Chapter 537: Slaughter, Sinners!
Crocodile was released.
After stepping out of the cell, he also rubbed his wrists, which were a bit sore from being restrained by the Seastone, and said to Ian, "From what you just said, the war between Whitebeard and the Marines is about to begin?"
After seeing Ian nod, Crocodile sneered, "You want to get involved? Looks like my choice was pretty wise, huh? Coming out right when something this interesting is happening! Seems like the chance to take that old man Whitebeard's head has come!"
As soon as Jinbe heard Crocodile's words, he immediately became displeased and warned him, "Don't you dare harm Whitebeard Old Man, you hear me, Sand Crocodile!"
"Heh! Jinbe!" Crocodile spread his hands and sneered, "That's not up to me. Can't you see I've already joined the Dragon Hunter Pirates? Believe me, this time, the name of this pirate crew will shake the entire world. Once Whitebeard dies, our captain might even become one of the new Four Emperors. Isn't that great? I'm tired of being a Warlord. It's with that hope that I joined the Dragon Hunter Pirates!"
Crocodile, that schemer, knew exactly what he was doing. As soon as he said this, the hearts of the prisoners present skipped a beat.
New... new Four Emperors!?
It... it actually seemed possible!
So, for a moment, the prisoners' gazes toward Ian became fervent!
Most of the prisoners were former pirates, and naturally, they aspired to the title of the Four Emperors that shook the world. Now that Crocodile had brought it up, everyone immediately felt that they might have a chance to become subordinates of a new Emperor!
Was there any more impressive identity than that!?
At first, everyone just wanted to follow Ian and escape the prison, but after Crocodile's reminder, the more they thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and one by one, they began to fantasize!
With a thud, a prisoner knelt on one knee, looking at Ian with burning eyes, and said, "Lord Ian, I will follow you to the death. Please accept me as your underling!"
Led by this prisoner, the others quickly came to their senses and followed suit, kneeling down with thuds and saying to Ian, "Yes! Lord, please accept us!"
In the sixth level of this prison, such a scene of pledging allegiance was unfolding, something Ian had never anticipated.
Zoro stood nearby, his mouth agape, staring at Ian in shock. Well, now it seemed like he was about to go from Warlord to Emperor. How was the gap getting bigger!?
Sanji was indignant, but he just snorted and said nothing. Chopper, Nami, and Usopp looked at Ian with admiration.
As for Law and Urouge, they exchanged glances and saw the excitement in each other's eyes.
Underling of an Emperor? That identity didn't seem bad either...
Ian, however, looked at the prisoners kneeling all over the floor and felt a headache coming on. He couldn't help but glare at Crocodile. Wasn't this just causing trouble? He hadn't even figured out how to handle these prisoners yet!
"Get up, all of you!" he said coldly. "It's still too early to talk about that. Whitebeard Old Man is a good person; I won't take his position!"
Jinbe nodded at this, his approval of Ian growing even more. The prisoners, however, felt a bit disappointed.
But just then, Law suddenly interjected, "If not Whitebeard's position, there are others, like Kaido of the Beasts. Captain, I believe you'll become an Emperor sooner or later!"
This statement immediately reignited the prisoners' fervor. That's right! There were four Emperors. Even if Ian didn't want to take Whitebeard Old Man's position, weren't there other Emperor positions available?
And... if Ian could save the Whitebeard Pirates from the Marines, wouldn't that mean two Emperors joining forces in the future!?
Holy crap! Invincible!
The prisoners became even more excited... One by one, they resolved to stick closely with this new boss. Whether they could live the good life depended on this move!
Ian rolled his eyes at Law. This guy was adding to the chaos too. Although he understood that Law wanted to follow him and settle the matter with Doflamingo sooner, plotting for an Emperor's position was no easy task.
"Alright, alright, we'll talk about it when we get out!" Ian waved his hand. "Now that everyone's rescued, let's get ready to leave!"
"Oh!!" Hearing Ian's words, the prisoners cheered in unison, their spirits lifted.
Cabaji and Alvida watched from a corner and quietly asked Buggy, "Captain Buggy, should we join the Dragon Hunter Pirates too?"
"Nonsense!" Buggy growled quietly. "Do you think becoming an Emperor is that easy? We haven't even seen a shadow of it yet, and you're already rushing? Do you want the Marines to chase us to the ends of the earth?"
