"Phew…"
"The feeling of freedom is really not bad."
Breathing in the air outside their cells, both Red and Barrett were in high spirits. After decades, they had finally broken free from prison. The feeling was nothing short of exhilarating.
"Let me out too! I can join your alliance!"
On the other side, after witnessing that Katie had truly freed Barrett and Red, the other prisoners couldn't stay calm anymore. They did everything they could to grab Katie's attention.
Red and Barrett, however, simply watched in silence, with no intention of getting involved. They were both lone wolves who couldn't care less about the fate of others. In fact, they were curious to see how Katie would handle the situation.
They were intrigued. What was this young man's true purpose for going through so much trouble to get here? If it was simply to grow stronger, he should've been releasing more prisoners. But based on their observations, Katie didn't seem interested in that. And that puzzled them.
"Sorry, everyone. You're not part of my plan. Barrett, if you don't mind, clean things up—it's too noisy."
"Heh heh."
Barrett never refused destruction.
The next moment, a terrifying aura swept across the area again, even more violent and chaotic than before. Like a hellish storm of wrath, it surged outward from Barrett, engulfing nearly half of Level 6. Instantly, the noise around them quieted down.
Barrett glanced at Katie—and for the first time, a trace of recognition appeared in his eyes.
This time, Barrett didn't bother to avoid Katie. Katie stood right within the range of Barrett's Conqueror's Haki.
At such close range, the pressure Katie endured far exceeded what anyone else faced. But even so, he showed no signs of discomfort. Through this test, Barrett silently acknowledged Katie as a worthy ally.
"Padon, Padon."
A childish voice suddenly called out as a furry head popped up from Red's shoulder.
"This is my companion, Padon. A mythical zoan-type raccoon dog fruit user. He's an actual raccoon dog—but he's learned human language."
But Katie wasn't listening at all. His entire focus was on what Padon was holding.
In its little hands was a purple Devil Fruit with black swirls—without a doubt, a real Devil Fruit. It was Katie's first time seeing one in person. Although he was already a Devil Fruit user, his powers had been copied by the system. He had never actually seen the real thing before now.
If he guessed correctly, this was another mythical zoan-type, the Bat-Bat Fruit. Its user could enhance themselves by drinking blood—ignore the effects of aging, and maintain a peak youthful state indefinitely.
For someone like Red, whose physical condition had significantly declined after decades of imprisonment, this fruit was perfect. As someone from the same generation as Whitebeard and Roger, his body was no longer what it once was—but this fruit could help him return to, or even surpass, his prime.
What surprised Katie wasn't just the fruit itself—but the fact that it existed here.
How had someone imprisoned in Level 6 managed to keep a Devil Fruit hidden all this time? No one would believe it if he told them.
No wonder, in the original story, Red was able to escape during the chaos caused by Blackbeard. The real reason must've been this Devil Fruit. Even without Katie's help, Red probably could've escaped on his own.
Under the watchful eyes of Katie and Barrett, Red began eating the entire Devil Fruit bite by bite, his face emotionless the whole time.
"This thing tastes disgusting."
"And yet you ate the whole thing? You idiot! With Devil Fruits, just one bite is enough! What are you, stupid?!"
Barrett was speechless at Red's comment. He never imagined the legendary "Red the Aloof" was such a clueless fool. And to think he had just formed an alliance with him—it made him instantly regret his decision.
"So what? No matter how bad it tastes, it's still food. Honestly, it's only a bit worse than what they served in Impel Down. It's still edible."
Barrett went silent at that. As prisoners of Impel Down, decent food was unheard of—it was always expired slop. Compared to that, at least the Devil Fruit was fresh.
"So tell us, Katie. What exactly is your goal?"
Shifting the conversation, Red directly pointed the question at Katie. Even now, he had no idea what Katie truly wanted. So he decided to ask outright.
If Katie had only come here to form an alliance with him and Barrett, he wouldn't buy it.
Sure, the two of them were strong—but it's not like they were the strongest in the world. With Katie's strength, he could've found plenty of allies outside. There was no need to take such a massive risk by coming here.
Barrett was curious too. Ever since Katie appeared, they had been observing him. But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't figure out his true intentions. Left with no choice, they decided to ask him directly.
"My goal?"
Katie didn't answer immediately. His original goal had been simple—to make sure Ace lived.
But after the system came into play, his objectives began to shift. And now… even Katie himself wasn't completely sure what his ultimate goal was.
Still, the question didn't trouble him for long. The next moment, an answer formed in his heart.
"You've probably heard about the situation on the seas lately. The Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy are about to go to war."
"The seas are about to erupt—and I plan to be part of it. If you two are willing, I'd love to have your help. But if not, that's fine too."
"Tell us your plan first."
Neither of them agreed nor refused. They had more or less expected this answer.
After all, the entire world's attention was focused on the clash between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy. It wasn't surprising that Katie wanted to get involved.
"My plan is…"
Katie leaned in and whispered a few words to the two of them, roughly explaining his intentions.
"That's the gist of it. The rest will depend on how things play out."
When Katie finished speaking, Red and Barrett stood frozen, unable to respond.
What Katie had just told them was shocking. Their eyes kept scanning him up and down, as if trying to reevaluate everything they thought they knew about him.
This guy… was a lunatic.
Whether he succeeded or not, Katie's plan would seriously damage the Navy's reputation. But if he failed—he'd die.
And yet, there wasn't even a trace of fear on Katie's face. It was as if the idea of failure never even crossed his mind.