The Red Line, Holy Land Mary Geoise.
The Five Elders finally arrived back, having pushed themselves to their limits to return as quickly as possible. Seeing that the place showed no signs of attack or destruction, all five of them finally let out a sigh of relief.
"It seems that fellow kept the agreement after all. He didn't strike Mary Geoise again," the long-bearded elder said.
However, upon returning to Mary Geoise and inquiring about the situation, their expressions suddenly turned extremely ugly!
From the subordinates stationed there, they learned that the white-haired woman they so feared had never set foot in the Holy Land Mary Geoise!
Hearing this news, with their intelligence, how could they not realize they had been completely duped by Lin Xuan once again?
"Damn it!"
"Bastard!"
"That damned brat actually dared to deceive us!" The faces of all five were contorted with rage.
The thought that they had been forced to agree to his terms made them even angrier. In a fit of fury, the curly-haired Elder Star slammed his fist into a nearby wall, smashing it to rubble!
But just as they were stewing in their anger, a voice coldly sounded in their minds:
"Come here, all of you!"
Hearing this voice, the Five Elders' expressions changed dramatically. Their rage instantly vanished, replaced by full-blown fear and unease.
This voice belonged to the mysterious Im-sama!
No matter how terrified they were, they dared not disobey Im's summons. They quickly and respectfully made their way to the Empty Throne, where they indeed found Im already seated upon it.
The former Marine Headquarters, now the new territory of the Ninja Guild — Marineford.
Most of the original buildings lay in ruins after the day's fierce battle.
However, thanks to the efforts of the Ninja Guild's "Engineering Squad," several new structures had already been erected on the island of Marineford by the time night fell, not long after dark.
Witnessing this astonishing scene, everyone except Whitebeard, a few of his division commanders who had been to Sabaody Archipelago before, and the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates were utterly shocked.
This is ninjutsu? It can be used like this too?
The contrast with the scene from daytime was simply too vast, leaving many momentarily unable to process it.
In contrast, Silvers Rayleigh found the spectacle quite interesting.
Since the Ninja Guild's establishment, many human auction houses around the world had shut down. Rumors were flying that Lin Xuan had nearly been made a slave by the Celestial Dragons, which was why he clashed with the World Government. The backers of those auction houses, fearful of attracting the Ninja Guild's attention and bringing disaster upon themselves, had mostly chosen to close up shop.
Because of this, Rayleigh found it difficult these days to even find a place to sell himself as an "ordinary coating mechanic" to earn some drinking money. Furthermore, with Sabaody Archipelago now under the Ninja Guild's control, and coating work being impossible without the special bubble resin from Sabaody, he couldn't even work as a coating mechanic honestly if he wanted to.
He began to ponder whether he should learn ninjutsu from the Ninja Guild members. That way, he wouldn't have to rely on auctioning himself off anymore. Building houses for people seemed like an easier way to make money, and there was less risk of unemployment! Deciding to act, he directly approached Hashirama Senju and the others, starting to cozy up to them.
When Lin Xuan learned of Rayleigh's actions, he was both amused and exasperated.
This old man is really going all out for his drinking money!
That night, inside one of the buildings at Marineford, the atmosphere was quite lively.
No matter the world, after a hard-fought victory, holding a celebration feast is a given. In this world, especially among pirates, this tradition is even more fervent.
Successfully repelling the World Government forces, the Ninja Guild's occupation of Marineford, and the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates' successful rescue of Ace—all were worthy of celebration. The pirates, with their inherently free-spirited lifestyle, quickly got the party into full swing.
Lin Xuan was sitting in a quieter spot, quietly enjoying the food.
It had to be said, the chefs from the Whitebeard Pirates were quite skilled. This made Lin Xuan consider whether he should find a professional chef for Sabaody Archipelago later. While other Ninja Guild members, being Edo Tensei bodies, couldn't eat, he and Conis were still alive and well and needed proper meals. He naturally preferred delicious food.
"Black Leg" Sanji from the Straw Hat Pirates seemed to be an excellent cook, but Lin Xuan couldn't very well steal a chef from Luffy—that would be too low. After some thought, Lin Xuan even considered whether he should go and kidnap "Red Leg" Zeff to Sabaody Archipelago later.
Of course, these were just passing thoughts.
Just then, three figures approached. They were "Fire Fist" Ace, Sabo, and Luffy.
Ace walked up to Lin Xuan and bowed sincerely, thanking him for helping to rescue him.
Without the Ninja Guild's involvement, the Whitebeard Pirates alone could never have saved him. In fact, they might have been completely wiped out here. Even his two brothers, Sabo and Luffy, might have lost their lives because of him.
So, for Ace, Lin Xuan was his great benefactor, even if the Ninja Guild's appearance was the result of a transaction with Whitebeard.
As for Sabo and Luffy, their gazes towards Lin Xuan were also filled with gratitude and awe. Even the simple-minded Luffy understood that this was a super-powerful being far beyond their level, someone who had helped save Ace.
Lin Xuan nodded, accepting their thanks.
In truth, Lin Xuan had gained much from this situation. He had used Roger, Ace, and Whitebeard to earn a considerable amount of prestige points. But facing the gratitude of Ace and the others, he felt no psychological burden whatsoever. After all, he had earned the prestige points through his own schemes, and that didn't negate the fact that he was their benefactor.
On the contrary, with this debt of gratitude, he could continue to use these guys to earn more prestige points in the future!
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T/N:
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