Thump...
As Heique fell, a small Den Den Mushi) fell out of his arms and rolled to Luo Chen's feet.
"Um!!"
Luo Chen reached out and grabbed it, bringing it close to his face. He saw that the Den Den Mushi was still on a call. In the rush, Heique only had time to turn around and run away without hanging up.
"Moxi, Moxi... Heique, what happened to you? What's going on?"
The person on the other end heard a fighting sound through the Den Den Mushi, and then Heique went silent, which made him very anxious and worried. After Luo Chen picked up the receiver, he hurriedly asked again.
"Hehehe, Heique? I'm afraid you've asked the wrong person. He can't even get up now..."
Luo Chen responded with a cold laugh after hearing this.
"You are... you wouldn't happen to be Shichibukai Luo Chen, would you? But how could you be... didn't Black Sparrow say that he had hidden himself well and wouldn't be easily detected?"
Upon hearing a strange man's voice coming through the microphone, the person on the other end said urgently.
"That's right, I am Luo Chen. I never expected that you, or rather that Celestial Dragons, haven't given up on capturing Catherine. But you'll be disappointed. If you want to take her back, you'll have to step over my dead body, no matter how many people come..."
Luo Chen's smile remained unchanged as he repeated what he had said to Heique. Upon hearing this, the Den Den Mushi's expression changed instantly, and it loudly rebuked him.
"Damn it, Luo Chen, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're Shichibukai. Gustav, the Celestial Dragons Saint Orange will not let you go. If you don't hand over Miss Catherine, you will face endless pursuit from the entire world... Do you hear me?"
The man threatened him loudly, his words filled with arrogance and smugness, as if he could imagine that the next second Luo Chen would be kneeling on the ground, offering Miss Catherine with both hands, crying and begging for mercy.
Unfortunately, this will ultimately disappoint him. Luo Chen will never agree to such an unreasonable request, nor will he kneel down to that Celestial Dragons for the sake of temporary peace.
"Alright, alright, I get it. It's no use talking to me anymore. If you really want to bring her back, send your people to me. Defeat me and everything will be fine. Okay, bye..."
Luo Chen picked at his ear, spoke to him nonchalantly, and hung up the phone before he could say anything more. He threw the Den Den Mushi back onto the ground where the Heique was slowly getting up, and then asked him a question.
"Your name is Heique, right? Here, take this Den Den Mushi back. Connect it..."
When he saw Heique retract the Den Den Mushi and glare at him angrily, he smiled calmly and asked again.
"Alright, stop giving me that ugly look. If you really want to take my life, you can do it now. If you're too scared, then listen to my questions first. If you answer them to my satisfaction, maybe I can spare your life..."
"Tell me, what happened to that Celestial Dragons, Orange, after I took Catherine away? How dare a piece of trash with absolutely no strength threaten me, Shichibukai recognized by the government? Even a Celestial Dragons wouldn't have the right to do that!"
Luo Chen stood in front of him, looking down at him.
"Hmph, how could you possibly fathom the greatness of Saint Orange? It's said that after being offended by a lowly commoner like you, he returned to the ancient land of Gustav in Mary Geoise and gained even greater power—a special inheritance comparable to ancient weapons. Moreover, Saint Orange has already declared that he will personally come to kill you and reclaim his fiancée, Miss Catherine. If you don't want to be killed, you'd better hurry up..."
Pfft...
Before Heique could finish speaking, One Flash red light appeared in Luo Chen's hand, and a crimson blade sliced open his neck, spurting out a large amount of blood. Black Sparrow's eyes were fixed on Luo Chen, as if he couldn't believe that he had actually killed him.
"What an idiot! I was going to spare your life, but your mouth is so foul. You have no one to blame but yourself..."
Luo Chen sighed, shook his head, and then turned around and continued walking towards the town. As he walked, a long and confident voice drifted over.
" Gustav Orange? The power of inheritance? How interesting. I'll be waiting for you on that high seas. I hope you won't disappoint me!!"
On the other side, at the harbor shore on the island's side, Catherine and a few others were gathered together, seemingly discussing something.
"Miss Catherine, are you sure the captain will probably be back today?"
Dressed in casual clothes and with a radiant appearance, Lulith stood beside Catherine and spoke first.
As she asked her question, the remaining people all focused their attention on Catherine, wanting to hear what she had to say, how she could be so certain and gather everyone back on the ship to await Luo Chen's return.
"Yes, I know the Luo Chen from here to Marineford better than anyone. It only takes a day and a half to go round trip. From the end of the war to getting back here, it's just a matter of tonight. I don't want him to have to search for us in the town later, so I have to gather everyone back first and wait for him..."
Catherine, dressed in combat gear, exuding heroic spirit and possessing extreme beauty, nodded and spoke.
"Really? I'm really looking forward to it. I wonder how strong Captain Luo Chen is now, and whether he's improved after fighting those powerful pirates. If he's not too weak and can't beat me, then I can take his place. After all, I've been eyeing his position for a long time, uh hahahaha..."
Phil made no attempt to hide his ambition, and then burst into laughter.
"Hmph, if you dare lay a hand on the captain, I won't let you off the hook, Phil..."
Singh, who was halfway up the crowd, made his statement.
"What? Want another match? Singh, haven't you tasted defeat yet?"
Phil, the battle maniac, naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass by after spending the past few days with the group following his separation from Luo Chen. He challenged almost everyone, especially Singh, George, and Catherine, winning more often than losing. His strength was second only to Luo Chen. Hearing Singh's threat, he naturally wouldn't be intimidated and met Singh's gaze head-on, shouting loudly.
"Alright, stop arguing. We're all partners, how can we quarrel over such a small thing? It's getting dark, let's get on the boat and get some food first, then we can discuss how to find Luo Chen."
Seeing that they looked like they were about to start a fight, Lulith immediately spoke up to smooth things over.
"Let's go upstairs first. Let me prepare some good food for you. We can eat while we wait for the captain..."
Chef Monbuma waved to Phil and Singh and began to speak.
"Okay, let's go!"
After exchanging glances, Catherine spoke first, then boarded the ship, thus quelling what seemed to be an escalating conflict with just a few words.
Time passed quickly. Luo Chen used his Observation Haki to search the island but found no trace of the crew. He guessed that they had already returned to the ship and were waiting for him, so he slowly walked towards the direction where the warship was moored.
After finishing their meal, Catherine and the others on the ship stopped arguing and went about their own business while waiting for him to return.
clatter...
"Hmm, just as I expected, they're all here. Excellent, now everyone's here except me..."
After more than half an hour, Luo Chen finally arrived at his destination. From the Observation Haki in his mind, he could sense that the auras of all six of them were present, which surprised and delighted Luo Chen. He nodded and said...