Before Pekoms could finish speaking, Baron Tamago forcefully covered his mouth, covering his entire face.
Most importantly, they used a tremendous amount of force, as if they were afraid he wouldn't suffocate!
Pekoms, breathless, struggled violently, and after a few seconds finally pried Baron Tamago's hand off. His voice laced with anger, he roared at Baron Tamago, " Baron Tamago, what are you doing?"
Baron Tamago ignored Pekoms and instead respectfully addressed a figure beside Neptune, saying, "What a coincidence! Lord Xia Chen, you're here too?"
Baron Tamago had his head down, his face covered in sweat, and his back was also soaked with sweat, clinging to his clothes.
After he gestured to Pekoms, he subconsciously glanced at the figure next to Neptune.
But what he saw almost scared his heart out!
He recognized Xia Chen sitting there eating snacks at a glance. As for why he could recognize him so easily, there was no other reason than that he had looked at Xia Chen's bounty poster at least a hundred times. It would be strange if he didn't recognize him!
He wasn't one of those greenhorns who had just arrived in the New World; he clearly knew just how powerful the man not far away truly was!
This is someone who could single-handedly breach the Marine Headquarters!
Moreover, according to their intelligence, Xia Chen had fought with Whitebeard before Whitebeard died.
He even knew that Whitebeard had forcibly burned his life force before his death to maintain his peak condition for ten minutes.
However, even after fighting against Whitebeard, who was of such strength, Xia Chen was completely unharmed and in no condition whatsoever!
Since learning this news, they have become even more wary of Xia Chen, listing him as one of the most dangerous people in the world to mess with!
Yet, this is the very person they least wanted to contact or provoke! Today, he has appeared before them in this manner, and they seem to...
Thinking of this, Baron Tamago's face turned even uglier, and he hurriedly turned his gaze to Pekoms beside him, blinking hard at him.
Meanwhile, Pekoms was also oblivious to Baron Tamago's subtle movements, because he was also stunned, his face sweating just as much as, if not more than, Baron Tamago's!
When he heard Baron Tamago say Xia Chen's name, he instantly felt like he was doomed. Had he just said something like "cat" or "dog"?
It's over! It's over! Pekoms' heart was completely filled with despair at this moment, and he inexplicably felt that his great-grandmother was beckoning to him!
"What did you just say? I didn't quite catch that, could you say it again?"
After taking a bite of the pastry Xia Chen looked at Pekoms and the other person and asked them casually.
"!!!"
Upon hearing Xia Chen's words, Pekoms felt his mind race; he'd never thought so fast in his life! Even the most brilliant mind would have to bow down to him now!
Less than a second later, Pekoms quickly said, "I mean, King Neptune is utterly incompetent!"
???
Upon hearing Pekoms' words, Baron Tamago's eyes widened in disbelief, and he immediately turned to look at Pekoms.
That surprised expression suggested he was seeing this partner for the first time in years. The old Pekoms wouldn't have been so stupid! How could he say something like that in this situation?
However, Pekoms ' next line made Baron Tamago feel like he was really meeting this partner for the first time!
" King Neptune actually let us two cats and dogs come in through the main gate! That's so inappropriate! I, the cat, and Baron Tamago, the dog, should be crawling through some kind of dog hole or something!"
"They actually let us in through the main gate! Aren't they afraid of startling Lord Xia Chen and his companions? Really!"
With Pekoms deeply affectionate demeanor, the fluctuations in his emotions, and the pauses in his voice, no one would believe that he didn't truly feel the same way!
Baron Tamago, standing nearby, felt a bit of a headache upon hearing this. He really wanted to grab Pekoms and ask, "Why are you a cat and I'm a dog?"
What connection do I see between this egg and a dog?
But now was clearly not the time for him to ask that question. Instead, he immediately smiled and echoed, "..."
"That's right! Lord Xia Chen! Don't let my appearance fool you—I'm an egg, oh wait! Don't let my Egg-Egg Fruit fool you—I've always wanted to eat the Dog-Dog Fruit. I've always wanted to be a dog!"
"It's a pity I didn't get the chance! ε=(´ο`*))) Sigh!"
Baron Tamago was now channeling his inner Oscar winner, even letting out a sigh after he finished speaking to express his regret.
Pekoms didn't say anything, but in his heart he silently gave Baron Tamago a thumbs up!
Everyone on the field stared wide-eyed in astonishment. Neptune, in particular, nearly had his eyes pop out!
You guys... are a little too flexible!
Didn't you see Xia Chen's arrogance when he was a member of the Four Emperors ' crew?
Hmm! It was probably eaten by some random cat or dog from who-knows-where!
Thinking of this, Neptune couldn't help but look at Xia Chen. He knew exactly what the real reason was that Pekoms and the other two were so shameless. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"It seems Mr. Xia Chen's intimidating power is even greater than I imagined!"
Xia Chen's lips curled slightly as he looked at the two of them. These two were indeed too sensible, leaving him with no reason to attack them!
However, it was actually because Xia Chen never intended to attack them; otherwise, no matter how pragmatic he was, he would still have to be dealt with!
Xia Chen looked at the two people who had arrived and asked casually, "What is the purpose of your visit here?"
Upon hearing Baron Tamago immediately replied, " My Mama ate some pastries from Fish-Man Island a while ago, and she thought they were incredibly delicious!"
"So they sent the two of us to negotiate with King Neptune. Fish-Man Island will provide us with a certain amount of sweets every month, and in return, our pirate crew will protect the island!"
"Ha! Whitebeard has only been dead for a short time, and Big Mom has already jumped out?"
"So, if Fish-Man Island doesn't agree, what does your pirate crew plan to do?" Xia Chen's tone was calm, but it startled Baron Tamago and his companion.
"If the cooperation doesn't work out, we naturally won't force it. After all, we're not the kind of pirates who like to be coerced!" Baron Tamago said with an awkward smile.
Although he didn't know the relationship between Xia Chen and Neptune, he could tell from the way Xia Chen was eating and drinking here that there was definitely something between them, so of course he wouldn't reveal the truth.
Are you suggesting to Xia Chen that you'll threaten him if Fish-Man Island doesn't agree? That's practically suicide!
"I said... we're all old foxes, let's not play these ghost stories anymore, shall we?" Xia Chen said calmly, making Baron Tamago and the other man's hearts skip a beat.
"I don't care what you think, now I'm telling you!"
" Fish-Man Island is now under the protection of our Straw Hat Pirates. If Big Mom wants Fish-Man Island, tell her to come and talk to me! Do you understand or not?"
"Understood, understood!" the two replied hastily, nodding frantically like chickens pecking at rice.
The two fought for a while longer before tentatively asking, "Shall we head back now?"
The two of them just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. Facing Xia Chen directly was too much pressure for them, but they didn't dare to leave directly. They still had to ask Xia Chen first.
Xia Chen didn't say anything, but simply waved his hand!
The two instantly felt relieved and hurriedly ran out of the hall. Baron Tamago's long legs suddenly burst with unprecedented speed, and his figure disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Not to be outdone, Pekoms also quickly disappeared from everyone's sight.
Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Neptune looked at Xia Chen again and said, " Xia Chen, thank you both again this time!"
"Hey! Didn't we already agree that Fish-Man Island would be under the protection of the Straw Hat Pirates? Now that someone's trying to take our territory, it's only right that we deal with it!"
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. We're setting sail tomorrow, so now..."
Let's have a fun party!
"Oh!!!"