Outside the heart of Mary Geoise, the flames of rebellion continued to spread.
At Casrot Manor, the once-quiet estate had been swallowed by panic.
Casrot had only just fallen asleep when the distant commotion dragged him violently from his slumber.
He stumbled out of bed and stared through the window, his expression becoming increasingly bewildered as orange flames illuminated the night sky.
"What is happening outside?"
For a moment, Casrot couldn't understand what he was seeing.
Mary Geoise was supposed to be the safest place in the world.
The Holy Land was protected by the World Government, the Marines, Cipher Pol, and countless guards loyal to the World Nobles.
Yet now, flames were rising everywhere.
"Saint Casrot!"
"Please hide immediately!"
"The slaves have revolted!"
A CP0 agent rushed into the room, his normally composed expression replaced by urgency.
"Slaves?"
Casrot's face went pale.
Then his expression quickly changed to one of irritation.
"There has been a slave uprising before."
"They always put it down eventually."
"Then hurry up and hide me!"
Casrot had no intention of fighting anyone himself.
He had always relied on others to protect him.
As a World Noble, he believed that his status alone should be enough to make everyone beneath him kneel.
"Yes, Saint Casrot!"
The CP0 agent immediately began escorting him toward a secure section of the manor.
Outside, the sounds of shouting and destruction grew louder.
Fisher Tiger and the liberated slaves continued moving through Mary Geoise.
Tiger's objective had never been to slaughter the World Nobles.
His objective was freedom.
"Brother Tiger, shouldn't we deal with the Celestial Dragons hiding in this place?"
One of the freed slaves pointed toward Casrot Manor.
Tiger's expression darkened.
He hated the World Nobles.
He hated everything they represented.
But revenge could not be allowed to replace his purpose.
"Our goal is to rescue the slaves still trapped here."
"We came to free our people and everyone else suffering under these chains."
"If we lose sight of that, then this entire operation will become nothing more than revenge."
Tiger's words caused the others to fall silent.
It wasn't that he had forgiven the World Nobles.
He hadn't.
The hatred inside his heart was as intense as ever.
But there were countless people still imprisoned throughout Mary Geoise.
Every second mattered.
"Brother Tiger!"
"There's something strange here!"
A fish-man who had been searching the manor suddenly called out.
His heightened senses had detected an unusual hollow space beneath the floor.
He crouched down and struck the floor with his hand.
Knock!
Knock!
Knock!
"There is a hidden room beneath us!"
Tiger immediately understood.
"Open it."
Several fish-men and liberated slaves worked together, forcing open the concealed entrance.
The moment the passage was revealed, a strange and oppressive atmosphere emerged from below.
Tiger's expression became solemn.
"Everyone, stay alert."
They descended into the underground chamber.
What they discovered left even the hardened former slaves stunned.
The room was filled with strange objects.
Some resembled lifelike dolls.
Others looked like grotesque sculptures.
The atmosphere was cold and unnatural.
Several girls were also present, their expressions distorted by fear and exhaustion.
"What kind of place is this?"
"No…"
"Look over there!"
One of the liberated slaves suddenly pointed upward.
A man was hanging from the ceiling.
His body was covered with wounds, and blood still stained his clothes.
"Get him down!"
Several people immediately rushed forward.
They carefully lowered the injured man to the floor.
The man's eyelids trembled.
Then his eyes slowly opened.
"Who…"
"Who are you?"
His voice was barely audible.
"Brother, you're safe now!"
"We're here to free the slaves!"
"Let's get you out of here!"
Someone in the group with medical knowledge immediately began treating his wounds.
The moment the injured man heard those words, his eyes widened.
"Casrot…"
"Where is Casrot?"
The others exchanged confused glances.
"Casrot?"
"He isn't here."
"We only found you."
"No…"
The man's breathing became heavier.
"I sensed someone enter before you came."
"He must still be here."
Tiger immediately understood.
"Search the manor."
"If he's hiding here, we'll find him."
The liberated slaves scattered throughout the underground chamber.
They searched every corner.
