Two days later, Lucci slowly awoke, a hint of unwillingness still in his eyes.
He was seriously unconvinced by his loss to Luffy!
Before leaving, CP9 decided to help the townspeople get rid of the Candy Pirates, that menace.
The battle was almost a one-sided slaughter; the members of the Candy Pirates didn't even have time to scream before they were all dealt with.
Thus, they sailed away from the town in the dilapidated ship they had captured from the Candy Pirates.
After Lucci returned to his hometown, Cheng Xiaoyu set sail once again.
Two full days of bubble baths left him sparkling clean and refreshed!
He was very satisfied with Kalifa's scrubbing service; a perfect experience would be a bath followed by a mermaid SPA!
...
"Captain, there's a very unique pirate ship below."
Eneru's voice came from above, interrupting Cheng Xiaoyu's thoughts.
"Unique?"
Cheng Xiaoyu looked down and saw a large ship with a red dragon carved on its bow, sailing on the azure sea.
The vibrant red, like burning flames, was particularly striking under the sun.
"That's the Red Force, the main ship of the Four Emperors, Red Hair Pirates!"
Cheng Xiaoyu recognized the ship at a glance, as its design was too distinctive.
"Is that the only ship around here?" Cheng Xiaoyu narrowed his eyes, pondering.
"Probably, I haven't seen any other ships. Do you want to blast them?" Eneru replied.
Cheng Xiaoyu narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the situation on the Red Force.
The Four Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks, was lying casually on the deck, fast asleep, appearing completely unguarded.
Scattered around him were the cadres of the Red Hair Pirates.
First Mate Benn Beckman was leisurely puffing on a cigarette, the cook Lucky Roux was devouring meat, and the sniper Yasopp was meticulously wiping his beloved gun...
The entire Red Hair Pirates were immersed in a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere, seemingly oblivious to the threat in the sky.
The Red Hair Pirates are known as the Four Emperors crew with the highest average bounties and the most balanced strength.
None of their cadres are Devil Fruit users; every one of them is proficient in Haki and incredibly powerful!
At this moment, Cheng Xiaoyu's Shadow was hovering a hundred meters high in the air, an excellent firing position.
Cheng Xiaoyu was tempted, or more accurately, he was moved to kill.
Shanks' bounty is as high as 4 billion Berries; if they are considered a dual-Emperor crew, Benn Beckman is also close to 4 billion Berries, Lucky Roux 1.4 billion Berries, and Yasopp not far behind...
Roughly calculating, if Cheng Xiaoyu could eliminate all of them, the experience gained would be enough for him to level up to 100!
The distance between the two ships was about 150 meters, and Cheng Xiaoyu's Shadow Raid Sniper had a range of 5 kilometers, so there was no problem at all.
Moreover, the Red Hair Pirates were so relaxed, seemingly disregarding the threat in the sky, which was simply a heaven-sent opportunity!
"It's an opportunity!"
A cold glint flashed in Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes, and without another word, he pulled out his Shadow Raid Sniper and began to aim.
As he aimed his gun at Red-Haired Shanks, he used Observation Haki to foresee what would happen next:
Red-Haired Shanks' top-tier Observation Haki instantly caught Cheng Xiaoyu's killing intent; he sharply opened his eyes, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
Almost simultaneously, he drew griffin from his waist, and a fierce sword energy sliced through the air, precisely cutting the Bullet Cheng Xiaoyu fired into two halves!
Immediately after, Shanks leaped up using the ship's mast, his figure streaking across the sky like lightning, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived on the Shadow.
He raised his hand and unleashed a "God Avoidance (神避)", a powerful Haoshoku instantly erupting, sweeping over like a tsunami!
Under the violent impact, the Shadow disintegrated in mid-air and plummeted into the sea!
Cheng Xiaoyu's face drastically changed; this terrifying future made him drop his gun directly.
"That was close, I almost died!"
Cheng Xiaoyu was inwardly terrified, cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
He hadn't expected Red-Haired Shanks' strength to be so terrifying; just one encounter almost sent him and his ship to the bottom of the sea.
"Change course and stay away from them; we're not their match yet." Cheng Xiaoyu turned around and said calmly.
"As you wish, Captain."
Although Eneru didn't understand why Cheng Xiaoyu suddenly changed his mind, he immediately carried out the order.
However, it was already too late.
Just then, Red-Haired Shanks had already stood firmly on the deck of the Shadow.
