Chapter 19

"Thump-thump-thump~"

The sound of knocking on the door rang out.

Luo Xing remained calm, opened the door, and feigned surprise, saying, "Miss Xiao Zi, visiting so late at night, may I ask what brings you here?"

Seeing that Luo Xing's gaze was not as sharp as during the day, Xiao Zi breathed a sigh of relief and smiled sweetly:

"Please do not take offense, young lady. During the day, I saw the Imperial Son-in-Law with his magnificent bearing and extraordinary appearance, which delighted my heart. By chance, I obtained a pot of fine wine and wished to share a drink with the Imperial Son-in-Law."

Who does not know what drinking late at night implies?

Paired with Xiao Zi's flower-like beauty, her water-filled large eyes, and her ticklish, soft voice, even an iron man would be melted by a third.

However, Luo Xing, who had been prepared beforehand and knew Xiao Zi's true identity, found only amusement in his heart, while on his face he pretended to be infatuated.

"A beauty showing such kindness truly makes me feel overwhelmed with honor!"

He took advantage of the momentum to grab Xiao Zi's pair of jade hands, half-embraced her in his arms, and together they entered the room.

Xiao Zi half-resisted and half-yielded, snuggling in Luo Xing's embrace.

The two walked straight to the edge of the bed.

Xiao Zi spoke in a delicate voice, "Imperial Son-in-Law, do not rush; let us first drink a cup of interlaced wine."

She then broke free, poured two cups of wine.

One cup for her, one cup for Luo Xing.

"This wine must have a problem!"

Although Luo Xing's gaze appeared infatuated, his pupils were extremely clear deep within.

He did not push it away; he wanted to see what scheme Kozuki Hiyori was actually plotting.

The two crossed arms and drank a cup of interlaced wine.

Xiao Zi's face flushed red, looking as if she wanted to speak but was too shy.

Luo Xing moved forward to embrace Xiao Zi, but suddenly he pressed his forehead and said, "My head is so dizzy."

Then, he collapsed onto the bed.

Xiao Zi's beautiful red lips curved into a smile as she glanced at the "unconscious" Luo Xing:

"During the day, I thought you were so extraordinary, but I didn't expect you to be no different from those stinky men!"

"However, this is for the best; it makes it convenient for me to act."

Xiao Zi stood up and went to rummage through Luo Xing's traveling bag.

After rummaging for a long time, she still could not find the thing she was looking for.

"It's not here, how can it not be here? Could the Monster Cell not be with the Beasts Imperial Son-in-Law, but instead with the Plague Quarantine Queen?"

Xiao Zi was utterly confused.

This shouldn't be the case.

The Monster Cell was invented by the Beasts Imperial Son-in-Law, and the Beasts Imperial Son-in-Law's status was clearly higher than Queen's.

By both reason and logic, the Monster Cell should be with Luo Xing.

Suddenly.

A voice from behind, sounding half-smiling and half-serious, made Xiao Zi's face instantly lose all color!

"So, Miss Hiyori came looking for the Monster Cell. I'm terribly sorry; I simply didn't bring any."

21. Luo Xing's Strength, The Canary in the Cage (Requesting Flowers, Ratings, and Monthly Tickets)

The voice in her ear was like a thunderclap, leaving Xiao Zi's mind instantly blank.

After a long moment, she turned around with a slightly trembling body, looking at the man who was crossing his arms and smiling half-smilingly, and said bitterly:

"You, were you pretending just now?"

"When, exactly, did I expose myself?"

Xiao Zi was very confused.

Just now, she absolutely did not reveal any flaw.

After all, she had been doing such things for over ten years. Since she was very young, she had mastered exquisite acting skills.

Luo Xing shrugged, but his words made Xiao Zi feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

"Before you even walked into this room, I knew there was something wrong with you, Miss Hiyori."

Xiao Zi's legs went weak, and she almost lost her balance; her exquisite and flawless beautiful face turned a terrifyingly pale.

"You know my identity now. Do Doflamingo and Kaido know as well?"

"Not at all; currently, only I know your true identity."

Luo Xing paced over to stand in front of Xiao Zi.

He extended one finger and lifted the beauty's sharp chin.

Kozuki Hiyori was like a lone little beast, trembling slightly, completely without any ability to resist.

However, in the next moment, she bit her lip hard, mustered up courage, and dodged Luo Xing's finger.

Luo Xing made a slight sound of surprise and said unexpectedly:

"No wonder you are a woman daring enough to lurk in the enemy's stronghold for over ten years; you indeed have some courage."

Xiao Zi replied word by word, "Because I am the daughter of the Kozuki family!"

A hint of appreciation flashed in Luo Xing's eyes, but he immediately mocked:

"Well said, but unfortunately, without sufficient strength to support it, even the most courage is in vain."

Xiao Zi tightly bit her lower lip, her whole body filled with a sense of powerlessness.

She already knew that in front of this man, deception, courage, and charm were all completely meaningless.

"Before you kill me, may I ask you one question?" Xiao Zi remained silent for a moment, then said.

"Ask away." Luo Xing was indifferent.

"You just said you never brought any freak cells at all. Can I take that to mean you were deceiving Orochi?"

"Clever indeed!"

Luo Xing snapped his fingers, smiling as he said:

"I'm growing more and more fond of you. Even in a situation like this, you still have the mind to think about other things."

"Why did you do this? Isn't your Beasts Pirates working together with Orochi?" Xiao Zi pressed.

"No, no, no—not a partnership. Kurozumi Orochi is nothing more than a dog under my father-in-law's command. A dog that won't obey, of course, has to be put down."

Luo Xing's tone was casual, as if he were discussing some trivial little matter.

Xiao Zi's delicate frame shuddered violently.

Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that Luo Xing's goal was to kill Kurozumi Orochi!

But another question arose.

If he meant to kill Kurozumi Orochi, why hold some ceremony, invite famous figures from all over Wano Country, and even broadcast it nationwide through visual Den Den Mushi?

Before Xiao Zi could ask, a sudden thunderous crash rang out—the door was smashed to pieces and a figure burst in.

"Lady Hiyori, run!"

The figure's voice was urgent. As he spoke, he drew his blade and slashed at Luo Xing.

"Denjiro!"

Xiao Zi recognized the figure as Denjiro.

Clearly, Denjiro had noticed she hadn't returned after so long, realized something had happened to her, and come to rescue her.

Xiao Zi broke into a run, about to flee—she could not let Denjiro's sacrifice be in vain.

But the next second, she froze.

Her beautiful eyes filled with horror!

She saw—

The man called Luo Xing's palm suddenly turned black. With a casual slap, he deflected Denjiro's blade, then pressed forward, a knife-hand strike slicing across Denjiro's shoulder.

"Ahhh!!"

Denjiro let out a scream—his entire sword-wielding right arm was severed clean off!

Then that demon-like palm rose upward and viciously clamped around Denjiro's throat, choking him so hard he couldn't even let out a scream!

Luo Xing's voice said lightly:

"It seems I've never shown my true strength before—now every stray cat and mangy dog dares to come attack me."

Dead silence.

A deathly silence, like hell itself.