Chapter 216"Oh, leave it to me."Zoro grinned, revealing a dangerous and excited smile as he stepped on Saint Charlos's back to prevent him from struggling. "If the World Government doesn't want to trade, I'll kill him."Seeing this earth-shattering scene, the Supernovas, who had just recovered from Luffy's terrifying strength, fell into a daze once again.Even Kid, who had just been barely shaken awake by Killer, couldn't even care about his anger and injuries upon seeing this scene. His eyes widened as he blurted out, "Are you crazy?!!"Striking a Celestial Dragon directly?Even someone as lawless and arrogant as Kid had never even considered it.Or rather, he didn't dare to think about such a thing!This wasn't just a provocation; this was poking a hole in the heavens!Chapter 305: Clearing the Area, Clashing with Rayleigh's Haoshoku"It's over; things have finally come to this."Bonney covered her face in pain, letting out a weak groan.Cold sweat poured down Capone Bege's forehead; he didn't even notice his cigar falling to the ground. "They say this group does things completely out of line, and today I've finally seen it.""To actually dare to make a move on a Celestial Dragon, they're truly madmen."Hawkins looked at the card in his hand showing 'Great Misfortune,' his hand shaking so much he could barely hold it. "No, not just making a move—are they planning to kidnap or even kill a Celestial Dragon?"The divination results showed that this Celestial Dragon already had a clear omen of death!"An Admiral will definitely be deployed; we can't stay on this island for long."Trafalgar Law pulled down the brim of his hat, his tone more solemn than ever. "So the thing the Straw Hat Captain said he was going to do was this? Truly crazy."That said...For some reason, he was excited!The blood in his body surged wildly; the look in Law's eyes as he watched Luffy was one of indescribable fervor.Such heroic spirit!"Is the whole crew planning to act against the Celestial Dragons? It seems like a pre-discussed outcome."Drake's brow furrowed, his heart filled with doubt and shock. "What exactly do they want to do? Use a Celestial Dragon as a bargaining chip? What kind of deal do they want to make with the World Government?"And amidst this extreme chaos and shock, Saint Charlos, who was being stepped on by Zoro, seemed to have just come to his senses from the intense pain and dizziness.He felt the force on his back and the gazes of those commoners around him, letting out a pig-like howl:"Aaaah! It hurts! You damned commoners! How dare you hit me! I'm going to have my father kill you! An Admiral! Call an Admiral here immediately!"His wailing was like a death knell, ringing in the hearts of everyone who was still conscious.The sky over the Sabaody Archipelago seemed to darken completely at this moment."So noisy." Luffy glanced at Saint Charlos."Yeah, so noisy." Zoro grinned and struck Saint Charlos's head directly with the back of his sword.With a crisp thud.The world went quiet.Tap, tap, tap...The world went quiet and yet didn't; as Luffyclosed his eyes, he sensed a large number of presences approaching."Vivi, check the situation," Luffy said, opening his eyes."Understood."Vivi understood immediately. The air currents around her body surged slightly, and the power of the Wind-Wind Fruit allowed her to take flight lightly, rising into the air like a feather and looking into the distance from above.Her pupils suddenly constricted.Between the massive mangrove trunks of the Sabaody Archipelago and further out on the sea, countless white dots were rapidly gathering and converging like a swarming colony of ants, closing in on the area where they were in a massive encirclement!Despite the great distance, those iconic white uniforms and warship silhouettes were all too familiar to Vivi, who had dealt with the Marines quite a bit."Why are there suddenly so many Marines?"Vivi landed with a furrowed brow, her tone carrying a hint of confusion and gravity. "Did they receive news beforehand?"This was too abnormal; from the time they acted until now, it had only been a few minutes at most.Although the Sabaody Archipelago was adjacent to the Marine Headquarters, Marineford, and it was not surprising for the Marines to deploy forces here, the speed of this reaction and the scale of the troop mobilization were alarmingly fast.To put it simply, it didn't look like the Marines' usual efficiency."The Marines are here, so does that mean an Admiral is coming?"It had been some time since the last clash with Aokiji; it was time to test how much his strength had improved.He had fought a former Admiral before.But as he said, it was a former Admiral; what combat power could an old man about to retire with asthma have?But it had to be said, he was a very good teacher.Compared to the Supernovas who turned and ran at the news of an Admiral, Luffy wasn't nervous at all; instead, he was quite expectant."I'm actually looking forward to it."He rubbed his hands together in anticipation.Who would be the Marine's ultimate power coming this time?However, the reason for the Marines' rapid