Ye Yang suddenly let go, sending Saint Charlos crashing heavily to the ground. With a faint smile, he said, "Since Vice Admiral Lorn is being so accommodating, there's no need for me to do anything foolish."
"Phew!" Seeing Ye Yang finally release the Celestial Dragon, Vice Admiral Lorn breathed a sigh of relief. "Then please let Lord Saint Charlos go first. The Marines will give you the compensation you want shortly!"
Ye Yang extended his right index finger and wagged it. "That won't do. What if you go back on your word once I let him go? Cut the crap. Payment in one hand, hostage in the other. Give me five Devil Fruits and a billion Beli in compensation, and I'll release him immediately."
"You...!" Vice Admiral Lorn flew into a rage at those words, but with the Celestial Dragon in Ye Yang's hands, he dared not act rashly. He could only swallow his anger and say through gritted teeth, "Fine! But the Marine Branch here doesn't have that many Devil Fruits or that much Beli. I'll give you part of it first, and headquarters will send someone with the rest. But you must release the Celestial Dragon first!"
Just you wait! Once headquarters sends an Admiral, let's see how much longer you can keep acting so arrogantly!
Vice Admiral Lorn thought viciously to himself.
"Sure." Ye Yang nodded with a smile. He could more or less guess what Lorn was thinking, but he wasn't worried.
With his current strength, he was confident he could handle even an Admiral. Add in the power of the new character that had yet to be unlocked, and it was no exaggeration to say that he wouldn't feel the slightest fear even if all Three Admirals came together.
As for the compensation? If the Marine Branch really could produce a few Devil Fruits, that would count as an unexpected windfall.
He was extorting it from them in the first place, so he certainly wouldn't be dissatisfied.
Vice Admiral Lorn glared fiercely at Ye Yang and said coldly, "I'll prepare the compensation. Don't leave, and don't hurt the Celestial Dragon."
"Of course." Ye Yang smiled faintly. Watching Lorn turn and leave, he didn't forget to call after him, "Remember to hurry back."
Grind!
Vice Admiral Lorn ground his teeth, producing a sharp scraping sound, his heart filled with fury.
He was a dignified Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, yet some unknown brat was ordering him around like this. If word got out, there was no telling how much of a laughingstock he would become. He had utterly disgraced himself!
At the same time, Lorn was also filled with resentment toward the Celestial Dragon Saint Charlos.
Damn it, couldn't you have just fled with everyone else? Did you have to come and meddle?!
If not for the Celestial Dragon, would he have suffered such humiliation?
Vice Admiral Lorn left the auction house, took out a Den Den Mushi, walked to a corner, and dialed a number.
Once the call connected, the previously listless Den Den Mushi straightened up, mimicked the expression of the person on the other end, and spoke.
"Hello, this is the Marine G-7 Branch. How can I help you?"
Vice Admiral Lorn's expression darkened slightly. "This is Lorn," he said coldly.
Hearing this, the Marine on the other end immediately adopted a respectful tone. "Vice Admiral, sir, what are your orders?"
"How many Devil Fruits and how much Beli does the branch have left?" Lorn's tone was very cold.
Though puzzled, the Marine on the other end answered truthfully, "The branch currently has two Zoan Devil Fruits left, along with five hundred million Beli available for use."
"Take all of it out and bring it to me in Area One."
"Um... Vice Admiral, sir... what is this for...?" the Marine asked cautiously. After all, this was a major matter. If the Vice Admiral Lorn on the other end was an impostor, and the Devil Fruits and such an enormous sum of money were lost as a result, he would be in serious trouble.
"You don't need to know the details," Vice Admiral Lorn said gravely. "Also, notify headquarters that Lord Saint Charlos, a Celestial Dragon, has been taken hostage by a pirate in Area One. The pirate is demanding five Devil Fruits and a billion Beli before he'll release him. Otherwise, he'll kill the hostage... This pirate possesses strength on par with an Admiral. Request reinforcements from headquarters."
He wasn't certain of Ye Yang's exact strength, but to avoid making himself look too negligent, he simply reported that Ye Yang possessed an Admiral's strength. That would minimize the punishment he received.
After all, he, Lorn, was only a mere Vice Admiral. How could he possibly defeat a pirate with an Admiral's strength?
The Marine on the other end of the Den Den Mushi froze at Lorn's words.
Someone actually dared to kidnap a Celestial Dragon? Did he have no fear of death?!
The next second, he snapped out of it. Realizing the severity of the situation, he immediately replied, "Yes, Vice Admiral, sir!"
Then he hung up and began making arrangements.
At Marine Headquarters in Marineford, inside the Fleet Admiral's Office.
A man wearing round glasses, his long beard braided into a twist beneath his chin, sat at the office's only desk, sorting through a mountain of documents. He wore a military cap bearing the seagull that symbolized the Marines, with an afro hidden beneath it.
This man was none other than the current Fleet Admiral-Sengoku the Buddha!
On the sofa nearby, a man wearing a dog-head hat, with short white hair and a scar over his left eye, was munching on rice crackers with a goofy grin, constantly making harsh crunching noises.
He was the hero of the Marines-Monkey D. Garp-and the biological grandfather of the future original protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy.
Listening to the incessant, grating chewing sounds, a vein bulged on Sengoku's forehead. He turned and roared angrily, "Garp, you bastard! Can't you eat your rice crackers quietly?!"
"Hahaha!" Garp laughed, utterly unconcerned, and popped another rice cracker into his mouth. As he chewed, he said, "Don't be angry, Sengoku. Do you want some? If you do, I'll share one with you."
Sengoku was so furious that his nose nearly twisted out of shape. He stood up, pointed at Garp, and cursed, "You old bastard! Can't you take anything seriously? All you do is eat rice crackers all day. If you have so much free time, go out to sea and arrest some pirates!"
Still looking completely carefree, Garp laughed. "Hahaha! The youngsters can handle arresting pirates. The seas belong to the young. I'm old. It's time I retired!"
Sengoku rolled his eyes helplessly at that excuse. He was just about to say something when the Den Den Mushi on his desk suddenly rang.
Buru... buru... buru...
With no choice but to leave Garp alone for now, Sengoku turned, picked up the Den Den Mushi, and said irritably, "What is it?"
An extremely anxious voice came from the Den Den Mushi. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, something terrible has happened..."
"What?!!" After carefully listening to his subordinate's full report, Sengoku shot to his feet in shock, his eyes wide as a sense of foreboding immediately filled him.
"Have Lorn keep the other party calm for now. I'll send someone over immediately!"
Sengoku hastily gave those instructions, then hung up, his expression turning dark and furious.
Watching his grim expression from the sofa, Garp ventured a curious guess. "What is it? Have two of the Four Emperors started fighting again?"
"No. Something worse than a war between the Four Emperors has happened!" Clenching his teeth, Sengoku said slowly, "A Celestial Dragon has been taken hostage!"
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