Alarms blared in Impel Down, and neither the prisoners nor the guards knew what was happening.
Although Impel Down has an alarm system, it is mostly useless; no prisoner who has entered Impel Down has ever managed to escape.
Inside, it is patrolled by jailer beasts, and monitored almost without blind spots by visual Den Den Mushi (snail-shaped electric tractors). Outside, sea kings living in the deep sea isolate it from the outside world. Its nickname of an impregnable fortress is well-deserved.
Over time, even the jailers became somewhat lax.
Impelton's previous "calm" was shattered when news of the Golden Lion's escape spread.
"Report to the Director! The guards at the exit of Impelton did not find the Golden Lion. The walls throughout Impelton are intact and show no signs of damage."
Based on the current situation, it is speculated that the Golden Lion is still somewhere within Impeldown.
Inside the warden's office, Magellan, then deputy warden of prisons, was giving a briefing.
"Damn it, how did he remove the sea stone shackles?"
"No, the shackles weren't removed; the Golden Lion chopped off his own feet."
"Strengthen security on all floors, pay attention to other people's cells, especially the sixth floor! Don't give the Golden Lion a chance to release other criminals!"
Even after being imprisoned for two years, no one has forgotten the strength of the Golden Lion. If the Golden Lion were to release other serious criminals, this combined force would be unbearable for Impelton.
"We have to find him no matter what! It would be terrible if such an important person escaped!"
"He's definitely still in Impelton. Be careful, don't miss any corner!"
While the prison guards were conducting their thorough inspection, the prison director also sent a request for assistance to the Navy Headquarters.
Upon receiving the distress call, Sengoku rushed to Impelton as a model worker, well, because there was no one else there.
Garp was on vacation in the East Blue at the moment, and Borsalino and the others also had their own missions. If Sengoku wasn't going, they would have to set off on their own when they had time.
This was to prevent accidents, but before Sengoku left the Navy Headquarters, Impelton underwent new changes.
Tick-tock tick-tock
A man who looked and dressed like an Egyptian pharaoh was carefully searching the area, but a few drops of blood fell in front of him.
"Hehehehe, have you seen my swords? Kuki and Sakuraju, those are famous swords, you didn't throw them away, did you?"
"Shi Shi. I really want a promotion. No, I misspoke, Shi Ji!"
"I've had enough of this place. I'm grateful for your care over the past two years. I'll give you my feet as a gift. Next time we meet, you'd better have something of value to give me in return."
"Deputy Director Magellan! Requesting backup, Shiki has arrived!!"
The warships around Impelton have been withdrawn to a safe distance. This is one of the emergency plans for dealing with a prison break. Without these warships, even if the pirates manage to escape from the prison, they will be trapped on this isolated island in the sea.
Even if these pirates were lucky enough to steal a warship, they would still be trapped and die in the Triangle Current if they couldn't open the Gate of Justice. Unfortunately, the one who escaped was Golden Lion.
With the Float-Float Fruit in hand, all these restrictions are superfluous for Shiki. The only good news is that Shiki only chose to escape alone and did not cause any large-scale prison break in Impel Down.
"Warring States Period, no more support needed. The Golden Lion has already escaped."
Sengoku's mission, which he hadn't even left headquarters, was canceled, and he began to study countermeasures. Moreover, someone leaked the news, and the day after Golden Lion's escape, Morgans put him on the front page.
[The unprecedented escapee from Impel Down, Pirate Fleet Admiral Shiki the Golden Lion, returns to the seas!]
No matter what it is, the first person to do it is always the most eye-catching, and in Morgans' view, this was an opportunity to grab attention.
In the newspaper article, he vehemently criticized the navy's laxity, stating that it was irresponsible towards the lives of the people.
Although he expressed concern about potential prison breaks, he also seemed to enjoy watching the drama unfold.
Subsequently, Commissioner Impelton resigned to take responsibility, and Deputy Commissioner Magellan succeeded him as commissioner, but this internal promotion and demotion did not attract outside attention.
The pirate wave, which had not been suppressed much, rose again, and some of the remaining old followers of Golden Lion became active at this time.
"Brother Oran, I'm back. Here's today's newspaper; some very bad things have happened."
The bear walked in from the "landing pad" of the royal city, which was a landing point specially prepared for flying units. The landing personnel included, but were not limited to, Leliana in her beast form, Terra in her gigantic form, and the bear.
In addition, some mechs will also make hard landings here, making it a special "air force field".
"Let me see. Did the Golden Lion escape from prison?"
"Brother Oran, Project Shiki was created based on him, right? Now that he's escaped from prison, what if..."
