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This group, led by Arthur, was composed almost entirely of individuals with the most depraved personalities on the seas—men who pillaged, murdered, and acted with reckless abandon.
Aside from Naguri, they were all lawless villains.
As they made their way up from the sixth level, Eternal Hell, their collective presence was an overwhelming aura of menace... The overwhelming oppressive aura made the small-time pirates on levels five, four, three, two, and one too afraid to even speak.
They didn't even voice their longing for freedom, cowering in their cells, afraid to move.
Led by Arthur, the group of long-imprisoned pirates finally walked out of the utterly detestable Impel Down and saw the sea they had missed for so long.
"BARARARARARARA!"
"MURUFUFUFUFUFU!"
"Finally seein' the sun again! Finally free, meow!"
They were all ecstatic, spreading their arms to welcome their new lives... their wild laughter spreading out in all directions.
The Marine warships docked outside Impel Down had also received their orders. They didn't dare to try and stop them, they could only watch.
"Captain, are we going to steal a warship to leave?" Shiryu asked, pausing the constant polishing of his Nodachi.
The others all turned their eyes to Arthur. As long as he gave the order, they would immediately seize the nearest warship.
"No need. Our ride is here," Arthur said, tilting his head up toward the sun.
Everyone's gaze followed his—
The golden ship, the [Thor], glowed with a dazzling, brilliant light under the sun, descending from high in the sky under Vegapunk's control.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING, MEOW?!"
"A golden flying ship??"
The golden speck of light grew larger from an almost imperceptible point. The [Thor], descending from high altitude, brought with it an intense wind pressure.
"WHOOSH!!"
The great wind pushed the seawater aside. The [Thor] was finally before their eyes, a golden staircase slowly extending from the ship.
"Get on board," Arthur said with a casual nod, leaping up and landing on the deck.
The others all followed, walking up the staircase onto the [Thor].
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Having roamed the seas, they had never seen such a ship. It was a real eye-opener.
"Sanjuan Wolf!" Arthur suddenly remembered. A small ship like the [Thor] was only about the size of Sanjuan Wolf's two palms. How could it possibly carry such a colossal giant?
"How do you travel on the sea?"
A body this size... aside from the future Moria's terrifyingly large ship, what else could possibly carry him?
"Swimming, of course! I'm a really fast swimmer!" Sanjuan Wolf said, scratching his head, a bit confused by the question.
"Swimming?" Arthur had a moment of realization.
With a body that size, Sanjuan Wolf could only travel by swimming. He could probably even serve as a battleship. Otherwise, he wouldn't be called the "Colossal Battleship."
"Alright then! We set off now! We'll cross the Grand Line, enter the Calm Belt, and head for the East Blue!" Arthur gave the command.
The Calm Belt where Impel Down was located was on the right side of the Grand Line. Amazon Lily was also in this Calm Belt, and beyond it was the South Blue.
The East Blue, however, was on the left side of the Grand Line. As long as they crossed the Calm Belt on the left, they could arrive safely.
"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!"
Sanjuan Wolf's massive body plunged into the sea, swimming towards the East Blue at an incredible speed.
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"Vegapunk. Target: The East Blue. We're going to witness the final Glory of Roger," Arthur said to the man who was lost in the joy of controlling the ship. He then turned to the others who had just boarded and introduced him.
"This is also a member of the Thunder God Pirates, the scientist Vegapunk."
However, Vegapunk's name was not yet so famous that everyone knew it. Not to mention Naguri and World, who had been imprisoned for so long, even Pizarro and Shot, who had only been in for a year or two, didn't know who he was.
Only Shiryu, who had come from the Marines, showed a slight surprise, pausing his polishing of his beloved Nodachi—Raiu.
"Vegapunk?? The one the World Government calls the world's number one scientist, more than five hundred years ahead of current human knowledge?"
It was no wonder he was surprised. Shiryu had joined Impel Down right after graduating from the Marine academy. He often came into contact with Seastone and knew that the Seastone handcuffs on all the prisoners' hands and feet, which allowed the warships to safely enter and exit the Calm Belt, were developed by this man.
And that was just one of the things he had researched. Much more was still kept secret.
"The world's number one scientist?" This title immediately made World and the others look at him with new respect.
"World's Number One" was not a title you could just give yourself. If you called yourself that without the skill to back it up, you wouldn't know when you'd be beaten to death.
Just like Whitebeard being called the World's Strongest Man. If he didn't have that unrivaled strength, the people coveting that title would have exhausted him to death.
Every "World's Number One" was a supreme honor and affirmation.
No matter the field, to stand head and shoulders above the rest was worthy of respect.
"Captain, a man like Vegapunk... shouldn't he be under the strict watch of the World Government?" Shiryu asked, taking out a cigar from the greatcoat he had put back on and lighting it.
"I simply liberated him..."
"Bararararara! The World Government calls itself the master of the world. If they dare to come, I'll sink them with my More-More Cannon!" World's hatred for the World Government was practically sky-high.
"My kingdom was conquered by troops sent by the World Government! That's why I became a pirate on the sea! Damn it, meow!" Pizarro said viciously. His epithet was the Corrupt King—it was clear he had once been the king of a country.
"We've all had direct or indirect encounters with the World Government. Since I, Arthur, chose to become your captain, I naturally accept the consequences!—" Arthur said, his gaze sweeping over them, his voice low.
"I won't guarantee that your lives won't be in danger, but since you've joined my pirate crew, I will guarantee this... if the World Government comes for us, every last one of them will die!"
"Murufufufufu, as long as we're not enemies with the Captain, who cares about the World Government?" Catarina Devon laughed, her hands on her hips.
"If you choose to sail the seas, you'd better be prepared to risk your life!" Shiryu said indifferently, continuing to polish his beloved sword.
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The [Thor] pierced the sky, advancing at extreme speed above the clouds.
"Captain, since we have a pirate crew, we need to have a pirate flag, right?" Pizarro's cat-like eyes scanned the surroundings, but he didn't see the flag of the Thunder God Pirates.
"The Jolly Roger?" Arthur nodded. If he hadn't been reminded, he would have almost forgotten the most important symbol of a pirate crew.
Moreover, these people would all be captains of his grand fleet in the future. It wouldn't make sense if they didn't have the iconic symbol of the Thunder God Pirates on them.
Flipping his hand, he took out a piece of black cloth from his Castle-Castle bracelet, and Arthur quickly drew his mark.
His symbol had never changed from the very beginning—a downward-clasping hand, wreathed in purple lightning, with a ball of crackling lightning coalescing in its palm.
If you looked closely, that ball of lightning looked very similar to the world of One Piece itself!
It represented that everything in the world was within his grasp.
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