Chapter Thirty: The Kidnapped Baby-5

When Baby-5 agreed, Li Zheng's face broke into a gentle smile, causing many of the middle-aged women present to gasp in surprise.

Qing Si, seated nearby, shook his head with a laugh. "This kid could easily be a killer of mature women. His charm lands critical blows on them."

Li Zheng quickly ran out of the iron cage, somehow producing a bouquet of roses, which he handed to Baby-5 with heartfelt sincerity. "Please go on a date with me!"

Baby-5 took the roses, her eyes shining with excitement. "Can I really?"

Li Zheng straightened up, his voice warm. "Of course you can. I've admired you for so long, and I never imagined I would actually meet you."

"Then, shall we go?"

Baby-5 replied, "Yes, yes!"

Buffalo, standing nearby, suddenly wore a donkey's expression. He hesitated several times before speaking timidly, "Baby-5, didn't you say you would finish the mission first?"

"But this gentleman needs me."

Li Zheng glanced at Buffalo. "Little yellow fatty, don't get in the way. As for the mission, you can handle it yourself."

"You! You brat! Ugh..." Buffalo was furious, but he couldn't do anything about Baby-5 and could only follow along, disgruntled.

At that moment, a group of pirates surged forward, blocking his path. By the time he squeezed through, Li Zheng and Baby-5 had vanished.

Buffalo stomped his foot in anger. "Damn it... Whatever, let things be."

He turned and went back to the arena, but after a few minutes, he ran out again, searching everywhere for Baby-5.

In alleyways, small inns, under bridges...

"No, not here, still nowhere..."

"Damn, Baby-5 has been kidnapped! You foolish woman!"

...

Meanwhile, Baby-5 had already been taken by Li Zheng to a courtyard. He gently touched her face and spoke tenderly, "Baby-5, will you marry me?"

"Mm-hmm... If you need me, I can."

Qing Si and Yuna, along with others, transformed into waiters, serving a candlelit dinner, and someone even played the violin nearby.

They spent a delightful evening together.

Baby-5 was successfully brought under Li Zheng's command. To keep her from leaving the organization, Li Zheng just needed to keep making requests of her—a task he could handle perfectly.

Buffalo spent a sleepless night searching for Li Zheng's information. Furious, he confronted Li Zheng, only to be badly beaten and returned with a bruised face to fetch reinforcements.

Qing Si intercepted Buffalo on the road, killed him outright, and dumped the body into the sea.

"Want to go back? That's impossible." Qing Si rinsed the blood from the demon blade, Black Fox, in the seawater.

He waited until dusk before leaving. Buffalo was a Devil Fruit user; even if he hadn't been killed outright, he should have drowned by now.

After finishing, Qing Si returned to the island by boat, preparing for tonight's arena match. He had selected several pirates, all of whom performed admirably.

He subdued them.

After a bit more organization, he could head to Ice and Fire Island to capture the Snow Maiden, then launch a direct assault on Doflamingo's stronghold—Dressrosa.

Qing Si had just returned as the arena opened for business. As usual, it was bustling with people and packed to the brim.

He noticed many ships docked at the pier, and one white vessel stood out.

Qing Si eyed the sails with mild surprise. "The Celestial Dragons, those beasts, are here for the spectacle?"

This ship belonged to the Celestial Dragons. After a brief consideration, Qing Si walked toward the arena, his brows slightly furrowed.

When the Celestial Dragons go to sea, they're usually escorted by CP0 or an admiral. He wondered if CP0 was here this time.

If they really were, things could get very complicated.

Qing Si was already familiar with the guards, greeted them, and handed over two cigarettes. This mysterious Eastern etiquette won their favor effortlessly.

A couple more cigarettes, a little extra tip.

The guards were delighted. Qing Si entered the arena, and his gaze quickly locked onto a Celestial Dragon in white seated at the center.

Beside him crawled a four-meter-tall human mount, with a row of Marines standing nearby. On the Celestial Dragon's right sat an unremarkable, scrawny man.

As Qing Si entered, he immediately felt the man's sharp gaze.

This man was definitely from CP0.

Qing Si instantly lowered his head, put on his hat, and moved toward the back row.

Qian Yue was already seated there. Seeing Qing Si approach, she said, "Captain, the Celestial Dragons are here. Shall we postpone our plan?"

"No need—let's proceed today. They've already seen my face."

"Even if they notice me, they don't know about you all. Tonight, stay outside or go directly to Li Zheng's place."

"Communication will depend on you and Li Zheng."

Qian Yue looked straight ahead and gave an OK gesture.

The man beside the Celestial Dragon glanced at Qing Si with the corner of his eye.

The Celestial Dragon asked, "Is there a problem?"

The man shook his head. "Nothing, Celestial Dragon Lord. Please enjoy the tournament without any security concerns."

"Hmm? Fine..." The Celestial Dragon uttered a strange grunt and continued watching the brawls, occasionally roaring with excitement at the highlights.

However, the other spectators' voices grew quieter, their faces twisted in anger as they watched the Celestial Dragon, but powerless to do anything, forced to swallow their resentment.

The scrawny man stepped aside and spoke, "Former G-6 Lieutenant, Shimura Qing Si, who made a name for himself in the Summit War, has appeared on Grell Island. He is currently alone and shows no abnormal behavior."

"Oh? Ignore him, his threat level is low."

"Understood."

The man returned to the Celestial Dragon's side, no longer sparing Qing Si a glance. His mission was simply to protect the Celestial Dragon; anything else just needed to be reported.

Soon after, Qing Si took the stage.

This time, he aimed to subdue four captains with Devil Fruit powers—two men and two women.

His strategy was simple: defeat them, then reward them with kindness—a mix of discipline and benevolence, the tactics of Song Jiang and Emperor Liu. Winning hearts was always effective.

Standing before Qing Si was Lucy, a blonde, blue-eyed, long-legged beauty dressed in leather, holding two oversized needles that gleamed with a cold light.

She thrust out her proud chest and teased, "Handsome, do you have time tonight? Shall we spar together?"

Qing Si smiled politely, his face showing a mischievous grin. "If the beauty doesn't mind, then I have no objections. Where shall we spar?"

Lucy replied, "That depends on your strength. I don't want anything to do with a man weaker than me. If you lose, I'll let you decide my fate."

Qing Si laughed. "Still the wild beauty. Then you better watch out—I'm not letting you go."

Lucy was a Zoan-type Blue Wolf Devil Fruit user.

She commanded a pirate crew of over a hundred and was known for her fiery spirit, but so far, no one had ever touched her.