By taking advantage of a massive amount of flammable materials, the blaze Chu Yang created far exceeded what originally happened in the canon timeline. Now, all of Mary Geoise had fallen into a sea of raging flames.
The situation was so severe that the Celestial Dragons couldn't even spare the effort to pursue Tiger.
Even Aokiji, who had just arrived, immediately joined the firefighting efforts.
With slaves fleeing in all directions on top of that, the Holy Land's forces were completely overwhelmed.
At the highest point of Pangaea Castle, in the rooftop garden, a solitary figure stood quietly, gazing down at the fires burning throughout the city.
As the true master of the Holy Land, Imu felt no shame at all. Instead, a playful smile curled at the corner of her lips.
After obtaining the most supreme authority in the world, it had been a very long time since anything this interesting had happened in her long life.
Especially over the past hundred years—she'd been so bored that she'd lost interest in almost everything.
Today, however… could barely count as a bit of entertainment.
Like a detached observer, Im watched the situation unfold with great interest.
As for how many slaves escaped, or how many Beli were lost—she didn't care in the slightest.
While Imu leisurely enjoyed this spectacular "bonfire," Chu Yang and Tiger had already fled far beyond the Holy Land, reaching the edge of the Red Line.
Chu Yang hadn't expected this Fish-Man to keep following him.
Helping Tiger earlier had only been because the Marines had blocked Chu Yang's escape route. With no other option at the time, he'd been forced to intervene.
That single attack had nearly drained all of Chu Yang's chakra.
If it weren't for the astonishing recovery ability granted by Wood Release, he would've passed out long ago.
Along the way, Tiger kept studying Chu Yang.
The abilities Chu Yang had displayed earlier made Tiger suspect that he was a Devil Fruit user.
Tiger was curious about what kind of power it was—but not foolish enough to pry.
Their relationship wasn't close enough yet to exchange secrets.
When the two reached the cliff's edge, Chu Yang looked down at the sheer, bottomless drop and the raging waves far below, swallowing instinctively.
He didn't have a fear of heights.
But a view this terrifying would make anyone's legs go weak.
"I remember there being a lift ship…" Chu Yang scanned the area. He recalled that special lift ships were used to transport people to and from the Red Line.
"There are usually a lot of soldiers guarding the lift ships," Chu Yang continued, thinking aloud. "But with everyone busy putting out fires in the city, there shouldn't be anyone watching them now. As long as we find one, we can leave Mary Geoise safely."
As soon as Tiger heard him mention the lift ship, he immediately said, "I know where it is!"
Chu Yang looked at him in surprise. Wasn't this Fish-Man a slave who'd just escaped from prison?
How did he know about that?
Seeing Chu Yang's disbelief, Tiger explained, "When I climbed up from below before, I saw the lift ship."
"So that's how it is…" Chu Yang nodded, then froze. "Wait—where did you climb up from?"
Tiger pointed calmly at the bottomless abyss beside them.
Only then did Chu Yang truly realize who this Fish-Man was.
Someone who could climb all the way up to Mary Geoise with bare hands—there had only been one such person for many years.
The hero who liberated slaves—
Fisher Tiger.
After learning Tiger's identity, Chu Yang couldn't help but look him up and down again. Only then did he notice how familiar Tiger looked—especially that unmistakable crimson skin.
Tiger felt his scalp tingle under Chu Yang's intense stare and quickly said, "Don't worry, little brother, I definitely didn't lie to you."
"I know," Chu Yang replied, then asked curiously, "You came up here to start fires too?"
Having already been misunderstood once, Tiger couldn't bear that accusation and immediately explained, "I didn't start the fire. I just took advantage of the situation to free some slaves…"
Halfway through, Tiger suddenly sensed something off. He frowned and asked, "Wait—why did you say 'too'?"
Chu Yang's expression changed. He quickly changed the subject. "There's no time to chat. If we stay any longer, the Marines will catch up. Take me to the lift ship."
"Oh—right, right!" Tiger snapped back to his senses and led Chu Yang along the cliff. After some time, the two successfully found the lift ship access point.
Just as Chu Yang had predicted, there were very few guards stationed at the entrance—only four soldiers standing there alone.
Tiger knocked them out effortlessly, one punch each, without giving them any chance to resist.
Tiger couldn't help but sigh. "The defenses here are so weak. Other places are probably the same. I just hope those innocent civilians can leave this hell and return home safely."
What a truly big-hearted man…
Chu Yang, who usually preferred to mind his own business, sincerely admired Tiger.
There wasn't the slightest hint of mockery in that thought.
Under the cover of night, the two boarded the lift ship and left the Red Line, returning to the embrace of the sea.
Directly beneath Mary Geoise was a small town that served as the lift ship's landing point.
People traveling to and from the Red Line usually gathered there.
Because there were no guards, Chu Yang and Tiger's arrival didn't alert anyone. As they walked through the quiet streets, Tiger suddenly asked, "Little brother, are you planning to go home?"
Home?
What home did a transmigrator have?
Chu Yang gave a bitter smile. "My home is gone. I can't go back."
Tiger assumed Chu Yang's family had been destroyed by human traffickers and immediately felt deep sympathy. He then asked, "Then where do you plan to go next?"
Yeah… where was he going?
Chu Yang fell into deep thought.
I need to find a place to learn some useful skills!
Whether it was Haki or martial arts, Chu Yang needed to learn something as soon as possible. Otherwise, the next time he met another version of himself, the opportunity would be wasted again.
Freeloading felt good—but freeloading off yourself was meaningless.
So… what should he learn?
In Chu Yang's view, the most valuable skill in the pirate world was undoubtedly Haki.
The power of Haki was unquestionable. In terms of boosting combat strength, it was, in some cases, even better than Devil Fruits.
And unlike Devil Fruits, Haki didn't come with obvious fatal weaknesses.
But the problem was—where could he find someone to teach him Haki?
Although there were many powerful Haki users in the New World, with Chu Yang's current strength—even with Wood Release—going there would likely just be suicide.
As for places outside the New World, the only one he could possibly come into contact with was Amazon Lily, Hancock's homeland.
That place had a strict ban on men. Without protagonist-level plot armor, Chu Yang would die just as easily there—at least for now.
Aside from Haki, the next best options were swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat.
At this stage, the only place to learn high-level swordsmanship was the Isshin Dojo in Shimotsuki Village of the East Blue—becoming fellow disciples with Roronoa Zoro.
But for Chu Yang alone to travel from the Grand Line back to the East Blue was simply unrealistic.
As for martial arts… Chu Yang honestly didn't think much of what was available, aside from the Six Powers.
Overall, the pirate world's close-combat techniques were still inferior to those of the Naruto world.
(End of Chapter)