Monster!

Szzz—

Figo's blade did not strike solid flesh.

As it neared Geld Chuck's body, an invisible web of threads blocked the path of Figo's sword, deflecting and absorbing the force of his slash, producing a piercing shriek!

"Heheheheh... I've long heard of the Underwater Great Prison Impel Down, built eight years ago. What kind of place is it? The former Head Jailer of Impel Down, Gaston Figo!"

Fine cracks spread outward from the deck beneath both men's feet. Figo looked down at the Worry Demon and replied, "You'll find out in a few days."

Boom!

The moment the words fell, Figo's arm suddenly surged with strength. A burst of repulsive force sent the Worry Demon flying backward, crashing through the ship's cabin!

At the same time, Figo swept his hand across his waistband, tossing a ring of keys at Xiao's feet before charging after the Worry Demon with his blade.

"Quick, free us!" Peslo shouted urgently. "He needs our help!"

Nearby, the Nun shrank back as much as she could, cursing inwardly. Lord Chuck, you could at least get me out first before playing around with that guy.

The battlefield shifted to the ship's center, and the commotion also alerted several Marine soldiers tasked with guarding the Giant.

"What's going on?"

"Another enemy?!"

That single word "another" revealed their hardships, but this time, they clearly should not have come.

The Worry Demon dodged two follow-up slashes from Figo, leaping up to the mast, a malicious grin curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Rain Gun!"

He raised both hands to the sky, spreading all ten fingers. Countless invisible threads shot straight upward, then, at a certain height, came crashing down at a sharp angle!

The dense threads blanketed every direction in the center of the warship, targeting not only Figo but also the Marine soldiers who had come running at the noise!

The soldiers couldn't see the ultra-fine threads woven from his ability, unaware of the danger. They were still trying to identify the Worry Demon perched on the mast when a crescent-shaped slash struck their chests, sending them flying backward, spitting blood, and tumbling into the sea.

Immediately after, the spot where they had stood was blasted apart by a hail of threads, splinters flying everywhere!

It was Figo. In this situation, he could only use a relatively gentle Flying Slash to knock the soldiers into the sea. After that, they would have to fend for themselves.

He himself needed to defend.

Observation Haki fully activated, his long sword parried and blocked, severing the threads stabbing toward him one after another.

Where he stood, a constant clatter rang out.

Everywhere else, explosions of splintering wood echoed without end!

Like heavy raindrops pounding down, a series of dull thuds struck the deck, shattering it under the assault of countless blade-like threads!

The medium-sized warship sank a fraction deeper into the water under the concentrated attack, swaying precariously in the storm of threads, on the verge of collapse!

"Quick! Get out of here! Head Jailer Figo doesn't need us getting in the way!" A shout from Peslo rang out in the distance, and no further interruptions came.

After a long while, the threads ceased, the rain stopped.

The area beneath the mast where the Worry Demon stood and the small patch where Figo had planted himself were the only intact spots in the middle of the warship!

The tide of battle turned. A crescent moon flew from Figo's blade, slashing horizontally at the Worry Demon, who in turn slammed his hands together in a fierce inward clap.

"Shredding Punishment!"

Clang!!

Ten exceptionally tough threads tore apart Figo's Flying Slash and coiled around his blade!

A piercing shriek rang out as a broken tip of the sword spun through the air, clattering to the ground!

The battle paused.

"Heheheheh... Quite impressive swordsmanship. You saved those Marines and still managed to defend against my attacks flawlessly. Too bad your sword isn't much of a blade."

Figo raised his sword and looked at it.

It really wasn't a good sword. His original blade was a standard jailer's sword. When he was promoted to Vice Warden, he received a Warden's sword, but it was still just a higher-quality jailer's blade.

Any Marine officer of Captain rank or above could apply for one.

His Armament Haki was also relatively average compared to his other abilities. After all, in eight years, he had only participated in capturing around a hundred SRs, each with a 5% Capture Participation—equivalent to personally capturing five. He hadn't had many opportunities to gain significant Armament Haki boosts.

Being able to proficiently apply localized Armament Haki now was the result of his own training. He was still far from the level of reinforcing his weapon with Armament Haki or even tempering it into a Black Blade!

So, under the dense assault of Armament-infused threads, his sword had snapped, leaving only half.

"I really do need a new sword." Figo tossed the broken half behind him, sending the Warden's blade that had accompanied him for over four years into the sea.

At the same time, a whoosh of wind came from a distance as another sword was hurled heavily toward him.

It was Xiao, who had seen the opportunity and thrown his own blade!

But when the sword was three meters away from Figo, the Worry Demon flicked his finger, and the blade changed course, yanked into his grasp by a thread!

Xiao's face drained of color.

The Worry Demon drew the sword and gave it a few swings, a mocking tone in his voice. "This sword isn't much either, but I'm not keen on letting you have it so easily. How about a deal? Among those four little mice, if you choose two to kill... I'll give you the sword!"

"Heheheheheh..."

"How naughty." Figo chuckled as well. "Naughty children need proper discipline. If someone like you had entered Impel Down earlier, I'd definitely give you a month of correctional training, let you enjoy it thoroughly."

As he spoke, he unbuttoned his coat and pulled a Den Den Mushi from his chest. "Moshi Moshi, Fleet Admiral, I've run into a big problem here. You heard the whole process, right? I'm afraid I can't keep the Den Den Mushi or the warship safe. What do I do?"

The eerily familiar scene made Peslo, spying from afar, widen his eyes. This routine again?!

Even the Worry Demon was stunned for a moment. Fleet Admiral? The Navy Fleet Admiral? Who exactly is being naughty here?!

A voice came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi: "It's fine. I'll immediately dispatch nearby warships to Huoyu Island to pick you up. Figo, bring Geld Chuck back to headquarters, and I'll personally celebrate your success!"

"Got it!"

Figo hung up, then suddenly flung his arm, tossing the Den Den Mushi toward the shore. Fend for yourself, little bug.

This time, the Worry Demon didn't intercept the Den Den Mushi with his threads. Somewhat irritated, the moment Figo threw it away, he snapped his five fingers, shooting out five-colored threads that coiled around Figo!

The highly sharp Five-Colored Thread tore straight through Figo's clothes, exposing his robust physique, and continued cutting into his flesh!

But no matter how hard the Worry Demon strained, he could only leave shallow bloody marks on Figo's body!

Figo's bulging muscles, the Armament Haki coating his surface, and the technique of Iron Body made his flesh and blood even tougher than steel blades!

Figo had once set his goal to become a dashing swordsman, but the Prison Archives only allowed him to choose from the abilities of pirates. Quite a few pirates used blades, giving him around a thousand points of swordsmanship gains per year. Adding his own practice, his swordsmanship experience now stood at 9307 points.

He was still a Level 3 Iron-Cutting Swordsman, close to Level 4's Swordsman, and could already be called one. But another ability had left swordsmanship far behind!

What ability did everyone possess?

What did Giant Power enhance besides lifespan?

What did eating Sea King meat supplement?

What did Armament Haki rely on?

Physique! Physique! Physique!

Still physique!

Snap!

As his body exerted force and his muscles swelled, the Five-Colored Thread binding him suddenly snapped and burst in all directions, leaving marks on the ship's railing and jerking the Worry Demon's body, a flicker of shock appearing on his face for the first time!

An aura like a deep-forest beast radiated indiscriminately from Figo!

Physique: 12306

Level 4, Monster!