Soon, one of them noticed something unusual.
"Brother Tiger!"
"There's a large chest here!"
Several people immediately gathered around it.
"Open it."
The heavy chest was forced open.
Casrot was hiding inside.
The moment the lid was lifted, the terrified Celestial Dragon looked up at the crowd surrounding him.
His face became pale.
"You filthy commoners!"
"CP0!"
"Kill them all!"
"Protect me!"
Casrot's voice trembled despite his attempt to sound commanding.
The remaining CP0 agents immediately moved to intercept the attackers.
Unlike ordinary guards, CP0 agents were trained Government assassins.
They did not collapse simply because they were surrounded.
One of them stepped forward and prepared to use his Rokushiki.
"Shigan!"
A hardened finger shot forward.
But before he could continue, Fisher Tiger appeared in front of him.
Tiger's massive fist crashed into the agent with overwhelming force.
Boom!
The CP0 agent was sent backward.
The surrounding freed slaves immediately surged forward.
The battle became chaotic.
The CP0 agents fought with the precision expected of trained Government operatives, using techniques such as Soru and Tekkai to evade and withstand attacks.
However, they were heavily outnumbered, surrounded by experienced fighters, and forced to protect Casrot at the same time.
Tiger refused to give them the opportunity to regroup.
One by one, the CP0 agents were overwhelmed and incapacitated.
Casrot stared in horror.
His greatest protectors had fallen.
For the first time, the Celestial Dragon realized that his status alone could not protect him from everyone.
"Drag him out."
Several of the freed slaves immediately grabbed Casrot.
Their eyes were filled with hatred.
If Fisher Tiger hadn't intervened, some of them might have killed every World Noble they could find.
Tiger stepped between them.
"Don't forget why we're here."
"We have more people to save."
"We don't have time to waste."
The injured man who had been rescued earlier slowly dragged himself forward.
His face was pale.
His body was barely strong enough to stand.
But his eyes were burning with hatred.
"Please…"
"Leave him to me."
The man looked directly at Casrot.
"I have something I need to settle with him."
Tiger studied him for several seconds.
The hatred in his eyes was unmistakable.
Tiger understood.
This man had suffered at Casrot's hands.
He had earned the right to confront the person who had caused his suffering.
"Fine."
"But don't let this delay us."
Tiger turned toward the liberated slaves.
"There are still people trapped throughout Mary Geoise!"
"Brothers and sisters are waiting for us!"
"Let's keep moving!"
The crowd immediately responded.
"Let's free them!"
"Liberate the slaves!"
"Freedom!"
Their voices echoed through the corridors.
The rebellion continued.
Meanwhile, the injured man remained behind.
His name was Tesoro.
His body was barely holding together, but the hatred in his heart kept him standing.
He slowly reached toward a pair of heavy metal pliers hanging from the wall.
They were enormous.
They had clearly been used for cruel purposes before.
Tesoro stared at them for several seconds.
Then he turned his eyes toward Casrot.
Casrot instinctively backed away.
"What are you doing?"
"Don't come any closer!"
Tesoro didn't answer.
His hands trembled as he tightened his grip around the pliers.
"You used these things on others."
"You made people beg for mercy."
"You thought no one would ever make you experience the same fear."
Casrot's face became increasingly distorted with terror.
"No!"
"I'm a World Noble!"
"You're not allowed to touch me!"
Tesoro's expression remained frighteningly calm.
"Casrot…"
"You took everything from me."
"You took Stella from me."
"You took my freedom."
"You took my dignity."
"And you thought you could live forever without consequence."
Tesoro slowly approached.
"I'll make you understand what it feels like to be powerless."
The room fell silent.
Outside, the sounds of the rebellion continued.
Inside, Tesoro finally confronted the man responsible for so much of his suffering.
Much later, Tesoro remained kneeling on the floor.
His gray-green hair was stained with blood.
His hands trembled.
His eyes stared blankly ahead.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Then his voice finally broke the silence.
"Forgive me."
"I know it's late."
"But…"
"Are you doing well wherever you are, Stella?"
