Hearing this, Shiryu smiled disdainfully, took a deep drag on his cigar, and slowly exhaled the smoke. "Times have changed, Magellan."
He stepped aside, revealing a sinister smile, and said:
"Take a good look. Look at these bloodthirsty criminals who long for the freedom of the sea. Ask them if they are still willing to stay in this dark, sunless Hell?"
Behind him, deep in the Sixth Level, a tragic slaughter was coming to an end.
Finally, the victors of the slaughter walked out slowly to the sound of iron chains clanking against the floor, their hideous faces filled with cruel grins.
Shiryu pulled out the keys to the Sea Stone handcuffs and tossed them over. The winners of the melee swarmed forward and were soon free of their restraints.
"'Barrel of Wine' Vasco Shot!"
"'San Juan Wolf' San Juan Wolf!"
"'Dictator King' Avalo Pizarro!"
"'Crescent Moon Hunter' Catarina Devon!"
Magellan's face darkened with every name he recited, and his hatred for Shiryu grew even more.
Taro didn't actually know how strong these so-called "long-famed" great pirates really were.
However, he knew very well that the truly top-tier figures in the Sixth Level were not among these four.
Those heavyweights were the ones with truly legendary reputations.
Compared to those figures, the four people Blackbeard was recruiting now were practically small fry.
"Zehahahaha! Partners, we are now only one step away from the free sea. We just need to defeat these two troublesome guys in front of us, and we'll be free!"
Blackbeard laughed loudly, his face gradually twisting. With the new combat power joining him, he was even less afraid of Taro and Magellan. "Kill them!"
After a roar of anger, Blackbeard was the first to strike.
"Black Hole Path!"
Columns of black smoke billowed out, and boundless darkness rapidly spread with Blackbeard as the center.
The sturdy cells, thick iron bars, and the losers of the slaughter were all swallowed up.
"Liberation!"
As Blackbeard spread his arms, the swallowed objects crashed down from the clouds of endless darkness.
"Poison Dragon!"
Magellan didn't hesitate for a second. Purple venom covered his entire body, and a Poison Dragon emerged behind him, lunging straight at Silvers Rayleigh.
Shiryu was not to be outdone. Holding his sword with both hands, he suddenly accelerated and slashed at the Poison Dragon.
"Wave Elbow Strike!"
Burgess leaped high and attacked Taro with his elbow bent. Lafitte and Doc Q also made their moves at the same time.
San Juan Wolf's size ballooned as he transformed into a giant over twenty meters tall, slamming his clasped hands down toward Taro.
Taro VS Burgess, Lafitte, Doc Q, and San Juan Wolf!
Catarina Devon leaped high, nine fox tails growing behind her. She snickered with a "hurururu" sound as she jumped into the air, launching three Fox Fire attacks that smashed toward Magellan like meteors.
Avalo Pizarro fired at Magellan with a giant cannon, while Vasco Shot stuck out his tongue, licked his lips, brandished a long blade, and slashed forward.
Magellan VS Blackbeard, Silvers Rayleigh, Catarina Devon, Avalo Pizarro, and Vasco Shot!
"Sandstorm!"
Taro held his blade in his left hand, while the Internal Energy in his right palm turned into a vortex, expanding rapidly.
Then, with a wave of his hand, the Sandstorm flew out. Its powerful might swept up the surrounding debris, blowing Burgess and the other two backward.
Relying on his massive size, San Juan Wolf braved the parched, howling wind and smashed his heavy fist down.
"Armament Haki!"
Taro flicked his left hand, tilting his sword upward. Blue-black Haki swirled around the blade, its immense energy clashing against Wolf's clasped fists.
"Crescent Moon Dune!"
His right arm simultaneously transformed into a sand blade, slashing toward Wolf's wrist.
Wolf was greatly shocked to see his heavy strike blocked by Taro's single blade, while Taro still had the strength to launch a counterattack.
Battle-hardened and suspicious, he suddenly shrank his size to dodge Taro's sand blade.
However, without the advantage of his size, his strength was slightly lacking. He was defeated in the Haki collision with Taro and was sent flying with a boom.
"Lions Might: Earth Roll!"
Having neutralized their four attacks, Taro didn't hesitate to swing his blade again. Instantly, the entire Sixth Level shook violently.
The ground was ripped up in massive chunks. The huge floor tiles and the cells above them twisted and compressed, forming over a dozen lion-head shapes that surrounded Burgess and the other two who were being swept by the Sandstorm, rapidly crushing toward them.
"Rumble!"
After a thunderous roar, the stone lion heads quickly closed in. After intertwining, they spiraled upward, solidifying into a giant stone pillar.
Lafitte the Birdman had the fastest reaction. He manifested wings and struggled to fly out of Taro's attack range, floating in the air.
Burgess's martial arts weren't bad either. He endured the Sandstorm's attack and kicked off the ground, soaring into the air once more.
But he was still a bit too late. A crushing lion head caught one of his legs, pulling half of his body into the stone pillar.
The slow-moving Doc Q found it difficult even to resist the Sandstorm. This time, he was directly swallowed whole. Only his head hung outside the stone pillar. After coughing up a mouthful of blood, his head slumped to the side, and he fainted.
On the other side, Blackbeard was constantly using his darkness ability to swallow the venom released by Magellan, creating opportunities for Shiryu and the others to attack him.
Furthermore, that traitor Shiryu had even distributed the venom's antidote to those bastards.
Without the threat of the venom, they attacked Magellan even more recklessly.
Gaining the upper hand against Magellan allowed Blackbeard to distract himself and observe the battle on the other side.
Realizing that Burgess and the others were no match for Taro, Blackbeard quickly abandoned the siege on Magellan and rushed over to support them.
He re-released the swallowed venom. The thick liquid fell from the sky, attempting to block Taro's pursuit.
[Toxin detected nearby. Dispel?]
"Dispel."
Internal Energy surged out, and a blue-white vortex swirled around him. The venom was kept at bay, a meter away from his body.
The venom pouring down like a waterfall blocked Taro's path and obstructed his vision.
Taro lightly sliced a gap in the curtain-like venom with his blade, but the gap was quickly covered by new venom dripping down.
"Zehahahaha! Taro, have a good taste of Magellan's neurotoxin. You're dead for sure!"
Seeing the overwhelming venom cover Taro, Blackbeard laughed wildly.
He didn't know that the previous slash had allowed Taro to lock onto Lafitte the Birdman's position.
Taro slowly moved closer, then suddenly stepped forward, rushing out of the venom waterfall and swinging his blade.
"Mihawk Slash!"
The venom also blocked the Blackbeard Pirates' vision. A powerful slash instantly struck toward Lafitte, who was flying in the air.
"Lafitte, watch out! He hasn't been poisoned!" Blackbeard cried out in surprise.
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