and large-scale mobilization didn't seem to be entirely because of them.Just then, a loud noise erupted from the most magnificent building not far away.Everyone turned to look.The Auction House doors were burst open from the inside by some immense force, and amidst flying wood splinters, two figures walked out one after another."Look, Mr. Giant, it's already a mess outside."A hearty, deep voice rang out. The speaker was an old man with glasses and long, wavy silver hair, his temperament steady yet unrestrained.He brushed the dust off his clothes and laughed, "I've managed to borrow some money, now it's time to go back to the casino and win it back."Following behind him was an exceptionally tall member of the Giant Race, who said in a muffled voice, "What a man of poor character. You specifically snuck into the Auction House just to steal money, didn't you?""If I were lucky, I originally planned to rob my buyer."Rayleigh pushed up his glasses and said, "Well, it's time to go buy some booze now. The trouble caused this time isn't small; I really hope the Marines don't notice me."His tone was relaxed.As if he had just picked up some pocket change in the Auction House.But only the Giant who came out with him knew what kind of chaos had been caused.How should one put it?Hopefully, they could escape before the Admiralarrived.The two had just walked out when they saw the tense scene outside.A bunch of unconscious pirates, a Celestial Dragon being stepped on by Zoro, and that Straw Hat.At this chaotic scene, a trace of bewilderment flashed across Rayleigh's face; clearly, he hadn't fully grasped the situation yet."Stop right there, you two damned slaves!!""Guards! Where are the guards?!"Shrill cries came from the Auction House entrance.A man and a woman, one old and one young, both wearing bubble helmets and white astronaut-like suits, were being supported by a stumbling bodyguard in black as they chased out in a rage.It was the Celestial Dragon father and daughter who had been "visited" by Rayleigh inside the Auction House."You're dead! An Admiral will come and kill you all!!"The young female Celestial Dragon, Saint Shalria, shrieked, her fan pointing at Rayleigh and the Giant.The old Celestial Dragon, Rosward Saint, was still fruitlessly calling for his guards, who had already been dealt with by Rayleigh."What happened inside?"Luffy looked at Rayleigh and asked curiously.A normal person's gaze would have first been drawn to the Giant.Who would notice an old man?But Luffy could sense the aura of a strong person.This old man is very strong!"There was a bit of a noisy impact just now, so we took the opportunity to come out. The guards tried to stop us, so I stretched my muscles a bit. Now it seems the outside is even more of a hassle."Rayleigh looked at Luffy, then glanced at the Straw Hat on his head, an imperceptible glint flashing in his eyes.Then he rubbed the stubble on his chin and laughed heartily:"Are we being a bit too conspicuous?""No, not at all."Law quipped coldly from nearby, his gaze sweeping over Saint Charlos being stepped on by Zoro, then at the two Celestial Dragons who had just walked out.At least, this legendary old man hadn't been crazy enough to directly attack a Celestial Dragon yet.Though his actions themselves were like plucking whiskers from a tiger's face.With this kind of aura, it seems the rumors are true.A legendary-level pirate.How many more are there on this sea?They're not that easy to come across."Ray... Rayleigh!"Hachi shouted excitedly from nearby."Oh? It's Hachi."Rayleigh saw his old friend, a sincere smile appearing on his face. "Long time no see. What are you doing in a place like this?"Hachi scratched his head, his six hands not knowing where to go. "It's a long story."The Dark King Rayleigh?The legendary first mate of the Pirate King.I've finally met him.Luffy cut right in, looking at Rayleigh with burning eyes. "I asked Hachi to bring me to find you.""Do you have something to discuss with an old man about to retire?"Rayleigh looked around.At the mostly fallen Marine vanguard, the scattered Supernovas, and those three Celestial Dragons, he gave a meaningful smile. "It looks like things are going to get dangerous.""Don't worry about us, we're fine," Hachi said quickly.Camie also nodded vigorously and said, "In a bit, Hachi-bro and I will jump from the roots into the sea. No one can catch us in the water!"The abilities of Merfolk and Fishmen in the water were beyond doubt.They had been around Luffy and the others for a while.Camie also knew the current situation was quite dangerous.Rayleigh looked at the surrounding situation, then at Luffy and the group of companions with various expressions beside him, understanding most of it in his heart."I have a general idea of what's happening now."His gaze finally fixed on Luffy, his reflection shimmering in his glasses. "That Straw Hat suits a tough man. I've wanted to meet you for a long time, Monkey D. Luffy.""Eh, you know me?"Luffy pressed down his Straw Hat. "Well, that's not important for now. I have something I want to discuss with you."
