Level 6, Impel Down
"Boom!!!" The Chief Warden of Impel Down went crashing into a cell in his forest golem form, nearly demolishing the surrounding area. Almost the entirety of Level 6 was now covered with roots and vines, yet even such a formidable display of power was not enough to best his opponent. The only reason Level 6 still stood intact was because of the seastone; if it had been made of ordinary metals, the entire prison would have crumbled.
"Cough… Cough!" The Chief Warden hacked up blood and fragments of his internal organs, barely able to pick himself up from the rubble. His massive golem body was utterly brutalized, the last attack having almost severed him in half. He was hanging on by a thread.
"Hahahaha, Warden, who would have guessed that you would have such a day," one of the prisoners jeered.
"Look at the mighty warden now! Can't even stand up!" Another taunted, their voice dripping with mockery.
"Pathetic! All that power, and for what? To end up in the dirt like the rest of us?" A third prisoner added with a sneer.
The Chief Warden's eyes turned red in an instant, fury and desperation blending into a terrifying glare. Roots erupted from his body, spreading to all the nearby prison cells. The jeering prisoners' smug expressions turned to panic as the roots began restraining them. Then, with every ounce of energy he could muster, the Chief Warden bellowed.
"Essence Devourer!"
The roots drilled into the prisoners' skulls despite their screams and protests, sucking out everything: blood, bones, flesh—nothing was spared. Even the final husks crumbled to dust. These were Level 6 prisoners, their vitality immense even in their weakened state. The Chief Warden's grievous wounds started healing at a visible rate, his depleted haki slowly restoring.
I stood there, watching with amusement the final struggles of a dead man. This was the fifth time he had drained the prisoners after losing his fighting ability. Each time he did so, he gained less and less. This time, even after devouring more than twenty prisoners, he hadn't even filled up twenty percent of his original vitality.
The Chief Warden's body, once on the brink of collapse, now shimmered with renewed, albeit limited, energy. His wounds closed, and his breathing steadied. However, the air of invincibility he once had was gone, replaced by a desperation that only I could see.
As he pushed himself to stand, the mocking voices of the prisoners he had drained echoed in his mind, their lifeless eyes staring back at him from the abyss. This grotesque cycle of renewal was a testament to his waning power. Each time he drained the life essence from his captives, he became a shade of his former self—a powerful figure reduced to a leech, desperate for sustenance.
"You think this will save you?" I called out, my voice calm yet laced with menace. "How many more will you sacrifice for a few more moments of borrowed time?"
The Chief Warden's eyes narrowed, fury and pain etched into his features. "I will not fall to the likes of you," he growled, his voice resonating through the chamber. "I will drain every last one of these scum if it means stopping you."
His declaration was met with silence, The once taunting prisoners now nothing but dust. The chamber felt colder, darker—a tomb for the fallen. The roots retracted, leaving behind a grim testament to the Warden's desperation. The energy he absorbed coursed through him, revitalizing his limbs, yet the toll of such dark acts was evident in the trembling of his form.
"You've drained yourself into a corner," I said, taking a step forward. "Every time you kill, you lose a piece of yourself. This power, this forest you command, it's eating you alive."
The Warden roared, a sound of rage and defiance. "I am the guardian of Impel Down! I am its life force!" He lunged at me, his haki-infused claws slashing through the air with deadly precision.
I sidestepped his attack effortlessly, watching as his movements, though powerful, lacked the fluidity they once had. His haki was strong, but it flickered like a dying flame. "Then show me, guardian, how much life you have left to give."
The battle resumed with renewed ferocity. The Warden's attacks were relentless, his desperation driving him to unleash the full extent of his forest logia powers. Vines and roots lashed out, forming barriers and striking with deadly force. His observation haki allowed him to anticipate my movements, but his reactions were slowing, his precision dulled by the constant toll on his body.
I countered with my black lightning, the raw energy crackling around me. Shusui sang through the air, cutting through the Warden's defenses with swift, deadly strikes. Every clash sent shockwaves through the prison, the seastone walls barely holding against the onslaught.
"Essence Devourer!" he cried again, the roots seeking out more prisoners to drain. But this time, I was faster. With a flash of lightning, I severed the roots before they could reach their targets. The Warden's eyes widened in shock as his lifeline was cut off.
"Your time is up, and like I said, I will have your head before I leave Impel Down!" I said, my voice low and menacing. I surged forward, black lightning enveloping Shusui as I aimed for his heart. The Warden raised his arms to block, but his movements were sluggish, his strength waning.
A massive ethereal form of a Grim Reaper crackled with black lightning, tracing the path Shusui had taken. The Warden bellowed, pouring everything he had into his defense as his instincts screamed at him of the finality of this moment.
"Death's Embrace," I whispered, as I pored every ounce of armament haki into my blade and unleashed my conqueror's haki to its limit.
With an upward slash from Shusui, the Grim Reaper's scythe tore through the massive forest golem. The attack was infused with advanced forms of armament haki, rendering the Warden's logia fruit abilities useless. The scythe cut through everything in its path, even the seastone walls were no exception. It was a blade of oblivion.
Everything went silent except for the crackling noise of residual lightning. A gaping hole had formed at the top of Level 6, breaching its way up to Level 5 and beyond. The commotion above now echoed down below, a stark reminder of the chaos I had unleashed.
