Chapter 33

Li Xiao raised an eyebrow,

turned his head to look at Colonel Mouse,

and questioned:

"Three million Berries? But I clearly remember the wanted poster I saw earlier stating two million Berries!"

Hearing this,

Colonel Mouse waved his hand,

and retorted:

"That must be your memory playing tricks. I just looked at the wanted poster myself, and it was three million Berries — no mistake about it!"

"Oh,"

Li Xiao nodded,

then stretched out his hand toward him and said:

"Where's the wanted poster? Let me see it!"

Seeing this,

Colonel Mouse's expression instantly stiffened,

after a brief silence of a few seconds,

his face somewhat sullen as he said:

"What do you mean by that? I'm the highest-ranking officer of this Navy branch base. If I say it's three million Berries, then it's three million Berries. Are you questioning me, or are you questioning the Navy?"

Hearing this,

Li Xiao's brow furrowed slightly,

his mind stirred,

and the Green Frost Sword slowly materialized in his hand.

Seeing this,

a flash of astonishment crossed Colonel Mouse's face —

he hadn't expected the man before him to actually be a Devil Fruit user!

In the eyes of others in the Pirate World,

Li Xiao's ability to conjure a blade out of thin air

was unmistakably one of those bizarre abilities only Devil Fruit users possessed.

However,

upon seeing Li Xiao draw the Green Frost Sword,

Colonel Mouse not only did not retreat,

but instead leaned his body forward a little more,

stared at Li Xiao's face and said:

"What, you're thinking of making a move on me?"

As for Li Xiao's strength,

Colonel Mouse didn't doubt it in the slightest —

after all, even Arlong had fallen at his hands,

so he himself was certainly no match!

But he didn't think Li Xiao would dare to strike him!

The fact that Li Xiao had dared to bring the Arlong Pirates in to exchange for the bounty

meant he was definitely not a pirate himself,

most likely a bounty hunter or the like!

And he was, after all, a Navy colonel,

so if Li Xiao dared to lay a hand on him or even kill him,

that would mean offending the Navy!

Putting aside how he'd make a living afterward,

the pursuit teams dispatched from Marine Headquarters alone would be more than he could handle!

Therefore,

in Colonel Mouse's view,

as long as he tossed a few million Berries as a token gesture,

the probability of Li Xiao making a move on him was extremely small!

By comparison,

parting with tens of millions of Berries was what truly pained him!

To avoid paying out those tens of millions of Berries,

taking such a tiny, tiny risk was completely worth it!

Unfortunately,

he guessed wrong,

and the price he paid was death!

Li Xiao swung his sword without the slightest hesitation!

With his spiritual power circulating,

Colonel Mouse didn't even have time to react,

Then his vision went black, and he lost consciousness.

Blood sprayed forth,

his head jerked high into the air,

and his body crashed down with a thunderous thud!

Had it been another person,

they might have felt some trepidation at his status as a Colonel of this Navy Branch,

after all, if the highest commander of this G-16 Branch Navy Base were to die,

the main headquarters would certainly intervene!

But for Li Xiao,

there was absolutely no trepidation whatsoever!