the other party.

Besides, what about now!

"Dongze! What are you doing? I told you to hand over the person, are you deaf?"

Seeing that Dongze hadn't reacted for a while, the spiky-haired guy lost face and angrily cursed.

Suddenly, Dongze calmly said, "Gentlemen, don't you find it strange that I discovered you instead of appearing in the Fish-Man Square?"

The three were taken aback, a hint of doubt flashing in their eyes. Indeed, according to An's previous plan, the other party should have appeared in the Fish-Man Square, and they could have taken the opportunity to take Robin away, then frame the Fish-Man, and then have Dongze die a bloody death. That was their script.

However, now that the enemy has headed straight for their stronghold, they are somewhat caught off guard. But confident in their strength, they don't take the matter to heart.

Now that Dongze mentioned it, they realized something was wrong.

"No! There's something wrong with his strength!!"

The old man standing at the back Satori happening, and his expression immediately changed.

"Forbidden Law!!"

Chapter 131 Retiring After Success

Fish-Man Island, Fish-Man District.

Dongze and Robin walked out together. Thinking of the three people from before, Dongze smiled coldly.

It was a calculated move; they were caught off guard and hadn't even realized what was happening before he instantly killed them with his Sword Intent.

The entire process proceeded without a single disturbance; perhaps even as they faced death, they never imagined that a Shichibukai would possess such strength!

At this distance, he found that pure Sword Intent was more effective than weapons. His opponent was completely unprepared, making it incredibly easy to kill.

The Sword Intent directly destroyed the opponent's soul.

Now, as his Meditation continues to improve and his mental strength continues to grow, the techniques he had previously kept hidden have proven invaluable today.

Just now, he discovered that attacking directly with Sword Intent was also quite effective. The advantage of attacking with Sword Intent lies in its stealth, targeting the soul without anyone noticing.

However, it also has drawbacks, namely that its effectiveness in physical attacks is less than satisfactory.

Unlike something attached to a sword, the difference in physical destructive power is like night and day.

As soon as he stepped out, Dongze unleashed his Observation Haki once again to observe the situation in Fish-Man Square. Fortunately, Neptune was still alive.

It would be quite embarrassing if he were killed right under his nose.

Then, Dongze flashed forward and activated Shave and Geppo.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the plaza. Dongze narrowed his eyes as he looked at the two sides, who were already bloodthirsty.

A powerful aura descended from the sky, shattering the original rhythm of the square, and the shouts of battle sounded as if someone had choked them.

Fukaboshi watched as people fell one after another on the field, the clanging of weapons hitting the ground filling his ears.

He couldn't help but swallow.

To be honest, he had only heard of Conqueror's Haki, but had never actually seen it. When he encountered something like this for the first time, he was almost scared out of his wits.

"Father~~"

"It's Conqueror's Haki!!"

Neptune's expression darkened slightly, as he guessed what this mysterious power was.

However, his expression soon softened, and as more and more people fell, he saw Dongze and Robin not far away.

At that moment, he also guessed where this Conqueror's Haki came from.

"I didn't expect I still underestimated him!!"

Neptune's eyes were filled with admiration. These people weren't just small fry; there were also captains of Pirate Crew intercepted by Hody Jones, and none of them were weak.

But as of now, apart from them, there is no one else standing on the field.

"Old Neptune! Are you alright?"

Then Dongze walked over and greeted Neptune.

"Brother Dongze, I didn't expect you to be so strong!"

Neptune said gratefully, "If Dongze hadn't intervened this time, we would have been completely wiped out."

"I won't get involved in what happens next!"

Just after saying that, Dongze suddenly raised his head and looked up.

"Old Neptune! Help me coat my boat with a protective coating, I should be going now!"

Neptune looked at him with some curiosity. "What's wrong?"

"It's better that you don't know!"

Dongze gave a wry smile. He figured the World Government soon find out about the three people he had killed earlier.

He guessed that the World Government wouldn't have many combat forces of this level, and that the World Government must have records of them.

Furthermore, this operation might be documented; the other party's Vivre Card are certainly kept at headquarters. If something happens to them here, they might know immediately there.

Neptune was silent for a moment, then clenched his fists tightly, realizing the unspoken meaning in Dongze's words.

"Is it the World Government?"

Dongze shrugged, somewhat helplessly, and said, "Sigh! What's the point of being so clever at a time like this!"