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Golden Lion's sudden action sent the guards into a panic.
"What are you doing?!"
A powerful right arm pressed the Warden's head against the iron bars with immense force, nearly deforming his cheek.
Through the bars, the Sixth Level Warden clearly saw blood pooling on the dark floor. Two severed limbs lay motionless nearby, filling him with terror.
"He... he cut off his own feet?!"
A quick glance out of the corner of his eye revealed that Golden Lion's hands were unshackled, completely free.
"His hands... they're free?! Impossible!"
The Warden paled in shock. Every prisoner in Sixth Level wore seastone shackles on both hands and feet, each pair controlled by a different key. Even if one set of shackles was removed by accident, there was always a second layer of security to ensure maximum safety. Yet now, facing this powerhouse with free hands and self-severed legs, the Warden felt his heart tremble with fear.
"Keys! Keys! Keys!!!" Golden Lion roared frantically, pinning the Warden against the iron bars.
"Bastard, let go of me!" the Warden snarled back, his face pressed against the grating, already bleeding. The surface of his skin had been completely scraped off, exposing the bone beneath. He howled in agony.
"Where are the keys?!" Golden Lion roared furiously, his eyes darting around in search.
"Release the Warden!"
"Kill him! Let go of him now!"
"Shoot him! Shoot him dead! He's disfiguring the Warden's face!"
The jailers erupted in panic, shouting wildly.
Suddenly, Golden Lion noticed the Warden's tightly clenched right hand. His eyes lit up, and he burst into maniacal laughter.
"Father is free! Father is going to escape!"
With a violent wrench, he pried open the Warden's hand, revealing the keys inside.
"This is it!" Golden Lion howled with laughter, snatching the keys and shoving them into the lock with a vicious twist.
Click!
The crisp sound of the lock turning reverberated through the sixth level, sending the prisoners into a frenzy.
"Golden Lion, open my door! Get me out of here!"
"Save me! Save me! I'll do anything for you!"
"Shiki, we've been friends for years! If you get me out of here, we'll rule the world together!"
The cacophony of voices rose and fell, turning the jailers pale with dread. 'Good heavens! These are all terrifyingly vicious criminals! If they ever escaped, they'd plunge the entire world into chaos!'
"Quick! Inform the warden and request reinforcements!"
The jailers roared in panic.
Amidst the frantic shouts, Golden Lion pushed open the prison door, laughing wildly as he floated out.
With a swift, brutal motion of his right hand, he struck. The jailers before him couldn't even offer a shred of resistance before collapsing to the ground, their lives extinguished in an instant.
Turning to face his former cellmates, Golden Lion's demeanor became arrogant and brutal.
"Want out? Fine! Chop off your own legs, and I'll get you out of here!"
His words instantly silenced the crowd, their expressions turning grim. After all, not everyone possessed Golden Lion's audacity. Many still clung dearly to their bodies.
"Shut up, you losers! You're just a bunch of has-beens abandoned by time. Stay here and wallow in eternal darkness and solitude!"
Golden Lion roared, his mocking gaze sweeping over the crowd.
"You bastard!"
Someone, having lost all hope, roared in fury, descending into madness.
"You're asking for death!"
Golden Lion's eyes turned icy. His legs moved in a blur, kicking the swords from the ground to launch them toward the man's body in an instant.
After an immeasurable amount of time spent in this place, Golden Lion's body had fully recovered. Though still weakened by hunger, his combat prowess remained undiminished. Now, this magnificent lion at his peak was enraged, and his target stood no chance. Two swords pierced the man's body in a flash, leaving him dead with eyes wide in disbelief.
Witnessing this, the others fell silent, terrified to provoke the madman any further.
Seeing no one dared challenge him, Golden Lion let out another disdainful laugh before turning to face Rojen.
"You want to get out of here?"
"I do!"
Rojen nodded calmly.
Golden Lion knew perfectly well that at this moment, he was no longer the weak lamb who had been arrested and captured, but a magnificent lion. He was utterly transformed from his previous, volatile, and extremely dangerous self.
"I won't take you out of here," Golden Lion sneered.
"You're Roger's younger brother. I'm curious to see how you measure up to him."
"If you can't even escape this place, then die here!"
With that indifferent declaration, Golden Lion turned and strode away.
After three steps, he paused.
"If you manage to get out, I'll repay this life-saving debt!"
With that, Golden Lion's figure vanished swiftly.
Rojen stared after him, his eyes flickering thoughtfully.
After frowning in contemplation for a moment, he finally sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and resumed his training.
Kenbunshoku Haki required training, and so did his magic power. Every day he spent here, he could feel his strength growing exponentially within him.
After this shock, the jailers grew even more silent. Golden Lion's case had demonstrated to them that escaping Impel Down required not only luck but also the courage to sever one's own limbs—a courage that those who had languished here for far too long might no longer possess.
Outside, Golden Lion's escape sent tremors through the Marine ranks, and those few in the world who knew the full details were secretly stunned.
Bang!
A dull thud echoed from Sengoku's office at the New Marine Headquarters, his expression grim.
"Golden Lion has escaped? How is this possible? What kind of security does Impel Down even have?"
"How could he break out under such tight surveillance?"
The Marine delivering the report, his face tense, quickly replied.
"Reportedly, Golden Lion somehow managed to unlock his seastone shackles, then severed his own legs to distract the Sixth Level guards. He seized the opportunity to snatch the keys and fight his way out. At that precise moment, Lord Robert, responsible for Impel Down's security, was asleep."
He severed his own legs?"
Sengoku was stunned by this news, but he paid little attention to the fact that Robert had been asleep.
For powerhouses, their limbs were absolutely critical to their strength. This madman had actually cut off half his power just to gain an opportunity to escape.
"What a madman!" Even Sengoku couldn't help but marvel.
"What about Rojen?" he asked again.
"He's still in his cell," a Marine soldier replied. "After the Golden Lion incident, Impel Down has tightened surveillance on them."
"Hmm. Any intelligence on Shiki's whereabouts?"
"None. As soon as he left Impel Down, he vanished as if he'd never existed. He hasn't resurfaced since."
Sengoku frowned, his expression darkening.
Five months had passed since that earth-shattering battle, and the chaos and upheaval it had caused had finally subsided.
Now, the time for him to inherit the position of the new Marine Fleet Admiral was fast approaching.
(End Of This Chapter)