#405 - Chapter 405: Negotiation
“Zehahahaha…”
A burst of arrogant laughter rolled like thunder through the dark, damp depths of the prison, the sound freezing the very air before it even stopped.
The laughter was unrestrained, as if to crush all resistance in its path.
The prison walls trembled slightly from the vibrations, sending a chill down the spine.
“Didn't expect so many people to welcome me, a former Shichibukai!!!”
Blackbeard advanced with a swaggering, carefree gait, each step like a behemoth claiming its territory.
His face wore an arrogant grin, eyes narrowed, as if he didn't even see the guards and jailers.
His massive arms slowly spread wide, as if the entire world was within his grasp.
At that moment, he was like an emperor descending upon the world, his boundless aura weighing heavily on the breath of everyone present.
“Stop!!!”
The jailers' voices were almost trembling as they gave the order, gun barrels pointing mercilessly at the exit, sweat trickling down their foreheads.
Faced with this infamous man of the sea, their hearts were filled with fear and unease.
Despite holding weapons, their hands trembled slightly, as if the darkness before them would devour everything.
Blackbeard sneered, as if hearing a ridiculous joke.
His response wasn't to stop, but to unexpectedly hurl a figure forward.
The heavy body arced through the air before slamming heavily onto the ground. The jailers recognized the figure and cries of alarm echoed through the air: “Warden Magellan!!!”
At that moment, fear surged from the depths of their hearts like a tidal wave, engulfing the entire cell.
The jailers panicked, rushing forward anxiously to try and help Magellan up from the ground.
However, the instant they approached, several sharp gunshots rang out in the confined space.
Bullets flew through the air with merciless intent, accurately hitting the jailers who tried to approach.
Life was extinguished in an instant, blood blooming in the air like petals, splattering on the cold ground. The jailers' eyes gradually dimmed in pain, their bodies collapsing limply to the ground.
“Zehahahahaha…”
Blackbeard's laughter rang out again, even more rampant and jarring this time.
He stood beside the pool of blood, as if this tragic scene was just a joke in his play.
“Want to save him? Did you ask me first!!!”
His voice was filled with bloodthirsty delight, his cold eyes scanning the surroundings like a predator eyeing its prey.
At this time, Blackbeard, draped in his heavy coat, slowly walked out of the dark prison.
Each step seemed to announce the arrival of death.
Behind him followed the pirates who made the sea tremble, symbols of darkness, the most terrifying predators on this sea.
Their gazes, like Blackbeard's, were filled with undisguised arrogance and contempt, as if they had already trampled the world under their feet.
At this moment, a voice as cold as a blade slowly came from behind the crowd, the voice was not loud, but it carried a chilling majesty: “Shichibukai? No, you are not anymore.”
As the voice sounded, everyone turned their heads, their eyes focused on the source of the sound.
The marines' spirits were ignited in that instant, their eyes revealing a fervent faith and fighting spirit, a reverence and trust in absolute power.
A tall figure stepped out of the shadows, his posture as straight as a pine tree, his face as cold as a knife, his steps steady and powerful, as if carrying an unshakable determination.
His appearance cast an invisible pressure over the entire scene, the air seeming to thicken, even the pirates behind Blackbeard involuntarily gripped their weapons, a hint of vigilance and unease in their eyes.
“Zehahahaha…”
Blackbeard's laughter echoed again, still as arrogant as ever, but his eyes flashed with a chilling light, so cold it sent shivers down the spine.
A mocking smile appeared on his lips as his gaze, like a viper, landed on Jin An, “You must be the new Marine Admiral, Azure Dragon Jin An?”
His voice held a hint of probing and contempt, as if waiting for the other's reaction.
Although Blackbeard was laughing, there was no trace of a smile in his deep eyes, only coldness and ruthlessness.
He stood there, like an indestructible mountain, completely unconcerned by Jin An's appearance.
He slightly raised his chin and continued in a nonchalant tone: “I did give the World Government two of Whitebeard's division commanders, so it's normal to come here and take some people, right?”
Jin An's eyes flickered slightly, seeming to find Blackbeard's words somewhat interesting.
His gaze slowly swept over the pirates behind Blackbeard, his expression still cold and without a trace of emotion.
However, none of this escaped Blackbeard's eyes.
Seeing this, Blackbeard's lips curled into an even colder smile, revealing his jagged, sharp teeth, and he sneered: “Don't bother looking, those useless to me, of course I'll leave them here forever.”
His tone was full of malice and coldness, as if declaring that those people's deaths were already a foregone conclusion, with no room for reversal.
Jin An didn't reply, his face still like ice, his eyes as calm as an abyss as he looked at Blackbeard, as if trying to see through him completely.
He remained silent, but the invisible pressure gradually increased, like the calm before a storm, making hearts race.
His silence seemed to be building momentum, any words had become superfluous, because the next action would answer everything more powerfully than words.
Blackbeard also stopped laughing, the air was filled with a tense atmosphere, as if a fierce confrontation would break out in the next second.
“We don't have time to play house with you here…”
Blackbeard's laughter stopped abruptly, and a shadow slowly drifted out from behind him.
Shiki, the Golden Lion, arrived with his innate sharp aura.
His appearance made the prison even more solemn, his hawk-like, sharp eyes locked onto Jin An, who was standing in front.
“Oh? Kid, we meet again.”
Shiki slightly raised his head, his eyes with a hint of playfulness.
He had seen Jin An from afar during the Marineford War, when Jin An was just a young Marine who had just shown his talent.
Now, Jin An had become a Marine Admiral, his aura not to be underestimated.
Although the two had not fought, the invisible pressure collided faintly in the air at this moment, as if any slight movement could ignite fierce sparks.
At the same time, Kaido, who was standing aside, also narrowed his eyes, his gaze firmly locked on Jin An.
Old enemies meeting are always particularly furious. The killing intent in Kaido's heart had already been ignited, and the previous battle, in which they had fought to the death, made him even more eager to avenge himself.
His fingers twitched slightly, his knuckles making slight clicking sounds, obviously suppressing the impulse in his heart.
Even so, Kaido still retained a trace of reason, knowing that now was not the time to act rashly.
Shiki snorted lightly, a mocking smile on his lips, his tone relaxed and cold: “How about we make a deal, let me leave, I don't care about the others, how's that?”
His eyes revealed a hint of provocation, but more of a confidence in his strength.
Kaido also spoke immediately, his voice low, with a hint of bloodthirstiness: “Same here.”
Jin An looked at these two giants who stirred up the sea, his expression still indifferent.
He slowly spread out his hands, his tone calm, as if their proposal had not moved him in the slightest: “I can't decide that, whether you can escape depends on your ability.”
The indifference in his words instantly pushed the atmosphere back to the peak of tension.
Shiki and Kaido's eyes instantly became sharper, and the aura of both sides seemed to be competing invisibly at this moment, the powerful pressure causing the temperature in the air to drop.
However, Jin An didn't care, as if it wasn't himself standing in the center of the vortex, his fingers gently tapping the weapon at his waist, with a hint of casual ease.
“Friendly reminder,” Jin An added lightly, his tone with a hint of playfulness, “The Five Elders are on their way here.”
These words were like a heavy stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up waves.
Shiki's face changed slightly, and Kaido's eyes also turned cold in an instant.
The Five Elders – this name was enough to shake the entire world, and even powerful figures like them had to think twice in the face of the Five Elders' deterrence.
In fact, what they feared most was the World Government's military strength.
Jin An's eyes were still as calm as water.
