r18novel Chapter 164: To Live or to Die?
Chapter 164: To Live or to Die?
Chapter 164: To Live or to Die?
Mu Chong looked at the Devil Fruit in his hand with delight, his eyes gleaming. He had already tentatively decided who this Devil Fruit would belong to.
With this Zoan-type Devil Fruit, Mu Chong now possesses a total of three Devil Fruits.
The first one was the Paramecia-type Bomb-Bomb Fruit obtained from a secret chamber in the Alabasta Kingdom.
The second one was a Zoan-type Devil Fruit obtained after the destruction of the Wewood Pirates on the nameless island. Preliminary assessment suggests it possesses the ability to transform into a fox.
After Mu Chong and the others finished taking stock of their spoils, everyone returned to their cabins to rest, while Mu Chong went to the cabin where Number Four was being held.
Located on the second basement level of the Freedom ship, near the stern, in a storage room temporarily used as a prison cell, was Number Four, who was wearing sea stone handcuffs.
As for Vice Admiral Lorian, he was also in another storage room, similarly bound very tightly.
When Mu Chong entered the storage room with the candlelight, Number Four, lying on the floor barely alive, flashed a fleeting, almost imperceptible look in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant, leaving him barely alive again.
"Hehehe! Let's talk! Number Four of the World Government's CP organization! For someone like you, this level of injury shouldn't be enough to leave you without the strength to speak, right?"
Mu Chong stood calmly at the door of the storage room, holding the candle, and slowly spoke.
Silence fell over the storage room after Mu Chong finished speaking, with No. 4 giving him no response.
"Tch! To be frank! You have two things that make me want to stand here and talk to you, otherwise you would have died in the battle during the day and wouldn't be alive now!"
Seeing that Number Four remained unmoved, Mu Chong also swiftly got straight to the point.
Number Four, lying on the ground, opened his eyes again when he heard Mu Chong's words, but still remained silent.
"I know that loyalty to the World Government is your ironclad rule as a member of the World Government's CP organization, but there's no need to risk your life. I'll give you two choices: live or die!"
The flickering candlelight in Mu Chong's hands created an alternating light and shadow in the storage room.
"My first choice is to tell me the detailed training methods for the Six Styles of the Navy, and write down every single one of them that you know. I will then take it to verify. If it is true, when the Freedom docks at the next island, I will leave you on board to fend for yourself!"
Mu Chong stated his first choice in a calm tone, then fell silent again, and the storage room fell silent once more.
a long time!
"Heh heh! Waiting for the second option? How greedy! The first option could have saved you, but you're still not satisfied. The second option will kill you..."
"I choose the first one!"
Before Mu Chong could finish speaking, Number Four, who had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead, immediately spoke up, saying that he had just sensed a strong killing intent in Mu Chong's tone.
pat!
Two sounds rang out, and a pen and something that looked like a diary fell next to Number Four.
"Here you go! Write well! Your life depends on what you write. Also, time is limited. If you haven't finished writing before this candle burns out, hehehe! You'll still die!"
As Mu Chong spoke, he used his Devil Fruit ability to levitate the candle he was holding into the air, then turned and walked out of the storage room.
Actually, during the day, Mu Chong originally planned to kill Number Four directly and use his acquired skills to obtain his Devil Fruit ability, but after thinking it over, he abandoned this idea.
The Paramecia-type Jump-Jump Fruit—while its power isn't weak, it's not particularly helpful to the Liberty at present. Moreover, the technique for acquiring the fruit is flawed and risky.
Therefore, compared to Devil Fruit abilities, Mu Chong shifted his focus to the more practical Six Powers of the Navy. Based on Enel's description of the battle, it seems that Mu Chong has mastered Tempest Kick, Finger Pistol, and Iron Body from the Six Powers; the others are currently unknown.
As for whether Number Four would write down the training methods in detail, or whether they were deceptive or false, Mu Chong wasn't worried, because he was currently chatting with Vice Admiral Lorian.
A single burning candle illuminated the relatively clean-looking room. Vice Admiral Lorian, bound by thick chains, sat on a wooden plank in the room.
"Vice Admiral! A detailed guide to the Six Styles of Naval Training in exchange for your life. You won't lose out in this deal no matter what, so what's your answer?"
Mu Chong didn't know this guy's name, only that he was a vice admiral, as Slad had said.
"Hmph, I'm curious. There's someone on your ship who addressed me by my rank the first time we met. I'd like to know why?"
Lorian didn't answer Mu Chong's question directly, but instead looked up at Mu Chong and said...
Silence! Mu Chong didn't speak, but instead smiled as he looked into Lorian's eyes.
"Hmph! The ship I'm protecting is a vessel that transports Celestial Gold to the Celestial Dragons. If you touch Celestial Gold, you'll face pursuit from the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, and even the Navy will hunt you down. Even if I give you the training methods for the Six Powers of the Navy, do you think you'll survive to learn them?"
Seeing that Mu Chong did not reply, a hint of mockery flashed in Lorian's eyes, and he spoke to Mu Chong in a flippant tone.
"Heh heh heh! You talk too much nonsense! Vice Admiral! Do you know that if you keep rambling on like this, you'll die when this candle in my hand burns out!"
Mu Chong maintained his calm tone, shaking the candle in his hand as he spoke, and continued...
"As for what you've said, those aren't issues you should be considering. You should be thinking about whether you choose to live or die! Isn't that right?"
"Hmph! It's no use! Even if you release me, I will still die after losing the Heavenly Gold, so why should I bother?"
Lorian scoffed at Mu Chong's words, collapsing to the ground after uttering them. Having served the Celestial Dragons, he knew their nature well. Go back alive? He'd die anyway.
Lorian's words brought a brief silence to the room.
"Heh heh heh! Celestial Dragons! Your Navy really has a good master! But I have a question for you: do you want to live?"
A smile flashed in Mu Chong's eyes as he stared intently at Lorian on the ground.
"Ok?"
Upon hearing Mu Chong's words, Lorian, who had been keeping his eyes closed, instantly opened them, his expression revealing a complex emotion.
"Hahahaha! Are you joking? Pirate! You probably don't know how terrifying the World Government is, do you? Even if you release me and I don't go back, I'll still be a fugitive, living in constant fear and hiding day and night. It's better to die than to live like that!"
At this moment, Lorian was somewhat agitated, and his tone already implied that he considered Mu Chong to be a fool.
"Tch! Let me introduce myself! My name is Mu Chong! I'm the captain of this ship! Also, I'm honored by the respect shown to me by the big guys on the high seas, who call me a chivalrous hero! Finally, I'm not a pirate!"
Mu Chong's abrupt self-introduction made Lorian's eyes glaze over unnaturally. He stared in surprise at the man in front of him, the guy whose first bounty was 300 million. Was that him?
"The chivalrous Mu Chong? The first man with a bounty of 300 million? The man the World Government has ordered to be captured alive? Is that you?"
Several question marks appeared in his mind, which showed just how surprised Lorian was. But before Mu Chong could speak, Lorian spoke again.
"Hero, I've heard of your deeds. A year ago, you burst onto the Grand Line, punishing evil and promoting good, robbing the rich to help the poor, and winning a thousand battles in the Death Arena on Jaya Island, yet you didn't kill a single person!"