At the entrance to Level Six of Impel Down, the forr Head Jailer, Shiryu, led Blackbeard and his companions forward.
After being released by Magellan, Shiryu had not followed orders to suppress the intruders. Instead, he used the antidote to save them.
Blackbeard let out a rough laugh, his eyes gleaming as he looked through the broken gate. The restless roars of the prisoners filled him with excitent.
Despite several setbacks, his plan had mostly succeeded. The only flaw was the loss of two of his companions, killed by Aether and the others.
"Zehahaha. Shiryu, as the forr Head Jailer, why help ?"
Dressed in a dark uniform with a flowing cape, Shiryu gave off a cold and ruthless presence. He slowly wiped the blood from his blade, a weapon that had just cut down several unsuspecting forr subordinates.
"I've grown tired of this place. I intend to leave and see the world."
Blackbeard's grin widened.
"Zehahaha. Then welco to my pirate crew, Shiryu."
"That depends on your strength, Captain. If you are lacking, I won't hesitate to take your life."
The cold glint of Shiryu's blade made Blackbeard tense slightly. At his current level, he could not be certain of suppressing this man. For now, he could only rely on what he had inherited.
Together, they stepped into Level Six.
The prisoners, who had long fallen into despair, erupted into excitent. Voices rang out, begging to join them, offering loyalty in exchange for freedom.
Blackbeard raised a hand, silencing them with a single command.
" Fight. Kill each other. The ones who survive can join my crew."
Silence fell for a mont.
Then the cells opened.
What followed was pure slaughter. Prisoners turned on one another in a frenzy, turning Level Six into a living hell.
Far away, Aether slowly opened his eyes.
His consciousness returned to his original body. The sea breeze brushed against his face as he woke, finding Silvers Rayleigh still steering the ship.
Rayleigh glanced at him and clicked his tongue.
"You're finally awake. I was close to tossing you into the sea. What exactly were you doing?"
Aether stretched slightly, his tone casual.
"Nothing much. I just caused so chaos in Impel Down and recruited a few helpers."
Rayleigh fell silent.
He could not comprehend how Aether had managed that while his body had remained here the entire ti.
Aether ignored the confusion. He grabbed so food and began eating quickly. He needed to recover his strength before the coming battle.
At that mont, system notifications appeared.
SS rank character Sengoku has developed negative emotions toward the host. Moderate hostility. Reward 20,000 EXP
SS rank character Tsuru has developed negative emotions toward the host. Moderate hostility. Reward 20,000 EXP
SS rank character Akainu has developed negative emotions toward the host. Moderate hostility. Reward 20,000 EXP
SS rank character Aokiji has developed negative emotions toward the host. Elentary hostility. Reward 10,000 EXP
Multiple Vice Admirals have developed hostility. Rewards granted accordingly
Level up. Level 63. 94,539 out of 110,000
Aether paused mid-bite.
So the news had already reached Marineford.
The fall of Impel Down, right before the war, was a massive humiliation for the Marines. Naturally, he would be labeled as the mastermind.
Compared to Aether, Monkey D. Luffy was far weaker and easier to downplay. The Marines would shift most of the bla onto Aether.
Sengoku also had his concerns.
He was already preparing to execute Portgas D. Ace. If Luffy were punished as severely, it could break Monkey D. Garp completely.
Garp's influence within the Marines was imnse. Though only a Vice Admiral by choice, his prestige rivaled that of the Fleet Admiral.
He had trained countless Marines, including Aokiji. He also held influence over the secret unit SWORD.
If anything happened to him, morale across the Marines would collapse.
Aether's thoughts shifted as more notifications appeared.
SS rank characters, the Gorosei, have developed negative emotions toward the host. Moderate hostility. Reward 20,000 EXP each
Additional World Governnt figures have developed hostility. Rewards granted
Level up. Level 63. 99,739 out of 110,000
Aether smiled faintly.
Two level gains in quick succession felt satisfying. And once the Impel Down incident fully spread, even more experience would follow.
Unfortunately, the upcoming war would overlap with this event, reducing the total gains.
If only there were ti to let the emotions reset.
Rayleigh studied him, then spoke in a more serious tone.
"Be careful. We'll reach Marineford in fifteen minutes. With your current strength, being targeted will be troubleso."
Aether chuckled lightly.
"With you here, why should I worry about being surrounded?"
Rayleigh looked at him quietly.
That carefree smile felt familiar. He had not seen it in twenty years, yet it reminded him of soone he had once sailed with for decades.
At Marine Headquarters, Marineford, preparations were complete.
To face the Whitebeard Pirates, the World Governnt had mobilized forty thousand elite Marines and nearly sixty thousand additional forces.
This represented the majority of the Marines' strength.
The island itself had been fortified. Steep cliffs surrounded it, making landing difficult. Fifty warships guarded the periter, each commanded by a Commodore or higher.
The only viable landing point was the front harbor.
There, twenty thousand elite Marines stood ready. Among them were hundreds of officers of commander rank and above.
Vice Admirals from branch bases blended into the ranks, while Headquarters Vice Admirals stood prominently on the platforms.
At the forefront, eight Giant Vice Admirals drew the most attention.
Many of them had once been part of the House of Lambs, an orphanage founded by Mother Carl.
In her youth, she appeared kind and compassionate, but in truth, she was a trafficker who sold children to the World Governnt.
She had once staged a heroic act to gain the trust of the Giants and established the orphanage in Elbaf.
From there, she secretly sold Giant children.
One of her forr orphans was Charlotte Linlin.
What made it more unsettling was that Linlin now possessed the sa power Carl once held, the Soul Soul Fruit.
From the mont Carl disappeared, that power had passed on.
===
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