Chapter 93: The Threat

Linton could only guess why Rayleigh didn't go to save Ace. Even when Sengoku revealed Ace's identity before the execution in the original story, Rayleigh showed no intention of rushing over. He simply watched everything unfold in silence. It was basically certain that this was his plan all along.

This was likely due to Roger. After the Roger Pirates disbanded, most of the core members chose to live in seclusion, possibly to protect a secret. This secret was most likely related to the final island, Laugh Tale, and the One Piece. Because of this, Rayleigh couldn't be captured by the Marines or walk into Marine Headquarters himself. Unable to intervene personally, he could only choose to trust Whitebeard. That was probably his reasoning.

Of course, this was all Linton's speculation. Whether Rayleigh went or not had nothing to do with him; he was definitely going. Rayleigh understood what Linton meant.

"Young people these days are really confident. Now I'm starting to believe you're the captain's brother. You're just as reckless as he was," Rayleigh said.

"You should leave first," Linton said. "I'm about to do something big. It's not convenient for you to be here. I don't want to get you involved."

"Something big?" Rayleigh was slightly taken aback. He was about to ask what it was when he suddenly saw the three Celestial Dragons, the Rosward family, on the ground. "Wait, you don't mean…"

Linton didn't say anything, but his silence was confirmation enough.

"Hey, hey, don't do anything crazy," Rayleigh said, a little panicked. "The Marines are already sending an admiral… If the situation gets any worse…"

"Your era is over," Linton interrupted Rayleigh. "It's not your turn to call the shots anymore. Am I right? If you don't want to be involved, then get out of here."

"You're really not a very likable kid," Rayleigh said. "I don't have time to deal with your nonsense. Even if you claim to be the captain's brother, you're not my captain."

"Good to know," Linton said. "I don't need an old geezer like you on my ship."

"Heh." Rayleigh chuckled and left with the injured and unconscious Hatchan on his back. At this moment, chaotic noises came from outside. It was probably Luffy and Law fighting the Marines. There weren't many people left in the auction house. Those who could move had fled, and the rest were those who had fainted from Rayleigh's Conqueror's Haki.

Linton walked over to the three Celestial Dragons, dragged them together, and sat down beside them, quietly waiting for the people outside to come in.

He didn't have to wait long. The commotion outside gradually subsided; the battle was probably over. Some of the Marines went after Luffy and the others, while the rest rushed in to protect the Celestial Dragons. However, as soon as they entered, they saw Linton sitting there calmly.

In an instant, all the Marines raised their guns at this unknown stranger. However, they didn't dare to shoot, as the World Nobles were right next to him. It would be disastrous if they accidentally injured them.

"Who are you? A pirate?" one of the Marines asked Linton. He was a Marine wearing a "Justice" cloak, probably an officer, with a thick beard. Linton had no impression of him, so he was probably just some nobody.

"I am Linton, known as 'One-Punch Marco.' A pirate? Not yet, but I will be soon," Linton said. "Oh, by the way, when you guys prepare the wanted poster, make me look good, okay? You can take a picture now, but let me know so I can strike a pose."

"You bold fool…" the Marine captain roared and waved his hand. More Marines rushed in and surrounded Linton. However, they didn't dare to attack. After all, there were three Celestial Dragons lying next to Linton. They couldn't afford to take any risks. "You are surrounded! Release the World Nobles!"

"These three are my hostages. Hostages, you understand? They're to be exchanged for money," Linton said.

"Are you crazy?" The Marine captain stared at Linton in astonishment. "Are you saying you're kidnapping World Nobles?"

"Yeah, I'm already doing it," Linton said, spreading his hands.

"You…" The Marine captain couldn't believe that someone would dare to say such a thing. But there were crazy people in the world. He didn't care if Linton was crazy, but if the Celestial Dragons were harmed, he wouldn't be able to bear the responsibility. "You said ransom? How much do you want?"

"I need ten Devil Fruits," Linton said directly.

"What?" The captain was stunned. "Ten Devil Fruits? Are you dreaming!"

"Well then, since you can't pay the ransom, I'll just have to…" Linton trailed off.

"Wait!" The captain felt that the person in front of him was a lunatic, but with the hostages in his hands, he didn't dare to act rashly. What if he really did something to them? After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'll contact the Fleet Admiral."