"Perhaps, but don't worry too much. Things are different now. The fact that he cut off his own legs to escape from prison had a significant impact on him, and it's unknown what changes have occurred in Golden Lion's mentality over the past two years."
But Shiki is a meticulous man. Roger's death drove him mad, but the two years he spent in prison should have sobered him up considerably. Even if he were to do something, he wouldn't act immediately.
Removing the ship's rudder in exchange for data is a fair trade. What happens to that data afterward is none of Golden Lion's business. Even if Golden Lion really wants revenge, he should be looking for the Navy.
Moreover, Piltover now is not the same as it was two years ago. Although it is still slightly lacking in top-tier combat power, it is impossible for a lone individual like the Golden Lion to act recklessly.
If Roger and Whitebeard were to act erratically here, it would indeed be difficult to handle, but the "honest" Golden Lion completely exposed himself when entering the data.
Lacking top-tier Haki, Project Shiki is somewhat inferior to his original self, but his physical characteristics can compensate for this gap. With it, along with the assistance of Lyriana and others, any Golden Lion who dares to cause trouble will be sent back to the palace for the second time.
In the worst-case scenario, they can expect naval support.
Piltover has a well-developed underground civil defense system, and its citizens undergo an emergency drill every month. At most, the Golden Lion can only cause serious damage to the buildings on the island.
This could even be a good thing, as it would give Oran ample reason to tell the World Government that previous research projects had been destroyed, even the data had been burned, and many things needed to be started from scratch.
Looking at the news in the newspaper, Oran began to predict what might happen next. Although the plan might not be needed, having a contingency plan was better than having none.
"How's it going on Sky Island?"
"The war is temporarily over, but the situation has changed. The Shandians have reclaimed their land, and the Sky Islanders are now trying to take back their 'Kingdom of Gods'."
However, they are currently in a truce, and both seem to be exhausted from fighting, but neither is willing to be the first to call for an end to the war.
The chief of Shandia has placed another order for weapons to strengthen the defense of his homeland; this is a deposit.
The bear took a piece of floorboard from its back; it was pure gold.
Apart from the unexpected factor of Enel, the strength gap between the Skypiea and the Shandians was not actually that large; the difference in manpower there was not strong enough to offset the difference in weaponry.
"This is the final payment from the last transaction, detailing the farming methods for the Sky Island Clam, but their chief says the Sky Island Clam is nearly extinct, and they don't know what to do with it."
Besides gold, knowledge unique to Sky Island is also within the scope of the trade. Sky Island Shells are special creatures with many applications. Blitz has already tried to integrate those shells into special alloys to form unique counterattack armor.
Simply put, it's like wearing a reflective armor, which allows you to block while also reflecting damage.
"Alright, Xiong, you've worked hard. Ginny is waiting for you. Go and rest for a while."
When Oran and Lyliana brought Perona back, Xiong was on business on Skypiea and had no idea what Ginny was waiting for him.
When the bear arrived at the restaurant, he did not see Ginny.
Looking at his watch, Xiong felt something was off. There must be something wrong with Ginny disappearing at mealtime.
After all, there aren't many people in the royal city. This restaurant is essentially serving Leliana and Ginny. Even Terra, the elemental dragon, can't eat as much as the two of them.
Are you feeling unwell?
Without thinking much, Xiong packed some food and headed to Ginny's place.
Thump, thump.
"Ginny, it's me, I'm back."
The bear knocked on the door and waited there. After a short while, the door slowly opened, but all the bear saw was a little girl.
"A bear? Let me pet it~"
Perona rubbed her eyes, and when she saw the bear ear decorations on the bear hat, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up. Far from being afraid, she even reached out her hands.
She has an inexplicable fondness for bear-like things, perhaps because her childhood toy was a bear doll.
"Hey, what a cute little girl. Who are you? What are you doing here? Where's Ginny?"
Looking at Perona, Kumamoto instinctively picked her up and then began searching for Ginny.
"Isn't it cute? Brother Oran brought it back from his trip this time."
Does Brother Oran have a wife outside the marriage?
"It's adopted. But that's not important, Little Bear. Would you like to have another child in your family next time you come back from your trip? Your own, okay?"
"."
The bear's face visibly turned red. After placing Perona back on the ground, it patted its chest and vanished into thin air.
"Xiongxiong...is gone?"
Seeing the bear suddenly disappear, Perona started crying again, and Kate appeared there, her body crackling with electricity.
"What's going on? Is there an intruder?!"
Looking at the hole smashed in the wall, Kate scanned her surroundings for any potential enemies, but found nothing.
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