One day later~
Above the sky over a certain sea area~
The soft moonlight fell upon the flying Ark Maxim. Xia Chen leaned against the edge of the boat, looked up at the moon, and let his thoughts drift into the distance.
A short while later, a voice came, interrupting Xia Chen who was lost in thought.
" Xia Chen, what are you doing here all by yourself? Why don't you sleep a little longer?"
Xia Chen turned to look at Robin walking towards him, smiled, and said, "You've slept all day, are you still sleeping?"
"They're the ones who're like pigs, they don't even get enough sleep in a day, and they didn't wake up even once in the middle of the night!" Xia Chen complained.
Hearing this, Robin chuckled and said, "Perhaps this battle was too much for them, and they're exhausted, which is why they slept for so long!"
"In short, it's because you're not strong enough, otherwise how could you have gotten so easily defeated!" Xia Chen pouted.
"Alright, let's put that aside for now. I have a question now... why are you on our ship?" As he spoke, Xia Chen turned his gaze to a figure emerging from the cabin.
The moment Franky was met with Xia Chen's gaze, his entire body trembled, and he couldn't help but recall Xia Chen's godlike figure from Marineford.
He stammered, "Well... I ran away in the chaos and just randomly picked a boat to get on. I didn't expect it to be your boat!"
Xia Chen actually spotted Franky when he first returned to the Ark Maxim, but at the time, Franky was either exhausted or something else, and he was really carefree, so he just slept in the hold of their ship.
At the time, he had other things to deal with, so he didn't pay attention to him. Later, he also went to sleep, so he didn't pay attention to him again.
It's been dragging on and on until now, and... he has another purpose in ignoring it, which is...
" Franky ~"
"Yes, I'm here, please speak!" Franky immediately stood up straight and answered hurriedly, looking like a good boy.
"Although you weren't my target at Marineford, didn't I still manage to save your life?"
"Yes, Lord Xia Chen! You are like my second parents. I am so grateful to you. You are as bright as the sun in the sky, rescuing me from boundless darkness. You..."
"Stop! Stop! Stop!"
Franky was spitting as he kept praising Xia Chen, but Xia Chen couldn't stand it anymore and interrupted him.
Looking at Franky in front of him, Xia Chen was slightly surprised. He hadn't expected Franky to have this side to him; he hadn't noticed it when watching the anime in his previous life!
Xia Chen continued, "So, by boarding our ship without permission this time, doesn't that also count as an invasion of our privacy?"
"No, Xia..."
"Um?"
Franky hurriedly tried to explain, but a glare from Xia Chen made him swallow his words. Finally, he could only helplessly say:
"Yes, that's right! I'm so sorry for trespassing on your ship!"
"Hmm! Not bad, a promising young man!" Xia Chen said with a smile upon hearing Franky's sensible words.
"So..."
"Your behavior is tantamount to repaying kindness with enmity. I saved you, yet you still invaded our privacy!"
"This is a tricky situation! Normally, I'd send someone to meet their maker for this kind of behavior, but I'm kind-hearted, and I'm in a good mood right now, so I'll give you a chance!"
"What do you think I need to do?"
Franky lowered his head and asked. He hadn't said a word while Xia Chen was speaking, because he knew that if Xia Chen wanted to kill him, he would have done so long ago, and there was no need to waste time talking to him.
The fact that he's telling Xia Chen so much proves that there's something about him that Xia Chen is interested in, which is why he's sharing these things with him.
What about him that intrigued Xia Chen... could it be...?
Franky seemed to have realized something, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.
Could it be... that Xia Chen is also interested in the Pluton Blueprints?
Just as Franky was brainstorming, Xia Chen finally spoke up.
"If you want to live, join our pirate crew!"
"Because if you were a member of our pirate crew, then it would be perfectly reasonable for us to rescue you and then have you come aboard our ship!"
What do you think?
"Huh? Join your pirate crew?" Franky's mouth dropped open, as if he could fit a goose egg in it.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Xia Chen asked in return.
"This..."
Franky hesitated, stammered, and after thinking for a long time, said, "This request... I'm sorry, I cannot grant it!"
"Hmm?" Xia Chen's eyes turned cold, and his tone became slightly chilly.
Do you know what the consequences of refusing are?
"I know!" Franky nodded and said, "It's just a matter of death, but... there are things I value more than death!"
" Water 7 is where I Yamato and have always lived. There are people and things I cherish there, and I don't want to leave!" Franky said to Xia Chen with a determined look in his eyes.
Xia Chen looked at him in the same way, and the two stared at each other for almost a minute.
"I see, I understand!" Xia Chen said calmly.
The moment Xia Chen finished speaking, Franky closed his eyes, feeling a slight pang of melancholy.
Unexpectedly, he still couldn't escape death in the end; it seems fate had decreed his demise!
Then he spread his arms, looking as if he was calmly accepting his death. He had no intention of resisting. Having witnessed Xia Chen's strength, he knew that he would die more quickly if he didn't resist.
If you resist, you might not die so easily!
To his surprise, Xia Chen's words made him open his eyes in delight.
What are you doing looking like that? I never said I was going to kill you!
"Really? You really won't kill me?" Franky asked in surprise. He felt as if he had experienced a journey from hell to heaven in an instant, a feeling that ordinary people could not understand.
"Yes, I don't plan to kill you! Because... you'll definitely get on our ship!" Xia Chen said confidently with a smile, then added.
"And barring any unforeseen circumstances, it should be the group of people you cherish who will invite you to join our pirate crew!"
"How could this be! How dare those bastards do such a thing? Throwing the boss out? That's not how things are done!"
Franky exclaimed excitedly upon hearing Xia Chen's words.
"Maybe! Even though you've escaped, you're still a man who's been to the Execution Platform, famous all over the world. Do you think you'll have a comfortable life in Water 7?"
"Are you sure the World Government won't send someone to kill you just to erase this disgrace?"
Xia Chen looked at Franky with a half-smile and said.
Franky:!!!