"Feel free, but I don't have much time to wait. Just one hour. If the goods don't arrive, you'll be responsible for the consequences," Linton said.

Indeed, when it came to Devil Fruits, the World Nobles likely had the most. It was said that they were so wealthy that they even had their slaves eat Devil Fruits for their amusement. Linton was currently on Sabaody Archipelago, the gathering place of the Celestial Dragons. It should be easy to gather some fruits here.

Linton only asked for ten fruits. This specific number was carefully considered. If he asked for a hundred, let's not even talk about whether they had that many, it was simply too much and would only force them to launch a rescue operation. Linton wasn't interested in the lives of these three Celestial Dragons. Although he hated them, he didn't hate them enough to kill them. Devil Fruits were points, which were what he needed, so he hoped this deal would work out.

As the captain reported the situation, Linton's words quickly reached Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Sengoku's first reaction was fury. There was actually such a madman! He roared into the Den Den Mushi, "Bastard! Arrest him! Take immediate action!"

"But the Celestial Dragons…" the captain said.

"He won't dare touch the Celestial Dragons! Just capture him!" Sengoku yelled.

"Oh? This is getting interesting." Sengoku's voice was so loud that even Linton, who was far away, could hear him clearly. Saying he wouldn't dare touch the Celestial Dragons was hilarious. Others might fear the Celestial Dragons, but he didn't. He wasn't from this world. Even if he was hunted by the entire world, could they chase him to another dimension?

"Hey!" Suddenly, Linton kicked one of the Celestial Dragons on the ground. This Celestial Dragon, named Saint Rosward, wasn't seriously injured. He had just been knocked unconscious by Usopp's butt attack. After being kicked by Linton, he slowly woke up.

"Gua… Guards! Protect…" Saint Rosward's first reaction upon waking up was to call for guards. However, in the next second, Linton grabbed him by the neck.

"What are you doing?" The Marine captain was also startled and shouted.

"I think, since there are three hostages, if I don't kill one, you guys won't take me seriously," Linton said.

"What? No… Don't!" The Marine captain shouted hastily. This guy was really crazy. It seemed he really would do it.

However, his words didn't stop Linton. But Linton didn't kill Saint Rosward directly. Instead, he grabbed Rosward's left arm with one hand, stepped on his body with his foot, and suddenly pulled.

With a "puffs" sound and blood splattering everywhere, Linton actually ripped Rosward's left arm right off. All the Marines were stunned, their mouths agape.

It took Saint Rosward a while to realize that his arm was gone. He probably couldn't believe that someone actually dared to hurt him. When the immense pain hit, he instinctively wanted to scream, but Linton had a firm grip on him, preventing him from making a sound.

"You… You're crazy!" The Marine captain was completely horrified. There was no way he could escape responsibility for this.

"I don't know how long this guy can last with this much blood loss, but I won't let anyone go until I see the ransom," Linton continued calmly. "Oh, and I still have two hostages. You can continue to discuss. I can wait. If one dies, I'll just switch to the next one."

"You…"

"If I were you, I'd explain the current situation clearly." Linton pointed to the Den Den Mushi. Sengoku's anxious voice came from the Den Den Mushi. He had heard some of the commotion and felt that something was wrong, so he asked anxiously.

The captain didn't know what to do, so he immediately picked up the Den Den Mushi and explained the current situation to Sengoku. Hearing this, Sengoku's face darkened.

"Keep him steady," Sengoku said after a moment of silence. "I'll contact them immediately and have them prepare the ransom. You absolutely cannot let this villain escape. Surround the area. Admiral Kizaru will be there shortly."

"Yes, Fleet Admiral!" the captain immediately responded. This situation was beyond his ability to handle as a mere captain; it was indeed better to leave it to an admiral. Fortunately, due to the earlier incident, the Marines had already dispatched an admiral, who should be arriving soon.

At that moment, Admiral Kizaru had just landed on Sabaody Archipelago. He originally planned to meet up with his subordinate, Sentomaru, but an emergency call came in.

"There's actually someone like that?" Kizaru said, stunned after hearing Sengoku's report. "I'll head over there now."

(End of chapter)