The filthy cell, which had been filled with foul language just a second ago, now fell into a deathly silence.
Only Charlotte Linlin remained standing there quietly, as if nothing had happened.
She raised her hand slightly, gently brushing away non-existent dust from her skirt.
"I just didn't want to waste time looking for you guys tomorrow."
"Hmm, another bit of lifespan credited. Wasting resources isn't a good habit. I wonder how many Marionette sea birds your souls can make?"
Charlotte Linlin said thoughtfully as she looked at the group of people collapsed on the ground.
She gracefully took out a small, exquisite mirror from the deep cleavage of her chest.
A moment later, the figures of Sack and the others lying on the ground disappeared, leaving only a few pale purple feathers in their place.
Putting the mirror away, a transponder snail appeared between Charlotte Linlin's fingers.
"Puru puru! Puru puru!"
Click!
The transponder snail was connected almost instantly, mimicking Gloriosa's anxious face and voice:
"Hello! Linlin! Where are you? Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine, Gloriosa, don't worry." Charlotte Linlin's voice carried a reassuring calm.
A clear sound of a sigh of relief came from the other side of the transponder snail, followed by noisy background sounds:
"See! I told you Sister Linlin would be fine!"
Gölz's voice, sounding relieved but with a hint of grievance, came from the other side.
"Exactly! Captain Linlin is so strong, how could she be in danger!"
This was Ripley's clearly lacking-in-confidence defense.
Thump! Thump!
Two dull thuds were heard, accompanied by Ripley's cry of pain:
"Ouch! Gloriosa! Why are you still hitting us!"
"You're asking why I'm hitting you?!" Gloriosa's furious voice came through clearly over the transponder snail,
"You two! One is an Elbaf warrior, the other is a Giant teacher! You're so big, yet your brains are so simple! Your own Captain was kidnapped right under your noses and you didn't even know! What use are you!"
"Right! They deserve it!"
"Exactly! It's unacceptable!"
The angry voices of Mia and the other Female Warriors also came through, clearly very dissatisfied with Ripley and Gölz's previous behavior.
"We were wrong! Stop hitting us! We know we were wrong!"
Ripley's pleas for mercy and the crackling sounds of being "educated" by everyone came through clearly over the transponder snail.
"Alright, alright, stop hitting them," Charlotte Linlin spoke up to stop them,
"After all, it's the first time they've encountered such targeted schemes; it's hard to avoid negligence."
"Hmph! For Linlin's sake, I'll let you off this time! Don't let it happen again!" Gloriosa said, her anger not yet fully dissipated.
"This time, Ripley, Gölz," Charlotte Linlin's tone became a bit more serious over the transponder snail,
"What lesson have you learned?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Gölz's sullen voice, filled with strong resentment, came through:
"Old people are all bad! I'll never trust any old man or old lady ever again!"
Having been deceived by an "Old Grandfather" and an "Old Grandmother" in succession, the simple Female Giant was now experiencing a serious crisis of trust in the elderly.
"Those human foods are all flashy and look good but aren't filling! They can't compare to our hearty Elbaf BBQ at all!" Ripley summarized indignantly, clearly missing the point.
"Rip—ley—!" Gloriosa's voice suddenly became eerie and terrifying,
"Is that the lesson you learned?!"
Sensing a tangible killing intent coming through the transponder snail, Ripley shuddered and quickly changed her tune:
"No, no! I mean! There are many cunning liars among small humans! I'll definitely be more vigilant in the future and never be tempted by delicious food! No! I won't be tempted by anything!"
"That's more like it." Gloriosa snorted coldly, then turned back to the transponder snail, her tone turning concerned,
"Linlin, what do you plan to do next? Do you need us to come and back you up immediately?"
"Since someone dares to reach out their hand toward me," a cold chill flashed in Charlotte Linlin's eyes behind her sunglasses, and her lips curled into a domineering arc,
"If I don't break their hand along with their arm, wouldn't the name Charlotte Linlin be for nothing?"
She paused slightly and gave her orders: "The plan remains unchanged. Tomorrow, things should be settled. You all leave the port tomorrow morning as planned and wait in the designated sea area. After that, I will come find you."
"Understood."
Gloriosa agreed without hesitation. Although she didn't quite understand the necessary connection between "being named Charlotte Linlin" and breaking someone's hand, she had absolute confidence in her Captain's strength.
"By the way," Charlotte Linlin remembered something, "Have Vina and the others returned to the st. freya?"
"Not yet. They went to scout the location of the Marine warships and haven't come back."
Charlotte Linlin's eyes narrowed: "Send someone to find them immediately and warn them to be careful. Since I've been targeted, they might be in danger too."
"Yes! I'll arrange it right away!"
...Dressrosa, on a relatively secluded street.
Vina and the others were on their way back to the st. freya.
The afternoon sun of Dressrosa shone through stained glass windows, casting colorful light and shadows on the ground, but the four of them felt a bit excited about the upcoming revenge against the Marines.
Although their true enemy had already died at Charlotte Linlin's hands, they hadn't done it themselves, so their resentment toward the Marines hadn't diminished much.
Suddenly, a burst of terrified screams and chaotic footsteps came from ahead, and the originally leisurely crowd scattered like startled birds and beasts.
"What's happening?" Sia stopped alertly, frowning as she looked toward the source of the commotion.
Before they could figure out the situation, a dozen figures leaped down like ghosts from the alleys and rooftops on both sides, surrounding them in an instant! These people moved swiftly and had fierce gazes; they were clearly not ordinary thugs.
"Who are you?!" Vina shouted sharply. The four of them stood back-to-back, immediately assuming combat stances.
However, the opponents were numerous and coordinated well, clearly having come prepared.
Although Vina and the others had undergone training, there was still a gap between their combat experience and these people who lived their lives on the edge of a blade.
After fighting back and knocking down three or four enemies, cold muzzles were already pressed against their temples and backs, completely neutralizing their movements.
"Bastards! Let us go!" Viya struggled unwillingly, but was hit hard in the back with a gun butt by the pirate behind her, letting out a pained groan.
Looking at the four girls' faces filled with resentment and indignation, a man stepped out.
He had a very wretched appearance, with narrow eyes paired with two carefully trimmed thin mustaches, and an uncomfortable smug smile on his face.
"Heh heh heh... No harm in telling you, I am the first mate of the Phantom Pirates—'Slender Dog' Roya!"
Just then, a burst of hurried and orderly footsteps was heard!
"Marines! The Marines are coming!" one of the pirates surrounding them whispered.
"Damn it! The Marines got here so fast!" Roya looked back with a grim expression.
A squad of Marine Soldiers in white uniforms, led by a middle-aged commander, rushed over and surrounded the group of pirates in turn.
The middle-aged commander at the head was none other than Vice Admiral Basti, with his fleshy face and gloomy eyes.
The pirates of the Phantom Pirates suddenly became nervous. Roya grabbed Vina and pressed the muzzle of his gun firmly against her temple, shouting a threat at the Marines:
"Don't move! Get back! Or I'll kill them right now!"
However, Basti only gave the captured Vina and the other three a cold glance. A mocking arc pulled at the corner of his mouth as he said to Roya:
"The people you've captured are them," he pointed at Vina and the others, "Why should we back off?"
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