Outside Impel Down, all was quiet.
As the main gate of Impel Down exploded, the golden king slowly flew out from amidst the golden light.
"I'm out!! The Impel Down check-in is complete."
The hero seated on the throne smiled with pleasure.
The next moment, he controlled Vimana to ascend into the sky, preparing to depart.
As for the next location, the Hero-King had a plan.
Meanwhile.
Every move in Impel Down was being monitored by the Marines in the Calm Belt. The Hero-King's grand exit was immediately spotted.
The moment the Marine saw the Hero-King, his pupils shrank.
"What is that thing?"
A golden ship, soaring into the sky from the shattered Impel Down. Since when did Impel Down have something like that?
Without a moment's delay, he rushed to report to Admiral Aokiji.
"Admiral Kuzan, something has come out of Impel Down."
"Hmm? Out? Who is it?"
"Uh... that is, a golden ship. I don't know what it is. Wait, there's someone on the ship, a man in golden armor."
The Marine looked at the Hero-King's figure through his binoculars.
"Oh? A man in golden armor? Strange, there's no one like that in Impel Down. What is he doing?"
"He... he seems to be drinking red wine? He looks quite relaxed."
Hearing this, Aokiji removed the eye mask from his eyes. A hint of curiosity appeared on his usually lazy face.
A golden man, coming out of Impel Down, leisurely drinking red wine?
"Wait! Admiral Kuzan, we've received a report from Impel Down... The one who caused the turmoil in Impel Down is that golden man."
At that moment, another Marine, who had just received a call from Impel Down's Den Den Mushi, immediately began to report.
Hearing this, Aokiji's brows furrowed slightly, and he stood up from his deck chair.
"Strange. Someone infiltrated Impel Down? That shouldn't be possible..."
He stretched his body, then leaped onto the bow of the warship, looking at the golden ship floating in the sky in the distance, feeling a bit helpless.
"Since he's the culprit, I can't let him go... But he has aerial mobility, which makes things difficult for me. If I can't take him down in one hit, there's a good chance he'll get away."
As he spoke, a cold aura began to emanate from Aokiji's body, making a crackling sound. Half of his body turned to ice.
"Admiral Kuzan, he's flying away!!"
"Arara... so blatant. Is he so confident that he doesn't even see the Marines as a threat!?"
With that, Aokiji leaped and instantly disappeared from his spot, leaving only a cone-shaped block of ice in his place, exuding a biting cold.
At this moment, the Hero-King stood proudly in the sky, lazily resting his chin on his hand. His ruby-red eyes calmly watched the warships below.
"The Marines? They're quick, but... to stand in this king's way is a crime!"
The appearance of the Marines was within Rex's expectations, just not so quickly.
Rex did not take a detour, nor was there any need to.
How could the most ancient king be deterred by mere Marines? What a joke.
Even if an Admiral came, Rex would not be afraid.
Defeating an Admiral with only the King's Treasure would be impossible, but the Admiral would also be unable to do anything to him. Vimana's aerial mobility decided everything.
Then, in an instant, a blast of cold air arrived at an incredible speed.
"Arara, young man, could I ask you to stop? After all, you've committed such a serious crime. If I don't take you back, I'll have a hard time explaining myself!!"
A lazy voice sounded beside the Hero-King's ear.
Immediately after, a figure of ice instantly condensed in front of Vimana, materializing into Aokiji.
"Ice Time Capsule!!"
The moment Aokiji appeared, he aimed directly at the Hero-King. The next moment, a blast of extreme cold formed into an ice ball and shot towards the Hero-King.
Facing Aokiji's surprise attack, the Hero-King's expression remained calm. Seated upon his throne, he did not move in the slightest.
"An insolent fool who dares to challenge the authority of this king... two have appeared in one day!"
As he spoke, the Hero-King lightly raised his right hand.
The next moment, the King's Treasure opened, and a golden treasure shot out, colliding directly with the ice projectile released by Aokiji.
With a loud thud.
The ice instantly froze the Hero-King's treasure, making a sizzling sound.
In the sky, Aokiji stabilized himself using Moon Walk, looking at the Hero-King's attack with some surprise.
"Another strange Devil Fruit ability? I've never seen it before..."
"Mongrel, you will pay the price in blood for ambushing this king."
The Hero-King grinned.
Though his words were fierce, they betrayed a sense of pleasure.
After the so-called farce in Impel Down, to repel one of the Marine Headquarters' strongest assets, an Admiral, under the vast sky would be a fine tale to tell.
The next moment, the Hero-King raised his right hand.
Behind him, countless ripples instantly appeared.
Twenty, forty, eighty... A constellation of treasures, spread out like the stars, each one releasing an overwhelming presence.
Seeing this, Aokiji's expression couldn't help but change, and he spoke out.
"Those things... does each one have the same power as the one just now?"
"What do you think? Admiral Aokiji!"