Chapter 176: Aftermath on the Sabaody Escape

Ten minutes passed quickly, and the mysterious man ahead suddenly stopped in his tracks, standing there in a daze.

“What’s going on?”

“Is he going to make a move or not?”

Dozens of admiral-level powerhouses eyed the unmoving figure ahead, hesitation written on their faces. It felt like he was gearing up for something big.

But the very next second, their doubts vanished. The mysterious man’s body began to crumble, turning into fine sand that drifted away on the breeze.

Their minds filled with confusion. Was that it? Just like that, he was gone?

“Hmph, isn’t it obvious? Someone must’ve set him up.”

Saint Nasjuro stood at the front of the crowd, his voice full of anger. The mysterious man before them was shrouded in a red gas, an aura that blocked all their attacks, making it impossible to actually harm him.

Although he’d sensed a mass slave escape, he didn’t have the bandwidth to care.

Compared to the runaway slaves, the destruction caused by this mysterious man was a much bigger blow.

You could always recapture slaves, but for the Celestial Dragons, every death was one less of their own.

Taking in the wrecked scene before him, Saint Nasjuro roared, “What’s the situation?”

A nearby guard hurried forward, pushing past the crowd and began reading from a document.

“Report to the Five Elders: According to our count, 120 Celestial Dragons have perished.”

“All the slaves from the third underground level have escaped.”

“Hundreds of palaces have been destroyed, and vast amounts of gold and treasures are missing.”

Saint Nasjuro abruptly cut him off, rushing forward to snatch the documents away. “Enough. That’s enough.”

He finished reading the report quickly, his face going deathly pale as he tossed the file to the ground.

“Nicely done. Just wait for Lord Im to punish you all.”

With that, he turned and left, not giving anyone a chance to respond.

The admiral-level powerhouses glanced at one another, lost as to what had unfolded.

One of them bent down to pick up the document lying on the ground.

“What? That’s impossible!”

Seeing the look of terror on his face, the other strong fighters crowded around to get a glimpse.

Soon after, each of them dissolved into beams of light, heading home to their own families. The document fluttered down from the air, and for a moment you could just make out the death count for the Celestial Dragons.

Most couldn’t grasp the full tally of the damage, but there was one line that stuck out—exactly which families had lost their Celestial Dragons.

They’d never expected that just trying to stop the destruction caused by this mysterious man would lead to a massacre of their own kin.

Right at that moment, they finally started to understand why Saint Nasjuro said what he did.

To lose so many family members right at home—none of them could dodge responsibility.

As the news of the great slave uprising spread from the Celestial Dragons, they claimed it was due to internal matters. Only those involved knew how absurd that sounded.

Meanwhile, out at sea, Karl had already led a massive group of freed slaves to the Sabaody Archipelago—the island closest to Mariejois.

On Island 96, Karl stood facing tens of thousands of people gathered before him.

“Life and death are a matter of fate. Riches and honor are up to the heavens.”

“I broke you out, but that doesn’t make me your babysitter.”

“Our journey ends here. From now on, you can go wherever you wish.”

Karl’s voice shifted. “If any of you want to join my crew, then come find me in the New World.”

With that, Karl led the Lunarian Tribe and a few hundred Fishmen toward the shore. They commandeered several bubble-coated pirate ships and set a straight course for Fishman Island.

“What do we do now?”

“We don’t even have a home anymore.”

As Karl walked away, unrest broke out among the crowd.

Some had been slaves for years, others were new. Every person had a different thought. Suddenly, everyone’s minds were sparking with different ideas.

“No matter what, I have to follow Lord Karl!”

“If you’ve got the guts, come with me to the New World!”

“Count me in!”

“I’ll go too!” With that, nearly two-thirds of the crowd broke off from the masses.

They had a clear goal—snatch some ships and head for the New World.

It wasn’t just about repaying Karl, their savior. Even more, it was about never being sold as slaves again.

Anyone who’d been a slave wanted nothing more than to escape this place.

“I’ve heard there are way fewer slavers in the New World.”

Even among those who stayed, whispers of heading to the New World started to spread.

“But I’ve also heard the New World is pretty brutal.”

“How much worse could it be? After all these years as a slave, are you really not sick of it yet?”

Those words struck right to the soul.

With that, even more people made up their minds and joined the first group. Only two or three thousand stayed behind, debating whether to return home, go back to their original trades, or gamble that the Celestial Dragons wouldn’t come after them again.

But they were wrong. The moment they became slaves, they were marked by the Hoof of the Celestial Dragon.

Still, regardless of what happened, the crowd soon split up into smaller groups, each moving toward their own future.

Karl and his group traveled toward Fishman Island on their gradually sinking ship.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Jiner seemed strangely familiar.

“What’s your son’s name?”

Hearing Lord Karl’s question, Jiner grinned with a hint of pride. “His name’s Jinbei!”

That explained it—no wonder Karl found him familiar.

Jiner’s smile grew even brighter. “If you hadn’t taken my boy Jinbei to the New World back then, who knows, he might’ve already been enslaved by now.”

“Don’t worry. Now that I’m back, that won’t be happening again,” Karl reassured him, understanding exactly what Jiner was concerned about.

The entire Fishman Tribe had joined Karl’s ranks, so every Fishman was now his subject. He would never let such tragedy happen again.

Karl snorted inwardly. Every slaver who ever sold a Fishman wouldn’t live to see tomorrow.

Still, another thought was weighing on his mind.

He couldn’t help but wonder what would happen in the Four Seas once the news of his supposed death spread.

Would anyone dare rebel? The prospect actually excited him.

A strange gleam flickered in his eyes.

Seeing Lord Karl deep in thought, Jiner quietly stepped away.

The ship crept along the dim seafloor, with the Lunarian Tribe sitting quietly on the deck. None of them went below to rest, instead whispering softly among themselves.

“Chief, are we really going to do this?”

“There’s no way we can repay a debt this great.”

“But do you really think this man is as kindhearted as he seems?”

Albert really was a shrewd old fox.

Even though he’d grown up in a research lab, he’d experienced all kinds of schemes over the years.

Karl had saved them, but Albert wasn’t convinced the man wanted nothing in return.

And he was right—Karl had his eye on the Lunarian bloodline from the very start. In the stories, their blood was named the blood of gods.

If they hadn’t been valuable, Karl would’ve left them in that frozen lab without a second thought.

Everything in life has two sides.