His eyes became wet.
"Stella…"
"I avenged you."
For a fleeting moment, he imagined her smiling.
That gentle smile had once rescued him from the darkness consuming his heart.
He remembered the girl who had shown him kindness when the world had shown him nothing but cruelty.
Tesoro reached out instinctively.
He wanted to hold her again.
But his hand grasped nothing.
The smile disappeared.
Reality returned.
The dead could not be brought back.
"Stella…"
Tesoro lowered his head.
A broken laugh escaped his lips.
"Hahahaha…"
The laughter carried no happiness.
Only grief.
Only exhaustion.
Only the emptiness left behind after revenge had failed to fill the hole in his heart.
Elsewhere in Mary Geoise, Saint Roselith Seraphina could sense that something terrible was happening beyond the walls of her family's estate.
The distant chaos reached even the secluded manor.
Yet Seraphina remained inside.
Her hands tightened slightly.
She understood something that frightened her.
The cycle had already begun.
Victims became consumed by hatred.
Some victims eventually became perpetrators themselves.
Then new victims were created.
The hatred continued.
The suffering continued.
And everyone convinced themselves that their actions were justified because someone else had hurt them first.
"This is what hatred creates…"
Seraphina quietly lowered her head.
She didn't believe the answer was simply to choose another side.
Nor did she believe that killing everyone responsible would solve the problem.
The cycle would simply continue.
"If I ever gain enough power…"
"I'll change this."
"I don't know how yet."
"But I won't allow this kind of world to continue forever."
Seraphina's expression hardened.
She wanted to create a world in which ordinary people could at least live without having their lives treated as worthless possessions.
She knew she was still too weak to accomplish such a thing.
Her current strength was nowhere near enough to challenge the powers that ruled the world.
But that did not mean she would abandon the idea.
"Bruce."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Her CP0 bodyguard appeared beside her.
"Take Hancock out of Mary Geoise."
Bruce's expression immediately changed.
"Your Highness, I cannot leave you during a slave uprising."
"You don't understand."
"Hancock cannot stay here."
"She has already suffered enough."
"If the situation continues to deteriorate, her presence in Mary Geoise could put her life in danger."
Seraphina's tone remained calm.
"And she wants to return to Amazon Lily."
Bruce hesitated.
"We can send another CP0 agent."
"No."
Seraphina immediately rejected the suggestion.
"I trust you."
"I don't want someone else escorting her."
Bruce lowered his head.
"Your Highness, I understand your concern."
"But I cannot abandon my duty."
"I am responsible for your protection."
Seraphina turned toward him.
For a moment, the atmosphere became strangely heavy.
A faint pressure emanated from her body.
It wasn't an ordinary intimidation.
It was the natural manifestation of Haoshoku Haki.
Bruce's expression changed.
His instincts immediately warned him that something was different.
Seraphina's Haoshoku Haki was still immature and difficult for her to control completely, but its presence was unmistakable.
"Bruce."
"That's an order."
"You've protected me for years."
"I know you won't abandon your duty."
"But this is something I need you to do for me."
Bruce remained silent.
He knew Seraphina's strength had been growing rapidly.
He had once been confident that, as her CP0 guardian and someone several years older than her, he could easily restrain her if necessary.
That confidence had gradually disappeared.
Now, standing before her, he understood something he had been reluctant to admit.
Saint Roselith Seraphina had already surpassed him in raw power.
Even without relying on her full strength, her Haki had reached a level that demanded respect.
Bruce finally lowered his head.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I will escort Hancock out of Mary Geoise."
Seraphina's expression softened.
"Thank you, Bruce."
She turned toward the distant sounds of chaos.
The Holy Land was burning.
The World Nobles were terrified.
The slaves were fighting for freedom.
And somewhere beyond those flames, the future of the world was beginning to change.
Seraphina knew that this night would not be forgotten.
Not by the World Government.
Not by the slaves.
Not by Fisher Tiger.
And certainly not by her.
The world had begun moving toward a future none of them could yet see.
And the first sparks of that future were burning brightly above Mary Geoise.