317 Liberation

"Tap, tap tap..." Teach's crisp footsteps echoed through the space of Infinite Hell.

"What a sorry sight, haha." Teach looked at the group of criminals and chuckled softly, somewhat casually, and seemingly with a hint of disdain.

The criminals frowned but remained silent. Judging from the Conqueror's Haki they had just displayed, they were not on the same level as this intruder.

At the same time, he thought to himself, "When did this strange young figure appear on the sea?"

Confined in the Infinite Hell, isolated from the world, they had no idea what was happening outside. They also didn't have Doflamingo's identity. Even though they were imprisoned in Impel Down, someone would still deliver newspapers to them.

"Teach, it's you! What are you doing in Infinite Hell?" Someone recognized Teach and was somewhat surprised. He was a pirate with a bounty of nearly 300 million Beli.

The Infinite Hell will continue to grow in number. Even though the Navy has been driven out of the New World, there are still some powerful pirates on the Grand Line.

He was unlucky and ran into Borsalino, the Navy's Admiral candidate known as "Flashman." He couldn't even escape and, after a battle, was imprisoned in Impel Down.

Although he was imprisoned in the Infinite Hell, his position within Infinite Hell was at the very bottom.

This world is ruled by strength, even in prisons.

"Newcomer, who is he?" asked a prisoner in a nearby cage.

"It's the 'Dark Emperor' Teach I told you about, the captain of the Night Pirates. He's already a recognized overlord even before he's reached the New World." The pirate didn't hide anything and explained, his tone tinged with admiration.

Whenever a new member arrives, the prisoners of the Infinite Hell ask the newcomer to tell them about what has happened on the sea and what the current situation is, so that they will not become disconnected from the sea in endless waiting.

At the same time, it can also help pass the time when you're bored.

Upon hearing this, everyone else realized who the person in front of them was.

Dark Emperor Teach rose to prominence in a short period of time. Originally a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, he left the crew before the Great Pirate Era began, establishing the Dark Whitebeard Pirates Night Pirates and setting sail from the East Blue to the West Blue.

He destroyed a powerful nation for a Devil Fruit, easily defeated Marine Vice Admiral Brom who had eaten the Smash Fruit, and after a year of silence, his strength greatly increased. He led the Night Pirates to defeat the combined forces of three Admiral candidates with an absolute advantage.

It is called the overlord because of its absolute power.

This is a prime example of the rise of pirates in the new era.

Although young, no one dares to underestimate him. His record speaks for itself, and his powerful Conqueror's Haki further demonstrates his terrifying strength. The intensity of Conqueror's Haki is directly proportional to one's strength and ambition.

Teach didn't care that anyone knew him; he had already sensed a powerful aura rapidly approaching from the upper levels, like a volcano about to erupt.

Teach guessed it; this was the warden of Impel Down. It seemed he had already noticed something amiss; it would have been strange if he hadn't.

"Hey, Teach, let me out, and I'll tell you where my treasure is!" a prisoner shouted.

Upon hearing this, the others' eyes lit up. Seeing Teach was like seeing a savior; he might be their only hope. After all, in all these years, Teach was the first person to arrive in Infinite Hell without anyone noticing.

Moreover, the commotion just now must have alerted the prison guards, and Impel Down must have already reacted.

If it had been any later, they would have missed their chance.

At this point, the pride of the strong is no longer important. Most of those imprisoned in Impel Down are unruly villains with considerable strength; otherwise, they wouldn't have been Impel Down.

Moreover, Teach's strength is truly formidable.

"Let me out, and I can join your pirate crew."

"Yes, I can too. Let me kill someone for you."

"You definitely need combat power like mine."

The entire Infinite Hell was in complete chaos, with everyone recommending themselves to Teach.

One voice after Teach entered Teach's ears, causing him to frown and let out a cold snort, "Hmph!" The entire Infinite Hell fell silent instantly. A terrifying aura emanated from Teach, and the Conqueror's Haki in his eyes carried an extremely sharp mental impact.

A single glance sent a powerful mental shock through their eyes, like needles piercing their vision and reaching their brains.

The prisoners instinctively covered their eyes with their hands, but in reality, their eyes were not damaged; what was affected was their spirit and their brains.

The mental anguish was unbearable even for these vicious criminals. Even Stephanie, with her Vice Admiral- level strength, couldn't easily withstand that attack, let alone Teach, whose current strength was more than ten times greater than her former self, and Conqueror's Haki had further intensified.

Teach's intimidation silenced them all. Their gazes towards Teach were filled with extreme fear, and a dull ache lingered in their minds. Some of the weaker ones had already collapsed to the ground, clutching their heads and rolling around, the chains rattling incessantly.

Even those powerful individuals who weren't significantly affected were extremely wary. They never dared to underestimate this junior, but this move was not something an ordinary person could control.

The precise control of Conqueror's Haki, releasing it through the eyes versus focusing it on the eyes, presents a completely different level of difficulty.

Seeing that they had quieted down, Teach cracked his neck, making a "crack" sound. "I'm very sorry, but I have no intention of having you join us."

Teach refused outright. He already had the Night Pirates, and the addition of these mixed-race individuals would only disrupt the overall atmosphere of the Night Pirates and create chaos.

Although their strength was decent, in Teach's eyes it was merely decent. True powerhouses and proud individuals would not join the Night Pirates, nor would they display such an attitude. Without that kind of power, Teach would look down on them.

Instead of letting them join, it's better to train our own leaders and strong individuals. Teach has no shortage of time or Devil Fruit; he even possesses many rare Devil Fruit, just waiting for the right person to appear.

Or wait until the time is right, then offer it up and let your subordinates compete for it, allowing you to acquire it yourself.

