Under Lin Yuan's lead, the four spent a full ten minutes getting out of Mary Geoise, encountering danger but making it through safely.
To save time, he carried Erza and Emile under his arms and Stella on his back. Though the softness of their bodies and their delicate fragrances constantly assailed him, Lin Yuan's heart remained completely unmoved.
Besides the fact that he was only twelve, thinking about such things now would be courting death.
"Stella, Erza, Emile, keep going in this direction and wait for me at the cliff on the Red Line. There's a huge palm-shaped rock there."
"Mm, we understand. Please be careful, sir."
Though they didn't know what Lin Yuan was planning, Stella and the other two nodded earnestly and obediently headed toward the edge of the Red Line.
Only after watching the three leave did Lin Yuan turn without hesitation and head back toward Mary Geoise.
It had only been about twenty minutes since he had rescued Stella. From what he had observed, CP wouldn't be changing shifts tonight. As the Celestial Dragons' lackeys, they would stand guard outside their masters' residences all night.
Anyone with a little strength could easily go a night without sleep, so Lin Yuan figured he wouldn't be found out yet.
"Now it's time to find out where those slaves are. I wonder if Fisher Tiger and the three Hancock sisters have already been captured. But I'm the one freeing the slaves this time. If Fisher Tiger wants to do it, I guess he'll have to wait until next time."
With that, Lin Yuan vanished into the darkness once more.
In the arena prison of Mary Geoise, the stench of blood filled the air. Clearly, someone had just been sent out to fight again.
Every day, the Celestial Dragons selected strong people, fed them Devil Fruits, and watched the slaves fight until one side died.
The slaves didn't dare resist the Celestial Dragons' orders. If they did, their own deaths wouldn't matter, but their families and hometowns would surely face the World Government's retribution.
Here, death was an everyday occurrence, even a release. For these people, all that remained after coming here was despair, numbness, and the air of death.
If a red-skinned Fish-Man hadn't come here and constantly encouraged everyone, they would have become walking corpses.
"Hey, another batch of slaves just arrived, and quite a few are children. The master ordered us to brand them first, then lock them in the rabbit cages. He'll come by later to pick out some promising ones."
"Understood!"
The speakers were CP agents dressed in white. They were all deathsworn servants of the Celestial Dragons, living only to serve them. In a sense, they were no different from the slaves.
"Big sister, I'm scared. I want to go home..."
Three little girls were huddled behind these people, chains around their wrists and ankles. More than a dozen other little girls were with them.
"Sandersonia, Marigold, whatever you do, don't speak or cry, especially in front of the Celestial Dragons."
Though terrified herself, the little girl did her best to comfort her two younger sisters. They were the three Hancock sisters.
By now, a special metal brand heated red-hot had been pressed against some of the slaves. Even as their flesh sizzled, they trembled all over but didn't dare make a sound.
The first person had been unable to hold back a scream, so he had been dragged aside and shot dead.
"What's taking so long? How's it going?"
Just then, a fat man arrived with several guards, carrying a few boxes. At the sight of him, all the CP agents knelt.
"You slaves, how dare you remain standing before a great Celestial Dragon!"
"Bang..."
A man who had been captured earlier was shot dead before he could react. The others immediately came to their senses and dropped to their knees without a word.
Only then did the Celestial Dragon smile with perverse satisfaction and examine the captured slaves one by one.
"These people aren't much. Every last one of them is so weak. Go over there and see if there are any promising ones. I'll bless them personally."
"Yes, sir!"
The so-called blessing was the Celestial Dragon personally branding these captives with the Hoof of the Soaring Dragon to satisfy his perverse desires.
Fisher Tiger, imprisoned nearby, watched with his teeth clenched hard enough to draw blood. His body was covered in whip marks, and beside him was a group of humans and Fish-Men who were just as battered.
"Sir, these few are good, especially this one. She'll definitely grow into a beauty."
Soon, five little girls were dragged over, including the three Hancock sisters. Sandersonia and Marigold hadn't eaten Devil Fruits yet, and their looks stood out among the girls.
"Mm, they'll do. Bring them here!"
By now, Lin Yuan had quietly arrived. While searching for the slaves, he had spotted a fat man heading out with several guards and quietly followed them.
Lin Yuan didn't act immediately. He was still studying the surroundings when he suddenly heard gunfire from inside, so he decided not to wait any longer.
The CP guards here were clearly much stronger, and four more stood watch outside the gate. After a moment's thought, Lin Yuan put down his backpack, took off his cloak, and swaggered toward the gate.
"Who's there?!"
The instant he appeared, a CP agent at the entrance shouted. The other three also watched him warily.
"Bastards! You don't even recognize me? You dogs deserve to die!"
Lin Yuan didn't panic in the slightest. He immediately launched into a tirade, drawing the golden pistol at his waist as he did.
The moment they saw the golden pistol, all four guards shuddered and knelt without a second thought, not even taking a good look at Lin Yuan.
As far as they knew, nobody would dare impersonate a Celestial Dragon in Mary Geoise, much less stroll around with a golden pistol.
When Lin Yuan approached them, their bodies trembled. They could clearly sense the killing intent emanating from him.
"Hmph, kill yourself!"
Looking at the CP agent kneeling before him, Lin Yuan was astonished. He hadn't expected his casual attempt to impersonate a Celestial Dragon to actually work.
The CP agent's heart trembled at those words. Without a word, he raised a finger and pointed it at his own chest.
"Bang..."
His finger fired like a pistol, instantly punching a bloody hole through his chest. He crumpled to the ground, clearly beyond saving.
Lin Yuan was dumbfounded. He hadn't expected the words he had spoken as a test to make the man kill himself, but he showed no pity.
These people were all deathsworn servants with scarcely a thought of their own, and everyone stationed here had innocent blood on their hands.
"Hmph, you got off easy. In that case, the rest of you can die too!"
This time, Lin Yuan didn't order them to kill themselves. He drew the Famous Sword at his waist and slew the remaining three in an instant, before they could react.
Even as Lin Yuan killed them all, they remained quietly kneeling on the ground, not daring to move.
"A bunch of pathetic, hateful puppets."
Lin Yuan shook the blood from his blade and walked inside without a second thought. He showed no mercy along the way, killing every CP agent he encountered. Those ordinary guards couldn't even react to him.
Even now, Lin Yuan found it unbelievably smooth. No wonder Fisher Tiger, who had been no stronger than a Vice Admiral in the original story, had managed to free the slaves.
When he went inside, he saw a fat man holding a red-hot branding iron, preparing to press it against a little girl's back.
"That's...?!"
Through the dim firelight, Lin Yuan thought the black-haired girl looked familiar. Without a second thought, he rushed over.
Only those few people remained in the Celestial Dragon's slave prison. Lin Yuan had no intention of hiding either. He charged up to the Celestial Dragon at terrifying speed, then...
"Smack..."
He sent the Celestial Dragon flying with a slap, and the searing brand fell to the ground with a clang.
The remaining CP agents were stunned by what they had just seen. Though their job was to protect Celestial Dragons, when had they ever actually seen one get hit?
After their shock, however, they immediately sprang into action. But how could these CP agents, who only had the strength of commissioned officers, resist Lin Yuan? In just a few seconds, they joined their colleagues who had gone before them.
At that moment, Fisher Tiger and the others behind the iron bars, as well as the people who had just been captured outside them, stared at the scene with horror in their eyes.
What shocked them wasn't Lin Yuan killing the CP agents, but the slap that had sent the Celestial Dragon flying.
"He... he... he actually hit a Celestial Dragon!"