"Get out of the way! Otherwise, you’ll die!"
Hyogoro’s expression changed drastically as he shouted a warning.
The sudden turn of events left everyone present unable to react in time.
A vicious look appeared on the Alpacaman’s face as he roared,
"Too late to react now!"
"Looks like you’ve forgotten what’s hanging around your neck—a bomb collar!"
"Then drag them all to hell with you!"
With that, the Alpacaman hurriedly pressed the red button in his hand.
Inside Udon Prison, certain prisoners were fitted with special explosive collars capable of killing them instantly. It was one of the methods used to keep the prisoners under control.
Hyogoro might have appeared utterly powerless inside Udon Prison.
But his identity was no secret to those who mattered.
When Queen left Udon Prison, he had still put an explosive collar around Hyogoro’s neck as a precaution.
The indicator light on the explosive collar rapidly began flashing.
Hyogoro had no time to think. He tried to turn around and put as much distance between himself and the others as possible.
But before he could even take half a step, a hand flashed forward and seized him by the neck.
Snap!
The explosive collar was ripped apart.
The next instant, Lucas casually tossed it toward the Alpacaman.
The Alpacaman was completely dumbfounded.
No.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
Nobody had expected the deadly threat posed by the explosive collar to be neutralized so effortlessly.
Only when the explosive collar rapidly enlarged in his pupils did the Alpacaman finally snap out of his stupor.
Unfortunately, it was already too late for him to retreat.
BOOM!
A scorching wave of heat exploded outward.
The flames instantly engulfed the Alpacaman.
His agonized screams immediately alerted the dozens of guards remaining in the area.
Seeing what had happened, all the guards froze for a moment before charging over furiously.
"Notify the Chief Warden! We’ve got an outside intruder!"
One of the guards hurriedly pulled out a Den Den Mushi and made the call.
Hyogoro finally came back to his senses.
He frantically felt himself from head to toe, checking every part of his body before confirming that he was still alive.
He then looked at Lucas with an expression of utter disbelief.
During his decades in Udon Prison, he had personally witnessed countless people die beneath the explosive collars.
To the prisoners, those collars were essentially an unavoidable death sentence.
He had never imagined that in Lucas’s hands, such a deadly threat could be dealt with so casually.
However, seeing the guards rapidly gathering around them, Hyogoro immediately became anxious.
"Young man, thank you for saving me. I don’t know why you know who I am, but this isn’t the time for questions."
"Queen may not be in Udon Prison, but there are still four or five hundred guards here, including quite a few Gifters from the Beasts Pirates."
"Once they gather together, they’ll form a formidable fighting force. It’ll be difficult for us to deal with them."
As he spoke, Hyogoro quickly looked toward Nekomamushi.
"Nekomamushi, team up with this young man and hold them off for a while."
"I’ll find a way to gather the others. We may have handcuffs on, which will make moving inconvenient, but we’ll still make a decent fighting force!"
With that, Hyogoro turned around and prepared to leave.
However, before he could take another step, Nekomamushi grabbed his arm.
"Did you find him, Inuarashi?"
BOOM!
In the distance, the entrance to an abandoned prison cell—one that was rumored to be haunted by ghosts—was suddenly smashed apart.
Inuarashi reached inside and pulled out the figure hiding within.
His face immediately lit up with delight.
More than twenty years ago, after their failed attempt to defeat Kaido, the Nine Red Scabbards had been scattered and forced to go their separate ways.
After all these years, seeing one of their old comrades again was truly a cause for celebration.
Even the kappa hiding inside the cell was filled with shock.
"Nekomamushi! Inuarashi! What are you two doing back here?"
However, when he saw the guards rapidly pouring into the area, the kappa immediately tensed.
"Inuarashi, find me a sword!"
"I can take on ten!"
"No..."
"Although I haven’t fought in a long time and my body is a little rusty, I should be able to take on dozens!"
Hyogoro, who had been stopped in his tracks, was likewise astonished by the sudden appearance of the kappa.
"Nekomamushi, I never imagined that three of the Nine Red Scabbards would actually reunite here."
"You three were already warriors capable of standing on your own more than twenty years ago. After all this time, you must have become even stronger."
"With the three of you here, we can finally put our minds at ease."
"Still, I think we’d be better off being cautious. Let me gather the others first. They would add a tremendous amount of strength to our side."
"Besides, there are hundreds of guards inside Udon Prison. The more people we have, the better."
Hyogoro looked toward the guards who were continuing to gather and once again made his suggestion.
But the moment he finished speaking, Nekomamushi tightened his grip on Hyogoro’s arm.
Inuarashi likewise grabbed the kappa’s arm.
The strange scene left both the kappa and Hyogoro momentarily stunned.
Yet faced with the unprecedentedly grave expressions on Nekomamushi and Inuarashi’s faces, neither could understand what was happening.
They could only follow their gazes.
BOOM!
A massive trunk suddenly lashed out, smashing the rock beside it to pieces.
As the Chief Warden of Udon Prison, Babanuki was an imposing figure who possessed the power of an elephant.
His enormous body forced its way through the hundreds of guards.
He glared at Lucas and the others with fury.
Kaido had taken the main forces of the Beasts Pirates and left Wano.
As the warden responsible for Udon, Babanuki knew that if anything happened here at such a critical moment, he would be doomed.
Seeing the Alpacaman lying on the ground, his body charred black, Babanuki’s expression darkened to the extreme.
He roared hysterically,
"Good. Very good."
"You bastards actually dare to cause trouble while Boss Queen isn’t here!"
"Today, Babanuki is going to see exactly who is looking for death!"
"Everyone, attack!"
"I want to see what kind of waves a few ants can make!"
"Kill them!"
"Yes, Chief Warden Babanuki!"
Hundreds of guards responded with savage laughter.
In their eyes, these few people might have appeared out of nowhere.
But this was Udon Prison, a place renowned throughout the outside world as an impregnable fortress.
Even if quite a few prisoners gathered around them, there still weren’t enough to pose a threat to four or five hundred prison guards.
For a moment, their vicious laughter echoed throughout the entire stone quarry.
Four or five hundred guards charged toward Lucas with weapons in hand.
"Boss Hyogoro! We’re coming to help you!"
Dozens of prisoners also rushed over from all directions.
Learning Hyogoro’s true identity had left them utterly shocked, but it had also made them even more determined to come to his aid.
For the sake of the man they had once respected and followed, they were willing to risk their lives without hesitation.
Hyogoro was deeply moved by the sight.
He hurriedly prepared to say something.
But the words that reached his ears left him completely dumbfounded.
"Old man, when I count to three, run with everything you’ve got."
"Otherwise, you’re going to die!"
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