Chapter 3: Burning the Holy Land

"What is he doing?" Marigold was completely bewildered.

Hancock and Sandersonia were equally confused, both staring blankly at Chu Yang.

The uneven dungeon floor suddenly cracked, and from the fissures, trees and vines grew with wild, savage speed, flooding the dungeon like a tidal wave.

The dungeon doors, usually indestructible, were now more fragile than tofu, crushed and burst open by the trees in just a few moments.

The sudden change left the three sisters stunned. They stood rooted to the spot, afraid to move, thinking some kind of monster had appeared in the dungeon.

Under Chu Yang's control, the trees parted to create a path for them to exit. He stood outside the cell door and shouted, "Hurry up and come out!"

Coming to her senses, Hancock crawled out from the lush forest and asked with suspicion and uncertainty, "Are you a Devil Fruit user?"

"No time to talk about this now!" Chu Yang deflected the question and said, "Hurry and take everyone away!"

"Thank you!" Hancock gave Chu Yang a deep look, as if trying to carve his image into her mind, before leading her two sisters away.

Chu Yang used Wood Release to destroy all the cell doors in a short amount of time.

The long-imprisoned slaves poured out in a rush, fleeing toward the outside of the dungeon.

The massive crowd formed a black wave; from a distance, it was a terrifying sight, which was exactly the effect Chu Yang wanted.

As the last person escaped the dungeon, Chu Yang set this place filled with sin ablaze. With the massive amount of trees acting as fuel, the fire spread with incredible speed.

Chu Yang spent the night setting fires along his path, using Wood Release to guide the flames to various parts of Mary Geoise.

However, what Chu Yang didn't know was...

On the other side of the city, someone else was doing the exact same thing.

In the dark of night, a tall figure appeared exceptionally burly under the reflection of the flames.

His red skin and appearance, which differed from ordinary people, marked that he was not a normal human.

Fisher Tiger!

Tiger, who had always cherished freedom, dreamed of becoming a traveler. But shortly after he began his travels, he was captured by slave traders and became a slave.

For three whole years, Tiger suffered inhuman abuse and witnessed the greed and evil deep within human nature, which left him deeply disappointed in humanity.

But more than hatred, Tiger wanted to liberate other beings of different races who had suffered the same fate as him.

This was why he returned after successfully escaping the Holy Land.

Tiger was going to liberate all the slaves here.

Tiger, holding onto his great ideal, had just released some slaves and set fire to the cages when he discovered that the other side of the city was already engulfed in flames!

Who is it?

How could someone be a step faster than me?

Watching the increasingly uncontrollable fire, Tiger realized that if he didn't hurry to rescue the slaves, everyone would be burned alive.

"Who the hell started this fire?" Tiger cursed in frustration as he was chased around by the flames.

Fortunately, having been a slave, Tiger knew the layout of the Holy Land by heart. Despite the time pressure, he managed to rescue most of the slaves.

The remaining slaves also took advantage of the chaos to escape on their own.

Having achieved his goal, Tiger prepared to flee the Holy Land.

But not far away, a squad of Marines approached, surrounding him completely.

"You have a lot of nerve, daring to release so many slaves on your own!" the Colonel in a Marine coat roared in a fit of rage.

Tiger said righteously, "They were innocent people to begin with, kidnapped and sold to the Holy Land by slave traders. As Marines, not only do you fail to protect the weak, but you also aid the evildoer. It’s a disgrace!"

The Marine Colonel sneered, "I don't have time to waste words with you. Compared to releasing slaves, your crime of burning the Holy Land is far greater. You're a dead man, surrender now!"

Tiger paused, then retorted angrily, "I didn't start the fire!"

"Still making excuses when death is at your doorstep! Since you don't intend to surrender, don't blame me for using force!" The Marine Colonel ignored Tiger's defense and ordered his men to attack.

In an instant, a group of men swarmed him, and dozens of muskets fired at Tiger simultaneously.

Tiger, however, calmly began to perform Fish-Man Karate.

He grabbed the air in his hands, turning it into a violent current. With a powerful swing, it instantly rippled outward in all directions.

Countless bullets were knocked off course by the air current, falling to the ground like raindrops, pitter-pattering down.

The Marine Colonel's expression was grim; Tiger's skills exceeded his expectations.

The Marine Colonel said coldly, "To dare to infiltrate the Holy Land alone and commit arson, you are indeed no ordinary Fish-Man."

Seeing the other party so certain, Tiger couldn't be bothered to explain. He had come here to liberate slaves anyway, so it didn't make much difference now.

With long-range attacks ineffective, the Colonel ordered his soldiers to initiate hand-to-hand combat.

As a Fish-Man, Tiger's physical capabilities were ten times that of a normal human. He knew these soldiers couldn't take him down.

But that didn't matter; as long as he could stall for a little while longer, powerful Marine officers would naturally come to deal with this guy.

The Colonel just wanted a piece of the credit; he didn't intend to risk his life against Tiger.

On the other side, seeing the enemy commander holding back and only sending small fry to deal with him, Tiger immediately understood his intentions.

"End this quickly!"

Tiger tried to break through in one go, but he kept getting bogged down in human-wave tactics, like feet stepping into a quagmire, unable to move.

The Marine Colonel stood outside the crowd, smiling triumphantly, "Don't make futile resistance; it's better for everyone this way."

Tiger's expression was dark. The longer time passed, the fiercer the fire grew, which meant powerful Marine generals would be arriving soon.

"If I have to go back and continue being a slave, I'd rather die here!" Tiger gritted his teeth, staring at the Marines. Even if he died, he would take a few people with him, especially that lead Marine Colonel.

Just as Tiger prepared for a desperate fight, the ground beneath his feet began to tremble violently.

Suddenly, thick, rugged trees shot up from the ground, instantly overturning the Marine formation and sending countless soldiers flying.

The Colonel, surrounded by trees, shouted in panic, "What the hell is this?"

The next second, he was swallowed by the sea of trees!

This sudden scene was truly terrifying, and Tiger had to stare at these strange trees, on high alert.

"You're still not leaving? What are you staying here for?"

At this moment, a human boy emerged from the forest, glanced at Tiger, and hurried away in the other direction.

Tiger was stunned for a moment, then followed behind the boy, weaving through the trees.

At the same time, at the World Government, the Five Elders were furious!

"This is outrageous! Someone actually dares to kill and commit arson in Mary Geoise; they are simply trampling the dignity of the Celestial Dragons underfoot!"

"Which bold fool is it? Have they been identified?"

"According to the patrol squad's report, it seems to be a Fish-Man taking advantage of the chaos to release slaves!"

"Damn Fish-Men, they've been getting more and more arrogant in recent years!"

"Where is Sakazuki? Tell him to get over here immediately and capture these slave criminals!"

"The city is full of fire; wouldn't calling Sakazuki over just add to the mess? It would be better to have Kuzan come and handle it!"