"Stand up!"
Those three simple words seemed to contain endless power in this moment.
The Celestial Dragon furrowed his brow. Even he could sense that something was wrong with the aura of these slaves. He angrily looked toward the doorway.
But in the next second, his eyes turned into hearts and bulged straight out.
Short purplish-red hair. Bright red lips. A perfect face. A cigarette between her lips, giving off faint trails of smoke. A fiery-red flag waved in her hand, while the small jacket casually draped over her body could not conceal her impressive figure at all.
However, the guard captain standing beside the Celestial Dragon immediately drew his sword.
"If I remember correctly, you should be one of the Revolutionary Army's officers—Belo Betty!"
Betty said nothing. She simply continued waving the flag in her hand.
The guard captain no longer hesitated. He stepped forward with his sword and slashed. Betty's expression changed. Armament Haki instantly coated the flagpole in her hand. She raised it horizontally to block and barely managed to stop the strike.
"Hey, idiot, what are you doing? Don't injure this woman! I'm going to make her my twenty-eighth wife!"
The Celestial Dragon's words were the perfect assist—for the enemy.
The guard captain almost spat blood on the spot.
Did this old bastard even know how troublesome this woman's ability was?
This was truly letting his lower head overpower his upper one, abandoning thought entirely.
The Celestial Dragon soon saw it for himself.
What he found strange was why these slaves had suddenly all stood up, and why a dazzling red light had suddenly erupted in their eyes.
"Go…"
A low growl came from among the slaves.
"Go!!!"
"Tear him apart!!!"
"I want freedom!!!"
The slaves roared.
Their morale rose to an unimaginable level.
The guard captain's expression changed. He quickly retreated and stood in front of the Celestial Dragon. The other guards also surrounded the Celestial Dragon, cold sweat appearing on each of their foreheads.
"Resist! The world is free! Chains can bind your bodies, but they cannot bind your souls!"
"Scum, your lives as lowly as mud should end here! Whether you choose to keep kneeling and live like dogs, or rise up and live like human beings, your next life is up to you!"
"Choose your own fate! Only you can decide it!"
The red flag in Betty's hand waved wildly. The power of the Kobu Kobu no Mi stirred restlessly within her. One speech after another became the most inspiring weapon possible.
The slaves' eyes turned scarlet. Some of them even tore apart the chains on their wrists directly.
Dozens of slaves trembled all at once. They felt their muscles cheering, their minds falling into a state of excitement. A few powerful pirate slaves even coated their arms in Armament Haki.
Within their numb hearts, a new emotion appeared.
Courage.
The guards tried to hold their line, but before this tidal wave of rage, their formation was as fragile as paper.
One pirate slave roared and charged first, his Haki-coated fist smashing into a guard's shield. The shield caved in instantly, and the guard behind it flew backward, crashing heavily into the wall.
That single attack completely ignited the slaves' fury.
The Celestial Dragon's face finally changed.
"You… you lowly things! How dare you! I am a god! I am—"
Before he could finish speaking, a broken chain whipped across his face.
The crisp sound echoed through the mansion.
The Celestial Dragon froze.
Since birth, no one had ever dared to strike him.
The slave who had swung the chain also froze for a brief moment. Then, looking at the red mark left on the Celestial Dragon's face, his breathing grew heavier and heavier.
"I… hit him?"
The next instant, his eyes turned bloodshot.
"I hit him! I hit a Celestial Dragon!"
His voice changed from disbelief into a roar.
"I can fight back! We can fight back!"
Those words were like the final spark dropped into a powder keg.
The slaves surged forward completely.
The guard captain gritted his teeth. He wanted to kill Betty first, but the slaves, strengthened by the Kobu Kobu no Mi, were already blocking his path. More importantly, the Celestial Dragon behind him was still shouting hysterically, ordering them not to hurt Betty.
"Damn it!"
The guard captain cursed inwardly and swung his sword again.
Betty took half a step back. Armament Haki hardened the flagpole once more. The blade collided with the flagpole, sending sparks flying.
She was not the type to win through direct combat, but under the effect of her own Devil Fruit ability, her physical state and fighting spirit had also been pushed upward.
Besides, she did not need to defeat this man.
She only needed to keep waving the flag.
"Stand up!"
Betty's voice rang through the mansion again.
"Look clearly! The so-called gods bleed too! They fear you! They are trembling before you!"
The slaves looked toward the Celestial Dragon.
Sure enough, the man who had once seemed untouchable, the "god" who had controlled their lives and deaths, was now hiding behind his guards with terror written across his face.
He was afraid.
He could be afraid.
He was not a god at all.
He was only a man.
"Kill him!"
Someone roared.
This time, no one knelt.
No one lowered their head.
The slaves rushed forward like a flood breaking through a dam.
The mansion was swallowed by screams, gunshots, clashing blades, and furious roars.
And outside the mansion, the flames of Mary Geoise burned ever brighter.
...
At another street inside the Holy Land, Fisher Tiger led a large group of freed slaves forward at high speed.
The flames behind him illuminated his broad back.
More and more slaves joined them along the way. Some were crying, some were laughing, and some were holding weapons they had snatched from the guards, their entire bodies trembling with hatred and excitement.
"Go east! The Revolutionary Army is there to receive you!"
Tiger shouted while sending a guard flying with one punch.
"Don't stop! Don't turn back! Keep moving!"
A young Fish-Man staggered after him, tears streaming down his face.
"Big Brother Tiger… are we really free?"
Tiger's steps paused for only an instant.
Then he turned his head and revealed a smile.
"Yes."
His voice was firm.
"From this moment on, no one can call you slaves anymore!"
The young Fish-Man burst into tears.
But before the joy could spread further, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended.
At the end of the street ahead, a group of figures slowly appeared through the curtain of rain.
They wore white suits and masks.
Their presence was completely different from that of ordinary guards.
The slaves' footsteps gradually slowed.
Tiger's eyes narrowed.
CP0.
The strongest shield of the World Nobles.
The masked agent at the front slowly raised his head and looked at Tiger.
"Fisher Tiger."
His voice was cold and emotionless.
"This road is closed."
Tiger clenched his fists.
Behind him were countless slaves who had finally seen a glimmer of freedom.
Ahead of him stood the World Government's strongest guard dogs.
The rain poured down.
The flames burned.
Tiger slowly stepped forward, blocking the path in front of everyone.
"Then I'll open it myself."
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