Chapter 104: Operation Jailbreak
"Mmm..."
Panting sounds came from the room.
Zhao Yingkong's breathing became ragged; every gasp revealed she was giving it her all.
Although her movements were swift, they seemed like slow motion in Ren Arakawa's eyes. He could see her every move with perfect clarity.
Ren Arakawa's silhouette flickered around the room, his movements elegant and composed. Every dodge and counter-attack seemed effortless.
His Observation Haki allowed him to sense Zhao Yingkong's attacks before she made them, while his Three-Tomoe Sharingan enabled him to capture her every subtle movement.
Despite Zhao Yingkong's speed, all her efforts seemed futile under Ren Arakawa's dual perception.
Zhao Yingkong's heavily heaving chest wraps made Ren Arakawa want to laugh a little. He finally stopped dodging. "Alright, that's enough."
Despite his words, Zhao Yingkong couldn't stop her hand in time and thrust forward with a stab.
With a "clang!", the tip of Zhao Yingkong's dagger broke against Ren Arakawa's Iron Body defense. Zhao Yingkong herself nearly stumbled into Ren Arakawa's arms.
"What—what kind of skill is this?" Zhao Yingkong was stunned.
"Iron Body."
"What's that? How many points did it cost?"
"Well, it's a type of skill. I don't know if you'd be able to learn it."
"You're so strong."
After their spar ended, Zhao Yingkong gave her assessment.
On the surface, after Ren Arakawa had regained his freedom, he had experienced three horror movies.
But in reality, he hadn't gained much in the Main God Space.
Most of his improvements still relied on his other selves from different worlds.
"Alright, I'm going to exchange for time back in the previous horror world. See you in a bit!"
As Ren Arakawa finished speaking, Zhao Yingkong's vision blurred. Less than two seconds later, Ren Arakawa appeared before her again.
The reappeared Ren Arakawa was unshaven, smelled a bit sour, and had a very weary expression.
"What happened? Did you see Freddy again?"
"Not exactly. But our faces are on a wanted list, so we've been hiding from the police and haven't slept well."
"Fortunately, I've improved my proficiency with Observation Haki and mastered a new ability."
As soon as he finished speaking, he synchronized his proficiency in Observation Haki and the completely mastered Six Powers technique—Shave—with all the other Ren Arakawas.
Pirate Ren Arakawa: "It's funny when you say it out loud. Both of my skeleton teachers think I'm a once-in-a-century peerless genius, but in reality, with all of us combined, we've probably been learning for three months, right?"
Uchiha Ren: "Being able to learn it is pretty good. In the New World, even the Kung Fu Dugongs have mastered Armament Haki, but the main characters took a long time to figure it out. Take me, for example. If I were a genius, I would have definitely awakened my Sharingan before contacting you... Thankfully, diligence makes up for lack of talent, and we're learning through multiple threads."
Stephen Fang: "I just don't know how long it will take to learn magic. I've successfully established a connection with Asgard now, but I don't know when I'll be able to master teleportation magic."
Pirate Ren Arakawa knew what Marvel Ren Arakawa was implying.
A jailbreak!
Pirate Ren Arakawa: "Before you get your hands on teleportation magic, I should probably go out and get some fresh air."
Main God Ren Arakawa: "You're breaking out just like that? What if you get caught again and they put even stricter restraints on you?"
Pirate Ren Arakawa: "I have to try! I can't wait any longer! I must find out what happened to Iron Head. He was taken away for teaching me Iron Body. Without Iron Body, we might have died a dozen times over by now! I can't just ignore what happened to Iron Head."
Cutting off the chat, Pirate Ren Arakawa took a deep breath and looked at his skeleton teacher, "Carlson, what time is the Shirahoshi served?"
"How would I know? It should be soon, right? Heh heh, you'll see, Bennett. Anyone locked up in Starvation Hell, no matter how disgusting they once found Shirahoshi, how hard it was to swallow, will eventually come to see it as a divine gift after being imprisoned for a while!"
U'er Bennett laughed and said, "You might laugh, but back in the New World, I was defeated by a pirate with a two hundred million Berry bounty. He didn't kill me. My punishment was being forced to finish a huge barrel of Shirahoshi..."
As U'er Bennett recalled this, his face was full of smiles. "Back then, the way my crew looked at me wasn't right at all. It was also then that my first mate planted the seeds of betrayal. But whenever I think about that huge barrel of Shirahoshi..."
"*Slurp*..."
He wiped the corner of his mouth. "Delicious! If only I could have that much again."
Listening to the two skeleton teachers describe Shirahoshi—a substance worse than a drunkard's vomit—as if it were a five-star Michelin delicacy, Pirate Ren Arakawa was filled with emotion.
Due to long-term malnutrition, he also looked frail enough to be blown over by the wind.
Thinking of the bird-beast he ate in front of Shiryu of the Rain last time, Pirate Ren Arakawa's stomach growled.
Bennett chuckled, "Hahaha, don't worry, the Shirahoshi will be here soon! A big bowl for everyone, drink up!"
In the stuffy and almost suffocating prison cell, three starving figures huddled in a corner. The intermittent growling from their stomachs played out like a symphony of hunger.
Pirate Ren Arakawa closed his eyes, trying to find a sliver of peace amidst the noise, but his ears remained keenly focused on any sound from outside.
Suddenly, the sound of chaotic footsteps came from the corridor. To Pirate Ren Arakawa and the other two skeleton prisoners, this sound was nothing short of heavenly music.
Pirate Ren Arakawa's eyes snapped open, his sharp gaze piercing through the shadows of the cell. He knew the moment they had been waiting for had finally arrived.
The other two skeleton prisoners were no longer slumped over. Their eyes were wide open, their withered fingers gripping the cell bars tightly, their eyes flashing with a hungry light as they eagerly waited for the food delivery team to approach.
As the food delivery team was about to arrive at their cell door, Pirate Ren Arakawa suddenly spoke, "This stuff... do you guys really want to eat it? Can you each finish a whole barrel?"
The two nodded their heads rapidly, their eyes filled with a desperate craving for food. "Of course we can! I dream three times a day about downing a whole barrel of Shirahoshi!"
Pirate Ren Arakawa nodded. "Good! In a moment, when the food team arrives, I'll take care of the guards. When the cell door is open, I'll run. You two jump into the barrels and drink as much as you can!"
The two skeletons said in unison, "Okay, we'll drink!"
A second later, they both realized what he had said. "Wait a minute, what did you say?"
Pirate Ren Arakawa stood up, three blood-red tomoe spinning rapidly in his eye sockets. Without looking back, he said, "Yeah, I'm breaking out. You two take care."
(end of chapter)