Xia Chen looked toward the source of the sound and saw the Red Hair staring at him with a gloomy expression.
"What's wrong, Shanks? Why are you looking at me like that?" Xia Chen asked deliberately.
" Xia Chen, is this what you promised me—to let them go?" the Red Hair asked in a hoarse voice.
"Didn't I let them go?" Xia Chen retorted.
"I've already let them go once, but he showed up in front of me a second time and said he wanted to kill me. I can't keep tolerating this, can I?"
"You can't just stand there and let him kill me, can you? Tell me, is what I said reasonable or not!"
Red Hair remained silent, his eyes remaining dark and brooding. After a long while, he turned to his crew and said, "Let's go!"
He then walked to the back without saying anything else, and his crew members glanced at Xia Chen warily again before following the Red Hair.
"Quite decisive, Red Hair!" Xia Chen murmured to himself.
Xia Chen was a little surprised by Red Hair's abrupt departure without a word; he had expected him to continue questioning him about why he did it.
That's good, it saves him some trouble!
And if they start fighting again later...
Today, there will be another pile of corpses here. Just like he said before, he's a man of his word. If Red Hair and the others clash with him a second time, then he'll have to send them to meet their beloved God!
This might explain why Red Hair turned and left so decisively—he knew there was no point in staying any longer!
The Five Elders have already died, so his purpose in coming here has failed. Therefore, leaving is the best option.
Otherwise, engaging in further verbal sparring will only make you angrier and won't serve any purpose!
Shaking his head, Xia Chen cleared his mind and looked at the two people still standing there.
The moment Xia Chen's gaze swept over them, Aokiji and Kizaru immediately assumed defensive stances, their hair standing on end, focusing their attention intently on Xia Chen.
"Don't be so tense, you two. If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago. Why would I have kept you alive until now?"
As he spoke, Xia Chen waved his hand, a move that startled Aokiji and Kizaru. One of them transformed into a flash of light and darted away an unknown distance, while the other immediately created an ice wall in front of him and flew backward.
However, after quite some time, neither of them sensed any attack, so they gradually slowed their pace and looked in Xia Chen's direction.
At Xia Chen's location, a huge hemispherical rock wall stood silently atop it.
This left the two of them wondering what Xia Chen was planning to do.
The next second, as the two watched, the rock sphere began to collapse, kicking up countless plumes of dust, and a figure slowly emerged from the dust.
Xia Chen looked at the two people who were some distance away from him and couldn't help but feel a little helpless. He was just going in to change his clothes; was it really necessary to make such a fuss?
He's a peace-loving person, and he said he wouldn't do anything to them, and he meant it. They didn't believe him, and now he has to go find them! Honestly!
After all, his next plan still required the cooperation of these two people, which was one of the reasons why Xia Chen wanted to keep them behind!
In a flash, Xia Chen leaped into the air, Flying Nimbus instantly appeared beneath his feet, arriving in front of the two in the blink of an eye.
This startled the two men, and sweat beaded on their foreheads. They quickly assumed defensive stances.
They felt like they weren't themselves anymore, completely lacking the demeanor of Admiral, and always acting out of character.
But there's really nothing we can do about it. The very dignified Akainu is probably already having tea downstairs, and they don't want to go there for the time being.
Xia Chen watched the two of them without speaking, and the two of them remained silent, creating an eerie silence.
After a while, Xia Chen made a decision, and then...
"Pfft!"
Xia Chen spat out a mouthful of blood, and then his body began to sway.
His action startled Aokiji and his companion, who involuntarily took a few steps back.
But Xia Chen was so engrossed in his performance that he didn't notice what was going on with them.
Xia Chen swayed from side to side, occasionally spitting out a mouthful of blood, while saying, "How... how is this possible!"
"The side effects of this form are so severe! Is this all the Divine Fruits Rocks talking about?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Chen collapsed to the ground, pointed his arm to the sky, and said haltingly, "I... I'm not reconciled!"
"Bang!"
Xia Chen's arm fell to the ground with a dull thud, and at the same time, his neck tilted to the side, and he lay down "peacefully" on the ground.
Aokiji, Kizaru:???
After a long while, Kizaru finally asked in a low voice, "What... is going on?"
"Just like he said, he... is dead?" Aokiji answered uncertainly.
Upon hearing Kizaru couldn't help but roll his eyes at Aokiji.
"Do you think that's possible? One second he's full of energy, the next he's suddenly dead? Even anime doesn't depict that!"
"Um..."
The two remained silent for a long time.
However, what happened next startled them.
Xia Chen's corpse began to glow, growing brighter and brighter, before exploding into countless points of light that dissipated into the air.
The Summit War has come to an end!
--
On the other side, aboard the Moby Dick.
" Whitebeard, how much longer... can you live?"
"Would you like me to set off some fireworks so you can leave with some dignity?"
"Hey, Xia Chen, what do you mean? Are you cursing our Pops to die?" Ace grabbed Xia Chen's collar angrily, his tone unfriendly.
Xia Chen helplessly shrugged and said, "What do you mean by 'curse'? How much longer do you think he has to live in his condition?"
Upon hearing this Ace subconsciously glanced at the hole in Whitebeard's chest, and his expression darkened.
"Gurala la la la!"
Whitebeard laughed heartily.
" Ace, birth, aging, sickness, and death are common occurrences in a person's life. I've lived long enough and have no regrets!"
"On the contrary, you are all still young, with plenty of years ahead of you. You should all live long!"
After saying that, Whitebeard turned his gaze to Xia Chen and said, "Especially you, Xia Chen, the World Government will definitely not let this go so easily after you've done such a big thing in Marineford!"
"You're in for a rough time!"
"No way, I feel like my life will be very comfortable from now on!" Xia Chen said mysteriously.
"Um?"
Seeing Xia Chen's appearance, the Whitebeard was a little puzzled, but he didn't ask any further questions. Instead, he asked Xia Chen another question.
"By the way, how did you escape after we left?"