After a long time, with Rayleigh's intervention saving him, Xiang En was finally freed from the "devil's claws."
Currently, he was leaning against the corner of the wall, his clothes disheveled, gasping for breath. At the same time, he stared warily at the super-strong girl in front of him, deeply afraid that she would try another "Skull-Crusher" hug.
The girl also knew she had done something wrong and was too guilty to look Xiang En in the eye, turning her head away and pretending to whistle as if nothing had happened.
But she was clearly not a patient person. In a short while, she was distracted by an ant passing by her feet, squatting down and poking at the ant with her finger.
Seeing her innocent, childlike behavior, Xiang En and Rayleigh exchanged glances and both laughed.
Well, well, well. Now that I've gotten involved with this kind of person, I'm certainly in for a treat in the future.
Sighing a few times internally, Xiang En recovered his strength, stood up, and looked at Rayleigh, speaking with deep sincerity:
"Mr. Rayleigh, thank you for rescuing me from the dungeon and bringing me here. If there is anything you ever need me to do, please don't hesitate to tell me."
Xiang En was genuinely grateful to Rayleigh. Without his strength, not only would the ten million Beli needed to activate his Golden Finger be nowhere in sight, but he himself might have been sold as an auction item.
It could be said that Rayleigh, single-handedly, turned his transmigrator's journey from a hellish start into a dream beginning.
"It was just a small matter. Back in the dungeon, I felt that you, little brother, had something different about you compared to others, which is why I invited you to come out with me. I never expected to see such an interesting ability!"
Speaking of this, Rayleigh looked meaningfully at Xiang En's body.
This young man was weaker than an ordinary person on the Sabaody Archipelago just a little while ago. Now, in less than half a day, he has strengthened countless times.
And he could tell that Xiang En's body wasn't temporarily enhanced like during the first transformation of an Animal-type Devil Fruit user; his physical body itself had genuinely strengthened, as if he had trained for several years out of thin air.
Young people today are truly extraordinary.
Suddenly, a red flash crossed Rayleigh's eyes. He sensed that something interesting seemed to be happening in the auction house lobby right now.
So he smiled and looked at Xiang En: "Little brother Xiang En, are you interested in joining the excitement in the auction house lobby? It seems there are a few very promising young people there, just like you. Maybe you'll get along well with them?"
The auction house lobby?
Xiang En recalled the mermaid in the water tank he had seen in the dungeon, and the original story's plot he had watched in his previous life flashed in his mind.
The mermaid Camie was captured, the Straw Hat crew gathered at the human auction house to save their friend, and subsequently clashed with a Celestial Dragon... Luffy furiously punched the Celestial Dragon, the Navy surrounded the auction house, and eventually, even the Admiral Kizaru was drawn in.
Therefore, this place was about to become extremely dangerous. If he were to follow Rayleigh into the lobby now, he might accidentally get dragged into the subsequent troubles of the Straw Hat crew.
With his current strength, if he were to actually participate in the battle between the Straw Hat crew, Kizaru, and the Pacifistas, he probably wouldn't survive for more than a few seconds, even with Kagura's protection.
"No." Xiang En shook his head slightly, rubbing his empty stomach. In the day since he was captured, he hadn't eaten anything.
"What I want to do most right now is to have a hearty meal, then take a hot bath, and get a good night's sleep."
"Yay!"
Hearing this, Kagura's eyes lit up. She stopped playing with the ants, grabbed Xiang En's hand, and was ready to run outside.
"Food! Food!"
"Wait a minute, don't rush." Feeling the terrifying force transmitted through his arm once again, Xiang En had the sense of having an untethered Siberian Husky. He spoke with effort to stop her.
"I haven't said goodbye to Mr. Rayleigh yet!"
...
...
A few minutes later, Xiang En and Kagura walked out of the auction house, one after the other.
Outside, was the unique island that Xiang En hadn't yet had a chance to appreciate since transmigrating.
The continuous 79 Yarukiman Mangroves intertwined to form the 79 islands of the Sabaody Archipelago.
And beneath every tree, there was the special resin secreted by the tree roots as they breathed. As the temperature rose, the resin turned into bubbles and detached from the ground. Under the sunlight, countless airborne bubbles emitted a dazzling, colorful glow.
The light was bright, and Xiang En, who hadn't seen the sun for a long time, could barely keep his eyes open, only able to appreciate the scenery through the gaps between his fingers.
Perhaps it was due to the partial Yato bloodline, but the warm sunlight felt uncomfortable on his skin.
It was at this moment that an umbrella was placed over his head, shielding him.
Xiang En turned his head in surprise, finding that it was Kagura.
The little girl was straining, standing on her tiptoes, raising the parasol high with her hand. Even so, given her height, the umbrella could only cover his head.
Xiang En found it somewhat amusing. He took the umbrella with one hand and easily held it above both their heads. He spoke as they walked:
"How did you know I would feel uncomfortable?"
"Your hair."
Kagura kept pace, walking side-by-side with Xiang En. She looked up and pointed at Xiang En's hair. Her voice inexplicably sounded happy:
"The color of your hair has changed to be like mine!"
"Nani?"
Hearing this, Xiang En was surprised. Since he didn't have a mirror, he had to pull the bangs on his forehead down to his eyes—luckily, they were long enough.
He widened his eyes to look up and indeed found that his hair was no longer pure black, but a slightly lighter shade of orange, similar to Kagura's color.
Wow, now I'm a non-mainstream character, huh? But it actually looks pretty good.
And perhaps when I become famous later, people will call me 'Orange-Haired Xiang En' because of my hair color? Though that doesn't sound nearly as powerful as 'Red-Haired Shanks.'
Growl~~~
Xiang En's increasingly wandering thoughts were interrupted by the growling of Kagura's stomach.
"Xia-chan, I'm so hungry," Kagura rubbed her stomach, looking up at Xiang En with a pitiful expression.
"Just hold on a little longer. We must get as far away from this place as possible first."
Having starved for nearly a day, plus the physical enhancement from the Yato bloodline, Xiang En's hunger was no less than Kagura's.
But he was keenly aware that the news of Luffy and the others harming a Celestial Dragon had likely already reached Marine Headquarters. At this moment, not only were the Marines stationed on the Sabaody Archipelago rushing here, but the Navy Admiral Kizaru was also on his way.
"Wait, what was that weird nickname you just used? Just calling me Boss is better!" After walking for a while, Xiang En finally realized something was amiss.
"But Xia-chan sounds really nice! Don't you like it?"
"What man would like to be called that? Anyway, just call me by my name, Xiang En. Or maybe Captain isn't out of the question?"
"Got it, Xia-chan."
"..."