Chapter 173: Rescue in Mariejois: The Fall of the Laboratory

When Karl arrived at the Sabaody Archipelago, he looked up at Mariejois towering beside him.

“Since I’m here already, it’d be a shame to leave empty-handed.”

Karl gave a sly grin, then soared straight up along the red mountain walls.

He climbed higher and higher, feeling the air thin around him as the lack of oxygen set in.

He couldn’t help but wonder how Fisher Tiger ever managed to climb this thing in the first place.

Soon enough he reached the top, flying up along the sheer cliff.

Maybe the Celestial Dragons just assumed no one would ever come up this way—there were no guards posted at the edge of the continent.

He strolled right down the main road without any trouble.

Activating his Observation Haki, he soon heard the cries of tens of thousands of suffering souls.

The sounds echoed up from deep underground.

His face grew grim. He knew all too well—these were the slaves captured by the Celestial Dragons.

He followed the nearest wave of wailing and spotted a moving section of ground ahead.

But his senses revealed the truth: beneath this path, countless slaves walked in endless circles, making the ground above seem alive.

“The Celestial Dragons really are the worst.”

“God Valley saw so much bloodshed already, a little more won’t matter to them,” Karl muttered and darted further in.

As he flew through a corridor, he came across an ultra-modern room that made him stop short in surprise.

He paused mid-step, shock written across his face. “Could they be from my world, too?”

Hoping he might find a fellow traveler, he quickly reached the door of the futuristic building.

“Ah!”

“If you’ve got guts, just kill me!”

“Let my younger siblings go!” The wails coming from inside, coupled with what he sensed through his Observation Haki, made Karl’s face darken.

So much for finding a compatriot—this was a Celestial Dragon test facility.

The person inside with wings had to be a Lunarian.

He recalled that in the original timeline, the Lunarians were moved to Punk Hazard only after Vegapunk was kidnapped; it was dumb luck that Kaido happened to rescue them. The New Seven Warlords must’ve been created using their genes.

By the looks of it, there were twelve Lunarians held here right now.

“Boom!” Karl kicked the metal door clear off its hinges.

“Who’s there?”

“Shing!”

He moved fast—so fast that the guards at the door exploded into blood mist before they could even scream.

In just a couple minutes, he reached the lab itself. Over a hundred guards had already fallen, the stench of blood filling the air.

“Do you know who you’re messing with? You can’t just barge in here!”

“Get out. Now.”

No sooner had he stepped inside than a researcher in a white lab coat ran over to scold him. But faced with Karl’s looming figure, he hung back, clearly afraid.

Karl dug a finger in his ear and replied, impatient, “Has anyone ever told you you’re annoying?”

“What?” The researcher had never seen anyone so brazen, but before he could react, his face froze in shock.

From both sides, two gigantic golden bricks formed by the Golden Light Spell slammed together and crushed him flat, blood seeping from the cracks and dripping onto the floor.

“Who are you?” More researchers raced in.

They stared at Karl in horror. “Someone who’s here to end you.”

No one else escaped Karl’s fury—he swung his massive bricks, reducing the researchers to dust one by one.

Thankfully, the lab was well soundproofed. No noise reached the outside.

After killing every last researcher, Karl swept the lab with his Observation Haki.

“If it weren’t for all these differences, I’d almost think I’m on a Blue Star research base,” he muttered.

“Sigh, who knows when I’ll ever make it back home?”

He made his way deeper inside the lab.

He could now sense no living beings here, aside from the twelve Lunarians.

“Bang!” The heavy door burst open.

Karl pushed straight into a room holding the Lunarians captive.

“Damn it, what more do you people want?” The Lunarian facing him spoke with fury, his features lined with age.

“Who are you?” Yet, a moment later, confusion replaced the anger. The captive had been here so long he didn’t recognize this stranger.

Karl came right to the point. “And you are…? You’re Lunarian, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, so what? Got a new trick up your sleeve?”

The Lunarian sneered. He’d learned by now that begging got him only more pain. Better to stand tall than grovel.

That was how the last twelve Lunarians met their end—broken by torture. When Kaido was captured, only King was left.

Karl replied with a cool edge. “I’m no lackey of the World Government. I’m a pirate.”

The older man gave a hollow, mocking smile. “Is that your new game?”

“Let me escape, then round me up again—does that really amuse you?”

“What, you think I’m lying?” The Lunarian finally sensed something was off, his eyes narrowing at Karl.

He sat up, sniffing the metallic tang in the air.

His eyes snapped open as he scanned the towering figure in front of him. “That’s blood. You mean it.”

His face twisted in disbelief. The thick, cloying scent wasn’t from just one or two deaths—it was the blood of dozens, maybe hundreds.

Not even he was worth killing so many, just for a cat-and-mouse chase.

He staggered upright, heading for the door, hoping to see the truth for himself.

“Why would I bother lying to you?” Karl gave him a once-over.

He hadn’t noticed while the man was sitting, but now that he was standing, the top of his head nearly reached Karl’s chest.

Five meters tall, easy. Were all Lunarians this huge?

The older man stumbled out the door.

All he saw was floor painted red, puddles of blood everywhere.

He fell to his knees at Karl’s feet. “If you can get me and my kin out of here, we’ll serve you for life.”

The Lunarians had fallen from hundreds of thousands to barely a dozen.

As the oldest survivor, he saw it as his duty to restore his people—a drive every last Lunarian shared.

For survival, loyalty was a price he was willing to pay.

Now it made sense why King recognized kinship in Sanji—the only ones who could play with fire straight from birth.

“Alright, time’s short.”

“If you want to swear loyalty, first you need to make it out alive.” With that, Karl headed for the other cells.

Behind him, the Lunarian hesitated, then hurried to catch up.

In the end, escape was their only hope. For now, all he could do was hold tight to Karl—their last lifeline.