LEVEL 6, Eternal Hell.
Unlike the Scorching Hell of Level 4 and the Freezing Hell of Level 5, this level was neither cold nor scorchingly hot.
Everywhere was a dead silence. Furthermore, due to the twisted interests of certain heinous pirates, very few jailers dared to set foot on this level.
And now, this place that even jailers feared to tread welcomed three uninvited guests.
Thud—!
Thud—!
Rapid footsteps echoed, piercing the quiet prison.
"Who is it? Is it that guy Magellan, or that coward Hannyabal? Hahahaha!"
A mocking voice suddenly rang out.
"That guy Hannyabal was so terrified by our Conqueror's Haki last time he almost knelt on the spot. He probably never wants to come to this level again, right?"
"That guy... I was right next to him last time. His legs were shaking so much, I couldn't bear to watch. Tsk tsk tsk..."
A large number of pirates started jeering, their words full of contempt for Hannyabal.
"Hey, hey, hey! Aren't we celebrating a little too early? If that freak Shiryu of the Rain comes, none of us will have a good time."
An untimely voice suddenly sounded.
"—"
The lively prison instantly fell silent.
Among the so-called three monsters of Impel Down, the one they despised most was Hannyabal, and the one they feared least was Magellan.
But Shiryu of the Rain...
Unlike Magellan, who followed the rules, that guy was more like a pirate than they was.
He drew blood at the drop of a hat. Several of them had already suffered at his hands.
"If he dares to attack, I'll take a bite out of him even if it costs me my life!"
Soon, a strained voice came out.
"Hahahaha! 'Man-Eater' Cook, weren't you the one screaming the loudest last time? How come you're so tough now!"
A pirate laughed loudly, showing no regard for the other's face.
Clearly, he wasn't afraid of this so-called "Man-Eater."
Even if the other guy's bounty was a tiny bit higher than his before they came in.
But now, everyone was a prisoner. There was no talk of who was afraid of whom.
After all, whether they could ever get out was still a question.
"Hahahaha! Cook, if you had that kind of courage, you would have killed yourself long ago instead of enduring endless loneliness here."
"Don't tell me you still have hopes of getting out?"
The other pirates laughed knowingly.
Don't joke around. Except for Shiki the Golden Lion over a decade ago, they had never heard of anyone escaping from this hellhole.
"Hm? Quiet down for a second. Those guys seem..."
"Not to be Impel Down jailers?!!"
As the footsteps drew closer, the pirates who had been chatting and farting around finally saw the intruders.
One Fish-Man, two humans of vastly different sizes.
Judging by their clothes and demeanour, they clearly weren't Impel Down personnel.
They looked more like... a group of pirates?
"What the hell? These guys look like intruders?"
After a brief moment of surprise, the pirates erupted into roars.
"I know those two! Combatants from the Roger Pirates, Sunbell the Fish-Man!"
Some "seniors" who had been captured before the Great Pirate Era began cried out. They recognised Seagull and Sunbell, two of the Pirate King's crew members.
Buzz buzz buzz—!
As soon as the words fell, the pirates in the cells on both sides focused all their attention on the three walking down the corridor. Noisy discussions filled the ears of Beckman and his companions.
These guys are actually crew members of the Pirate King!
"Hey! You guys! We were lured out to sea by that guy, Roger! As the Pirate King's crew, shouldn't you let us out?"
"For the sake of us all being pirates, let me out, hurry!!"
"I'll tell you where I hid my treasure if you let me out!!"
"..."
Seeming to sense a hope of escape, the pirates boiled over, screaming frantically at the trio.
There was moral kidnapping, vicious threats, and bitter pleading.
"Beckman, should we..."
Sunbell glanced slowly at the surrounding pirates and whispered into Beckman's ear.
Rayleigh had instructed him before they left to follow Beckman's arrangements in everything.
Although they were somewhat unconvinced, they still had to give Rayleigh face.
Even if they had their own thoughts, they didn't act on them.
"Ignore the others. The top priority is to rescue Shanks first. These guys..."
Beckman showed no intention of stopping. These losers weren't worth wasting his time on.
"You bastard! If I get out, I'll kill you first!"
