"Xia Chen, h-hurry... do something!"
Usopp said in a trembling voice, cowering behind Xia Chen.
"Huh? What are you talking about? How could we beat this many people? We might as well just wait to die!"
Xia Chen put on a frightened look as he spoke, too.
"N-no way! Didn't Luffy and the others say you were really strong?"
Hearing Xia Chen's words, Usopp instantly panicked and asked with his legs shaking.
What he failed to notice, however, was that Nami, who was just as cowardly, showed no fear at all. There was only a trace of resignation on her face.
As he watched the pirates draw closer, a thought popped into Usopp's head.
We're done for!
"Gum-Gum... Pistol!"
A stretching arm shot past Usopp from behind and struck the pirate running at the front. The force of the punch knocked all the pirates in that small area to the ground.
Joy immediately appeared on Usopp's face, and he hurriedly turned to look behind him.
Luffy and Zoro were standing there, looking at them as they panted for breath.
"Huff... huff..."
"Usopp, c-could you tell us which way north is first next time?!" Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs.
"You ran off first, so I thought you knew!" Usopp said helplessly.
Why did you run so fast if you didn't know?
Luffy's attitude was still fairly mild, but Zoro beside him looked ready to overflow with fury, his gaze fixed firmly on Nami.
"Nami, would you mind explaining that little stunt you pulled?"
"Well..." A sheen of sweat appeared on Nami's forehead as she waved her hands and said:
"Two people falling is better than one person falling, right? Doesn't that make perfect sense?"
"Then why didn't you..."
"All right, stop chatting. They're almost on top of us!" Xia Chen interrupted before Zoro could finish.
Hearing that, Zoro said no more. Instead, he stood at the front of the group with Luffy and slowly drew the swords at his waist.
In an instant, the two shot forward like arrows loosed from a bow and plunged into battle with the pirates.
As time passed, the gap in strength left the pirates scurrying away one after another, clutching their heads under Luffy and Zoro's attacks.
Below them, Jango's face darkened at the sight. Inwardly cursing them as a bunch of useless fools, he raised the iron ring in his hand and aimed at Luffy, who was fighting, intending to launch a sneak attack.
Just then, a voice from the distance interrupted him.
"What... exactly are you doing?"
"Th-this is..." Sweat poured from Jango's forehead.
"Captain Kuro!"
At the same time, everyone's attention was drawn toward that voice.
A little over ten meters behind Xia Chen, Kuro stood staring fixedly at the scene before him.
Seeing Kuro like this, Jango knew he was furious and hurried to explain:
"Captain Kuro, it's because we..."
"Enough, spare me! I did expect them to try to stop our plan, but I never imagined you would be this useless!"
"You can't even deal with a bunch of brats!"
Bam!
The moment Kuro finished speaking, he went flying backward and crashed heavily to the ground in the distance, his glasses shattering across the ground.
Everyone immediately looked toward where Kuro had been standing. Xia Chen now stood there, saying blandly:
"This vice-captain is very pleased that you came to be an EXP mob for our captain, but this vice-captain doesn't like your tone!"
"So... I couldn't help giving you a punch. You... don't mind, do you?"
The pirates over there were all stunned, the same thought surfacing in their minds.
What had they just done?
They'd actually tried to pick a fight with this monster?
At that moment, even though they were all injured, they couldn't help feeling relieved that Luffy and Zoro had been the ones to fight them rather than Xia Chen.
Usopp was dumbfounded too. So you were this strong all along? Then what was with that terrified act in front of me earlier?
Seriously, I'm speechless!
Turning back to Xia Chen, he said nothing as he looked at Kuro lying motionless on the ground. Instead, he turned and walked toward Luffy, saying to him when he reached his side:
"I'll leave this butler to you!"
Sure enough, after Xia Chen finished speaking, Kuro slowly climbed up from the ground.
This wasn't because Xia Chen lacked the strength to take Kuro down with one punch, but because he was adhering to his principles as an excellent vice-captain.
EXP mobs had to be left for his companions to farm. Otherwise, just as he had said before, he wouldn't even need to lift a hand against someone like Kuro. A burst of Conqueror's Haki would do.
"Okay! Then I'll leave those small fry behind us to you!" With that, Luffy walked toward Kuro.
"Understood, Captain!"
Xia Chen went over to Zoro and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, asking:
"Third-rate swordsman, how about you take the Nyaban Brothers, and I handle the rest?"
Zoro glanced disdainfully at Xia Chen and sneered:
"Can you only handle a bunch of small fry? Well, I suppose that makes sense! You are a scrub, after all!"
Xia Chen said nothing in response, merely looking at Zoro with a smile.
Tch. Only the weak mocked others to feel good about themselves!
Clearly, he was strong, so he wouldn't do such a thing!
What? You said he loved mocking Zoro too?
That was different. As he had said before, he was strong, and it was perfectly normal for the strong to mock the weak.
That wasn't called seeking attention. It was called encouraging his companions!
After they assigned their opponents, Xia Chen narrowed his eyes. The next second, a powerful aura radiated from him.
In an instant, the pirate lackeys dropped to the ground one after another like dumplings being made.
For a moment, everyone present was stunned.
"Wh-what kind of power is that?" Usopp asked, his face filled with shock.
Luffy and the other two also watched in astonishment. They hadn't known Xia Chen had a trick like this up his sleeve.
At the sight, Zoro suddenly seemed to recall something and asked Xia Chen:
"You used this move to knock that butler out last time too, didn't you? And you said it wasn't you. You've given yourself away, Xia Chen!"
Meanwhile, Luffy shouted from the side, stars in his eyes:
"Awesome! I want to learn that too, Xia Chen!"
"You'll learn it someday!" Xia Chen said with a faint smile.
"Really? I can learn it too?"
Hearing that, Luffy grew even more excited. This move was just ridiculously cool!
"Of course!" Xia Chen said with certainty.
It might just take quite a while, though. Xia Chen kept that last sentence to himself. It wouldn't be good to undermine Luffy's confidence.
As Luffy was now, neither his strength nor his spirit was anywhere near enough to support awakening Conqueror's Haki.
He wasn't even qualified to train in any one of the Three Types of Haki yet.
As he was now, he was still far too weak!