His gaze was like a torch, fixed on Cheng Xiaoyu, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
"Yo, Kid, you've got guts." Shanks' voice was deep and magnetic, "To actually try to scheme against me."
Damn it! He detected even this momentary killing intent!
Cheng Xiaoyu took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm, and said, "I was just passing by; I had no ill intentions."
"Passing by?" Shanks raised an eyebrow, "Passing by with a sniper rifle? Do you think I'd believe that?"
Cheng Xiaoyu already regretted his actions just now; this Red-Haired Shanks was not someone to be trifled with.
Think of Kid, who challenged Red Hair twice, losing an arm once and having his ship capsized another time, truly crippled.
Cheng Xiaoyu was momentarily speechless, unsure how to explain.
He knew that anything he said now would sound pale and powerless.
At this moment, Bullet in the Shadow was restless...
"Let me do it, let me deal with him!"
Bullet's voice echoed in Cheng Xiaoyu's mind; he wanted to fight Red Hair!
"No! If you come out, there will be no turning back."
Cheng Xiaoyu refused without even thinking.
If Red-Haired Shanks knew that a dangerous person like Bullet existed in his Shadow, even if he hadn't originally intended to act against him, he would kill him today!
"Who are you?" Shanks continued to ask, "Why did you attack me?"
"Shadow Pirates, Cheng Xiaoyu, I really was just passing by!"
Cheng Xiaoyu's mind was racing with a thousand curses right now, 'Believe it! Leave! Quickly, quickly, quickly!'
"Cheng Xiaoyu? Is that the newcomer from the East Blue? To be honest, I have a good impression of the East Blue! Have you met Straw Hat Luffy?"
"More than met! We have a pretty good relationship!" Cheng Xiaoyu said, who wouldn't try to curry favor.
Shanks suddenly burst into laughter, "Hahahahaha... You have a good relationship, but is that a reason to challenge me?"
"I just wanted to try it out, and in the end, I didn't do anything, did I?" Cheng Xiaoyu said with a smile.
If judging by actions and not intentions, he indeed did nothing; if anyone was to blame, it could only be Red Hair's overly sensitive Observation Haki.
"Ah, you're making me lose face, aren't you?"
Red-Haired Shanks couldn't find a reason to fight and started talking about face again.
My goodness? Cheng Xiaoyu was almost amused by this sudden complaint.
This Four Emperors who reigned over the New World, would he actually be bothered by something like 'face'?
He suppressed his laughter, deciding to cooperate with this 'Face-Face Devil Fruit' user.
"So what do you want? To chop off one of my arms?"
Cheng Xiaoyu deliberately imitated Shanks' tone, jokingly saying, and even raised his left arm.
"Hahaha, no need for that!" Shanks laughed heartily, as if his previous troubles had vanished, "Just promise me one thing."
Cheng Xiaoyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed this Four Emperors was not an unreasonable person.
"Tell me."
"Next time you see Luffy, say hello to him for me. I'll be waiting for him in the New World."
A hint of tenderness appeared in Shanks' eyes, contrasting sharply with his usual wild and unrestrained image.
"That's it?"
Cheng Xiaoyu was somewhat incredulous. He had expected some harsh condition, but it turned out to be just a message.
"Yes, that's it." Shanks nodded affirmingly.
"No problem."
Cheng Xiaoyu readily agreed. This was simply a piece of cake for him.
"Then it's settled!" Shanks was in high spirits, patting Cheng Xiaoyu's shoulder, "Till we meet again!"
Before his words faded, Shanks' figure had already vanished from the deck.
Cheng Xiaoyu looked at the empty deck, filled with emotion.
He had actually resolved a potential conflict with the Four Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks, so peacefully—this was simply unbelievable.
"Captain, Red Hair... he left?"
Eneru cautiously walked up to Cheng Xiaoyu, his tone tinged with disbelief.
"He left." Cheng Xiaoyu nodded.
"He just left like that?" Eneru's eyes widened, "He actually didn't do anything to us?!"
"No." Cheng Xiaoyu shrugged.
Eneru was completely baffled; this was completely different from the domineering Four Emperors he had imagined...
Cheng Xiaoyu, of course, knew that he was just lucky that Red Hair was in a good mood today, and that he posed little threat to his goals, which was why he let it go.
Thinking of Kid's unfortunate fate, Cheng Xiaoyu felt a shiver of fear.
With this experience, he would definitely not harbor any killing intent towards the Four Emperors again unless he had absolute certainty.