To seek fortune, one must brave danger.
If you want to grow stronger, following the rules is never the best way.
On the contrary—
Only by embracing madness can you seize everything you need to grow in the midst of danger.
Whoosh—!
A figure streaked through the air—it was Arthur.
"Hm?!"
Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly, murmuring to himself, "There's only one shot at this… and I definitely can't strike that location. Since that's the case…"
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
There was no helping it.
He was still too weak. If he wanted to succeed, ideally he'd attack that place—it held wealth beyond imagination. Unfortunately, with his current strength, that was simply impossible.
"In that case…"
Hooo…
Exhaling deeply, Arthur charged straight toward a massive city in the distance.
Slave City.
That was the name of this place.
Here, all the slaves owned by the Celestial Dragons were kept. Merchants from around the world brought exotic and rare slaves as tributes—solely to entertain those arrogant nobles.
---
Inside Slave City.
Silence ruled the streets, even though everyone had heard the thunderous crash moments earlier.
But…
No one cared anymore. Or perhaps, their hearts were already dead.
The people here—beaten down, stripped of hope—were little more than walking corpses. Some sprawled lifelessly on the ground, others slumped against walls like sacrificial lambs awaiting slaughter.
Could they live to see tomorrow? It didn't matter anymore. These people were puppets, fighting in the coliseums daily for a mouthful of food. If they died, they died.
That was the future of these slaves.
Revolt? Suicide? Impossible. The Celestial Dragons had countless ways to control them.
Swish! Swish!
Suddenly, flashes of sword light cut through the silence. The slaves, dazed and numb, sluggishly raised their heads.
Clang!
With a metallic creak, some of the cages popped open. At the same time, the explosive collars around a few slaves' necks were sliced clean off.
They were freed.
Only a small portion for now—but it was real.
"What's going on?"
"Is… is this freedom?"
"Huh?!"
A few stunned slaves stepped out of their cages. Their arms trembled slightly. They stared into the distance, shocked—unable to believe what they were seeing.
And then—
BOOM!
A massive crater appeared in the ground. A pile of oversized keys and chains landed with a clang—keyrings so huge and ominous they could only be for unlocking explosive collars.
---
High above the city, Arthur stood atop Slave City's central tower, gazing down.
He whispered, "I've given you your chance. Don't disappoint me."
A smirk formed on his face—and with that, he vanished.
Now, all that was left was to wait.
Honestly?
Arthur was certain—Fisher Tiger hadn't freed all the slaves in the past. He'd only managed to break a few thousand free in the chaos.
But this place?
Slave City alone held at least 100,000 slaves—perhaps more.
That scale… was terrifying to imagine.
And Tiger had freed only a fraction—mainly those from the fighting pits.
"AAAHHHH!!!"
"ROAAARRR!!!"
Just ten minutes after Arthur vanished, deafening screams erupted across the city.
Among the slaves, there were still sharp minds—ones who, despite being numbed by suffering, snapped awake the moment they saw a sliver of hope.
They wasted no time.
Quickly, they began organizing and freeing others.
Escape was impossible for just a handful. But release everyone? Create a flood of chaos?
Only then would freedom be within reach.
...
In just thirty minutes, the prison population had been released.
A vast, tide of humanity poured forth—well over a hundred thousand slaves.
"KILL!!!"
"FIGHT!!!"
"We only have one shot—fight to survive! Fight for freedom!"
"Live! Be free!"
The slaves surged out of Slave City in a frenzied wave.
Among them were warriors—beaten, tortured, but still strong.
Now free of their collars, they unleashed terrifying strength.
Because when people fight for their lives and their freedom—
That's when they become most dangerous.
---
Glug glug…
Sipping from a jug, John staggered to Arthur's side and slurred, "Hey, kid… you really freed all the slaves in Slave City?"
Clearly—
That had been the entire crew's assumption.
After all, with just the six of them, trying to stir up chaos on the Red Line? That would've been madness.
They were madmen, yes—but not fools.
If they didn't stir things up properly, they'd gain nothing from this suicidal mission.
And so—
Their best shot, their best move, was to unleash all the slaves now—while most of the Red Line's elite warriors were absent.
That was the only way to create a real opportunity.
And now?
Just thirty minutes after the initial breakout, the entire Red Line was in turmoil.
The slaves had gone berserk.
They tore through the Red Line's garrisons and charged toward both ports.
The Red Line had two major ports—one facing the New World, the other facing the Grand Line.
If the slaves could reach the docks and steal ships—
Then they'd truly be free.
In short:
In just half an hour, the entire Red Line had erupted into chaos.
-------------------///
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