Shiryu's eyes were full of confusion.
His strength definitely surpassed most of the Vice Admirals of the Marines Headquarters.
Only the most elite, seasoned Vice Admirals could match him, and some of them might not even be his opponents.
But even so, when facing the man in front of him, he still felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.
It was a feeling he had never experienced before.
During their recent clash, he had felt an unstoppable power, an ocean-like Armament Haki, and the force of a thunderous, destructive lightning.
Even now, there was still a force in his left arm continuously destroying his flesh.
Shiryu knew that it was the internal destruction ability of advanced Armament Haki—a technique he hadn't mastered.
Meanwhile, the destructive currents of electricity were still rampaging through his body, paralyzing him and making it difficult to move.
The fact that he was even able to stand was him barely holding on.
"Not bad, Shiryu. You can still stand," Saunders remarked as he approached Shiryu, surprised that he was still able to stand.
The power of that punch had been quite impressive.
A typical Vice Admiral would be lucky not to die after taking a punch head-on. Saunders knew this too well, having sparred with Vice Admirals many times before entering Impel Down.
At that time, aside from the veteran Vice Admirals, the others might not have been able to match him.
Admirals and Vice Admirals were entirely different classes of beings.
A Vice Admiral who could take a full-force attack from an Admiral was considered one of the elites.
In the original series, Luffy, after defeating Doflamingo, was taken down in one hit by Kaido. Who could say Luffy wasn't strong enough to defeat Vice Admirals by that time?
Saunders wasn't saying he was stronger than Kaido right now, but he was at least on the same level. If they were to fight, it would take days to determine the winner.
His victory over Shiryu had been somewhat opportunistic. Electromagnetic force had caught Shiryu off guard, and he hadn't even had the chance to display his full swordsmanship.
Forcing a swordsman to trade punches was a bit unfair, especially given the hastiness of the clash.
"You're truly a monster, Saunders," Shiryu coughed a couple of times, using his sword for support, panting heavily. "After three years in Impel Down, not only has your strength not diminished, but you've grown to such a level."
"No wonder you're called the most talented monster in Marines history."
"It seems the Marines and the World Government have no idea what kind of enemy they've provoked."
Despite only having exchanged a single blow, Shiryu felt more exhausted than if he had fought for three days and nights.
Now he was certain: Saunders was definitely going to escape from Impel Down.
Magellan would never be able to stop him.
No wonder Saunders had been moving so slowly earlier, even finding the time to eat. He must have already been certain of his success.
When Saunders had left the kitchen and moved toward the third level, the surveillance room had already traced his steps and informed Shiryu, who was guarding the third floor.
"I originally planned to stay in the Marines to fight pirates," Saunders said with a shrug. "But those swine killed my foster father."
If his foster father hadn't been murdered, Saunders wouldn't have minded staying in the Marines, for the sake of his foster father and his mentor, Zephyr. At worst, he could have refused promotion to Admiral and found a position at some Marines base.
He wasn't a savior. He couldn't take on all the world's injustice and suffering. The best he could do was to fight more of the brutal pirates within his reach.
"If I were one of the Five Elders, I would have had that Celestial Dragon's head delivered to you on a platter rather than forcing an arrest order when you hadn't even made a move," Shiryu said, glancing at Saunders. "One Celestial Dragon isn't worth even a fraction of your value."
Shiryu already knew about Saunders' situation. He had heard the pirates on the sixth floor talk about it before, many of them mocking Saunders' predicament.
As the Chief Jailer of Impel Down, it wasn't surprising that Shiryu knew about these things.
Saunders' story wasn't widely known outside of the prison, even within the Marines. Except for Sengoku and Kizaru, others probably believed Saunders had actually tried to assassinate a Celestial Dragon.
In reality, Saunders hadn't even laid eyes on the Celestial Dragon before Sengoku and Kizaru were sent to arrest him.
At the time, Saunders had even wanted to call the police.
He couldn't believe he had been charged with a crime without even doing anything.
Perhaps that was why the Five Elders had sent CP0 as overseers, afraid that Sengoku and Kizaru would show mercy.
It was likely that this was all a loyalty test for the Marines.
"It's a pity," Saunders shrugged, "that after eight hundred years of ruling the world, the Celestial Dragons have become so arrogant that they no longer respect power."
Thunder began to gather at Saunders' fingertips.
Without hesitation, he unleashed it on Shiryu.
This time, he didn't go all out, using only fifty million volts.
Whether Shiryu lived or died would depend on his own fate.
The lightning struck Shiryu, and the sizzling sound of burning flesh filled the air. A charred smell emanated from his body as his muscles twitched involuntarily. He let out a pained groan.
Under the dazzling flash of lightning, Shiryu's body was outlined in a skeletal silhouette.
"Ugh...ahhhh!"
After delivering the lightning strike, Saunders turned and walked away.
His pace wasn't as leisurely as before.
Now that his strength had been revealed, if Magellan wasn't foolish, he would likely have already called for reinforcements from Marines Headquarters.
Saunders needed to speed up.
He wasn't afraid if the Marines sent one Admiral.
But if they sent two, and teamed up with Magellan at Impel Down...well, he wouldn't stand a chance.
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T/N:
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