One piece :Nox ( Before Dawn)

Sal shifted his focus from his thoughts and looked at Jinbe, who was sitting in a cage.

"Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, are you interested in going to Marineford with us? If Whitebeard is killed in battle, there will be no one to protect Fish-Man Island. Aside from Red-Haired, the other two Emperors aren't very friendly, and don't you want to save Ace?"

The direct offer took everyone by surprise.

Jinbe hesitated for a moment, but then his gaze became resolute. He understood that the stakes were high. His imprisonment on the sixth level of Impel Down was due to his refusal to participate in the war against Whitebeard's Pirates. The time had come to make a decision.

"Thank you for the offer. I have decided to join the battle to help my father and save my brother Ace."

The inclusion of a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea boosted the team's morale. Everyone knew Jinbe's reputation and character. He was a reliable person. The nickname "Knight of the Sea" spoke for itself.

[The S-class characters feel positive emotions towards the leader, basic friendliness, experience increased by 1000]

The sixth level of Impel Down became a massive bundle of experience for Sal, and he had specifically given the talisman to Luffy for this moment.

"Let's start reaping the harvest, turnip," he whispered, suppressing a smile.

Ivankov looked at Sal with disbelief. He had never heard of this young man before, but he had astonishingly accurately read the thoughts of the Seven Warlords. Could it be assumed that he was a skilled intriguer?

Luffy completely trusted this person. Ever since Sal's arrival, everyone felt that everything was under control. He was clearly prepared for anything.

Sal paid no attention to others' opinions. He turned and nodded toward the dark figure sitting in a nearby cage.

"Crocodile , you must not be fond of this environment. Interested in making a deal?" he asked, maintaining his confidence.

A middle-aged man with a thick mane of hair and a long scar on his face emerged from the shadows of the cage. Crocodile squinted with curiosity.

"Even though I don't know who you are, what gives you such confidence that I'll agree? I've never heard your name at sea."

"If you don't want to, forget it. There are plenty of others here who can help us. I'm not obliged to choose you among the Warlord whom Luffy defeated."

...

Upon hearing they were seeking help and Crocodile refused, the prisoners around began shouting.

"Choose me, choose me! I'll definitely help save Ace, the Fire Fist!"

"Choose me, I am very strong! I can take down any of the Warlord with a single blow!"

...

Crocodile paused for a moment, his face twisted. They dared to open up his wound. However, after a little thought, he decided that the situation required decisive action from him. If he missed the opportunity, he might spend the rest of his life here.

"I promise, as soon as you release me, I'll help you reach the Marineford headquarters and save Ace."

Recalling how Crocodile, during the war in the original story, attacked Whitebeard without hesitation, Sal added a condition.

"And also, during the war, you must not attack Whitebeard."

"... Fine. I promise."

At the moment, this condition didn't hold much weight. Once they reached Marineford, this unknown person couldn't restrain him.

[S-class characters experience normal emotions toward the master, basic surprise, experience increase by 1000]

Sal thoughtfully scratched his chin. The opponent wasn't hostile, it seems the Sand Crocodile wasn't that impulsive after all. Surprised that he guessed his intention to attack Whitebeard?

Footsteps continued. Ivankov and his people silently observed the actions of the suddenly appearing man.

Sal stopped in front of the cage. The enormous man sitting in the shadows trembled. He had clearly overheard the conversation outside.

"Brynnud World, you've heard the terms of the deal. Are you interested?" Sal asked.

A raspy voice came from the depths of the cage.

"I promise you, I will be your ally until you rescue Ace, the Fire Fist."

Seeing another prisoner being freed, the other inmates became even more agitated and started shouting.

"Me, me too! I am strong!"

"Release me, I'll be your subordinate." x15

The noise was unimaginable. Even Sal began to get angry. He stuck a finger in his nose and loudly shouted:

"Shut up, you scoundrels! I'm not letting you out; you can rot here!"

...

A moment of silence, then angry curses followed:

"Kid, I will definitely kill you!"

"I don't know where this newbie came from, but how dare he talk to me like that!"

"I will definitely kill you!"

"XXXXXOOOOOOOOX30

[S-class characters experience negative emotions towards the host, initial hostility, experience increase by 1000X29]

[S-class characters experience negative emotions towards the host, moderate surprise, experience increase by 2000X11]

[Level 59 (68431/76000)]

Just a little left until the next level. Sal grinned with cruelty and attacked the most insolent prisoner. With a fist clad in Armament, he smashed his head. Then he continued to attack the others, killing more than a dozen prisoners with a single blow, leaving pools of blood in his wake.

These prisoners were shackled with sea stone chains, were constantly starving, weak, and unable to resist.

Sea Stone, a hard metal known as the most durable, harder than diamond,

[S-class characters experience negative emotions towards the host, high level of fear, experience increase by 5000X11]

[S-class characters experience negative emotions towards the host, elementary surprise, experience increase by 1000X49]

The first records are the emotions of the dying prisoners before death, the second are the emotions of the surrounding prisoners, who witnessed the brutal scene orchestrated by Sal.

Fate points also appeared.

[Significantly alter the fate of S-class characters, reward 5000 points X11]

55000 points. Undoubtedly, the largest yield so far.

[Level up: Level 61, 13539/90000]

Rising two levels allowed Sal to break through in Observation skills once again. A familiar sensation emerged in his memory.

[Host: August D. Sal]

[Age: 26]

[Level: 61, 13539/90000]

[Strength: Senior (Vice Admiral)]

[Physical characteristics: Advanced (Vice Admiral)]

[Agility: Advanced (Vice Admiral)]

[Fruit: None]

[Skills: Peak]

[Armament Haki: Advanced]

[Observation Haki: Peak (Sound of all living things breathing)]

[Conqueror's Haki: Peak]

[Weapon: Ace]

[Points: 63879]

His physical characteristics have indeed reached the level of a Vice Admiral of headquarters, and the three main indicators are very close to the peak. Combined with the improvement in Observation Haki, his strength has significantly increased.

After ensuring he had killed more than a dozen prisoners and intimidated the rest, Thrall stopped the killing. Although these weaker opponents were tempting sources of experience for him, there was no time for that now.

The guards of Impel Down had already detected the intrusion, and Magellan was expected to arrive soon. Lacking means for a long-range group attack, Thrall had to forego these experience gains. Otherwise, he would have needed to unlock doors first and then kill, which would have been a massive undertaking.

Sal returned to the main group and tossed the key to Barrett, paying no attention to his confusion. After all, once Blackbeard arrives later, he will escape. It's better to do a good deed; it might be useful when they meet at sea in the future.

As for the two largest sources of experience he hadn't killed, who knows if those strong figures had backup plans. The prison break team couldn't afford to lose time.

Besides, they were "old acquaintances."

Luffy seemed like he wanted to say something but changed his mind.

"Sal, why did you kill them?"

Sal looked at his friend with clear concern. This was because Luffy had never killed anyone since he set out on his journey.

"Luffy, these are extremely evil people. Our prison break might enable them to escape successfully. If these scoundrels get free, it would be disastrous for ordinary people.

If you want to read advanced chapters follow me on patreon

30+ chapters

patron.com/Manofathousandskills