Ultimately, he really looked down on these criminals, except for the top-tier ones. Besides, their loyalty was completely unreliable; these people would readily betray you after using you. As for genuinely joining the Night Pirates, Teach had no expectations whatsoever.

If you really have that idea, you can join the Night Pirates when they recruit after you get out, if you manage to get out.

If it was done with malicious intent, then, sorry, it's impossible to hide it from Teach and the others.

"But let's make a scene, everyone. I hope you can escape, and I hope you won't be such useless fools." Teach looked at them, grinning, his tone filled with deep malice yet offering them hope. "Ocean, it's better to have some excitement. Although it's just a small thing, don't let me down."

"Nelson, release them all." After saying that, Teach turned to Nelson and said.

"Okay." Nelson nodded, feeling a little excited. He knew the purpose of this approach. His captain had always been one to stir up trouble. This time, although the main target was Redfield, Rediat's father.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, a lot can be gleaned from their surnames.

It would be too boring to come to such an important place and not do something.

Moreover, he felt a great sense of accomplishment because he had personally released these vicious criminals.

"Domain Thief!"

His domain expanded instantly, forming a sphere several hundred meters in diameter centered on him. He seemed to know everything within the domain. With a flick of his wrist, all the prisoners' shackles, Seastone Handcuffs, and the entire cages disappeared in an instant, disappearing into his space.

Because the Infinite Hell is so vast, Nelson's figure flashes through it Infinite Hell, dazzling everyone and making it impossible to pinpoint Nelson location.

In a very short time, all the prisoners in the Infinite Hell were freed by Nelson.

Seeing Nelson's abilities, they were somewhat surprised. He actually possessed such spatial abilities that they could directly remove the shackles that had been binding them. The ability users felt that their abilities, which had been sealed by the Seastone, had returned and could be used again after a long time.

Nelson went straight back to Teach's side.

These prisoners from the Infinite Hell stretched their bodies, some in disbelief that they had actually escaped, smiles on their faces, seemingly already feeling the breath of freedom.

However, they knew that they were currently at the very bottom of Impel Down and were still a long way from true freedom.

Their gazes couldn't help but fall on Teach. If Teach had a way to get in, he must also have a way to leave.

"Don't look at me. I don't care if you live or die. Don't blame me for not warning you, Warden Essel of Impel Down is on his way. You might run into him as soon as you leave. Whether you can escape or not depends on your own abilities." Seemingly seeing through their thoughts, Teach bluntly interrupted their hopes.

Otherwise, he wouldn't mind cleaning them up himself; they were just a bunch of ocean scum, impossible to kill completely, and no one would regret it even if they died.

Hearing Teach's words, they realized that Teach had no obligation to help them escape; letting them go was already more than enough.

They exchanged a glance, deciding against it; if they wanted to get out, they would have to rely on their own strength.

However, Teach remains their focus; they are currently in a very weak state and haven't had enough time to recover.

As the instigator who orchestrated this incident and released them, Impel Down, especially Impel Down Essel, will not let him off the hook.

That would be their chance, but before that, escaping was the priority Infinite Hell was too small, unlike the icy and snowy environment of the Extreme Cold Hell, which was very spacious and they could hide there first.

Although my body is somewhat weak now, I still have no problem surviving in the Extreme Cold Hell. As long as I find an opportunity, I will be able to escape.

Before that, leave Infinite Hell. The elevator passage is in the fifth level of Extreme Cold Hell.

This is the most traditional method, since there is only one way to escape the Infinite Hell.

However, there are always those who don't know what's good for them and set their sights on Teach and Nelson.

An invisible spiritual force swept towards Teach and Nelson, as smooth as water and extremely subtle; if it weren't for Teach, they wouldn't have noticed it at all.

In reality, Teach's Observation Haki didn't react much, after all, it's a mental power, coupled with his stealthy actions and the fact that the person using this ability is very strong.

However, this is not a reason for him to provoke Teach in this way.

His body instinctively sensed it; this was Teach about danger and the unusual, and in an instant, he saw a vision of the future through Future Sight.

This force was directed at Nelson, probably because he knew it wouldn't have the desired effect on Teach, since Nelson was currently in poor condition and unable to unleash his full power to have a substantial impact on a strong opponent like Teach.

But he still wanted to influence Teach, and his main target was Nelson, because Nelson's strength was no match for his abilities, and he couldn't even detect them.

After witnessing Nelson's abilities, he had an idea: Teach had entered the Infinite Hell by relying on Nelson's abilities, a view shared by many others.

Space-related abilities—once mastered, it would be easy to escape Impel Down. So why not do it? For someone yearning for freedom, this is the best way, especially given their confidence in their abilities.

"You're courting death!" Teach's eyes narrowed, his gaze becoming extremely sharp. A powerful aura erupted, surging in the opposite direction, like a tsunami, instantly interrupting the guy's use of his ability.

Nelson has already been affected; his gaze is somewhat vacant, and he seems to have lost consciousness. To control others silently is a truly terrifying ability.

However, under Teach's powerful aura, the use of this person's ability was forcibly interrupted. Nelson recovered after being hit for a moment, his eyes became clear, but he also realized what had just happened. He couldn't help but feel a little scared, and at the same time, he became more vigilant.

Teach's gaze shifted instantly to a corner, landing on a man with slightly graying hair, a somewhat thin frame, but possessing astonishing strength, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness.

Teach dared not underestimate him; with such a bizarre mental ability, he easily controlled Nelson.

Moreover, this man was one of the top powerhouses in the Infinite Hell that Teach had sensed. Although he was in a poor state now, he must have had the combat power of Admiral in his prime.