I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

However, soon a cacophony of shouts and discussions filled the prison, dispelling the previous awkward atmosphere.

"Shiki the Golden Lion!"

"You bastard, you've actually gone back to Impel Down again!"

"Wait... what happened to your leg?"

Discussions arose everywhere in the Infinite Hell; they were all astonished.

Shiki the Golden Lion once served time in Impel Down, a top-tier pirate in this endless hell, and later even managed to escape alone.

It's fair to say that, as the only escaped convict, the Golden Lion's fame within Impel Down is unparalleled.

And now he's actually back in Impel Down?

The Golden Lion, cigar in mouth, let out a long laugh as his gaze swept across the cells of this endless hell.

In these cells, everyone is an extremely dangerous criminal, and many of them were once his rivals, even from the turbulent old era.

For example...

In the cell next to Teach's, a tall, thin old man with white hair braided and hanging down to his shoulders opened his eyes.

"Shiki, it's been ten years, hasn't it?"

The old man's gaze swept over Shiki, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"It's truly enviable; ten years have passed, and you seem to have not aged at all."

This old man is none other than Redfield, the Lone Red, a great pirate who once single-handedly rivaled Roger, Shiki, and others. His Observation Haki had reached the point where he could see into people's hearts.

Years ago, Redfield had a great battle with the current World Government Commander-in-Chief, Cyborg Kong, who was ultimately defeated by Redfield.

However, he was exhausted as a result and was captured by Garp, who arrived later, and taken to Impel Down.

Before the Golden Lion could respond, another loud and excited voice came from another cell.

"Hahaha... Shiki the Golden Lion... Your aura is still very strong... It seems you, like me, haven't given up training."

The golden lion looked up and saw a tall, muscular man in the cell, with long, flowing golden hair.

What was striking was that the burly man was still radiating heat, the sweat evaporating from his body after strenuous exercise...

Barrett, the Devil's Descendant.

He was a member of Roger's pirate crew. At the age of 15, he was able to fight Rayleigh to a standstill, and only Roger could defeat him.

Barrett is only 33 years old this year, in the prime of her life.

“Barrett…” The Golden Lion frowned slightly.

"This monster has been locked up in Impel Down for over a decade, and its aura has actually grown stronger?"

The golden lion's gaze continued to sweep across the area.

The tyrannical king Avalo Pizarro, the "Moon Hunter" Katarina Depon, the "Giant Battleship" San Juan Wolf...

He saw more legendary pirates, but his gaze finally settled on a special cell.

Inside that cell was a huge block of ice, and inside the ice was a burly man wearing a horned helmet.

World Destroyer Wald.

He was also a great pirate who once rivaled Shiki, Roger, and others.

The golden lion turned around and looked at these legends who had once been active in the old era, and was filled with pride.

Chapter 530 Blackbeard's mentality collapses

"Hehehehe... Do you want to know the truth about my new legs?"

The golden lion's loud laughter echoed throughout this endless hell.

Then, his gaze fell once again on Wald, who was frozen in a huge block of ice.

"Wald, it's time for you to wake up."

The golden lion stretched out its hand, and clouds gradually gathered in its hand. The clouds changed from white to black, with faint flashes of lightning within them.

Finally, the black cloud condensed into the shape of a longsword, which the golden lion grasped in its hand.

"Watch closely! This is the second Devil Fruit I've eaten, the power of the Cloud-Cloud Fruit!"

"Thundercloud Sword!"

The Golden Lion gripped the Thundercloud Sword in one hand, blazing white lightning crackling around its blade, before swung it fiercely toward Vald's cell!

A dazzling golden sword light, crackling with brilliant lightning, struck the cell, instantly cleaving the cell, which was filled with sea stone, in two.

Not only that, the ice layer where Wald was located was also cut away by more than half of the sword light before completely collapsing.

The man inside the ice finally opened his eyes.

"Shiki the Golden Lion... Is this a prison?"

Wald clenched his fist; his memory was still stuck on the day he was arrested many years ago, and he was somewhat taken aback.

But the next second, the Infinite Hell was completely drowned out by the prisoners' screams.

"The Cloud-Cloud Fruit! But Shiki is clearly a user of the Float-Float Fruit!"

