One Piece: Starting with Creating the Strongest Character Design

As she spoke, Xia Qi paused slightly on the cigarette butt between her fingers, and a faint aura of pressure suddenly emanated from her body.

An invisible pressure instantly enveloped the entire bar, and the wine glasses in the corner trembled slightly, emitting a faint hum.

Outside the bar, the patrons who hadn't gone far and were still gathered together discussing the commotion were caught off guard by the aura, and their legs went weak.

Some people even collapsed to the ground and scrambled away to escape.

Conqueror's Haki!

As the former empress of Amazon Lily and the former captain of the Kuja Pirates, her Conqueror's Haki was profound, no less than that of Boa Hancock, who later ruled Amazon Lily.

But at this moment, under this suffocating pressure, Kitahara Tsune's smile remained unchanged, with a calm curve still hanging at the corner of his mouth, as if he had not felt this pressure that was enough to intimidate ordinary strongmen at all.

Kitahara Tsuneo slowly raised his hand and spoke calmly:

"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Kitahara Tsuneo, and I am the newly appointed Rear Admiral."

His voice wasn't loud, but it sounded calm and unhurried to Xia Qi.

Xia Qi narrowed her eyes, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned, and a clear look of doubt flashed in her eyes.

The cigarette between her fingers burned slowly, and amidst the swirling smoke, her gaze remained fixed on Kitahara Tsune.

The only way to resist her Conqueror's Haki so easily is for a king who also possesses Conqueror's Haki to rely on sheer strength; there is no other way.

Even ordinary vice admirals from the Marine Headquarters would be intimidated by the unintentional release of her Conqueror's Haki in her presence, ranging from being unsettled to fainting from fright.

However, the young man in front of him, who looked to be no more than twenty years old, remained calm and composed, his expression unchanged.

There's only one possibility: this young man may possess the potential to become a "king"...

Xia Qi slowly took a drag of her cigarette and exhaled a thin wisp of smoke.

The oppressive aura surrounding her slowly receded like the tide, and the tense atmosphere in the bar finally eased.

She glanced at Hancock, who was still unconscious on the sofa, and her tone regained its nonchalant air:

"Oh, it's the Navy. What do you want with me? I'm just an ordinary intelligence broker, nothing worth a commodore coming to my door in person."

"Don't be nervous, Ms. Shaki, I'm not here to fight you."

Kitahara Tsune waved his hand, turned his gaze to Hancock lying on the sofa, and continued,

"This child must be a slave who escaped from the Holy Land of Mary Geoise."

He also has two younger sisters, who should be living nearby.

Kitahara Tsune paused, recalling Hancock's desperate resistance earlier, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

"But I don't know why, when I tried to help her, she treated me like an enemy and attacked me with all her might."

"Having no other choice, I had to knock her unconscious and bring her here temporarily."

"You should have Amazon's contact information, so you should help her out."

Xia Qi stared at Bei Yuan Heng for a long time, and after a moment, she suddenly laughed out loud:

"Why would I consider you an enemy? Isn't it simple?"

She leaned forward, her tone laced with sarcasm:

"Aren't the Navy all lackeys of the Celestial Dragons? How could she possibly believe you're trying to help her?"

Hearing this, Kitahara Tsune was not angry; his tone was calm and firm:

"You're right. There are indeed many people in the Navy who are unaware of the truth. They blindly follow the World Government, thinking they are upholding justice, but in reality, they have indirectly become accomplices of the Celestial Dragons."

"But it cannot be denied that their original intentions were mostly good; they were just blinded."

"Besides, there are some people in the Navy who have their own sense of justice and their own principles, but they are unable to realize their justice due to pressure from the World Government."

"So, you're one of that small group?"

Xia Qi raised an eyebrow, her tone tinged with amusement.

Kitahara Tsune did not answer the question directly. He slightly raised his eyes and looked out the window:

"The Celestial Dragons' rule will inevitably collapse; it's just that the time isn't right yet."

"But no matter what, the present moment is the most important."

He withdrew his gaze and looked back at Xia Qi:

"Getting her back to Amazon Lily is the most important thing to do right now."

As he spoke, he looked around the bar, his gaze sweeping across every corner as if searching for something, a hint of barely perceptible curiosity in his eyes.

After searching around without finding the person he was looking for, he turned back to Xia Qi, his tone casually teasing:

"Where's your partner? I haven't seen him."

Hearing this, Xia Qi blushed slightly, a rare occurrence, and the tips of her ears turned a pale pink. She gave a soft hum:

"Where else could he be? Probably gambling somewhere again. That guy, he's never serious."

At the same time, a sense of vigilance quietly arose in her heart.

This boy even knew that Rayleigh was here.

She and Rayleigh lived in seclusion here, always keeping a low profile, and few people knew about their relationship.

Who exactly is this Kitahara Tsune?

"I hope he didn't sell himself." Kitahara Tsune smiled, his tone even more teasing.

Just as Xia Qi was about to complain about Rayleigh's gambling addiction, a slightly hoarse male voice suddenly came from outside the bar.

The voice carried a hint of confusion: "Strange, why is the bar closed?"

Before Xia Qi could even get up to open the door, the bar door was gently pushed open by a rough but strong hand.

Unsurprisingly, the man who opened the door was none other than Rayleigh, the "Right Hand of the Pirate King" and "Dark King".

He wore a loose gray robe, his hair was gray, but his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle's.

Behind him followed two slender girls, their eyes showing a hint of timidity, yet also a touch of stubbornness.

The two girls were Hancock's two younger sisters, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold.

They were found by Rayleigh and followed him all the way here, but now there was a hint of urgency in their eyes.

As Rayleigh pushed open the bar door, the two girls cautiously followed him inside.

The next second, their gazes were fixed on Kitahara Tsune, and their eyes instantly turned to terror.

Although Kitahara Tsune was not wearing his bright and eye-catching naval uniform, but only a white suit, the two still recognized him at a glance.

This is the man who took their sister away.

The two were instantly horrified, and tears welled up in their eyes almost immediately.

They clung tightly to Ridley's clothes, their bodies trembling slightly, hiding behind him, peeking out their little heads, and shouting loudly:

"It's him! He's the one who took my sister away! Mr. Rayleigh, please save my sister!"

Upon seeing Kitahara Tsune, Rayleigh paused for a moment, then instinctively turned to look at Shakky, about to ask a question.

Before he could even speak, he heard the cries and accusations of the two girls behind him. He turned back to Kitahara Tsune, his gaze now scrutinizing her. His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

"Who are you?"

Unlike Shakky's caution and probing, Rayleigh's tone was completely calm, but his gaze carried a hint of scrutiny.

"My name is Kitahara Tsuneo, and I am the newly appointed commodore."

Kitahara Tsune met Rayleigh's gaze without flinching, replying calmly and respectfully.

"I have long heard of Mr. Rayleigh, the King of the Underworld, but seeing him in person today truly shows that seeing is believing."