Buggy, though he could beg for mercy when facing enemies, was once a crew member of Pirate King Roger. His experience was far beyond that of ordinary prisoners. He had never considered merging his pirate crew into someone else's. Over the years, the only captain he had ever acknowledged was Roger.
Still, even if he didn't want to join, he wanted to follow Ian out of this prison.
Just as Ian and the others were about to leave, the prisoners on the sixth level started making a commotion, reaching out to Ian and shouting, "Lord Ian, Lord Ian! We're willing to pledge our loyalty to you too! Please take us with you!"
"Oh, really?" Ian suddenly wore a sly smile, turning back to look at the sixth-level prisoners. "You want to come with me too?"
Seeing that things seemed to be turning around, the prisoners in the cells quickly nodded. "Yes, yes! Lord, please save us!"
But Ian looked troubled and said, "No can do. As you can see, I've already rescued so many people from above. The ship heading back can't hold any more... So, I'm sorry!"
"Ah!?" Hearing this, the prisoners in the cells were dumbfounded.
This... this... The hope of freedom was right in front of them, and now it was shattered in an instant?
For a moment, the sixth-level prisoners felt a wave of despair.
Meanwhile, the prisoners who had followed Ian all the way down felt immensely fortunate. They puffed out their chests, looking down at the prisoners in the cells, instantly feeling that their status was different.
However, just then, Ian raised a finger and said, "How about this? I can reluctantly make one spot on the ship. No more than that. So, I can only take one of you!"
As soon as he said this, the prisoners in the cells went wild, reaching out and shouting to Ian, "Lord, take me! Take me!"
But Ian didn't respond to anyone's plea. He just smiled at them.
Crocodile saw this and suddenly realized Ian's intention. He couldn't help but shiver.
Sure enough, when the prisoners noticed Ian wasn't speaking, the smarter ones immediately understood. Suddenly, from behind, they attacked their cellmates!
One prisoner raised his hands high and slammed the hard Seastone shackles onto the head of an unsuspecting cellmate in front of him, killing him instantly!
Once someone took the lead, the rest was inevitable. Screams erupted from each cell as the prisoners began to slaughter each other frantically.
Stimulated by Ian's words that only one could leave, regardless of whether it was true or false, the last hope of escaping the prison was right before them. The prisoners had to gamble. Everyone locked up here was a heinous criminal. Even cellmates who had shared a room became obstacles to their escape in their eyes!
Kill! Kill them, and then they could get the chance to leave!
Blood splattered as the prisoners revealed the ugliest side of human nature. From each cell came chilling screams as they attacked their companions without restraint. Only the strongest would survive.
"I... Ian, isn't this too much?" Nami tugged at Ian's sleeve and whispered, "Our ship..."
Before she could finish, Ian covered her mouth and put a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.
Jinbe also felt uneasy and asked, "Ian, why are you doing this?"
But Ian, with a dark expression, watched the prisoners' slaughter and whispered to Jinbe, "Jinbe, trust me. The prisoners on the sixth level are completely different from those on other levels. I have my reasons for this. I'll tell you when we get out. For now, don't stop me."
"Alright, I trust you," Jinbe thought for a moment and nodded, saying no more.
After a while, the screams in the cells gradually subsided. All that remained was the sound of the sole survivors panting heavily.
Ian saw this, drew Thousand Cherry Blossoms, and quickly slashed out several flaming sword strikes, cutting through the cell doors made of Seastone.
The survivors from each cell walked out, glaring fiercely at the survivors from other cells.
They remembered clearly: Lord Ian had said he would only take one person. So, the other survivors were also their competitors.
"One, two, three... fourteen, fifteen, sixteen!" A bald prisoner with an ugly face licked the blood on his lips with his long tongue, counted the number of opponents, and laughed eerily. "Sixteen opponents left! As long as I kill you all, I can leave!"
But just then, Ian suddenly spoke up, "Wrong. Each of you doesn't have sixteen opponents. You have seventeen!"
The prisoners were stunned, looking at Ian in confusion.
But Ian didn't look at them. Instead, he turned his gaze to the other side, toward the silent Shiryu of the Rain, and said, "Shiryu, if I remember correctly, you're also from the sixth level, right!?"
Hearing this, Shiryu's heart skipped a beat...