The moment the hatch opened, a one-armed Fishman was the first to rush out.
His remaining fist was covered in a grey-Blake Armament Haki:
"My brethren! Let the Marine Admiral witness the wrath under the sun!"
Horn turned his head, only to see three hundred of the first batch of escaped Slaves roaring as they charged towards him.
At this moment, he felt as if he had instantly met the gaze of three hundred burning eyes, and the movements of his hands involuntarily paused for a moment.
Belo Betty wore a triumphant smile on her face, vigorously waving the tattered battle flag in her hand.
A strange light shone from the battle flag, enveloping the charging Slaves:
"The iron wall will eventually rust one day!"
"Now, checkmate!"
As she spoke, the one-armed Fishman's fist, wreathed in Armament Haki, had already arrived before Horn.
Horn swung his long sword, easily batting him away.
But under the power of the Empower-Empower Fruit and their longing for freedom, the others still rushed towards him one after another.
The Empower-Empower Fruit not only boosted the fighting will of these Slaves but also significantly enhanced their combat power.
The Slaves, yearning for freedom, surged forward like a tide, and for a time, the iron wall was heavily surrounded.
"Finger Pistol!"
"Fish-Man Karate!"
Various attacks came thick and fast, and one of the attackers was a former CP member who had been demoted to a Slave due to a failed mission.
While the iron wall was besieged, he used a Finger Pistol to pierce the cloak of justice behind the opponent.
The Fishman used Fish-Man Karate to restrict the opponent's movements.
The Giant Race lifted the collapsed crane wreckage from the port and hurled it towards Horn;
The swordsman of the Longarm Tribe swung his twin blades, attempting to break through his greatsword's defense... Golden light burst from Betty's flag, as she utilized the Empower-Empower Fruit's ability to its fullest:
"Watch closely! This is the power of freedom!!!"
Betty's Empower-Empower Fruit ability was exceptionally powerful, capable of strengthening a small girl to rival a Pirate Captain with a bounty of over 100 million Beli.
And among those currently besieging Horn, there were not only a group of Slaves with considerable strength but also one of the future Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Coupled with Arlong, Hachi, and other members of the Sun Pirates, even if this iron wall was skilled at defense, it was bound to face the situation of 'too many ants can kill an elephant'.
Over three hundred buffed individuals attacking Horn—this guy seemed much worse off than the future Teacher Kaido.
When Horn's famous sword, 'Immovable Mountain,' showed its first crack, he looked up at Betty, who was outside the crowd, blood on her lips, yet still smiling:
"You... calculated this moment long ago?"
"No!"
Betty plunged the flagpole into the ground:
"They chose to fight themselves."
The crisp sound of Immovable Mountain breaking seemed to echo throughout Red Port.
The strength of the elderly Admiral, the iron wall, was actually stronger than the Revolutionary Army had anticipated.
If Jinbe hadn't arrived in time, Betty wouldn't have been able to hold out until the Slaves arrived.
Even in the final battle, it was the strengthened Jinbe who was at the forefront.
Otherwise, relying solely on these Slaves, even with a few strong individuals among them and Betty's buff, they might not have been able to take down the opponent.
After the second batch of rescued Slaves arrived, a small girl ran across the battlefield, picked up Horn's fallen epaulet, and placed it on the Giant's chain.
They both laughed...
The distant fires and clamor did not affect Blake's manor in the slightest.
Any Slaves attempting to invade were mercilessly eliminated by Mandy, Koala, Hancock, and the Kalifa sisters.
Thus, the manor remained peaceful.
But soon, this tranquility was shattered by a loud bang.
With a crash, the side wall of the manor was smashed by a figure.
Everyone turned to look, while the maids appeared somewhat flustered, yet stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move.
Riotous Slaves usually gathered on the streets; even if they were to break in, it should be through the main gate.
It was unclear whether this person was lost or what, to have charged in from the direction of the wall.
The broken wall completely enveloped the intruder's figure, and everyone, including Blake, looked on curiously.
From the dust, a burly figure slowly rose.
"Stella! I've come to save you!"
Blake:???
No, who are you?
Upon reflection, since he was here for Stella, it must be Gild Tesoro, right?
Nearly ten years had passed since he first accidentally saw Stella on Slave Street in Area 16 of Sabaody Archipelago.
If this guy hadn't suddenly appeared, Blake would have forgotten Tesoro's existence, let alone remembered his appearance.
Back then, when Blake bought Stella, he didn't encounter Tesoro as in the original plot.
Perhaps Blake bought Stella too early, and Tesoro hadn't saved enough money yet.
However, after that, Tesoro lost control of his emotions and questioned the owner of the Slave shop.
As it turned out, the shop owner was a genuine Slave trader, with a large number of thugs under his command, not some kind-hearted person.
Without a word, he immediately seized Tesoro, making him another Slave in the shop.
Later, because Tesoro was burly and had handsome features, during the Celestial Dragons' house arrest, the Slave trader sent him to the Slave market in Mary Geoise.
After that, Tesoro was bought and thrown into the Slave gladiatorial arena.
Fortunately, he managed to survive and developed considerable fighting skills.
When Fisher Tiger invaded the gladiatorial arena, Tesoro naturally escaped from there.
But he was unwilling to escape alone.
Tesoro's feelings for Stella, after so many years of accumulation and sublimation in his heart, had formed into an obsession.
After leaving the Slave gladiatorial arena, his first goal was to find Stella.
Logically speaking, Mary Geoise was vast, and there were many Celestial Dragons, so Tesoro shouldn't have found Stella's location so easily.
But one time when Blake brought everyone to the gladiatorial arena, Tesoro saw Stella from afar in a cage.
Using this small clue, Tesoro followed the trail and successfully found Blake's manor.
At this moment, Blake was unaware of all this; he merely watched the charging Tesoro with interest.
Unexpected events were always full of surprises, especially controllable surprises.
However, surprise or not, the bill for this guy smashing his courtyard wall still needed to be settled.
"Koala!"
Blake called out, and Koala immediately understood, transforming into a golden light and appearing before Tesoro.
Currently, Mary Geoise was filled with conflicts everywhere, and the range of Observation Haki was severely suppressed, so Koala could finally use the Glint-Glint Fruit's ability at will.
She raised her foot, clad in a small leather shoe, and kicked towards Tesoro's temple.
Tesoro's practical combat experience, honed over so many years of fighting in the gladiatorial arena, was indeed not to be underestimated.
The moment he saw Koala appear before him, he had already protected his head with his arm.
Boom!
Tesoro was kicked away, smashing two stone statues in the manor.
"Oh? He even learned Haki?"
Blake was somewhat surprised; had this guy treated Mary Geoise's gladiatorial arena as an upgrade dungeon?
Not only was he not beaten to death, but he also developed a set of skills.
Could it be that this kid also had some protagonist's aura?
Oh no, I'm not going to be the villain again, am I?