"What an arrogant rookie. I am 'Man-Eater' Cook! Haven't you heard of my name?"
Click—!
Beckman stopped abruptly. He scanned the surroundings casually, his voice cold and stern:
"Since you've raised a pirate flag, you should be prepared to die at any time!!"
—[Silence]
Dead silence. You could almost hear a pin drop.
Boom—!
Then came wave after wave of angry curses.
"Where did you come from, rookie? How dare you lecture me!"
"I was actually lectured by a young brat today! Hahahaha!!"
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Ignoring the abuse behind him, Beckman continued deeper along the planned route.
"Hahaha! So you're the first [Warlord] captured by the Marines?"
"As expected, Warlords are despised not only by the Marines but even looked down upon by pirates. Good thing I refused back then!"
Soon, the chained Shanks appeared before the three of them.
He was in a sorry state, but still sitting cross-legged on the ground, chatting away with his "neighbour," completely oblivious to Crocodile's increasingly dark face.
"Captain!!"
Beckman looked at Shanks, who was radiating "social butterfly" energy, and couldn't help but interrupt.
"Eh? What a familiar voice."
Shanks turned his head subconsciously, not forgetting to continue his chat with Crocodile.
"Wait a second..."
"Beckman! And Sunbell, Seagull? Why are you guys here?"
...
On the other side of Eternal Hell.
Hannyabal and several jailers, knocked unconscious by Beckman, were dumped in a corner.
The keys on their bodies had been taken, and their own handcuffs were used on them. Only Hannyabal seemed to have kept a clear head, completely fooling Beckman and the others.
Looking closely, one would see bright red blood continuously spilling from Hannyabal's mouth. He seemed to be mumbling:
"It really... hurts. But... I absolutely cannot let these guys release the criminals on Level 6."
This guy—
He had actually bitten through his own tongue!
...
Sabaody Archipelago, evacuation ship.
The three brothers, also staying at Marineford as Garp's family, were naturally on the ship.
At this moment, the three were in the crowd, watching the images from the monitors with rapt attention, not even blinking, afraid of missing any important scenes.
"Hey! Ace, look! The old man beat back that old guy, Whitebeard! He looks so strong!"
Seeing the exciting part, Luffy shoved Ace wildly.
"I know, you idiot! I'm not blind. But it's nothing special. I'll challenge Whitebeard sooner or later."
Ace's eyes were shining too, but he still mumbled, unconvinced.
"He's just one step ahead of me."
That man was Whitebeard, known as the World's Strongest Man.
The great pirate who once competed with Roger!
If he defeated him, could he escape Roger's shadow? Prove that his mother's sacrifice wasn't meaningless?
"Hey, Ace, you're actually envious inside too, aren't you?"
Sabo teased, a mischievous look in his eyes.
"What nonsense are you talking? I... I wouldn't envy that bastard!"
Ace curled his lip, his voice gradually becoming quieter:
"Although he does look pretty strong."
"Hahahahaha! Ace, I heard that!"
Luffy's ears twitched, and he laughed heartily, clutching his belly.
"You're as stubborn as ever, Ace!"
Thump—! Thump—!
With a dull thud, two fresh lumps instantly appeared on their heads.
"Ouch! That hurts! Ace, why did you hit me all of a sudden?"
"Damn it! Next time I'll definitely dodge!"
Two shrill screams came from Luffy and Sabo, drawing the attention of the nearby Marine families.
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"Hm?!"
Hancock kicked a pirate away and suddenly looked up at the battlefield between Whitebeard and Atlas, not far away.
Jet-black, snake-like arcs of lightning danced wildly. A terrifying aura spread in all directions like a shockwave. Whitebeard looked indifferent, gripping his naginata tightly, his hair and beard bristling!
Heavy, dark clouds covered the sky. Arcs of electricity shuttled back and forth occasionally, and muffled thunder rolled. The sky grew darker and more oppressive.
Conqueror's Haki!
Boom—!
He suddenly stepped forward, swinging Murakumogiri, wrapped in black lightning. The ice layer for dozens of meters around was instantly shattered!
