"What is he doing?" Marigold looked completely confused.
Hancock and Sandersonia were just as baffled, both staring blankly at Chu Yang.
Suddenly, the uneven stone floor of the dungeon cracked apart. From the fissures, trees and vines erupted in wild, rampant growth, flooding the dungeon like a surging tide.
The cell doors—normally unbreakable—were now as fragile as tofu, bursting apart in seconds under the pressure of the expanding trees.
The sisters were stunned by the sudden transformation, frozen in place, convinced that some kind of monster had appeared in the dungeon.
Under Chu Yang's control, the trees parted to form a clear passage. Standing outside the cell, he shouted, "Hurry up and get out!"
Hancock snapped back to her senses and emerged from the dense forest of branches, staring at Chu Yang in shock. "Are you a Devil Fruit user?"
"There's no time to explain!" Chu Yang dodged the question and urged, "Take everyone and run!"
"Thank you," Hancock said softly. She took a long, deep look at Chu Yang, as if carving his appearance into her memory, before leading her two sisters away.
Using Wood Release, Chu Yang smashed open every remaining cell door in a very short time.
Slaves who had been imprisoned for years poured out in a massive wave, fleeing toward the dungeon's exit.
From afar, the crowd looked like a black tide—an overwhelming and terrifying sight. That was exactly the effect Chu Yang wanted.
Once the last person escaped the dungeon, Chu Yang set this sin-soaked place ablaze. With the vast number of trees acting as fuel, the fire spread at terrifying speed.
Taking advantage of the darkness, Chu Yang continued igniting fires as he moved, using Wood Release to guide the flames throughout Mary Geoise.
What Chu Yang didn't know was—
Elsewhere in the city, someone else was doing the exact same thing.
In the night, a towering figure stood out against the firelight, his silhouette imposing and powerful.
His unusual red skin and features marked him as something other than human.
Fisher Tiger.
A lifelong admirer of freedom, Tiger had dreamed of becoming a traveler. Yet not long after beginning his journey, he was captured by human traffickers and reduced to a slave.
For three whole years, Tiger endured inhuman abuse and witnessed the greed and corruption buried deep within human nature. It left him utterly disillusioned with humanity.
But compared to hatred, Tiger's desire to liberate others who shared his fate burned even stronger.
That was why, after successfully escaping the Holy Land, he returned.
Tiger intended to free all the slaves here.
Driven by this lofty ideal, Tiger had just released a group of slaves and set their cages ablaze when he noticed that the other side of the city was already engulfed in flames.
Who was it?
Someone actually moved faster than me?
Watching the fire spiral further out of control, Tiger realized that if he didn't hurry, everyone would be burned alive.
"Who the hell set this fire?!" Tiger was chased everywhere by the flames, cursing furiously.
Fortunately, from his years as a slave, Tiger was intimately familiar with the Holy Land's layout. Despite the tight time limit, he still managed to rescue most of the slaves.
The remaining ones took advantage of the chaos to escape on their own.
Having achieved his goal, Tiger prepared to flee the Holy Land.
But ahead of him, a squad of Marines approached and surrounded him completely.
"You've got some nerve," roared a Marine colonel in a coat emblazoned with justice. "Daring to release so many slaves without authorization!"
Tiger replied righteously, "They were innocent people to begin with—abducted by traffickers and sold into the Holy Land. As Marines, you don't protect the weak. Instead, you aid this evil. It's disgraceful!"
The colonel sneered. "I'm not interested in debating with you. Compared to freeing slaves, the crime of burning the Holy Land is far worse. One death is enough to condemn you. Surrender now!"
Tiger froze, then shouted angrily, "I didn't start the fire!"
"Still lying at death's door!" the colonel snapped. "Since you refuse to surrender, don't blame me for using force!"
He ignored Tiger's explanation entirely and ordered his men to attack.
In an instant, dozens of soldiers swarmed forward, scores of rifles aimed at Tiger, firing simultaneously.
Tiger remained calm as he unleashed Fish-Man Karate.
He grasped the air itself, compressing it into a violent current. With a powerful swing, the shockwave blasted outward.
Countless bullets were struck midair, losing momentum and raining uselessly onto the ground.
The Marine colonel's expression darkened. Tiger's strength far exceeded his expectations.
The colonel said coldly, "Daring to infiltrate the Holy Land alone and set it ablaze—you're clearly no ordinary Fish-Man."
Seeing how convinced the man was, Tiger didn't bother explaining. He had come to free slaves anyway—this was close enough.
When ranged attacks failed, the colonel ordered the soldiers to engage in close combat.
As a Fish-Man, Tiger possessed physical abilities ten times greater than an ordinary human. The colonel knew full well that these soldiers couldn't defeat him.
But that didn't matter.
All he needed was to stall a little longer. Strong Marine officers would arrive soon enough to deal with Tiger.
The colonel only wanted to claim some credit—he had no intention of risking his life.
On the other side, Tiger quickly realized the commander's intentions when he refused to move and sent only fodder to fight.
"End this quickly!"
Tiger surged forward, attempting to break through—but repeatedly got bogged down by sheer numbers, like stepping into a swamp, unable to move freely.
Standing outside the crowd, the colonel laughed smugly. "Stop resisting. It'll be better for everyone."
Tiger's expression grew grim. The longer this dragged on, the fiercer the flames became—and that meant powerful Marine officers were about to arrive.
"If I have to go back to being a slave," Tiger growled, "I'd rather die right here!"
He clenched his teeth, locking onto the Marines before him. Even in death, he would drag a few down with him—especially that colonel.
Just as Tiger prepared for a desperate final stand, the ground beneath their feet began to quake violently.
Massive trees burst up from the earth, overturning the Marine formation in an instant. Soldiers were flung into the air.
Surrounded by the rising forest, the colonel screamed in panic, "What the hell is this?!"
The next second, he was swallowed by a sea of trees.
The sudden scene was terrifying. Tiger remained on full alert, staring warily at the bizarre forest.
"Why are you still standing there? What are you waiting for?"
A human boy emerged from the trees, glanced briefly at Tiger, then hurried off in the opposite direction.
Tiger paused for a moment—then followed the boy, weaving through the forest.
At the same time, within the World Government, the Five Elders were in a furious uproar.
"This is outrageous! Someone dared to kill and burn in Mary Geoise—this is trampling the authority of the Celestial Dragons underfoot!"
"Who is this audacious bastard? Have you identified them yet?"
"According to patrol reports, it seems a Fish-Man was taking advantage of the chaos to free slaves!"
"Damn Fish-Men! They've been getting more and more arrogant in recent years!"
"Where is Sakazuki? Get him here immediately—have him capture those slave criminals!"
"With the city already engulfed in flames, calling Sakazuki would only make things worse. It would be better to send Aokiji instead!"
(End of Chapter)