Chapter Fifty: Splitting Into Two Groups

"..."

Hearing Chu Yi's calm words, Tiger's eye twitched violently, his inner monologue screaming...

Explain, my foot!

Can’t you let someone finish their sentence for once?

But despite his complaints, Tiger couldn’t help but be shocked as he watched Chu Yi dispatch three powerful Marine Vice Admirals in mere seconds. Beyond surprise, he secretly wondered just how strong Chu Yi truly was.

Yet, at this moment, none of them had the luxury to dwell on such trivial matters, for the sounds of Chu Yi’s battle with the Vice Admirals would surely draw more Marines.

After all...

This was the Holy Land Mariejois!

The residence of the world’s aristocrats, the Celestial Dragons. The seat of the World Government!

Indeed, only ten seconds after Chu Yi had dealt with the three Vice Admirals, Tiger felt a chill run through him. Using his Observation Haki, he sensed countless powerful presences rapidly approaching. The shrill sound of alarms pierced the ears of Hancock and Lucci, making their faces darken.

“This is bad!”

Tiger’s pupils widened as he stepped forward, grabbed Chu Yi, and said, “Kid, 'District Six' is still some distance from where the Celestial Dragons live. I originally planned to sneak you all into the heart of Mariejois from 'District Six', but I didn’t expect the Marine defenses to be so tight. We need to hide quickly. If the Marines arrive, we won’t even have a chance to escape.”

As he spoke, Tiger tugged at Chu Yi’s shoulder, instinctively ready to turn away.

But as he pulled, Tiger suddenly realized that Chu Yi’s feet were rooted to the ground, unmoving.

“Kid, you…”

Staring at Chu Yi’s face, Tiger was clearly at a loss for why Chu Yi insisted on staying.

At that moment, Chu Yi’s gaze fell gently upon Tiger and he spoke softly:

“Tiger, you take Hancock and Lucci and go ahead.”

“What about you!” Tiger shouted in alarm. “Do you have any idea how many Marines are stationed here? Do you know these Marines are the elite of the elite? Here, even the lowest ranks are officers. If you plan to cover our retreat, then next year on this day will be your memorial, kid!”

“Tiger, I understand your reasoning. But if I leave now, wouldn’t this trip be for nothing?”

Gently brushing Tiger’s hand from his shoulder, Chu Yi took a deep breath and said seriously, “Honestly, I’d already made up my mind before coming. No matter what, I was going to make a grand disturbance in Mariejois. At first, I just wanted to teach the Celestial Dragons a lesson. But after witnessing the ugliness of 'District Six', I realized that a mere lesson wasn’t enough to make them truly suffer.”

“So…”

As he spoke, a faint smile appeared on Chu Yi’s face, leaving Tiger momentarily dazed.

That serene yet boundlessly confident smile etched itself deeply into Tiger’s eyes, and Chu Yi’s unwavering voice echoed in his ears.

“So, Tiger, please indulge me one last time!”

“I promise—it’s the last time!”

Kid, I don’t believe your promise at all.

But…

Tiger also took a deep breath, and a faint smile appeared on his face. Then he nodded heavily to Chu Yi and said, “Kid, if you’re going mad, as an adventurer, I’ll join you! If you want to play with the Marines, I’ll take the girl to play with the Celestial Dragons!”

“We’ll split up for now. Remember, no matter where you are, meet us back at 'District Six' in ten minutes. Hancock and I will need your Devil Fruit ability to get out of here!”

“Don’t drag us along for your recklessness! My life as an adventurer has only just begun!”

With that, Tiger clenched his fist and thumped Chu Yi’s chest, then led the reluctant Hancock away, gradually disappearing from Chu Yi’s sight.

In an instant, the deathly silent 'District Six' was left with only Chu Yi and Lucci.

Since Tiger’s plan was to deal with the Celestial Dragons and rescue Hancock’s sister, taking Lucci would only slow him down, so he took only Hancock.

Of course.

Rescuing Hancock’s sister required Hancock herself, but Chu Yi understood another reason Tiger took her: he worried that Chu Yi might be distracted during the fight with the Marines.

Just as Tiger had said, the Marines guarding Mariejois were the elite of the elite—much like the officers who fought Whitebeard during the “War at the Summit” in the original story, all of them were at least officer rank.

Facing so many officer-level experts, having Hancock or not made a huge difference in difficulty.

And then…

A surge of people!

Countless Marine figures flooded the street where Chu Yi stood, encircling him tightly not long after Tiger and Hancock left.

There was no need to see them with his eyes; the oppressive aura from these Marines alone told Chu Yi that the battle ahead would be no easier than the one he had faced against Aokiji.

But before the struggle began, what surprised Lucci was how relaxed Chu Yi appeared—he seemed not to be preparing for a fierce fight with Marine officers at all, but rather as if he were strolling casually in his own backyard!

Secretly, Lucci guessed that Chu Yi might intend to use him as a bargaining chip against the Marines, which explained his ease. Under the crushing weight of “hundredfold gravity,” Lucci bit his lip hard, thinking to end his own life while Chu Yi’s attention was focused on the Marines before him.

Unexpectedly, just as Lucci managed to raise his hand and use the Marine Six Styles “Finger Gun,” about a centimeter away from piercing his own throat…

“Smack!”

A hand suddenly appeared, grabbing Lucci’s wrist!

“What, planning to end yourself again?”

“What else?” Lucci replied with a self-mocking smile. “Facing so many officer-level Marines, you still want to split your focus to protect a prisoner like me in battle? Or perhaps you just want to humiliate me, let all my colleagues know that I, Rob Lucci, am your captive? Don’t be ridiculous! I, Rob Lucci, have never feared death. Better to die by my own hand than be humiliated by you, isn’t it?”

“No.”

After listening to Lucci, Chu Yi shook his head with a light smile and replied with conviction, “Maybe your life has no meaning now, but if you stay alive, you’ll eventually find something interesting. Lucci, your values are still off, but I believe that once you witness more of the Celestial Dragons’ depravity, and see more of the Navy’s hidden darkness, you’ll change.”

“And I can promise—the moment for your change is about to arrive!”

“That is…”

“When I defeat your so-called comrades, and you witness their incompetence!”

His powerful words had barely finished when Chu Yi, transformed into a Shura, suddenly pressed his hands together and let out a low roar!

“MAX!”

“Two hundredfold gravity field!”