"Hooray! This island... could it be Thriller Bark?" Luffy exclaimed excitedly.
"It seems so, given how eerie it is!" Sanji nodded and said.
"What!? Thriller Bark!??" Usopp and Chopper screamed in unison, then said tremblingly:
"Luffy... Luffy, let's listen to Brook and leave this awful place!"
"Yes, yes, Luffy, let's get out of here!"
Although Usopp said he believed in Xia Chen and the others' strength, he still had an innate fear of ghosts.
Don't be fooled by how easily Xia Chen crushed that ghost earlier. What if Xia Chen wasn't around sometime? Wouldn't he just... ugh?
He really felt that the remaining three were a bit unreliable! If a fight broke out, he might be the first one to be abandoned.
Usopp, not getting an answer from Luffy for a while, asked again.
"Hey, Luffy, are you listening?"
"Huh? Ah? I'm listening!" Luffy turned his head and said, but the expression on his face sent a chill down Usopp's spine.
He didn't think he could persuade him out of his excitement; at that moment, Usopp had only one thought in his mind:
Tired? Let's destroy it!
Sure enough, after a short while, Luffy excitedly said, "Let's go, let's go, let's go to the island and take a look!" After saying that, Luffy suddenly felt that he couldn't be too obvious, so he added a sentence.
"It's not because I want to go up and play, but because I feel that we are friends with Brook, and since we are friends, we have an obligation to help him reclaim his shadow!"
"That's right, exactly!"
Upon hearing this, Sanji and Zoro couldn't help but turn their gazes to Xia Chen again.
Sanji a cigarette, took a puff, and said calmly, " Luffy used to just say whatever he wanted to do, completely disregarding what others thought!"
"Although things are still the same, they've actually started to come up with some excuses. Even though the excuses are lame, this behavior is quite unusual!"
" Xia Chen, tell me... who did Luffy learn his superficial skills from?"
Xia Chen:...
"If you're feeling itchy lately, just say so!" Xia Chen said calmly to Sanji, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
That kid really has some nerve, daring to subtly criticize him like that. Looks like I need to find a chance to teach Sanji how to respect his seniors!
As he pondered, an idea suddenly flashed through Xia Chen's mind, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
After some time, everyone got ready and headed toward the island.
During this time, Usopp and Chopper did try to persuade everyone on the ship except Luffy.
Unfortunately, it seems that no one else wants to stay here.
Nami, who originally belonged to their camp, said that she only felt safe by Xia Chen's side, otherwise she felt unsafe anywhere.
And after hearing it, they felt... it made perfect sense!
So in the end, everyone unanimously and "happily" decided to head towards the island.
[Ding! Successfully checked in at the Thriller Bark; Indestructible Vajra Body upgraded to Advanced!]
"Hmm?" Upon hearing the familiar system voice, a look of surprise flashed across Xia Chen's face. He hadn't expected the system to classify this ship as an island as well.
This system is truly... incredibly well-designed!
If possible, he would like to go to the System Administration Bureau to give this system a positive review!
After a moment of reflection, a strange energy surged from the depths of Xia Chen's body, continuously transforming his physique.
After a while, when the commotion within his body subsided, Xia Chen couldn't help but begin to perceive his current physical state. After a long while, a look of astonishment appeared on Xia Chen's face.
In his perception, his flesh and blood were now shimmering with golden light, and the energy flowing over them made him unaware of just how strong his physique had become.
But one thing is certain: his physique has definitely reached the level of Teacher Kaido.
In other words, without mastering Ryuo, the attacks that hit him wouldn't even be considered a tickle.
Xia Chen's face lit up with joy, feeling even safer in this world!
Just as Xia Chen was immersed in the improvement of his strength, the group had already arrived at a long and secluded alley.
Suddenly, Luffy, who was Luffy at the front, stopped, looking into the darkness ahead, and said, "There seems to be something up ahead!"
Upon hearing this, Usopp and Chopper's lips trembled instantly.
"Luffy... Luffy, don't scare me! What could be here...?"
"Woof!"
Before Usopp could finish speaking, a roar came from the darkness, followed by a dark figure slowly emerging from the shadows.
Σ(⊙▽⊙" a!
"Ah!!!"
"Cerberus... Cerberus!" Usopp stammered.
"Don't panic, Usopp, this isn't Cerberus!"
"Look, the head on his far right is a fox!" Xia Chen said.
"Hmm? Now that you mention it, it does seem that way!" Sanji said after taking a closer look.
"Hahaha... Could it be because they're hybrids?" Luffy laughed.
"You know what, it's actually possible..."
"..."
Cerberus:???
Aren't you guys being a little disrespectful to us? Can't you see how terrifying we look?
What's most hateful is that they actually dared to laugh at them!
This group of people has already chosen their own path to death!
"Woof~ Woof~ Awoof~"
After each of the three beast heads roared, it lunged at Luffy, the closest Luffy, and Luffy him into its mouth.
" Luffy!" the crowd shouted.
Meanwhile, Luffy, who had been bitten, calmly said, "Good boy~ don't do that, baby, let go of my mouth!"
Whether it was because Luffy's words were very approachable or for some other reason, the so-called Cerberus actually slowly released Luffy from its mouth.
"Haha... what a good kid!"
"You're asking for it!"
(•́へ•́╬)!
Before Luffy could even finish his sentence, his fist had already swung out and slammed hard into them.
"Awoo~"
Everyone:...
--
On the other side.
"Master! Something terrible has happened! Absalom is in danger!"
An anxious voice echoed in the silent room as Perona rushed in.
The shouts also woke up a figure on a huge bed in the middle of the room.
The figure opened its eyes, slowly sat up, and seeing the anxious Perona, couldn't help but ask curiously:
" Perona, why are you waking me up? Did some high-quality prey appear?" Moria's eyes lit up with excitement as he said this.
"Master, we did encounter prey, but this prey is quite fierce; neither Absalom nor I are a match for it."
"When my ghost was crushed, I saw someone choking Absalom. I wonder how he is now!" Perona said with lingering fear as she recalled the scene of Xia Chen crushing her ghost.
"What?!" Moria was furious upon hearing this.
"How dare they lay a hand on my subordinates? They're really asking for trouble!"
"What about their identities? Have they been found out?"
"I've already asked the zombies to investigate; we should have results soon!" Perona replied.
Just as Perona finished speaking, a flustered voice came from outside the room.
"Master, Lady Perona, I've found out!"