Chapter 8: This is what you call killing someone and crushing their heart!

After Li Xiao came down from the castle,

he walked straight toward the Arlong Pirates gathered in the plaza.

Seeing this,

the Fish-Men of the Arlong Pirates all subconsciously retreated to the side,

clearing a path!

Li Xiao walked forward along the path they had cleared,

and saw Arlong surrounded in the center.

To his surprise,

although Arlong was still dying and unconscious,

his breathing had gradually stabilized,

and his vital signs seemed to have leveled out!

Li Xiao knew very well

that his strike just now,

although only slightly serious,

was definitely a killing blow for Arlong!

The injuries he had caused were enough to leave him in critical condition even if he didn't die,

and the chance of survival was less than ten percent!

However,

Li Xiao had still underestimated the robust physique of a Fish-Man.

After timely hemostasis and simple treatment,

he had actually managed to pull through!

Regarding this,

although Li Xiao felt very surprised,

he had no intention of finishing him off.

In any case, Li Xiao intended to take the entire Arlong Pirates to exchange for the bounty,

so whether they were dead or alive didn't make much difference!

Being alive was actually better,

as they could walk themselves on the way to the Navy branch,

saving him the trouble.

Li Xiao looked around,

and said to the surrounding Fish-Men:

"Don't worry, I, Li, am not a bloodthirsty person. I have no interest in your lives; I just want to hand you over to the Navy to exchange for some meal money!"

"Hmm, that said, do you know which Navy branch is closest to here? How do I get there?"

Hearing this,

the surrounding Fish-Men were all stunned,

and all looked at Li Xiao with a strange expression,

mixed with a hint of disbelief!

What?

What did you say?

Did I hear that right?

Holy crap,

you’re going to take us to the Navy to exchange for a bounty? ===== CHAPTER 25 =====

And you’re asking us for directions to the nearest Navy branch?

What kind of bizarre operation is this!

Can you show us a little respect!

I’ve truly seen it all now!

Seeing this,

Li Xiao frowned slightly and said:

"What? It seems you have an opinion about my arrangements! How about I just finish you off right here then!"

As soon as Li Xiao finished speaking,

the surrounding Fish-Men pointed in one direction in unison,

and said without hesitation:

"Navy G-16 Branch!"

Hearing this,

Li Xiao nodded,

silently lowered the Qing-Frost Sword he had just raised,

and continued to ask:

"Where is the G-16 Branch, and how long does it take to get there from here?"

Amidst the chatter of the Arlong Pirates' Fish-Men,

Li Xiao got the answer he wanted.

The Navy G-16 Branch was directly under the Navy Headquarters,

and they were spread all over the world.

The nearest Navy G-16 Branch base was to the east,

a very short distance,

taking less than half a day,

and if they set off as soon as possible, they could even make it back in time for dinner!

And so,

Li Xiao waved his hand,

and with the Fish-Men of the Arlong Pirates carrying their captain,

they set off for the Navy G-16 Branch!

Although the Arlong Pirates had lived on the island for a long time,

as a proper pirate crew that wasn't short on money,

they naturally had their own pirate ship,

and now,

these pirate ships were just convenient for Li Xiao!

Under the guidance of the Arlong Pirates,

the crew members of the Arlong Pirates sailed their own ship toward the Navy G-16 Branch,

to exchange all the members of the Arlong Pirates for a bounty to serve as Li Xiao’s future meal money!

Simply put—I’m selling myself, and the money is for you!

This move,

this move is called killing someone and crushing their heart!

Just as the members of the Arlong Pirates were lining up to board the ship in an orderly fashion,

Nami, who had rushed off to notify the villagers of Cocoyasi Village, actually came back!

Li Xiao frowned slightly.

That’s not right,

although they were on the same island,

there was still a distance between Cocoyasi Village and Arlong Park,

and at Nami’s speed,

plus the time to notify the villagers,

she shouldn't have been able to return this quickly!

Seeming to see the doubt in Li Xiao’s eyes,

Nami quickly explained:

"On the way back to the village, I happened to run into Genzo, the village chief, so I asked him to help notify everyone. I thought you were still here, and I was afraid something might happen, so I ran back first!"

Hearing this,

Li Xiao nodded in understanding,

and then handed the Devil Fruit back to her.

"Your Devil Fruit, keep it safe!"

————————

(Correcting an error from earlier: the village where Nami lives is Cocoyasi Village; I wrote it as Cocoyasi Village! Sorry, sorry! I’ll reflect on this!) ===== CHAPTER 26 =====

Although the value of this Devil Fruit was greater than the entire Arlong Pirates combined,

for one thing, it was useless to him,

and for another, there was no reason to take back something he had already given away!

And to be honest,

regarding this Devil Fruit,

Li Xiao really found it a nuisance to carry around!

Although he was now considered a cultivator,

he didn't have any storage magic treasures!

The Spirit-Gathering Pills he obtained from checking in with the system were fine,

as they were relatively small

and could be tucked into his pocket,

but this Devil Fruit was much larger!

After all, he wasn't Nami,

and he couldn't find a single place on his body to stash such a Devil Fruit,

so he had to hold it in his hand at all times!

That said,

it was fortunate that the Qing-Frost Sword and the Purple-Gold Exquisite Pagoda were magic treasures that could be stored inside his body,

otherwise, Li Xiao figured he would have to walk around with a pagoda in his left hand and a sword in his right...

Looking at the Devil Fruit in front of her,

Nami subconsciously wanted to refuse,

but she couldn't resist the instinct carved into her DNA,

and her hands reached out almost uncontrollably

to accept the Devil Fruit.

Given Nami’s personality,

since she had already taken it,

she naturally wouldn't continue to dwell on it,

so she turned to ask other questions.

"What do you plan to do with the Arlong Pirates?"

Nami also knew in her heart

that even if Arlong were truly dead,

if the rest of the Arlong Pirates were not handled properly, ===== CHAPTER 27 =====