The Marines completely sealed off news of Cheng Xiaoyu's successful escape from Impel Down and the massacre he unleashed there.
This incident was internally defined by the Marines as—
The Impel Down Massacre!
In this heinous incident, Admiral Kizaru of Marineford sustained minor injuries, and the warden of Impel Down intentionally caused a disturbance.
All criminals from the third level, Starvation Hell, to the fifth level, Freezing Hell, were slaughtered!
Bullet, a former member of the Pirate King Roger Pirates and a Devil Offspring, was killed on the sixth level!
Marineford was enraged, and the World Government also heightened its vigilance.
They directly increased Cheng Xiaoyu's bounty from 60 million Berries to 500 million Berries!
This was already equivalent to the bounty of a regular Shichibukai, or on par with the bounty of a Four Emperors crew captain like Ace.
The photo on the wanted poster was also updated to his latest, terrifying Shura form.
This was because when Cheng Xiaoyu unleashed the massacre in Impel Down, he was covered in blood, resembling a Shura from hell.
At the same time, Cheng Xiaoyu also received a reward of 460,000 points due to the increased bounty!
He used this massive amount of points entirely to enhance his own strength.
Armament Haki and Observation Haki broke through their bottlenecks in one go, reaching the advanced level!
Haoshoku also received a significant boost, reaching the intermediate level!
The improvement of the three types of Haki brought a qualitative leap in Cheng Xiaoyu's strength.
Such an improvement was enormous!
It must be said that Garp capturing Cheng Xiaoyu and bringing him to Impel Down played right into Cheng Xiaoyu's hands.
And all of this was within Kuro's plan; Kuro had suggested that Cheng Xiaoyu proactively go to Impel Down while his bounty was low, but the motive couldn't be too obvious.
So they used Garp to legitimately enter the third level of Impel Down.
It must be said, Kuro truly is a rare talent!
...
At this moment, Cheng Xiaoyu was lying on the deck of the Shadow, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility.
He was also human, and humans have emotions and desires.
Besides getting stronger, he also needed to live.
"Heh, I wonder how much Nami has grown now… Robin must have already joined the Straw Hats too…"
Cheng Xiaoyu calculated the time; it probably took Luffy about twenty days to travel from Alabasta, fight his way to Sky Island, and then defeat Eneru, that 'power bank'.
"Considering that, there's no need to rush the journey," he muttered to himself.
So, he instructed Kuro to prepare for a two-day rest and to replenish fresh water and food.
After all, the Shadow's supplies were running low.
The Shadow sailed for two days on the calm sea and finally arrived at a small town called Echo.
As night fell, Cheng Xiaoyu wandered alone to the liveliest tavern in town.
It was called a tavern, but it was more like a small entertainment venue, filled with raucous noise, smoky air, and the pervasive smell of cheap alcohol and sweat.
Cheng Xiaoyu frowned, found a relatively quiet corner to sit down, and shouted towards the bar: "A glass of rum!"
The bartender was a portly middle-aged man with a fawning smile on his face: "Alright, honored guest, please wait a moment!"
Soon, a glass of pale yellow rum was brought over. Cheng Xiaoyu took the glass and gulped it down.
"Pfft!" He couldn't help but stick out his tongue, "What is this? It's too awful to drink!"
Compared to the rum at Smoker's place in Loguetown, it was like heaven and earth.
Moreover, the alcohol in this godforsaken place was ridiculously expensive, 500 Berries for one glass! It was practically robbery!
Cheng Xiaoyu was a bit puzzled; this terrible tavern, expensive and unpalatable, why was its business so booming?
Soon, he found the answer.
After a few rounds of drinks, the previously noisy tavern suddenly quieted down, and everyone looked towards the stage, their eyes filled with anticipation.
A scrawny, lecherous host walked onto the stage with a microphone and shouted in his sharp voice: "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Echo Tavern! Tonight, we have prepared a special program for everyone!"
"I'm sure you're all impatient, aren't you? So, without further ado, let's give a warm round of applause to tonight's guest—the mermaid, Alice!"
As soon as his voice fell, the curtain on the stage slowly opened, and a huge water tank appeared before everyone.
Inside the water tank was a mermaid with a blue fish tail, but a perfectly curved upper body.