Large and small chunks of ice bobbed up and down. Many Marines and pirates suddenly had nowhere to stand, clinging to ice floes to avoid falling into the water.
Everyone looked up at the changing sky, a thought suddenly popping into their minds.
The World's Strongest Man was angry!
"Just the residual power of his aura can easily affect the weather, as expected of Whitebeard, who sits on the throne of the World's Strongest Man. However..."
Atlas suddenly drew his sword. Like the first light of dawn breaking the night, the gleaming blade was exposed to the air.
His body suddenly grew taller, Haki coiling around him, mysterious patterns sketching themselves everywhere.
Waves of heat rose from every pore of his body, forming a mist-like background behind him.
[Life Return: War God Body]!
He placed both hands on the hilt, holding the sword upright in front of him. Indestructible Conqueror's Will wrapped around it, and the patterns on his body seemed to deepen.
"There is no enemy I cannot cut, and nothing that cannot be cut..."
"One Sword Style Secret Art: Extreme: Crimson Skyline!!!"
His arms swelled again. Black lightning danced on the blade as his body plummeted, smashing fiercely toward Whitebeard's Murakumogiri.
Vwoom—!
Before the blades even touched, two powerful Conqueror's Haki clashed.
The whole world seemed to lose its colour; the only light existed where the two longswords confronted each other.
The aura from their collision was like a dragon rising from the abyss, rushing straight into the highest heavens!
The sky, originally filled with rolling thunderclouds, seemed to be split open by a sharp blade. A rift stretching for several kilometers suddenly appeared.
The sky... had split open!
"What an astonishing brat. To be able to fight Whitebeard to this extent."
Sengoku, on the execution platform, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
This kid was simply the most outstanding young person he had ever seen. The future of the Marines...
Might lie with him.
Sengoku couldn't help but glance back toward the supreme holy land on the Red Line.
—That was where Mary Geoise was located.
"Bwahahaha! Of course! Atlas is a Marine from our East Blue!"
Garp, beside him, laughed heartlessly.
"By the way, where did Tsuru go?"
"She went over there to treat the wounded."
Sengoku withdrew his gaze and answered calmly.
"Hahaha, Tsuru's fruit ability can indeed do that!"
"Hey, hey, hey! What is that thing?"
"It looks like... a blue dragon?!"
Suddenly, a giant dragon, winding, coiling, and rolling, bathed in lightning, appeared where the sky had split.
Flame clouds rose under its claws, and its green scales stood on end under the aura of Whitebeard and Atlas. It looked like an ancient demon god riding the clouds!
[King of the Beasts] Kaido!
"Roar—!!"
"How satisfying! Whitebeard, it seems you've gotten old!"
Kaido shook his massive dragon head. His thick whiskers fluttered in the wind, and his ferocious mouth, filled with jagged teeth, opened wide.
"Blast Breath!!!"
A roar resounded through the sky as the giant dragon's body swooped down with the breath attack!
Scorching dragon fire poured down from the heavens, encompassing both pirates and Marines in its attack range.
"Hey! That lunatic Kaido! What is he doing here?"
"Pops should have killed this guy back then! What a shit-stirrer!"
The members of the Whitebeard Pirates retreated one after another, willing to take a slash from the Marines rather than stay put.
Are you kidding? If they got hit by Kaido's Blast Breath, who knows if even their bones would remain?
"Bwahahaha! Kaido! I've been waiting for you!"
Garp laughed loudly, ready to step into the air with Geppo and rush into the sky to punch Kaido.
"Wait! Let me knock his Blast Breath away first."
Sengoku suddenly intervened, speaking with utter calm.
As soon as he spoke, Sengoku's form changed dramatically. A dazzling golden light shone on the execution platform, radiating across almost the entire battlefield. A majestic golden Buddha statue suddenly appeared, vaguely resembling Sengoku.
[Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Model: Daibutsu]!
"Kaido! Marine Headquarters is not a place where you can act as you please!"
A giant golden palm rose, fingers together, aiming at the plummeting Kaido.
A massive, dazzling shockwave instantly appeared in front of the palm, rushing toward Kaido's jaw against the scorching breath!
[Impact Wave]!