Burning of the Holy Land

"What is he doing?" Marigold was utterly confused.

Hancock and Sandersonia did not know either. The two stared blankly at Chu Yang.

The uneven stone slabs of the Dungeon suddenly cracked. Trees and vines began growing wildly from the gaps, flooding the Dungeon like a tidal wave.

The cell doors, normally indestructible, were more fragile than tofu now. The trees crushed them apart in just a few blows.

The sudden change left the three sisters dumbfounded. They stood frozen in place, not daring to move, thinking some kind of monster had appeared in the Dungeon.

Under Chu Yang's control, the trees left a path for people to pass through. Standing outside the cell door, he shouted, "Hurry up and come out!"

Recovering from her shock, Hancock crawled out of the lush forest and asked uncertainly, "Are you a Devil Fruit User?"

"There's no time to talk about that!" Chu Yang avoided answering. "Take everyone and escape!"

"Thank you!" Hancock gave Chu Yang a deep look, as if she wanted to carve his appearance into her mind, before leaving with her two sisters.

Using Wood Release, Chu Yang destroyed every cell door in a short time.

The slaves who had been imprisoned for so long poured out and fled toward the exit of the Dungeon.

The massive crowd formed a black tide. From afar, it was an extremely terrifying sight, and that was exactly the effect Chu Yang wanted.

Once the last person escaped the Dungeon, Chu Yang set this place filled with sin ablaze. With so many trees serving as fuel, the flames spread with incredible speed.

Taking advantage of the darkness, Chu Yang set fires all along the way, using Wood Release to spread the blaze throughout Mary Geoise.

However, Chu Yang did not know that...

Elsewhere in the city, someone else was doing the exact same thing.

In the night, a towering figure looked especially burly under the firelight.

His abnormal red skin and appearance marked him as something other than an ordinary human.

Fisher Tiger!

Tiger had always revered freedom, and his dream was to become a traveler. But not long after beginning his journey, he was captured by slave traders and became a slave.

For three whole years, Tiger suffered inhuman abuse and witnessed the greed and evil buried deep within humanity. It left him bitterly disappointed in humans.

But more than revenge, Tiger wanted to free the lives of other races who had suffered the same fate as him.

That was why he had returned after successfully escaping the Holy Land.

Tiger wanted to free every slave here.

Tiger, driven by his great ideal, had just released some slaves and set the cages on fire when he discovered that the other side of the city was already blazing into the sky!

Who was it?

Someone had actually beaten him to it?

Watching the increasingly uncontrollable flames, Tiger realized that if he did not hurry and save the slaves, everyone would be burned alive.

"Who the hell set this fire?" Chased around by the flames, Tiger cursed in furious frustration.

Fortunately, from his time as a slave, Tiger knew the layout of the Holy Land like the back of his hand. Although time was tight, he still managed to rescue most of the slaves.

The remaining slaves also escaped on their own amid the chaos.

Having achieved his goal, Tiger was preparing to flee the Holy Land.

But a squad of Marines approached from ahead and surrounded Tiger.

"You've got some nerve, releasing so many slaves without authorization!" the colonel in a Marine coat roared furiously.

Tiger spoke righteously. "They were innocent people to begin with, kidnapped by slave traders and sold to the Holy Land. As Marines, not only do you fail to protect the weak, you help evil oppress them. What a disgrace!"

The Marine colonel sneered. "I can't be bothered wasting words on you. Compared to releasing slaves, the crime of burning the Holy Land is even worse. You're a dead man. Surrender now!"

Tiger froze for a moment, then angrily said, "I didn't start the fire!"

"You're still making excuses when death is at your door! Since you refuse to surrender, don't blame me for doing this the hard way!" The Marine colonel ignored Tiger's explanation and ordered his men to attack.

In an instant, a group of men rushed forward. Dozens of muskets aimed at Tiger and fired at once.

Tiger, however, calmly used Fish-Man Karate.

He seized the air in his hands, turning it into a violent current. With a powerful swing, it burst outward in all directions.

Countless bullets were struck by the airflow and sent wobbling through the air before falling to the ground like raindrops.

The Marine colonel's expression turned ugly. Tiger's skill had exceeded his expectations.

The Marine colonel said coldly, "Daring to infiltrate the Holy Land alone and commit arson, you truly are no ordinary Fish-Man."

Seeing how certain the other party was, Tiger could not be bothered explaining. He had come here to free slaves anyway, so there was not much difference now.

When the ranged attacks proved ineffective, the colonel ordered the soldiers into close combat.

As a Fish-Man, Tiger's physical abilities were ten times those of an ordinary human. The colonel knew these soldiers could not take Tiger down.

But that did not matter. As long as they stalled for a little longer, powerful Marine officers would naturally come and deal with this guy.

The colonel merely wanted a share of the credit. He had no intention of risking his life against Tiger.

Meanwhile, when Tiger saw that the enemy commander had yet to make a move and was only sending small fry against him, he immediately understood what he was thinking.

"End this quickly!"

Tiger surged forward, trying to break through, but he was repeatedly swallowed by the sea-of-people tactic, as if both feet had sunk into a swamp and could not move.

Standing outside the crowd, the Marine colonel smiled smugly. "Don't make pointless resistance. It's better for everyone this way."

Tiger's expression was grim. The more time passed, the fiercer the fire grew, which meant powerful Marine officers would soon arrive.

"If I have to go back to being a slave, I'd rather die here!" Tiger gritted his teeth and glared at the Marines. Even if he died, he would drag a few people down with him—especially that Marine colonel leading them.

Just as Tiger was about to fight to the death, the ground beneath his feet began shaking violently.

Thick trees burst from the earth one after another, overturning the Marine formation in an instant and flinging countless soldiers into the air.

Surrounded by the trees, the colonel shouted in panic, "What the hell is this thing?"

The next second, he was swallowed by the forest of trees!

The sudden scene was truly terrifying. Tiger had no choice but to stay on guard as he stared at the strange trees.

"Why are you still here? What are you staying for?"

At that moment, a human boy emerged from the forest. He glanced at Tiger, then hurriedly left through the other side.

Tiger froze for a moment, then followed behind the boy, weaving through the trees.

At the same time, at the World Government, the Five Elders were furious!

"This is outrageous! Someone actually dared to kill people and commit arson in Mary Geoise. It is nothing less than trampling the dignity of the Celestial Dragons beneath their feet!"

"Who is this audacious bastard? Have you found out?"

"According to the patrol squad's report, it seems to be a Fish-Man taking the opportunity to free slaves!"

"Damn Fish-Men! They've become more and more arrogant in recent years!"

"Where is Sakazuki? Tell him to get here immediately and capture these slave criminals!"

"The whole city is on fire. Wouldn't calling Sakazuki over just make things worse? It would be better to have Aokiji handle it!"