"Alright, Gladius, I understand what you're saying. I'll let him escape from me, simply because I know you're waiting for him ahead. No need to make it so serious!"
Monet, unfazed by Gladius's stern questioning, replied with a lighthearted tone.
"Hmph, don't blame me for being ruthless next time..."
Knowing that Monet was intentionally trying to mislead people, Gladius felt helpless and could only hope that this incident would teach her a lesson. After humming, he walked towards the unsteady Carlos.
"Now you have no other way to escape, do you, Carlos the Griffin?! If not, then we'll send you to hell... Arm... Expansion Explosion!!"
Gladius looked down at him and asked calmly, ignoring his struggling, helpless, and resentful expression. He then pressed the Expansion of his clothes against Carlos's chest.
"Damn it! If it weren't for them, I, Carlos, wouldn't be in this state. I'll never let you, Pirate Luo Chen, get away with this... and you bunch of backstabbing lackeys, I curse you for life..."
Faced with the threat of death, Carlos lost his previous composure and arrogance, his face contorted with rage as he cursed them.
"Ha... is this your last words? How utterly boring. Curse me if you want, but remember our names. And after Gladius and Monet are gone, don't forget who killed you. Alright, die... Hell Explosion!!"
Having said that, the already Expansion sleeves of his arms bulged even more, until Expansion were larger than Carlos's body. Then, amidst Carlos's Despair expression, Gladius detonated the Blast.
boom...
A violent Blast rang out, his sleeves instantly burst open, and the resulting Blast force completely enveloped Carlos. The entire ground was blasted up by the powerful blast wave, leaving only a huge, scorched crater in its place, while Carlos, who had been lying inside, was nowhere to be found.
Splash...
The billowing white smoke drew the attention of those who had been leaving in the distance.
"Let's go, Monet... The mission is complete. It's time to return and report to the young master..."
Gladius paused for a moment in front of the smoking pit, then turned and walked toward the dock, reminding Monet without looking back.
"Oh... it's already resolved? You've eliminated Carlos, Gladius?"
Hearing her companion's reminder, she, who was lost in thought, quickly caught up with him and asked curiously.
"He's dead. My Hell Explosion turned him to ashes, burying him right here where his ambitions were realized. That's doing him a disservice."
Gladius, still wearing his mask, answered coolly as the two sailed toward the dock where their ship was moored.
"Hey, Catherine, are you alright...?"
After dealing with Carlos, Luo Chen rushed over to Sabo and the others. He jogged over to the sleeping Catherine, knelt down, looked at her peaceful face, and softly asked...
"She's fine, she just passed out from exhaustion, don't worry!!"
Meanwhile, Sabo, who was standing to the side, walked over with Koala and said loudly.
"Hmm, it's good that you're alright... Um... You guys are?! The Revolutionary Army, right?!"
Hearing that his companion was alright, Luo Chen breathed a sigh of relief and then suddenly realized something and quickly looked up. He saw a man and a woman standing beside him. Catherine had been too worried to notice them earlier, but now he remembered. Looking at the somewhat familiar faces, he tentatively asked, "What do you think?"
"Huh?! You know we're the Revolutionary Army, do you recognize us?"
The two of them hadn't revealed their identities when they arrived, so it was expected that Carlos and the others would know. However, they hadn't expected that this Supernovas of the sea could see through their identities at a glance, which made them wary and suspicious.
"Hmm... Your name is Sabo, and the one next to you should be Koala, right? I saw your profile in the newspaper before; you're the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army. Many people would recognize you, so there's no need to be so surprised!!"
Luo Chen didn't reveal that he learned their identities from the original drama. Instead, he waved his hand and said he learned the information from the newspaper, thus dispelling their doubts.
This relieved them, and they put away their fighting stances. Indeed, their identities were known to many in the Grand Line, especially in the New World. Sabo, in particular, had even appeared in the newspapers several times. It was not unreasonable for him to say that he learned about Sabo's identity from the newspapers.
"Phew... I see. Let's get to know each other again. My name is Sabo. I was ordered by our leader to come and investigate the matter of Carlos and others assassinating our companions. She is my assistant Koala, who came here with me to help me with various matters."
I have to thank your companion, Miss Catherine, for what just happened. Without her, I don't know how I would have dealt with the swordsman Jessicano. Thank you so much!
With that, Sabo, despite his severe injuries, bowed deeply to Luo Chen and expressed his sincere gratitude.
"Hmm... no need. If you want to thank someone, thank Catherine. She's the one who helped you; it has nothing to do with me!"
Upon seeing Sabo to him, Luo Chen quickly pointed to Catherine in acknowledgment.
"No, you deserve this courtesy as well. Although Miss Catherine played a major role, you also deserve much credit. Moreover, we should thank you for defeating Carlos, which allowed our Revolutionary Army to smoothly take over this place. We are truly grateful!"
As he spoke, Sabo excitedly pulled Koala aside and bowed to Luo Chen again, explaining.
"Hmm... alright, since that's the case, then I'll accept your greeting. Please get up quickly. Do you have anything else to attend to? If so, please do. I also have some things to take care of. Excuse me!"
After saying that, Luo Chen hurriedly rushed to the backstage area where the slaves were imprisoned. Because of Carlos, none of the slaves had been taken away and they were all imprisoned in iron cages. This was the purpose of his trip. He could release them and gain some favors, although these favors were a small matter to him, they were better than nothing. But the most important thing this time was to find a few companions to join them. He had just seen some good candidates at the auction, but he hadn't been able to bid for them.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
As Luo Chen approached anxiously, his footsteps echoed down the corridor, causing the hearts of the slaves imprisoned in the dark iron cages, where only a few rays of sunlight shone through cracks in the ceiling, to clench in fear, unsure of what their future held.
clatter...
Finally, the last footstep rang out, and everyone's gaze fell upon the foot that had just stepped out the door, its rear half shrouded in darkness. Their hearts were filled with unease, and some even silently prayed that what had come was not the slave traders or soldiers.
"Has it finally arrived? Who will be stepping into this place?!"
People thought to themselves.
"Hmm... it seems you're all here... good, not a single one is missing, that's to my advantage..."
Finally, after everyone's prayers, the figure in the darkness appeared before them. The person revealed a mouthful of bright white teeth and smiled as he spoke to the crowd.
"Thankfully, he's not one of those slave traders. But who is he? What does he want here? Is there any chance he might come to our rescue?"
Upon seeing the man's handsome, sunny smile, they lowered their guard, and several questions arose in their minds as they stared at him expectantly.
"Hehe, my fellow countrymen who are about to be permanently enslaved, I've come to bring you good news, that is... you... are free..."
After saying that, Luo Chen stopped talking and looked at the group of slaves, waiting to see how they would react.
After Luo Chen finished saying "You are free," the scene was silent for a moment, then erupted into Heaven Shaker uproar. Under that news, all the imprisoned slaves, who had lost all hope, were filled with a strong sense of hope. They all looked at him in disbelief, and a cacophony of voices rose up.