Let's rewind to a few minutes earlier.
Every time Tesoro passed through a place, he would enthusiastically introduce it to Xia Chen.
"Lord Xia Chen, look, that's our biggest casino over there. They have every kind of gambling you can imagine..."
"That's the production workshop for our tortoise cars over there; basically all the tortoise cars are made there..."
"..."
Tesoro and Xia Chen, one speaking and the other listening, were followed by a group of guards.
"Stop!"
Suddenly, Xia Chen narrowed his eyes and shouted at Tesoro.
Although he didn't know what had happened, Tesoro obediently stopped the tortoise car and turned to look at Xia Chen.
But Xia Chen's gaze was fixed on the front, his brows slightly furrowed.
Seeing this, Tesoro couldn't help but turn his gaze over as well, and when he saw what appeared in front of him, the expression on his face instantly became extremely interesting.
Strictly speaking, what appeared in front of us wasn't an object, but a person, but this person...
Hmm... that's a bit strange!
The figure in front was wearing boots, with only half a kimono on the lower body, an animal skin-like garment underneath the upper body, a mink coat on top, a sun hat on the head, and a pipe in the mouth.
At that moment, he was raising one foot and placing it horizontally between his thighs, hopping around on the street using only one foot!
It's as bizarre as can be!
He's at least seventy years old; his wrinkled face and gray hair don't lie!
Looking at this person, Xia Chen remained silent for a long time.
If nothing unexpected happens, this person is the one Doflamingo mentioned to him a while ago—the one with the strange clothes and eccentric behavior!
As for why he was so sure?
The thought popped into my head the instant I saw this person.
And he was certain that it wasn't just him; everyone around him thought the same thing!
Xia Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, and the next moment, his figure vanished from the spot, reappearing in front of that person.
He spread his right arm and slammed it down hard on his opponent.
Don't ask him why he did that; the answer is that this person's gaze made him very uncomfortable!
It was a gaze that gleamed with an eerie light, like that of someone eyeing their prey!
"Bang!"
A dull thud followed, and the strangely behaving old man easily caught Xia Chen's punch, causing Xia Chen to show a hint of surprise.
" Xia Chen the Sovereign? The light emanating from you is so intense! It's far stronger than anyone I've ever seen. No wonder you've reached such strength at such a young age!"
"If I could become one with you, I could..."
The strange man grinned, revealing teeth that looked like they hadn't been brushed in eight hundred years, almost making Xia Chen vomit up his dinner from the night before.
Seeing this, Xia Chen could no longer hold back. Without waiting for him to finish speaking, he suddenly exerted force with his fist a second time, his Conqueror's Haki coating it, directly sending him flying.
Because of the Conqueror's Haki Coating, Xia Chen's fist didn't even touch him. Xia Chen felt that touching this person would make him feel nauseous for days.
Thinking about it that way, he suddenly felt quite sorry for Doflamingo.
Xia Chen is now certain that this person is the one who made Doflamingo lose... well! his virginity!
He didn't know if Doflamingo looked like this when he met him, but he could only say that if he really did look like this...
Doflamingo, what a man!
Xia Chen gazed calmly ahead. After smashing through countless buildings, the strange man's body finally came to a stop, and amidst the billowing dust, he gradually rose to his feet.
"Cough cough!"
A few coughs were heard, followed by bursts of incredibly excited laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
"Awesome! Awesome! So awesome!"
The moment they heard the voice, everyone around felt a chill run down their spines, except for Tesoro, who seemed to find it somewhat familiar.
Yes! He has one of his subordinates who is like that too!
The strange man slowly walked towards Xia Chen Xia Chen, his eyes filled with covetousness.
"Your talent... is truly amazing! But it will soon be mine, hahaha..."
"Old man, what do you mean by that?"
Xia Chen raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.
"Kid, show me some respect! I have a name, my name is Stephen Gek!" the strange man roared.
"..."
Xia Chen remained silent for a moment, then uttered a few words softly.
"I don't know him!"
He wasn't faking it; he genuinely didn't recognize this guy. He was certain that such disgusting filth had never existed in his mind before!
"Ha! That's good that you don't recognize me!" Gek said with a laugh.
Everyone: Then why are you introducing yourself?!
Gek looked at Xia Chen and continued, "I've kept a very low profile all these years, it would be strange if you guys knew me! But..."
"After today, I don't have to keep a low profile anymore!"
"Kid, you have great talent! Once we become one, it will be mine!"
Xia Chen raised an eyebrow, his expression turning somewhat unpleasant.
"Your unity with oneness... you wouldn't have done what you did to Doflamingo, would you?"
"Huh? You actually knew that? I didn't expect him to tell you this!" A hint of surprise appeared on Gek's face, then he smiled and said:
"That's right! I used to be a very mediocre person. Although I was a pirate for many years, even when I was 40 years old, my bounty was only 500 Beli!"
"It's a complete disgrace to pirates!"
"But one day I ate a Devil Fruit, and from that day on, my fate changed!"
"My Devil Fruit is Paramecia Man-Man Fruit! As long as I fuse with a man whose talent surpasses mine, I can inherit his talent!"
"With this ability, my talent has grown stronger and stronger, and in just a few decades, I have become one of the strongest people in the world!"
As soon as he finished speaking, an incredibly powerful Conqueror's Haki was released from Gek's body, sweeping outwards.
Countless people's bodies went limp instantly, and they all collapsed to the ground.
" King Level Conqueror's Haki!"
Xia Chen narrowed his eyes, a look of surprise on his face.
Although he knew from their brief exchange that the old man in front of him was not weak, he really didn't expect that the old man would have King Level Conqueror's Haki!
It's important to know that this level of Conqueror's Haki is extremely rare in the world!
but...
It's no use!
Xia Chen slightly raised his hand, and a block of dark ice suddenly appeared in the void, enveloping Gek entirely.
In the blink of an eye, a dark crystal appeared before everyone's eyes.
Xia Chen slowly walked towards the dark ice block...