After a period of time~
Xia Chen stroked his chin with one hand, looking thoughtful. He was processing the information the Red Hair had given him.
Red Hair learned of this from a stone tablet that is several hundred years old, which contained a brief introduction to the fruit and a strange statement.
"Above the Mysterious Palace, at the Gate of the Underworld, Waterfall of Blood, the Gale Valley, and the King's Palace!"
Red Hair speculated that this sentence likely contained information about the fruit's location, but he had been holding onto this information for three years and still hadn't been able to decipher its meaning.
But that didn't stop him from knowing from the description how powerful this Devil Fruit was, which is why he brought it out to make a deal with Xia Chen!
To his surprise, Xia Chen actually knew about the existence of this fruit; he had never even heard of it before seeing the stone tablet.
Whether it's the name or anything else!
After a long silence, the Red Hair asked, "So, can this information buy their lives?"
Xia Chen was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "Okay!"
Although the information Shanks provided didn't explicitly state where the fruit was, this possibility alone was worth more than the lives of the Five Elders.
The lives of the Five Elders were insignificant to him; with his current strength, he could easily crush them.
With this in mind, Xia Chen's thoughts stirred, and the giant rock sphere above suddenly collapsed inward before exploding violently.
"Boom!"
Rocks of all sizes crashed to the ground from the air, creating a continuous rumbling sound.
After the commotion subsided, a series of coughs echoed through the smoke and dust. The eight members of the Five Elders were coughing incessantly. Xia Chen's final blow had certainly given them a bit of pain.
Xia Chen glanced at the group and said calmly, "I'll let you go this time for Red Hair' sake! Next time we meet... will be your death day!"
After saying that, Xia Chen rode the Flying Nimbus towards the horizon and soon disappeared from everyone's sight, leaving behind a bunch of bewildered people.
"You left so easily?"
One of the Red Hair man's subordinates asked curiously. Although they hadn't known Xia Chen for long, judging from his resolute attitude just now, he didn't seem like the type to give up so easily!
Was the information they gave him too important? That's why he left without saying a word after hearing it?
After much thought and consideration, it seems there's only one possibility! Oh, wait, there's another possibility!
Perhaps it's because their boss's influence is too powerful?
" Shanks, thanks!"
Figarland Saint Garling looked at the Red Hair and said calmly.
"Hmm!" Red Hair nodded, then looked at them and said, " Demon King Xia Chen is very powerful. You've seen what happened this time. Don't provoke him in the future!"
"Impossible! He made us suffer such a huge loss this time, how can he just let it go like that? I will make him pay!"
Saint Nusjuro said bitterly, his tone full of resentment towards Xia Chen.
As one of the Five Elders and one of the visible leaders of the World Government, when had he ever suffered such humiliation? He was almost killed! Killing Xia Chen would not quell his hatred!
" Nusjuro, why didn't you say this when Xia Chen was here? Now that he's gone, you're barking like a madman?" Saint Mars said without any politeness.
Saint Nusjuro was about to retort, a voice suddenly rang in their ears.
"That's right, why didn't you say so when I was here?"
Upon hearing this voice, the Five Elders and the others couldn't help but turn their gazes over, and their expressions froze when they saw a certain figure.
Xia Chen looked at the group with a calm gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Hi everyone, it's nice to see you again!"
Everyone:???
"Xia... Xia Chen, what are you doing here?" Saint Nusjuro said tremblingly, completely losing his previous aggressive demeanor.
"Isn't it obvious? I miss you guys terribly as soon as we're apart!"
"So I came back to find you guys again. I think I said something like this when I left... the next time we meet will be the day you die, right?"
Xia Chen said with a smile, but his words sent a chill down their spines.
"You... you're breaking your promise! Didn't you just promise Red Hair to us?" Saint Mars said, his face also grim.
"Yes, I did promise him I'd let you off this time, but this is the second time!"
After saying that, Xia Chen narrowed his eyes, stomped his foot, and countless rocks burst out of the ground, instantly forming a thick rock wall that enveloped the Red Hair and the others.
Then Xia Chen stomped his foot again, and countless rocks appeared out of thin air, this time covering the Five Elders and the others, temporarily restricting their movements.
If they were at their peak, Xia Chen's move might not have worked, but the problem is they aren't now. After such a long battle, they've taken one of Xia Chen's skills after another.
They no longer have much ability to resist!
Then Xia Chen's figure instantly rushed towards them. During the rush, Xia Chen split into five Clone, and then six Xia Chen went towards the six people respectively.
He arrived in front of the six people in no time and gave them a bright smile.
The world is a wonderful place, so... goodbye!
As soon as he finished speaking, all six of Xia Chen's raised their sticks high and slammed them down hard.
"Bang!"
Six muffled sounds rang out almost simultaneously, and black and red Conqueror's Haki surged around them, exuding a terrifying aura.
The bodies of the men crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust and creating six large craters.
Even so, they still retained their breath, which surprised Xia Chen.
The people in this pirate world are incredibly resilient! He just hit several people in the temples with his club, and they're still alive. That's pretty amazing!
It seems he's still not strong enough!
However... if he's not strong enough, he can just finish him off with another blow; he's good at that!
Xia Chen slightly raised his hand, and then six sharp Rock Spike appeared out of thin air, simultaneously stabbing towards the heads of the few people in the pit who were barely breathing.
He refused to believe that they could survive with their heads pierced!
"Pfft!"
The sound of a sharp blade slicing through flesh rang out, and a Rock Spike was embedded in the heads of all six men. At the same time, their breaths began to slowly fade away.
Soon after, their presence could no longer be detected.
Xia Chen looked at his masterpiece and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
Want him to let these people go? That's ridiculous!
He promised to kill them today and would absolutely not let them live until tomorrow; otherwise, wouldn't he be breaking his promise?
Breaking a promise to others is acceptable, but breaking a promise to oneself is not! Otherwise, he won't be able to get past his conscience.
Xia Chen then began his work of collecting the fruits. No matter what the situation, the cleanup after the battle must always be kept in mind!
At the same time, a tremendous roar followed...