"The rumors those prison guards were talking about... are true!"

"Golden Lion really did eat a second Devil Fruit and become a dual Devil Fruit user!"

"Angel Fruit! He ate a real Angel Fruit!"

The Golden Lion's move deeply touched even the prisoners.

They were among the most dangerous criminals on the sea, and were also very strong themselves. Of course, they knew how important the Angel Fruit was.

"It seems that the sea has indeed undergone earth-shattering changes... even the Angel Fruit has appeared."

Barrett's eyes gleamed, and her tone was filled with longing.

This is a secret treasure that can further enhance the strength of a powerhouse like the Golden Lion!

His greatest desire is to become stronger, stronger, until he becomes the strongest in the world!

Redfield calmed down a bit, glanced at Blackbeard, who had just escaped from the cell next door, and a mocking smile appeared on his face.

"Angel Fruit...it should belong to me!"

Blackbeard's face turned green, but at the same time, he had some doubts in his heart.

Shiki the Golden Lion was already a renowned figure on the high seas. Given his character and charisma, he shouldn't have flaunted his dual Devil Fruit abilities in front of these prisoners...

Blackbeard suddenly had a bad feeling.

Then, he heard the golden lion pat its legs, which were covered in ice crystals, and say:

"That's right, I did eat the Angel Fruit. My legs now are also thanks to the Cloud Fruit."

"You all know very well, and you're very resentful, that in the years you've been trapped in Impel Down, the outside world has undergone earth-shattering changes..."

"Do you want freedom? Do you want to obtain the Angel Fruit like me, and gain even greater... power?"

The golden lion, with a cigar dangling from his lips and a wildly upturned smile, spoke in an extremely seductive tone.

Just as the prisoners were getting excited, Redfield snorted coldly:

"So, Golden Lion, what is the price?"

"Don't tell me you suddenly had the idea to rush back to Impel Down just to give us former enemies freedom."

Redfield wore a mocking smile:

“If you really wanted to do that, you would have done it 12 years ago when you escaped Impel Down.”

"Hehehehehe... Ryder, you can see right through my thoughts."

After a long laugh, the golden lion's smile faded, and he addressed the prisoners, saying each word clearly:

"I will grant you your freedom, and through my abilities, I will send you out of Impel Down."

"And you also have a great opportunity to join me, Shiki the Golden Lion, in taking revenge on this world. How about it, isn't it a good deal?"

The Golden Lion said this.

He didn't intend to recruit all the strong people here, nor did he plan to force them to join; he simply extended an olive branch.

Shiki's early experience with the Rocks Pirates taught him that a pirate crew that isn't united is ultimately powerless, no matter how strong it is.

Upon hearing this, all the prisoners in the Infinite Hell began to stir with excitement.

Golden Lion is just recruiting; they're not forcing anyone to join... Only a fool would refuse!

These candid remarks even inspired many people to consider joining the Golden Lion's ranks.

"I'll join!"

“Golden Lion, you are the only dual-ability user in the world, which has never happened before in history. Following you will be a worthwhile investment.” Frostmoon Hunter Katarina Demi nodded.

"Haha... That's bold! Count me in for the Flying Pirates! But if I find out you don't have the ability to be captain, then let me take over the Flying Pirates."

The tyrannical king, Abaro Pizarro, also responded with a loud laugh.

In the distance, Vista and the others watched this scene and whispered among themselves:

"As expected, Father was right. Shiki wants to take this opportunity to expand... but this has nothing to do with our Whitebeard Pirates."

Sachi continued:

"Yes... it's fortunate that we were able to rescue the Teach brothers this time, don't you think, Teach?"

After Sachi finished speaking, he patted Teach on the shoulder with a smile, but noticed that Teach's expression was a little stiff.

"Shiki the Golden Lion... How could he... How could he do such a thing?"

Blackbeard's mentality completely collapsed.

Even after being imprisoned in Impel Down, his ambition never disappeared.

In fact, for the past three months, he had been secretly observing his fellow inmates in Impel Down, assessing their strength.

For example, Frostmoon Hunter, Evil King, and others... These individuals are among the top criminals in Infinite Hell, and were already Blackbeard's chosen crew members.