Chapter 469: Escape from Impel Down (part 3)
"Why is Rockefeller Charlotte here?!"
Kong slammed down his telescope in disbelief as he spotted Charlotte standing at the Gates of Justice.
Beside him, Zephyr (Zeffa) snapped his head up, eyes locking onto that all-too-familiar figure at the port.
"Rockefeller Charlotte... the Rockefeller Pirates... We were wrong. It's not the remnants of the Flying Pirates. It's the Rockefeller Pirates themselves."
Zeffa muttered, stunned.
"This isn't the time to be shocked. We must stop them. We cannot let them escape."
Kong flung off his Justice cloak, his entire presence exploding with power.
"Yes, sir!"
Zeffa's face hardened as he clenched his fists.
Meanwhile, at Impel Down's dock—
"Gehahahaha! Didn't expect the Navy to be this cautious. The Fleet Admiral and Admiral both came."
Golden Lion Shiki licked his lips, gripping his twin swords tightly with a gleam of bloodlust in his eyes.
Charlotte and Red Count Redfield exchanged a glance at Shiki's obvious excitement.
"Don't get in my way later. That Fleet Admiral's head is mine. I'll use it to announce the return of Golden Lion Shiki to the world!"
Shiki crossed his swords, eyes locked on Fleet Admiral Kong at the head of the naval formation.
Charlotte glanced at Shiki coolly.
"If you want to fight, do it later. Now is not the time. We're too close to both the Navy and the World Government. If they find out it's me who broke into Impel Down, their hidden forces might mobilize. We need a swift escape—no unnecessary battles."
His words carried across the entire dock.
All the escaped prisoners and Charlotte's elite forces paled slightly at the warning.
They weren't safe yet.
"Tch."
Shiki clicked his tongue in frustration but didn't argue.
"I'll go first."
As the naval ships approached, Shiki took the initiative.
"Slash Wave!"
Twin sword beams flew straight toward the leading Marine battleship.
Standing at the bow, Kong responded instantly, slamming a fist forward to meet the attack.
"Gehahaha! I heard you got beaten by Redfield. That's hilarious. Let me show you what real combat looks like."
"Lion's Thousand-Cut Ravine!"
Floating above Kong, Shiki sneered as he unleashed a barrage of sword slashes from all directions.
Seeing the vicious flurry of strikes, Charlotte and Redfield couldn't help nodding slightly in approval.
Golden Lion Shiki certainly lived up to his fearsome reputation.
Prideful as they were, they still silently acknowledged his prowess.
"Damn you, Shiki—get back to your cell!"
Kong roared in fury, covering his arms in Armament Haki as he smashed apart the incoming sword strikes one after another.
"Gehahaha! If you think you can make me—come and try!"
The two clashed fiercely in midair.
But in the sky, Shiki had the advantage—this was his domain.
He danced around Kong, keeping the older man in constant motion.
On the deck, Zeffa didn't move.
His eyes were locked on Charlotte and Redfield.
Charlotte gave Zeffa a dismissive glance before looking away.
A defeated opponent wasn't worth remembering.
"Start gathering ships from Impel Down. Prepare for departure,"
Charlotte said calmly to Barrett beside him.
"Yes, sir."
Barrett nodded and turned to leave.
But this movement finally made Zeffa snap.
With a powerful stomp, he leapt toward the port, landing before Charlotte's group alone.
Facing Zeffa, Charlotte smiled faintly.
He drew the Seven-Star Sword, its eerie green glow radiating.
"Do you want to die?"
Charlotte's tone was cold and mocking.
"Death doesn't scare me. The moment I joined the Navy, I cast aside thoughts of life and death. I cannot stand by and watch you release such dangerous criminals."
Zeffa's face was solemn, eyes unwavering.
"How noble."
Charlotte sneered.
Such words might have moved his naive self twenty years ago, but his heart was long frozen.
Suddenly, Redfield stepped forward.
"Oh? Then mind if I kill you instead? I nearly took your Fleet Admiral's life last time. It still annoys me that I failed. Let's see how a Vice Admiral fares."
He twirled his black umbrella as he approached Zeffa.
Zeffa frowned.
He was very familiar with Redfield.
As one of Charlotte's closest allies, Redfield had been thoroughly investigated.
He even knew the truth that the world didn't: one year ago, Kong had lost to Redfield.
Though the Navy had buried that fact, Zeffa—retaining his Admiral rank—knew it well.
It stung, but it wasn't surprising.
He himself had lost to Charlotte. That defeat had once caused an uproar in Marine Headquarters, branding him "The Shame of the Admirals."
But Zeffa didn't care.
He'd focused on training the next generation of Marines to carry out his brand of justice.
Seeing Redfield suddenly step up, Charlotte grinned faintly.
"Attack!"
With the top brass engaged, the Navy soldiers charged forward.
"Kill them! Take their ships! Escape from Impel Down!"
The freed prisoners surged ahead, armed with weapons looted from jailers.
The battlefield exploded into chaos—prisoners, jailers, Marines, pirates—slaughtering one another without restraint.
Moments later—
Ships appeared around Impel Down.
Barrett stood on one of them, steering it slowly forward.
"Get on board! Don't linger!"
Charlotte bellowed across the battlefield.
He leapt onto the lead ship, sword raised high.
Until the last moment, he refused to reveal his submarine escape route.
Keeping that secret meant having an edge in future operations.
"Move it! Get on board!"
People began surging toward the ships.
Impel Down once held tens of thousands of inmates.
After the brutal battles, only about 10,000 remained.
But those who lived were the elite.
That many elite prisoners surging together—
Not even Kong and Zeffa's forces could stop them.
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