Chapter 25: The Dawn of Hope

Ten years ago, Saint Jalmack destroyed Sabo's boat with a cannon, causing Sabo to join the Revolutionary Army and become its Chief of Staff and second-in-command.

Vivian certainly recognized this guy.

After all, with a fully equipped smartphone, he had reviewed the plot of One Piece thoroughly.

"So, what kind of commotion should I create to throw the whole ship into chaos?" he thought, feeling his pockets and pulling out a lighter.

Got it!

A few minutes later…

"Fire!"

"Lord Jalmack, your bedroom is on fire!"

Several guards rushed into the hall, but before they could finish speaking, Jalmack raised his gun and shot the leading guard.

The bullet pierced his chest, and the guard fell dead without even seeing the blood hole in his body.

Jalmack cursed, "Idiots! Can't even handle a small fire? Go put it out! Why are you bothering me when I'm playing a game?"

The hall was in chaos.

Dozens of slaves lay on the ground, barely alive, surrounded by blood. Despite the pain and groans, more than ten slaves were still standing, trying to knock each other down to save their own lives.

How tragic is that?

The slave collars around their necks prevented them from attacking Jalmack, forcing them to kill their fellow slaves instead.

Jalmack watched this scene with a satisfied smile, enjoying the power of the Celestial Dragons.

This was the privilege of being a descendant of the creators.

No one in the world dared to defy them!

Just as he was feeling triumphant…

Boom!

An explosion startled everyone in the hall.

Jalmack pointed his gun at the guards, "Go see what's happening now!"

"Y-yes!"

Ignoring their dead colleague, the remaining guards rushed out.

Within ten seconds, one of them nervously peeked back in, "L-Lord Jalmack, the kitchen exploded. All our food… it's all in there…"

"What?!"

Jalmack finally lost his composure.

"You idiots! What are you doing?!"

He was about to pull the trigger again when Vivian, dressed as a guard and covered in soot, ran in with a spear.

"Lord Jalmack, the fire is about to spread here. Please move to the deck until we put it out."

"Hmm?"

Jalmack glanced at Vivian, about to scold him, when more explosions echoed from the corridor.

Fear flashed across his ugly face, and Jalmack quickly walked out the door.

"What about the slaves?"

"Who cares about them? Go put out the fire!"

"Yes, Lord Jalmack!"

…

"Where's the water? If the buckets are empty, get some from the sea!"

"Damn it, why the hell did it catch fire? If I find out who started this fire, I'll kill them!"

Outside the kitchen, a group of guards, covered in soot, grumbled in dissatisfaction as they carried water.

Meanwhile, Vivian led a group of slaves from the main hall, quickly making their way towards the dungeon in the basement.

He had deliberately set the fire away from the location of the dungeon.

Dragging a group of severely injured slaves with a rope, they arrived at the dungeon entrance. As soon as they entered, a burly, shirtless, and intimidating man holding a branding iron turned his gaze towards them. "What's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"

"There's a fire, and the others are putting it out," Vivian replied.

"A fire?" The burly man was somewhat puzzled but didn't say much more. He just said, "Leave them over there. I still have a few slaves to brand."

With that, he stripped the clothes off a young man in front of him, and the red-hot branding iron instantly pressed against the skin.

Sizzle—!

The sound of flesh being burned by high temperature.

Accompanied by a waft of burnt flesh, the young man let out a piercing scream and immediately passed out.

Vivian glanced at the new mark on the man's back, which was clearly the symbol of the Celestial Dragon slaves: the Heavenly Soaring Dragon's Hoof.

"Why haven't you left yet?"

Kicking the unconscious young man aside, the burly man turned to look at Vivian again. "Come to think of it... why do I feel like you look somewhat unfamiliar?"

Vivian's face was covered in soot, and under normal circumstances, he wouldn't be recognized. However, his outstanding demeanor and the physique he had developed over the past two years from constantly freeloading attributes were indeed eye-catching.

Plus, his ill-fitting clothes...

The burly man thought for a moment and felt that he had never seen anyone like Vivian on the ship.

And just as he began to have doubts,

Swish—!

The spear sliced through the burly man's neck at a speed the eye couldn't follow, spraying a jet of blood.

"You..."

The burly man opened his mouth, trying to say something, but no sound came out. He could only clutch his throat, staring at Vivian with wide eyes, and slowly collapsed.

...

Looking at the young man branded with the Heavenly Soaring Dragon's Hoof, Vivian felt a slight pang of guilt.

He hadn't taken immediate action to kill the jailer because he couldn't gauge the opponent's strength.

But after waiting for a while and seeing no options pop up in his mind, he felt relieved and decided to act.

Dropping the bloodied spear, Vivian pulled out a cigar from his pocket and lit it, beginning to think about his next steps.

At the same time,

The slaves locked in the dungeon looked at Vivian standing by the furnace with astonishment and curiosity.

Who was this person?

Why did he kill the guard?

Their minds were filled with questions.

And some, upon seeing the corpse on the ground, felt as if they had seen a glimmer of hope, their breathing becoming rapid.

"If I take these people directly, my small boat definitely won't be able to hold so many," Vivian thought frantically.

Should he hijack one of the Celestial Dragons' ships?

As he exhaled a puff of smoke, this thought had barely crossed his mind when the options immediately appeared before his eyes.