Smashing a Path to Freedom

Fisher Tiger stared at everything before him.

He was bewildered and confused.

He had witnessed Lynn breaking open the cells and freeing the gladiators.

He had also personally experienced Lynn's insane act of tearing off an Explosion Collar with his bare hands.

Now, he was watching the fighters of the arena steadily close in on the once-arrogant Celestial Dragons.

Leading them was the human who had traded blows with him head-on—

Lynn Barek!

During the years Fisher Tiger had been enslaved, he had seen far too much of humanity's ugliness. Countless flames of rage had built up in his heart, yearning to be unleashed.

Yet no matter how much he planned, the only strategy he could devise was a barely viable escape plan, relying on the fact that he was neither a Devil Fruit User nor anything other than a Fish-Man with natural advantages.

Faced with the slaves' heavily layered security measures, Fisher Tiger could not imagine how an ordinary human could possibly escape, much less take all the gladiators in the cells with him.

But thinking about it carefully, a human who could exchange blows with him head-on and forcibly rip off an Explosion Collar—

Was he really ordinary?

The entire arena descended into chaos.

The Explosion Collars had failed. That meant the gladiators were now a pack of wild beasts with no one keeping them in check!

Every noble present feared the gladiators' revenge, so they could only abandon their usual elegance and flee for their lives toward the exits.

Lynn Barek was now looking at Saint Almace.

The once-arrogant Celestial Dragon had gone pale, his legs trembling uncontrollably.

"Sp... spare me! I'll give you freedom!"

Saint Almace turned his gaze toward the gladiators. "And you too! I'll give all of you freedom, as long as you don't hurt me!"

Lynn stepped forward, slowly walked up to Saint Almace, then reached out and straightened his collar.

"You're wrong, Almas."

Lynn smiled. "People are born free. They don't need anyone else to grant it to them."

Then Lynn looked toward the high walls surrounding the arena.

"The only reason we aren't free is because of that wall."

"In that case, we just have to smash it."

Lynn lightly placed both hands on Saint Almace's shoulders.

"Do you remember my move?"

Saint Almace seemed to recall something, and his expression changed drastically.

"No, you can't do this! Attacking a Celestial Dragon is a grave crime! Your Bounty Poster will be spread across the whole world, and you'll be hunted to the ends of the earth!"

Lynn calmly looked at Saint Almace.

"I ate the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Hero Form."

"I am a hero."

In an instant, a dark golden glint flashed deep within Lynn's eyes. The Energy Value in his body drained wildly as every muscle in his body suddenly tensed.

Hero Form: Warlord Sett

Ultimate Skill: The Showstopper!

In Lynn's four-year career as a gladiator, he had used this move only three times.

Yet it was precisely those three uses that earned Lynn his title of BOSS!

The gladiators and spectators who had witnessed this move had all given it the same assessment—

It made people feel an instinctive urge to run away.

The feeling was like a cannon firing inside an enclosed room!

For the power of this move, the arena was simply too "small."

Lynn reached out with his right hand and grabbed Saint Almace by the neck.

Then—

Boom!

Lynn stepped forward and bent down, violently driving Saint Almace into the ground!

The bubble around the latter's head burst instantly. His body blasted a massive crater into the arena floor, while spiderweb-like cracks spread across the ground!

But this was only the beginning.

Lynn let out a low roar, lifted Saint Almace from the ground with one hand, and slung him over his shoulder!

His gaze swept toward the guards, then past them, toward the arena's outer wall.

The arena exits were bound to be packed with guards by now. It would be difficult for the gladiators to break through there, and the narrow exits made it impossible to leverage their numerical advantage, making a breakout even harder.

So Lynn came up with a solution:

If there was no road in this world, then he would make one himself.

Energy Value: 500/1500.

Three hundred points of Energy Value were instantly consumed!

Boom!

With Saint Almace over his shoulder, Lynn strode forward.

Every step he took cracked the ground in a spiderweb pattern!

At that moment, Lynn was like an unstoppable mountain, advancing through the arena one step at a time!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Lynn's steps grew faster and faster. The guards scattered to either side, and not one of them dared stand in his path!

The Showstopper's effect: carry an enemy forward for a distance, then smash them viciously into the ground!

But this time, Lynn's target was not the ground, but the arena wall.

"Almas, this is my farewell gift to you!"

Lynn roared and leaped into the air. Like a speeding train, he crashed into the arena wall together with Saint Almace!

A thunderous boom rang out as dust and smoke surged everywhere.

When the dust settled, Lynn slowly rose to his feet.

At his feet, Saint Almace had already rolled his eyes back and fallen unconscious.

Behind Lynn, bubbles began appearing one after another.

They were the Sabaody Archipelago's signature natural wonder.

Previously, these bubbles had been kept outside the arena so they would not interfere with the viewing of the matches. Now, their appearance proved only one thing—

Lynn had forcibly smashed through the arena wall!

There was now nothing separating the gladiators from the outside world. Freedom was within reach.

There was nothing left before them!

"Charge!"

No one knew who shouted first, but the hundreds of gladiators present roared and rushed out of the arena!

"Long live Boss Lynn!"

"We're free! Charge!"

The gladiators' roars echoed through the arena, their voices filled with excitement and tears.

They had waited for this day for far, far too long.

Lynn walked up to Fisher Tiger and grinned. "Boss of Fish-Man District, don't you want to go home and take a look?"

Those words jolted Fisher Tiger awake.

He had set out from Fish-Man Island to seek adventure, only to be captured and made a slave soon afterward. Several years had passed since then.

Fisher Tiger knew he was currently in the Sabaody Archipelago, and he also knew that Fish-Man Island lay in the sea directly beneath his feet.

The sunlight outside the arena shone upon Fisher Tiger.

The eyes of the Fish-Man built like an iron tower suddenly grew moist.

He missed Fish-Man Island. He missed his homeland.

But Lynn's words interrupted Fisher Tiger's thoughts.

"If you want to get emotional, save it for later."

Lynn's expression suddenly turned serious. "The real escape is only beginning now!"

Fisher Tiger froze.

Then, one of the gladiators who had rushed out of the arena came running back.

The news he brought gave Fisher Tiger his answer.

"Boss Lynn! N-no, this is bad!"

"It's the Marines! Marine reinforcements are here!"

The strongest official force on the Great Pirate Era had finally appeared before Lynn!