【One Piece】Dawn in the Darkness

Chapter 398 A Well-Deserved Hug

ten minutes ago

"Tell me, where is Ace being held captive, and where is the key to the seastone handcuffs I have?"

Lucci stared at the terrified guard expressionlessly. He applied a little force to the scalpel in his hand, and a bloodstain instantly appeared. "I'll keep you here for a while."

"Don't kill me!" the guard shouted in horror. "Fire Fist Ace is imprisoned on the sixth floor. The key to the handcuffs on the sixth floor is in the warden's office! That's all I know. Please don't kill me..."

Lucci frowned as he looked at the guard who suddenly fainted. He was so useless that he left the guard who was scared and fainted behind. He hadn't even asked how to get to the warden's office yet. Forget it, he would first find a way to remove the seastone on his wrist. Although it would not restrict his movements, not only could he not use his fruit ability, but his body would also become weaker and he had a headache because of it. Feeling the constant danger warnings from his body, Lucci breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at the guard.

Looking at the guard's clothes, Lucci took them off without hesitation, then put them on, and finally put on the guard's hat and sunglasses, picked up the guard's weapon, walked through the mess on the ground, and quickly left the infirmary.

Feeling the scorching heat, Lucci frowned, but he didn't stop walking. He quickly crossed the corridor, trying to avoid the guards at the corners and the Den Den Mushi overhead. He finally stopped in front of a huge black door. It said "Warden's Office" on it. He thought it would be difficult to find, but the front seemed to be the kitchen...

Pressing his abdomen, his stomach contracted painfully. Feeling the intense burning sensation in his stomach, Lucci frowned. He hadn't eaten for a few days, but he couldn't eat now. He needed to find the key first. He would find something to eat soon. He should also make sure Ace had something to eat. After all, there would be a big battle coming up.

Thinking of this, Lucci quickly pushed open the black door and slipped in. He moved quickly, although he didn't feel any threatening people nearby.

The warden's office was huge, and almost everything inside was huge. In the center of the room stood a desk, with some paperwork and a Den Den Mushi neatly placed on it. To the left were three rooms labeled bedroom, bathroom, etc.

Lucci first noticed the room at the back of the left with the word "KEY" written on it. He pushed the door open carefully and saw a wall of keys of various types hanging on it. When he was about to look for his and Ace's keys in the bunch of keys with "Level 6" written on them, he suddenly noticed that there were only some numbers on the keys.

How can I find this? Lucci sighed in disappointment, turned around and looked around, and noticed a separate shelf with two keys hanging on it. He couldn't help but smile because his and Ace's names were written on them. Oh, his key had "Son of Dragon" written on it. He hated this name, especially when it came from the mouth of that damn navy.

What he wanted to do next was...

……

"Report!" A guard hurriedly reported to Magellan who was coming out of the elevator, "Warden, the warehouse... the warehouse is on fire!"

"How could there be a fire so far away from the blood pool?" Magellan frowned and said, "Send someone to put it out immediately!"

“Yes, sir!

"Wait, Hannibal, send someone to the infirmary immediately!" Magellan ordered Hannibal while walking quickly towards the burning warehouse. He didn't think it was just an ordinary warehouse fire, but someone was causing a riot. "Mobilize all guards to the fourth floor immediately!"

After the others had left, Lu Qi finally emerged from the shadows. Could that guy be the warden of this prison? He exuded a dangerous aura, but the elevator was still open...no need to search for the entrance to the lower level.

Level 6 was utterly dark, the air filled with a chill filled with the smell of death, and fog covered most of the area. Unlike Level 4 where painful screams could be heard constantly, the silence here was eerie.

Although his vision was limited, as soon as the elevator door opened, he could sense the faint presence of Ace in the cell just a few meters away. He noticed the Den Den Mushi on the wall. Although he knew that the guards probably didn't have time to pay attention to this place due to the chaos on the fourth floor, Lucci still lowered the brim of his hat, lowered his head slightly, and walked calmly like a normal guard, while his eyes gradually adjusted to the dark environment around him.

Lucci could feel one or two pairs of evil eyes staring at him in each cell, but he ignored them and continued to walk slowly towards Ace's cell. After trying twice, he successfully opened the door with the key.

Standing at the door and looking at Ace with his head down, Lucci couldn't help but feel his eyes moist. He couldn't believe that he had actually forgotten his brother. He didn't even think of him after being with them for so long. He had completely forgotten the connection between them. A feeling of self-loathing spread in the corner of his body.

Looking at the numerous scars and bloodstains on Ace's body, anger filled his chest. Damn Blackbeard, and those damn guards, Lucci cursed in his heart while observing Ace's physical condition. Although the lines of his muscles were still obvious, the symptoms of hunger and dehydration as well as obvious fatigue were clearly visible on Ace's body. He would solve this problem later.

Lucci approached Ace and noticed that even as he got closer, Ace still kept his head down in silence, his arms hanging limply, his chin tucked against his chest, his eyes lowered, and his mood was obviously depressed. Lucci frowned in confusion. He would ask him later, now he needed to solve another problem.

Lucci thought about it, and then took some food to feed him first. Ace wanted to hurry up to replenish his status, but when he saw Ace just staring at him blankly and not chewing the bread in his mouth, Lucci had to urge him softly, "Eat quickly, idiot."

Then he got him more food before Ace could ask any questions. They didn't have time to waste here anyway.

While Ace was chewing, Lucci opened his handcuffs and leg irons, and took out other food for him to eat by himself, because he had just noticed another figure in the cell.

"Jinbei, why are you here too?" Lucci asked as he walked over to untie Jinbei's chains.

"Lucci!" Jinbei stared at Lucci in awe. Only now did he dare to believe that this was true. He really didn't expect that he not only escaped from the trapped state, but also successfully reached the sixth floor to rescue Ace and even got food.

"It's me. We have to hurry and get out of here. The guards will react soon!" Lucci replied while handing some more water and food to Jinbei. "We still have a long way to go."

Ace quickly finished all the water and food. This was the most he had eaten since he was trapped. Before, he only had a small amount of water and food that was barely enough to survive.

Ace stood up. After being freed from the confines of the seastone, and with the added food he had just consumed, his body finally regained its strength and was no longer too weak. His pale skin gradually became radiant, and some bruises disappeared. However, his legs, which had not moved for a long time, were still a little stiff, and his steps were a little unsteady. But as soon as he got close to Lucci, he hugged him tightly, holding on to him with all his strength. Ace took a deep, trembling breath, "How did you do it, Lucci?"

Lucci was slightly startled, his body stiffening a bit. Ace rarely hugged, and this hug was a little too tight... too tight, to the point of being uncomfortable. Feeling Ace's slightly trembling breath, Lucci tentatively hugged Ace with both arms in return, relaxing his body. "I'm not trapped by those guards yet."

Lucci let Ace hold him for a while, then he patted Ace's back. Although he wanted the hug to last longer, now was not the time. They should take action.

Before letting go, Ace hugged his brother tightly again. He had worried so much and he deserved it, but now was not the time.

"The guards will soon notice something is wrong. We have to leave here before they find out." Lucci explained, then walked out of the cell door and led them towards the stairs. He didn't care about the Den Den Mushi anymore. The moment Ace and the others came out, they would soon notice something was wrong. The elevator probably wouldn't be usable, so they had to take the stairs.

"You need help escaping the prison, I can help you."