章 9: One Punch
"Who goes there!"
The prisoners on the sixth floor opened their eyes one by one, gazing at the tall figures approaching in the distance.
"Hey there~"
A sly chuckle echoed.
The figure finally emerged from the shadows of the blazing fire.
This man was incredibly tall, dressed in the attire of an underwater prison guard, with a long sword hanging at his side. He swung a cigar casually while surveying the cells on either side of the prison.
Upon seeing him, everyone's eyes widened with surprise.
"Rain... Shiryu!"
"Hey, you managed to get out!"
Crocodile sneered, "I remember you, just like us, you were locked up by Magellan!"
"That Magellan guy doesn't have time to bother with me."
"Not only that, I got released thanks to that guy's orders!"
Rain Shiryu exhaled a smoke ring and laughed.
In the original storyline, he would eventually be released from Impel Down. However, Luffy's escape would happen after he had recovered, and he would escape alongside Ivankov, causing a commotion within the underwater prison. But with Whitebeard's arrival, he was released a few hours earlier.
Nevertheless, his personality remained unchanged. He was still the same ruthless assassin, known for killing a jailer in Level 6 of Impel Down in the original story.
"No time to worry about you? It seems Magellan is in big trouble!"
Crocodile smirked.
"It's indeed a big trouble!"
"Or rather, it's a big trouble for everyone here, and if you're not careful, you might die!"
Rain Shiryu sneered again.
He said no more, leaning his back against the wall and closing his eyes.
"If we're not careful, we might die?"
His words grabbed the attention of all the prisoners in Level 6.
Everyone was left wondering what had transpired in Impel Down that led Magellan to release the notorious killer, Rain Shiryu.
...
The fifth floor, Freezing Hell.
Whitebeard and Joz had finally reached the sixth floor through the passageway.
As they stepped onto the sixth floor, they encountered a grisly scene – the bodies of jailers lay strewn about as if a massacre had just occurred.
"The blood is still fresh, and it hasn't been long since these jailers were killed!"
Joz crouched down, examining the blood. "Could it be that a prisoner has escaped from here?"
"Don't worry, let's find Ace first!"
Whitebeard spoke calmly.
Escaping from Impel Down's Level 6 was an extremely daunting task. If Rain Shiryu had indeed been released, it was no concern of his.
With that, he walked further into the prison.
Meanwhile, the inmates on the sixth level were still contemplating the meaning behind Rain Shiryu's words.
It wasn't until the sound of footsteps reached their ears that many prisoners snapped out of their thoughts.
Step by step, the steady footsteps echoed, resonating through the otherwise silent Eternal Hell, and the sound seemed eerily jarring.
All eyes turned toward the direction of the approaching footsteps through the cracks in the iron cell bars.
Two figures were drawing nearer from the distance.
Their shadows stretched long beneath the orange flames, making it difficult to discern whether the owners of the shadows were male or female.
"Are these the ones that Yuzhi Shiryu spoke of, who hold our fate in their hands?"
The prisoners sneered.
But as those words left their lips, a powerful presence washed over them.
The aura spread, and the prisoners of Level 6 were overcome with shock.
"How familiar is this overwhelming pressure!"
Crocodile rose abruptly and advanced toward the cell door, step by step, fixing his gaze on the approaching figure. "Is that you... Old man Whitebeard!!!"
Under the watchful eyes of all present, the figure finally emerged.
A towering frame, a flowing white beard resembling a crescent moon, and an aura akin to that of a lion!
At the sight of this man, all the prisoners fell silent.
Unbelievable expressions crossed their faces.
Whitebeard!
The man who had shared the same era with D. Roger, the king of the seas!
Eternal Hell had descended upon Impel Down.
"Whitebeard, it's truly you!"
Crocodile was the first to react, slamming his palm against the iron bars of the cell, his eyes bloodshot.
"Hahahaha, so it's you!"
"Whitebeard, it's been a while, but I still remember Bartholomew Kuma, who fell at your hands!"
"Damn you, Whitebeard, I'm going to take you down!"
"This is interesting; you've come to Eternal Hell. Are you here to rescue someone?"
The prisoners on the sixth floor roused, roaring and laughing.
"It's you, Crocodile!"
Whitebeard turned his head slowly, calmly acknowledging the familiar face.
"You've actually infiltrated Impel Down!"
Crocodile's expression was complex, but he soon burst into laughter. "Unfortunately for you, it seems you're a step too late!"
"Pops!"
Jinbei, hearing the commotion, stood up excitedly. "Brother Ace was taken away twenty minutes ago!"
"What?"
Joz's expression shifted.
"Is it really too late?"
Whitebeard frowned, realizing that he had missed the opportunity.
However, he wasn't overly disheartened and instead gazed at the prisoners in Level 6.
Sensing Whitebeard's stare, the inmates who held grudges against him erupted into laughter.
"Is Fire Fist Ace your kin?"
"Hahahaha, I heard he's to be executed soon; what a delight!"
"Whitebeard, you've finally met your match!"
"Die well, and you'll get a taste of losing your crew and loved ones, hip-hip, hahaha!"
A cacophony of manic and cruel laughter echoed throughout Eternal Hell.
"You bastards!"
Joz seethed with anger.
"Guraguragura"
"Parasites abandoned by the times can only exist like roundworms in Eternal Hell, stripped of freedom and subjected to suffering. And yet, you can still laugh!"
Whitebeard's response wasn't fury; instead, he let out a hearty laugh.
"What did you say!"
These words seemed to cut through everyone's hearts, igniting a fresh wave of roars from the prisoners.
But before they could finish, they witnessed Whitebeard raise his fist and deliver a crushing blow into the air.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave rippled out, sweeping through the surroundings.
The prisoners who had been defiant moments ago were struck by the formidable shockwave, sent airborne, and crashed to the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The muffled impacts reverberated incessantly.
Those who had been brimming with arrogance were now sprawled on the ground, coughing up blood and groaning in agony.
After struggling fruitlessly for a moment and realizing they couldn't rise, their earlier bravado had vanished entirely. One by one, they stared at Whitebeard in abject horror.
At this moment, they remembered.
Whitebeard was a pirate too!
Moreover, he was one of the pirates... a king!
Several times more ruthless than them.
Continuing their clamor might just earn them a lethal shock from Whitebeard!
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