"Wow!"
"A mermaid! This is my first time seeing a real mermaid!"
"So beautiful! She's simply a stunning beauty!"
The audience immediately erupted, everyone captivated by the mermaid's beauty.
Cheng Xiaoyu also slightly narrowed his eyes, observing the mermaid in the water tank with interest.
It must be said, this mermaid was indeed very beautiful, with delicate features, a hot figure, and long, light blue hair floating in the water.
But her eyes were hollow, and her face was expressionless, clearly indicating she wasn't there willingly; it was highly likely she had been kidnapped and sold to this small town.
The mermaid began to perform in the water; her singing was ethereal and sorrowful, as if narrating the loneliness of the deep sea.
Cheng Xiaoyu watched her, but there were no ripples in his heart.
"Boring," he muttered.
After the performance, the auction officially began.
"Next up is the moment everyone has been looking forward to the most!" The short host rubbed his hands, a lecherous smile on his face, "That is—the auction for private time with the mermaid!"
"Starting bid, fifty thousand Berries!"
"Each bid must not be less than ten thousand Berries!"
"Now, let the bidding begin!"
As soon as the short host's voice fell, someone in the audience immediately raised their hand impatiently.
"I bid sixty thousand!"
"I bid eighty thousand!"
"I bid one hundred thousand!"
...
The price soared, quickly breaking through two hundred thousand Berries.
"Two hundred thousand and one!" A rough voice came from the crowd.
Cheng Xiaoyu followed the sound and saw a burly man with a fleshy face, holding a wine glass, staring greedily at the mermaid in the water tank.
"It's Butler, the town's bully, the second-in-command of the mafia!" Someone recognized the strong man's identity and exclaimed softly.
"Now no one will dare to compete with him, right?"
"Who dares to oppose Butler? Are they tired of living?"
...
Indeed, after Butler shouted the price of two hundred thousand and one, the scene immediately fell silent, and no one dared to bid again.
"Are there any higher bids?" The short host wiped the sweat from his forehead, asking cautiously.
He knew clearly that Butler was a notorious bully in town, the number two figure in the mafia, and no one dared to offend him.
If no one bid again, then this auction would be monopolized by Butler.
"Three hundred thousand." A calm voice broke the silence.
Everyone looked at Cheng Xiaoyu again, their eyes filled with surprise and doubt.
"Who is this kid? He actually dares to challenge Butler?"
"He's dead! Butler definitely won't let him go!"
...
Butler also turned his head, glaring fiercely at Cheng Xiaoyu, his eyes full of menace.
"Kid, are you intentionally looking for trouble?" He walked in front of Cheng Xiaoyu, looking down at him, and said coldly.
Cheng Xiaoyu looked up, meeting Butler's gaze with an expression like he was looking at an idiot, a wicked smile curving his lips: "So what if I am?"
"You're asking for death!" Butler roared, raising his fist and smashing it towards Cheng Xiaoyu's face.
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, Butler's fist stopped in mid-air.
Cheng Xiaoyu's hand tightly gripped Butler's wrist, rendering him immobile.
"Just you?" Cheng Xiaoyu sneered, slightly exerting force on his wrist.
"Crack!"
With a crisp sound, Butler's wrist was actually crushed directly by Cheng Xiaoyu!
"Ah—!" Butler let out a miserable shriek, clutching his wrist, and painfully collapsed to the ground.
"Is there anyone else who wants to compete with me?" Cheng Xiaoyu looked around, asking with icy eyes.
The scene was utterly silent; everyone was intimidated by Cheng Xiaoyu's ruthless methods, and no one dared to utter a sound.
"Very good." Cheng Xiaoyu nodded in satisfaction, then turned to the short host on the stage, "I'll pay three hundred thousand to take the mermaid."
The short host immediately nodded and bowed, saying: "Good, good, good! This guest, please wait a moment, I'll arrange it for you right away!"
"Wait." Cheng Xiaoyu suddenly thought of something and called out to the short host.
"Do you have any other instructions?" The short host asked cautiously.
"Wash her clean and send her to my room. Also, prepare some good wine and food; I want to have a good chat with the mermaid."
Cheng Xiaoyu licked his lips, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.