Lin Yuan moved with incredible speed, closing the distance between himself and his opponent.
To his surprise, his opponent was very familiar with the terrain, constantly changing direction, and his speed was equally astonishing.
Lin Yuan's lips curled up, as if he had sensed the other party's intention. He slowed down slightly, and sure enough, the other party also slowed down considerably.
Ten minutes later, Lin Yuan had lost track of how far he had gone from Whitebeard Newgate and his crew, when they finally stopped and turned to look at Lin Yuan.
"I say, you dared to leave that Whitebeard Newgate guy and chase after me all by yourself, that's quite courageous!"
Lin Yuan was taken aback, sensing that the other party seemed to have misunderstood something.
"You're just a person, what's there to be afraid of!"
As he got closer, Lin Yuan finally saw the other person's face clearly. He was short and thin, wearing an old man's hat and had a pipe at his waist.
He looked no different from an ordinary old man.
However, Lin Yuan did not underestimate his opponent, after all, the old man's speed just now was beyond the reach of ordinary people.
After scrutinizing the other person for a long time, the old man in front of him slowly began to resemble a character from an anime in Lin Yuan's previous life.
Lin Yuan finally confirmed his guess: this old man was someone Ace and Luffy encountered early in their lives, and he even taught them some fighting techniques, making him one of Ace and Luffy's earliest teachers.
Just as he was lost in thought, the other person asked with some surprise.
"Hehe, what are you thinking? This old man may be a bit useless, but if it were just you alone, you probably couldn't take me down."
"Oh? Is that so? May I ask how the old man is addressed?"
Upon hearing Lin Yuan's question, the old man, who had been hiding something, answered directly.
"The old man's Naguri. Though he may not seem like much, I was once a man who could rival Roger."
"And if he didn't lack powerful subordinates, it wouldn't be easy for him to defeat me."
Recalling his past life on the high seas, Naguri seemed to recall his former high spirits, his fearlessness in the face of hardship, and his days leading a group of followers to venture out to sea.
He hadn't mentioned it to Ace or Luffy before, but today, seeing Whitebeard Newgate and Garp seemed to have brought it all back to mind.
Moreover, Lin Yuan could even sense pride and anger in the other party's tone, as if they were not afraid of Roger at all.
"You say you can rival Roger? Your strength must be at least at the level of a general emperor, and you?"
Seemingly sensing the doubt and disdain in Lin Yuan's tone, Naguri wasn't angry. Instead, he took out his pipe, lit it, took a deep drag, and said calmly.
"Hehe, little brat, it seems you still don't believe me. If it weren't for Rayleigh and his gang, how could I have possibly lost? But I admit I lost, however..."
At this point, Naguri took another drag of his cigarette and said quietly.
"But you dared to come all by yourself, that's pretty bold! You're that Whitebeard Newgate's son, aren't you? I heard he's into this kind of thing!"
Lin Yuan's lips twitched. What the hell is this? Whitebeard Newgate's son? I'm a man who can fight Whitebeard Newgate.
And you old codger, you're putting on airs, acting like some kind of hermit sage.
Before Lin Yuan could speak, Naguri spoke again.
"Alright, kid, for the sake of that Whitebeard Newgate fellow, this old man won't make things difficult for you. You can go now."
"Although I'm not afraid of that old man, if I kill his son, that old man will probably go crazy!"
Lin Yuan's expression beneath the mask was rather unpleasant, even somewhat itchy; it was the first time he had ever seen someone put on such a show in front of him.
"Hmph, old man, looks like you're quite confident in yourself! You dare to challenge Roger, and aren't afraid of Whitebeard Newgate? How about you take a punch from me?"
Naguri glanced at Lin Yuan with a hint of helplessness and offered some advice.
"Why don't you just leave quietly? This old man is living a very good life here. Aren't you just disrupting my peaceful life?"
"Oh, then how about you make a bet with me?"
Naguri was taken aback, but immediately became interested and said with a smile.
"How do you want to gamble? It's been so many years since I've gambled, I really miss it!"
Lin Yuan's lips twitched again. Another gambling addict.
Besides eating and drinking, most pirates in this world also enjoy gambling and whoring.
However, since the other party had this hobby, Lin Yuan had an idea in mind.
You have to understand that none of these old guys, especially those who are even associated with Luffy, are simple characters.
"If you can defeat me, I'll leave without hesitation, and Ace will stay too."
Naguri nodded. He had watched Ace grow up and liked the boy quite a bit. He also knew Ace's true identity.
"Okay, let's begin!"
"Wait, what if you can't beat me?"
Lin Yuan was very confident in his abilities, but he still subtly set a trap in his words.
Naguri took another drag of his cigarette, seemingly unconcerned about losing.
"It doesn't matter, it'll only take a few minutes. So what if you're from the Whitebeard Pirates? Nothing unexpected will happen!"
Lin Yuan was fooled again, but this time he wasn't angry; instead, he was somewhat pleased.
If the other party's strength is really as he claims, then we must at least bring him into the " Abyss " Merchant Guild.
"Haha, that's not necessarily true, old man. If you can't beat me, then grant me one request!"
Many people in the world of One Piece are very principled, especially those powerful old men, except for Blackbeard, of course.
Naguri seemed to enjoy this reclusive, hermit-like feeling. He took a light puff of his pipe, smoke swirling in the air, and spoke softly.
"Fine, then you can prepare to leave this place with that old man, Whitebeard Newgate, and let me have some peace and quiet."
A dangerous smile appeared on Lin Yuan's face beneath the mask, and he laughed heartily.
"Alright, since that's the case, then let's take this!"
Armament Haki wrapped around his hands, and Lin Yuan's figure vanished from the spot in an instant, leaving only a deep crater crushed beneath his feet.
Naguri sensed Lin Yuan's aura, his face remaining calm, but inwardly he took it much more seriously.
He slowly put away his pipe, his withered right hand also turning black, covered in Armament Haki, ready to finish off the guy in front of him with one punch.
Although Lin Yuan moved quickly, he did not use his full Armament Haki. However, the moment he appeared in front of his opponent, the aura emanating from Lin Yuan changed.
To Naguri's astonishment, an aura of dominance filled the entire island.
At the same time, thunderclouds rolled across the sky, and countless black and red lightning bolts fell.
Conqueror's Haki: Dragon Strike!
"Damn it, you have no sportsmanship!"