"Are these all the slaves?"
Disguised as a Celestial Dragon, Orochimaru asked the question with a tone dripping with arrogance.
It had to be said—his acting was impeccable. He mimicked the Celestial Dragon's posture and intonation so perfectly that even the slave overseer, who had spent years dealing with the World Nobles, didn't suspect a thing.
Even Jiraiya, playing the part of the chained "slave girl," had sorrow in his eyes—a sorrow that was all too real.
"Yes, Lord Charlos. If any of them catches your eye, I'll be happy to bring her out for you," the overseer said obsequiously.
"Oh? What if I want to take all of them?" Orochimaru asked lazily, one hand idly dragging the chain, the other brushing across the iron bars of the cage.
Before him were rows of cells resembling a grim dungeon. Slaves of every kind were confined within. Some were occasionally dragged out to be trained or put on display. Others were treated as entertainment in brutal blood matches. Still more endured horrors too inhumane to describe...
The slaves all lowered their gazes at the sight of a Celestial Dragon. But behind their fearful eyes burned a hatred as cold as ice.
"Surely you're joking, Lord Charlos," the overseer replied, sweating nervously. "If you took them all, the other nobles would have nothing left to amuse themselves with... I wouldn't be able to bear the consequences."
To those who viewed themselves as gods, these slaves were nothing more than toys.
That line was the final straw for the "guard" trailing behind Orochimaru. He swung his right hand.
Before the overseer could even finish his sentence, a sharp pain pierced his back. He looked down to see a spearhead driven clean through his chest.
"If we can't take them all, then let's just end this."
"So impatient," Orochimaru muttered, shaking his head. He'd planned to gather more intel first.
Still, acting early had its benefits—they hadn't had time to properly dispose of the real Celestial Dragon's body. If it were discovered, their entire plan might collapse.
As the nearby guards stood frozen in disbelief, a cloud of smoke exploded around them.
When the smoke cleared, the squat, obese figure of "Charlos" was gone—replaced by a pale, eerie youth with sharp, vampiric features. He lunged toward a guard and sank gleaming fangs deep into his throat.
"AAAHHHH!" The guard screamed in agony as his body shriveled up, reduced to a dry husk.
"Delicious…"
Orochimaru tossed the corpse aside and licked the remaining blood from his lips. A flash of red flickered in his golden, snake-like eyes as a grin twisted his face.
The other guards instinctively backed away.
"A Devil Fruit user!"
"Devil Fruit?" Jiraiya scoffed, stepping from the smoke while tearing off the slave collar. "They've got you all wrong, Orochimaru. What kind of ability did you exchange for? That bloodsucking thing is disgusting."
His voice clearly came from the "girl," revealing the disguise. Jiraiya shot Orochimaru a glare—clearly annoyed about being led around on a leash the whole time.
The guards and slaves were stunned, their eyes now drifting to the last of the trio—the armored bodyguard. Was she also one of them?
"Enough joking around. Take them out and release the prisoners. We're in the heart of the World Government. If we delay, someone truly powerful might show up."
Sure enough, the armored figure stepped through the smoke—and transformed into a blonde woman with a voluptuous figure and a high ponytail: Tsunade.
Just who were these people?
The slaves could only stare.
Finally, the guards reacted—one yanked a lever, and an earsplitting alarm rang throughout the compound.
"Intruders in the slave quarters! Mobilize all units! Alert the Marines!"
In the surveillance room, a Marine officer shouted commands through a Den Den Mushi as grainy images from the monitors relayed the chaos below.
But the information spread too slowly.
After all, Mariejois had grown complacent—so bloated and decadent that few believed anyone would dare stir trouble here. The security around the slave quarters was barely maintained.
It was precisely that negligence that had once allowed Fisher Tiger to succeed in his own liberation.
"Ninjutsu: Needle Hell!"
Jiraiya formed hand seals. His white hair shot out, lengthening and hardening like steel.
In a flash, the needle-like strands pierced through multiple guards, pinning them to the walls.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru pressed his palms to the floor.
"Earth Style: Swamp of the Underworld!"
Under the influence of chakra, the ground beneath the prison turned into a thick, viscous swamp. Guards screamed as they sank rapidly into the mire, eventually vanishing beneath the surface.
The slaves looked on in shock, still struggling to process what was happening.
Tsunade gripped a metal gate and tore it off with a single heave, opening one of the cells.
"What are you waiting for? Get out! The Marines are on their way!"
Some prisoners immediately rushed out in joy. Their torment had been so unbearable that even death seemed preferable to another day in that hellhole.
Among them was a tall, muscular fish-man with crimson skin and a bushy beard. He stepped forward, eyes locking onto Tsunade's team.
"You're humans... Why are you saving us?"
"We just don't want to see slavery exist in any world," Tsunade said flatly. "You still able to move? Good. Here's the key—help free the others. We don't have much time."
She tossed him the set of keys taken from the overseer's belt.
The red-skinned fish-man fell silent for a moment, then sighed deeply.
"Thank you. My name is Fisher Tiger."
Without another word, he turned to rally his fellow fish-men. They divided the keys and moved swiftly to open the rest of the cells.
Though some of the freed fish-men and merfolk still held deep hatred for humans, their imprisoned kin were among the crowd. They had no choice but to help.
In no time, several thousand slaves of various races were freed, crowding the narrow corridors.
But none of them ran.
Instead, all eyes turned to the trio at the front.
They all knew… escaping Mariejois wouldn't be possible without these three.
[Main Mission I: Complete. Main Mission II: Activated.]
[Protect the freed slaves. Defeat any pursuers. Ensure they escape Mariejois safely. Reward: 3,000 points. Failure: -2,000 points. Insufficient points will result in Erasure.]
"Damn it!"
Tsunade's expression darkened. The first mission had been almost laughably easy—they'd freed the slaves without breaking a sweat.
But the second task? A whole new level of difficulty.
Sneaking in was one thing. But escorting thousands of people out of this heavily fortified castle?
By now, even a fool could guess—Mariejois had to be surrounded by a full battalion of Marines.
Meanwhile, outside…
A tall, broad-shouldered man with graying hair stood silently.
"What's the situation?" he asked.
"They haven't come out yet… Vice Admiral Garp."
~~~~~
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