Chapter 41 : March Towards Freedom!!

More than ten minutes later, the battle on the fourth underground level finally ended with the defeat of the last jailer!

"Let's go! We need to get out of here!" Buggy declared. He tapped the device Domino had found for live broadcasts, using the power of the Chop-Chop Fruit to reduce it to rice-sized fragments floating around him. With that, he headed out of the office first.

Domino gritted her teeth and followed Buggy.

As Buggy emerged, the blood-soaked prisoners looked at him and the Domino who followed!

"Isn't that Domino, the Head Jailer of Impel Down? How is she still alive?!"

"No, she doesn't seem to be with the jailers!"

"Could it be that Domino is Captain Buggy's undercover agent planted in Impel Down? No wonder this prison break has gone so smoothly!"

"That must be it! With even Shiryu being one of Captain Buggy's subordinates, it's not surprising to see a Head Jailer on his side!"

"Captain Buggy truly lives up to his reputation! He's so far-sighted!"

"What a formidable man!"

The prisoners buzzed with speculation, quickly concluding that Domino was an undercover agent of Buggy's, even without him saying a word!

Pirate King's crew member and possessing immense strength and Conqueror's Haki, Buggy now gained another impressive trait in their eyes: ambition and foresight!

This certainly elevated Buggy's image even further in their minds!

Buggy didn't bother clarifying. He looked at everyone and smiled, "What are you waiting for? Freedom is just above us!"

Buggy's casual words reignited the prisoners' spirits, which had started to cool down!

After enduring torture in this dark prison for so long, they were finally on the brink of freedom and a return to the sea!

"Captain Buggy, I will always remember your kindness!"

"Long live freedom! Long live Captain Buggy!"

"Buggy! Buggy! Buggy!"

...

Not sure who started it, but soon all the prisoners were raising their arms and cheering wildly! 

Maybe it was insincere, or perhaps some just needed to express their emotions, but there were also those who genuinely worshiped Buggy to an extreme degree!

Buggy smiled and waved his hand, proclaiming, "No matter how strong the cage, it can't contain a bird that yearns for freedom! Everyone, charge towards freedom!"

"Ah! Ah! Ah!!!"

At Buggy's command, all the prisoners surged out of the city, shouting with excitement!

Buggy himself didn't leave right away. He waited until everyone had departed before leisurely making his way to Magellan's body among the fallen corpses.

Even though Magellan's body still held some use, it was impractical for Buggy to carry it around on the battlefield. So, once the jailers' fighting spirit had completely crumbled, Buggy set the body down and moved it aside.

Domino, who had been following Buggy, felt a flash of sadness upon seeing Magellan's body, which quickly turned into intense hatred.

Hatred for Buggy!

Buggy sensed Domino's burning gaze but paid it no mind. He detached his left hand and picked up Magellan's body once more.

Domino's eyes widened in shock, and she shouted angrily, "Warden Magellan is already dead! What more do you want with his body?"

Buggy replied calmly, "Don't get so worked up. I'm not so cruel as to desecrate an enemy's corpse."

Domino scoffed and demanded, "Then what do you plan to do with it?"

"You'll find out soon enough!"

Buggy didn't elaborate further and walked straight toward the elevator. 

"I don't get what those prisoners were thinking," he muttered. "There's a faster, more convenient elevator right here, but they all chose the stairs!"

In a way, it was better for him. It spared him the discomfort of squeezing into the elevator with a crowd.

Domino clenched her fists, forcing herself to resist the urge to attack Buggy, and followed him silently. 

Now wasn't the time for action. If she failed, it would jeopardize Sadi and the others!

She pressed the elevator button and waited several minutes for it to descend from the first floor to the fourth level underground.

"Which floor?" Domino asked as she stepped into the elevator, standing to the side.

Buggy grinned. "Of course, it's the ground floor!"

Domino didn't reply and started the elevator as instructed. 

As the elevator began its ascent and the engine roared to life, Buggy suddenly felt a stirring in his heart. 

He had been confined to the darkness of a prison since arriving in this world, and his knowledge of the outside was limited to his memories. 

Now, he was finally about to see the real world for himself!

"Domino," Buggy said suddenly, breaking the silence. "How long have you been in Impel Down?"

Domino didn't turn around. "Don't know," she said coldly.

Buggy didn't seem to care and pressed on with his questions. "How long have you been away from Impel Down?"

Domino frowned, unable to recall the exact duration. 

She really had forgotten.

The guards of Impel Down rarely have the chance to leave their posts. Domino couldn't even recall the last time they had been out. It must have been ages!

In a way, the guards of Impel Down are themselves trapped within its walls!

Buggy asked again, "Do you have any family?"

At this question, Domino felt a surge of anger she couldn't contain. She turned around and shot Buggy a fierce glare.

Seeing the fire in Domino's eyes, Buggy immediately understood her feelings. He grinned and said, "Ah, so you see your colleagues as family?"

Buggy wasn't surprised by this response; situations like this were quite common in their world.

Domino replied coldly, "Someone like you will never understand this kind of feeling!"

"Someone like me?" Buggy chuckled and shook his head. "I'm curious—what kind of person do you think I am?"

"Evil!" Domino spat the word out without hesitation, and continued, "Mad! Bloodthirsty! Hypocritical! Sinister! Indifferent! Cruel…"

A torrent of disparaging terms spilled from Domino's mouth, as she desperately tried to label Buggy with every negative trait she could think of.

"Hahaha, is that how you see me?" Buggy laughed heartily and said, "But I like to think that to those prisoners who are about to be freed, I am their beacon of hope!"

Domino was left stunned and speechless. She couldn't find a way to refute his claim.

To those prisoners, Buggy is indeed a beacon of hope! And they are the ones considered evil and cruel!

The elevator descended to the ground floor, and the doors opened with a soft hiss. Buggy stepped out, carrying Magellan's lifeless body, and said, "Don't be so absolute in your judgments! To truly understand a person or a situation, you must first let go of your preconceptions."

"Domino, you're not like those narrow-minded others. You're sharp and perceptive! You have the potential to see things as they really are."

"When that time comes, perhaps I will be your guiding light."

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