Chapter 395: Inside Impel Down, Ox
Despite being on an intensely fought battlefield.
But clearly, the appearance of an army as massive as the "Scavengers" was still sufficient to attract everyone's attention.
The flashing swords and sabers that were intensely clashing just a second ago came to an abrupt halt the instant Shiryu and the numerous prisoners stepped out of the passageways.
"What are those things!?"
Ace sent Tokikake flying with a punch, looking solemnly at those guys wearing prison uniforms.
"This aura..."
And at this time, Yamato, who had transformed into her Makami form and similarly temporarily repelled Momousagi, also furrowed her brows tightly as she looked at those figures.
As someone who was once possessed by the "Deep Sea Contract", she could already clearly capture that familiar aura on those prisoners at this moment.
Especially those powerful, demon-like prisoners with the strongest auras, they made Yamato's expression disgusted to the extreme.
"It's the power of the 'Abyss'... this kind of method forcibly controlling bodies again, what justice—truly despicable."
She gritted her teeth and said.
At the same time.
Clang!
Shanks, who swung his long sword to blast Akainu away, similarly looked at those prisoners with tightly furrowed brows.
"As expected, the World Government—having gone this far, do they no longer plan to hide their existence?"
He took a deep breath.
"Just as The Zodiac said, the final battle... is already before our eyes."
And right now, the audiences around the world watching this great war through the Transponder Snails were even more plunged into immense shock.
"Those clothes are... prison uniforms? Why did the Marines let prisoners out to fight?"
"Hey hey, those ones with blackened skin and wings—are they even human? They look so scary!"
"Aren't the Marines righteous? Isn't this a public execution proclaiming justice? Doing things like monsters... is this... truly justice?"
"What justice? Those prisoners look weird just looking at them, right!?"
Clearly, whether it was the audiences or ordinary marines.
As long as they were people with "humanity" in the conventional sense, they would instinctively feel a sense of unease from the bottom of their hearts when looking at those strange-looking prisoners with empty expressions right now.
That was a living creature's instinctive unease towards something profound and dark.
"Gurararara."
And at this time, Whitebeard, who also temporarily stopped his battle with Kizaru and Aokiji, shot a gaze like lightning straight at Sengoku, whose face was ashen on the execution platform.
"Truly ugly, Sengoku."
He said in a low voice.
"However, I am even more certain—I didn't make a mistake coming to this battle."
"This sea, this world where my sons will live in the future... cannot be left to you guys just like this!"
His awe-inspiring imposing manner seemed to become a massive shadow at this moment.
"..." *2
And Aokiji and Kizaru also seemed somewhat inexplicably weak in momentum at this time.
And right now, Sengoku on the execution platform pressed his lips tightly together.
The muscles on his face were tense, as if he wanted to retort or insist that pirates had no right to judge the Marines.
But no matter what, he couldn't say it out loud.
In fact, before the war began, he had heard of the Government's plan—they were going to do something unprecedented, even arguably destroying the "rules" that had always existed regarding Impel Down.
They were going to mobilize the prisoners and modify them to cope with this war.
"This is necessary justice."
That special envoy of the Government, that now sole God's Knight, said so.
"The prisoners of Impel Down are all 'sinners', even immediate execution wouldn't wrong them—under such circumstances, having them fight for justice is their proper duty."
And as the Marine Fleet Admiral, as Sengoku who had witnessed all sorts of dark sides of the World Government over so many years, ultimately couldn't refuse.
If the opponents were two Four Emperors and the Revolutionary Army, resorting to extreme measures indeed seemed to be something that couldn't be helped.
But...
"..."
Looking at that army that was clearly subjected to inhumane modification, like demons.
"What on earth is this..."
Sengoku couldn't help but clench his fists tightly at this moment.
"Is it the kind of power the Government displayed during God's Valley?"
He wasn't sure what the "Abyss" was, but holding a high position for a long time had already made him faintly realize the massive darkness beneath the Government.
His gaze swept over the confusion and wavering flashing in the eyes of countless Marine soldiers below, and immense bitterness and powerlessness surged in his heart.
His justice is "Reigning Justice". He believes that if the sea is to return to peace and happiness, the chief evil must be eradicated first, and then the Government slowly reformed.
"Order is necessary. The World Government may have flaws, but it indeed brought order."
To protect this order, he could pay a price, he could compromise.
But now, he had to doubt one thing.
He had thought about it before, but there had never been a moment where he had that premonition as clearly as right now.
That is...
Is the "chief evil" of this sea truly as he thought, that group of pirates and criminals who cause chaos on the sea?
Or rather, from the very beginning... the chief evil he upheld and wanted to eradicate, was the "World Government" itself?
"Order..."
Sengoku murmured this vocabulary in a low voice, watching those Scavengers who had begun to slaughter madly.
And by his ear, he couldn't help but recall the person who opposed the most fiercely when he initially heard of the establishment of this temporary army "Scavengers" not long ago.
He should originally have been the commander of the "Scavengers", the symbol of Impel Down.
But...
"I don't approve."
Facing the Government's demands, he decisively chose to refuse.
"Magellan, perhaps you are right."
"The ones who first destroyed the order of this world, perhaps..."
Sengoku murmured, his words carrying unprecedented confusion.
At the same time.
Great Underwater Prison, Impel Down.
With almost all the prisoners and jailers gone, the entire Impel Down naturally also fell into an unprecedented emptiness.
And because of this, Impel Down also activated the "Final Defense Protocol" that had never been used since its establishment.
All doors in the entire Impel Down had already been completely closed at this moment. Even the only part of Impel Down that floated on the sea surface had completely submerged below the sea surface right now, locked tight by the sturdiest Seastone and iron blocks.
But...
"Hey, Alan boy, what exactly are we going down there for? Can't you say it yet?"
Inside Impel Down right now.
A person with a massive face, neither male nor female, was leading the way in front.
Beside him, Inazuma was cutting open the path ahead.
A young boy was lying on his head—that was exactly "Alan".
"Where we are going is LV7 deep within LV6... there will be a helper coming then."
"In this kind of situation in Impel Down right now, are you sure a helper can get in?"
Ivankov said somewhat doubtfully: "And LV7... why didn't I know this place existed?"
"Let alone LV7, it's not easy to enter LV6 now either—not to mention it's completely sealed off like the rest of Impel Down, there's also a special power existing there... The brother who went to scout yesterday..."
As the two spoke, they had already arrived at the edge of LV5 "Freezing Hell".
A massive door appeared here, exactly the door leading to LV6 "Eternal Hell".
But just as Ivankov and Inazuma said.
Right now, inside that door.
There were strikingly streams of purple and pitch-black energy continuously intertwining and flowing out from it.
And around that door, even the frost and permafrost ground unique to the "Freezing Hell" presented a pitch-black color.
Just looking at it seemed to give people a message—the earth nearby had already "died".
So even Ivankov and Inazuma had to stop at a considerable distance from that door right now.
And exactly at this time...
"Don't worry."
Alan then softly answered their question.
"The one coming here personally this time is one of the highest executives."
While speaking, starlight actually clearly began to flicker on his body.
And Ivankov and Inazuma could even clearly see it.
On Alan's right shoulder, a pattern of stars was gradually appearing from nothing, and emitting an intense aura.
And Alan's figure also abruptly began to change at this moment.
On his face, a mask began to form gathering from starlight.
That was a sea beast head mask.
That was a... Ox head mask.
"The Zodiac, Ox."
"Present."