Chapter 497: The Gathering Storm Before the Execution

“Good, then let’s get moving. Send those ships straight to Alabasta while we have the chance.”

Dragon was never one for half-measures. Tomorrow, the public execution of Ace would be broadcast to the world as the spark for all-out war. Before that, his home turf needed to be settled. The Fifth Army Corps couldn’t be allowed to terrorize the people of East Blue any longer.

“But are you sure you’re ready for this? If I send them now, they could regroup and be back in East Blue within days.”

Kuma looked doubtful. They didn’t exactly have an army waiting in Alabasta anymore.

His power let him send people and things flying to any destination, but it didn’t mean they’d die in transit.

Sending an entire fleet like this could be a disaster if no one met them on the other side. Kuma really didn’t want blood spilled in Alabasta. Despite his reputation as a ‘tyrant,’ he was one of the few big-name pirates with a just ruler’s heart.

“Don’t worry. That guy’s been waiting for this feast for a long time. Besides, with the war about to erupt, there’s no way to convince these old government hounds to turn back. Every last one of them has innocent blood on their hands.”

Every soldier from the First to Fifth Army Corps was stained with the blood of civilians, the brutal butchers who finished the Celestial Dragons’ island massacres. Their job was to make sure no one survived—and to erase all trace of what happened.

“If you say so, I’ll go along with it.”

“Just know—Alabasta isn’t far. They could be there in a few hours.”

“Relax, everything’s already arranged.”

Dragon understood exactly what Kuma was getting at, but whoever was stationed in Alabasta was more than ready for this challenge.

Kuma glanced at Dragon’s confident face, then silently pulled off his right glove. In a flash he appeared before a massive navy warship, gave it a gentle slap, and the ship vanished instantly.

He repeated the process over a hundred times. By the time Kuma returned to Dragon’s side, drained and exhausted, only fifty ships floated on the sea.

With his breath coming short, Kuma managed, “I hope your arrangements don’t bring suffering to Alabasta.”

“Don’t worry. Maybe not foolproof, but I’d call it a sure thing. The guy waiting over there is a monster in his own right.”

Without another word, Dragon led Kuma to the front of the fleet. There, the Revolutionary Army had already picked out graves for what was left of the army.

As they departed, Dragon dragged a mass of dark clouds behind them, plunging the sea into gloom. Only then did the army fail to realize that they’d already lost three-quarters of their forces.

Elsewhere in Alabasta, on an open stretch of land, Ledfield in his red cloak gazed up at the sky. The Den Den Mushi in his arms trembled twice. He chuckled softly.

“I can smell a banquet on the wind.”

…

Meanwhile, deep in Impel Down, Karl stood at the very bottom of a chasm. From below, he could clearly hear the jagged sound of someone’s frantic breathing.

“Looks like we’ve been discovered. Not a bad thing—it just proves whoever’s down there isn’t weak.”

“Aether!”

A surge of dark red liquid rose under Karl’s feet, seeping into and dissolving the seastone. In a blink, the floor revealed a deep, hidden space. Frigid air roared up from below.

“Interesting. Must be at least a hundred below down there.”

Karl showed no fear and hopped straight down. The instant he dropped, the round passage above snapped shut. No way would he let the guards discover this entrance.

Thud!

This level was deeper than expected. Karl free-fell for nearly three seconds before landing, at least fifty meters below. Icicles dangled everywhere; the icy wind bit at his skin, but he only felt the faintest chill.

“Golden Light Spell—Artificial Sun!”

He reached out his right hand and with just a touch of energy, conjured a blazing artificial sun, ten meters wide, and hung it up in midair.

The whole chamber was instantly flooded with light. The intense heat started melting the walls of ice.

“Argh, that’s blinding! What is that?”

“Is this another new trick? Hmph, old man like me’s not scared of a lamp!”

“A fresh face, huh?”

“Hey, kid, turn that thing off!”

A voice called out along with an ice block bigger than a man crashing through the air.

“Sigh. Looks like I can’t have a civil word with you people until I show some strength.”

“Huff!”

Karl let out a hot breath, his whole body wreathed in golden light. He thrust his right hand forward and conjured a massive halberd, slicing clean through the ice block.

The energy-made halberd flew towards the farthest cell in an instant.

Boom!

The blast thundered across the level. Dozens of iron bars, each ten centimeters thick, were chopped in half, and powerful energy sliced off the left arm of whoever had thrown the ice.

“Argh! Dammit, you brat, I’ll kill you for that!”

Bang!

A giant black gorilla, more than five meters tall, crashed out of its cell.

Karl could sense it—the creature’s Devil Fruit had awakened to its full potential.

“ROAR!”

The gorilla charged, roaring, a cloud of foul stench filling the air.

“How long’s it been since you brushed your teeth? You stink so bad it’s making my eyes water!”

Karl wrinkled his nose in disgust, but before the gorilla could close the distance, he launched himself forward.

A flash of golden light cut through the air. The beast’s massive head was sent spinning. In the next instant, a barrage of blows turned its body into a pile of smashed limbs.

After that display of raw power, the prison fell silent. Karl finally had a chance to look at the nearly hundred cells surrounding him.

There were ninety-nine cells in total, but only twenty-four still contained the breath of life.

Correction—make that twenty-three. One had just died.

“I’m no government lapdog. I came here only to see what the World Government was trying to hide. In a few days, the Celestial Dragons will be history.”

“Bang…”

A massive lion with a man’s face stared in shock at Karl from behind the bars. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me—the World Government is about to fall. Don’t you want to know why?”

“Hahaha! Guess the heavens really do have eyes. If those so-called Celestial Dragons hadn’t turned on us all those years ago, do you think we’d still be rotting here? I’ve lost track of how long it’s even been.”

Nearby, the voice of a snake-bodied, woman-armed prisoner echoed out.

That made Karl realize—these must be the ones betrayed by the Celestial Dragons eight hundred years ago. Whether they were the originals or their descendants, he couldn’t tell.

Still, how had they survived this long? Did every last one of them undergo the Immortality Operation?

“If you’re not with the World Government, then maybe you shouldn’t have made so much noise.”

“Yeah, that kind of racket is bound to attract the Warden.”

“Let us out, kid. You think you can beat the Warden on your own?”

“Yeah, free us and you’ll at least have a shot at escaping.”

“We’d rather die fighting than rot away to nothing in these cages.”

Clang!

At the end of the corridor, an elevator came to a stop. The old-timers in the cages began to shout at Karl even louder, desperate for freedom.

“You’re all so noisy. If you open your mouths again, I’ll kill you all.”

“No one in this world can defeat me.”