"Let me tell you, you are no one's slaves and are no less than anyone else. We are all birds that yearn for freedom. These shackles cannot bind a heart that desires freedom. If you want to live a meaningful life, you must leave this cage, pursue the mysterious sea, and roam freely between heaven and earth!"
After hearing Tianqi's words, the black-haired little girl showed a hint of longing, but she still asked with some unease, "Can you really protect us?"
"In this situation, I am probably the only person I can trust, because I am not afraid of the Navy or the Admirals. I don't even care about the Five Elders who are at the top of the power structure, because nothing can hold a heart that wants freedom back!" Tian Qi said proudly, looking up.
Rayleigh and Shanks behind him also had a strange look in their eyes when they heard this. How dare this person say such arrogant words so casually? The Five Elders, those old guys at the top of power, were people that even their captain, the Pirate King Roger, could not ignore. What kind of capital did this guy have to dare to say such arrogant words?
"Since you can protect us, then... then we're willing to go with you!" Although the person in front of her spoke arrogantly, for some reason, the black-haired girl had a feeling that the person in front of her had the power to protect them.
However, remembering the thing still binding her neck, she frowned and said dejectedly, "But we can't get far with this around our necks. If we try to escape rashly, it will kill us..."
"This is not a problem at all. Remember what I said: nothing can hold back a bird that wants to pursue freedom!" As he spoke, Tianqi's Eternal Kaleidoscope transformed into the Rinnegan. He placed one hand on the collars binding the girls, activated the power of time, and the collars binding the girls were visibly corroded and fell off.
The girls were overjoyed to see their restraints gone, but just as they were freed, several gunshots rang out from outside.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
"Listen up, you pirates inside! You're surrounded! Release Lord Heroes and the others right now, or you won't escape Sabaody Archipelago today!"
Gunshots rang out, accompanied by warnings from the Navy. Only Tian Qi and his group, along with the stunned guards, remained in the venue. If the Navy hadn't been worried about the Celestial Dragons' lives, they would have rushed in long ago. However, they didn't know that the Celestial Dragons were already dead.
"Young man, the navy is here. Aren't you going to run away?" Rayleigh looked at Tianqi's back with a smile. Although this guy had just spoken arrogantly, it remained to be seen whether he had the courage and ability to be so arrogant.
"Oh dear, this is really troublesome. The naval operation is far too fast. I don't even know where my lovely crew members have gone. My friend, please take good care of me later!" Shanks tugged at his straw hat, saying that he asked Tianqi to take care of him, but he wasn't worried at all.
Unlike Rayleigh and Shanks' composure, the three girls shrank back upon hearing the Navy's gunfire and warnings, unable to contain their fear. The experience of being captured had left a deep scar on their hearts, and at this moment they had little courage left to fight.
Looking at the girls, Tianqi reached out and patted their heads, saying calmly, "Don't be afraid. I told you I would protect you. The navy outside is just a bunch of ants. There's no need to be afraid of these ants!"
Hearing Tianqi's confident words, the black-haired girl's fear gradually subsided. She reached out and grabbed Tianqi's hand, completely entrusting herself to this person she was meeting for the first time.
"Hey, hey, hey, young man, now that these kids are willing to go with you, shouldn't you be thinking about how to escape? You know this place is already surrounded by the Navy!" Rayleigh shouted a reminder, but he still had a smiling face and didn't seem worried at all.
"Escape? The word 'escape' doesn't exist in my life!" Tian Qi sneered, then looked at the three sisters beside him and said, "Don't be afraid, just stay close behind me, okay?"
Although they didn't know what Tianqi was up to, Tianqi was their only lifeline. Having finally escaped their fate as slaves, they didn't want to be ended by the navy. They immediately nodded frantically to show that they understood.
"Young man, don't be impulsive. The navy outside isn't as weak or as small as you think!" Rayleigh said calmly, his eyes narrowed, as he thought about what Tianqi was planning to do.
"Impulsive? I never fight a battle I'm not sure I can win. You guys don't have much to do with me, and I'm the one who killed the Celestial Dragons. The Navy's main target is me. I'll go out first, and with me drawing the Navy's fire, it shouldn't be a problem for you to leave!" Tian Qi said calmly.
"Hehe, that's true, but I've been annoyed with the Navy for a long time. With you leading the charge, I can teach them a lesson. How about I charge first?" Shanks chuckled, clearly not wanting to leave just like that.
Hearing Shanks' words, Tianqi raised an eyebrow slightly. Since they wanted to get involved, Tianqi didn't care. Whether Shanks was there or not made no difference to him. Then, Tianqi said to the girl beside him, "Don't worry, with me here, I can definitely get you out of this place!"
After reassuring the three girls, Tianqi and his group walked out of the auction house. As soon as they came out, a large group of navy soldiers with knives and guns pointed at them. Looking up, they saw a dark mass of navy soldiers, at least several thousand in number. The sheer number of navy soldiers was incredibly intimidating.
The admiral leading the navy was a man in his thirties with glasses and a black beard. This man would later become Fleet Admiral Sengoku, but at this moment he was just an admiral.
"Pirates in front, drop your weapons and surrender now, or you will be killed without mercy!" said a rear admiral wearing a naval justice coat.
Before Tianqi and the others could speak, Sengoku stopped the major admiral from speaking, stepped forward, fixed his gaze on Rayleigh, and said loudly, "Dark King Rayleigh, your Roger Pirates' captain Gol Roger has been killed. You should be hiding in a corner of the world like everyone else. Are you trying to make a comeback by killing a Celestial Dragon today?"
"Hey, Sengoku, that's not very interesting. And don't get me wrong, your business with the Celestial Dragons has nothing to do with me. I just happened to be browsing the auction house today. The real culprit is this young man next to me. If you want trouble, go find him!" Rayleigh said with a smile, instantly betraying Tianqi.
Although Tianqi maintains the appearance of being thirty years old, in the world of One Piece, he looks to be around twenty-five. Rayleigh calling him a young man is not wrong.
Hearing Rayleigh's words, Tianqi didn't feel anything. He knew what kind of person this Hades Rayleigh was. Given his personality, even if something had nothing to do with him, he wouldn't sit idly by if he were defeated in the end.
The three sisters, unaware of Rayleigh's character, cursed his entire family in their hearts, even bringing up his ancestors to hurl insults. However, despite their cursing, they were also astonished by Rayleigh's status as the vice-captain of the Pirate King. They couldn't bear to look at such a shameless old man as the second-in-command of the Pirate King's ship.
"Since this has nothing to do with you, hurry up and leave. You're no longer a pirate, and I don't want to waste time catching you. Go!" Sengoku, who knew Rayleigh's character, didn't make things difficult for him. Instead, he turned his attention to this young man who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Actually, it wasn't that Sengoku didn't want to capture Rayleigh, but he never expected Rayleigh to be here today. Rayleigh is known as the Dark King, which means he must have killed a lot of pirates and marines in the past. Rayleigh has an astronomical bounty. If he wasn't worried about Rayleigh's strength and his side wasn't fully prepared, he would have already taken him down.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com