The Warden's entire form was severed in two vertically, and his life was extinguished in an instant. As his massive form reverted back to his human shape, blood pooled where he had fallen. My anger began to subside, replaced by a cold satisfaction. The silence that followed was profound, the echoes of the battle slowly fading into the background.
Then, as if a spark had been lit, the prisoners started pleading and making requests to take them along. No one was foolish enough to threaten me now, not after they had witnessed what I did to the Chief Warden. He was a genuine Admiral level powerhouse, a man whose status was comparable to that of the Admirals of the Marines. And I, a teenager, had killed him. This display of strength and potential was not lost on the prisoners.
"Please, take me with you!" One prisoner cried out, desperation in his voice.
"I swear loyalty to you! Just get me out of here!" Another pleaded, his eyes wide with fear and hope.
"We'll serve you, follow you anywhere! Just get us out of this hellhole!" a third one shouted, grasping the bars of his cell with white-knuckled hands.
Their pleas filled the air, a cacophony of desperate voices making all sorts of oaths and promises. They were ready to serve, to pledge their lives, all for the chance of freedom. I walked through the devastated prison, feeling their eyes on me, their hopes and fears tangible in the oppressive air of Level 6.
However, I ignored all of their pleas and returned to the cell where Señor was held. As I approached, I noticed another man next to Señor. Both had regained some color, indicating that Leo had ventured out and successfully retrieved Diamante. I wondered how the dwarf had managed to free Diamante from the seastone shackles.
Turning to Leo with my eyebrows raised, he understood my confusion and simply showed his metal spear, which he must have used to pick the locks. It seemed like his experience with stealing in Dressrosa had endowed Leo with quite a few useful talents.
I glanced around and counted four more corpses with their tendons severed, similar to the first one I had left inside the cell. Mansherry had used these unfortunate souls to drain vitality and heal Señor and Diamante. Despite still being unconscious, their vitality had returned, and they were now out of danger.
"How did you find him?" I asked Leo, who smiled widely and pulled out an old, tattered bounty poster of Diamante and Señor.
"Doffy gave it to us just in case," Leo explained.
"And how did you manage to capture four of them?" I inquired, genuinely curious. These prisoners were weakened but still prisoners of Level 6, after all.
"Oh, they were just caught in the crossfire when you fought the forest man," Leo said with a grin. "I just dragged the ones who fell unconscious after severing their tendons like you did, Ross. Did I do great? Praise me! Praise me!"
Despite his strict persona with others, Leo had warmed up to me significantly, spending the most time by my side along with Mansherry. His enthusiasm was infectious. I gave Leo a thumbs up, making him extremely happy.
"Leo, look after them," I instructed. "I just need to get a few more things done. Wait for me here, alright?"
Leo nodded, his face beaming with pride. "You got it, Ross!"
As I stepped into the deepest part of Level 6, the atmosphere grew increasingly eerie. This place housed the worst of the worst; if not for certain reasons, the World Government would have killed them all. I came to a stop in front of the innermost cell.
"Shihahahaha, brat, did you come here to gloat?" The seastone chains rattled as Shiki's voice echoed from within the dimly lit cell. He was restrained with more than a dozen seastone chains, in addition to cuffs, and pinned to the floor.
I also saw cut marks on his feet and understood that the decision to cut them was not made on a whim. A sharp-edged stone, stained with blood, lay hidden nearby. According to the canon timeline, Shiki would escape Impel Down in another year by severing his own feet.
"Do you remember me, Golden Lion Shiki?" I asked curiously. Although I had trained under Garp and during that time they had clashed with Shiki a few times, I didn't think Shiki would take notice of me.
"Yes, you were the brat from Garp's ship back then, weren't you? It seems the Marines messed up again and gave away such a good seedling," he commented casually, then went back to admiring the prison ceiling.
Silence prevailed until I finally broke it. "Do you want me to help you get out?" I questioned.
Contrary to my expectations, Shiki bellowed with laughter and sat up. Despite being restrained in seastone, his aura poured out like a raging sea, but I stood there unmoved. "Shihahahaha, who do you think I am, brat? I am Shiki, the Golden Lion Shiki. I do not need anyone's help; I will find my own path."
"Like how? Severing your own limbs in exchange for freedom? You are nothing but a caged lion now, Shiki. You were once hailed as the Overlord of the New World, alongside Roger and Whitebeard. Roger immortalized himself, and Whitebeard will leave his own legacy behind. So what about you, Shiki? Do you want to rot in this prison? Is that the legacy you want to leave behind?" I questioned him, making his anger boil.
"You little bastard, I would rip you apart if I was not confined by these chains!" Shiki roared.
In retaliation for his words, I pulled Shusui and cut through the seastone bars, stepping into the cell and standing face-to-face with Golden Lion Shiki. I casually placed the blade next to Shiki's neck, the sharp edge drawing blood. "Tell me, Shiki, in your current weakened state, how much effort do you think it will take me to sever your head?"
Shiki's eyes widened in rage and disbelief. The infamous pirate, known for his ruthless ambition and unyielding spirit, was now face-to-face with a challenger who dared to question his legacy.
"You have guts, brat. I will give you that. Not many in this world would have the balls to challenge me, even in my current state," Shiki growled, his voice low and dangerous. "But don't think for a second that I'm helpless."
His aura surged, a testament to the indomitable will that had once terrorized the seas. Even bound by seastone, Shiki's spirit was not easily subdued. I felt the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki clashing with my own, creating a tangible tension in the air.
To Shiki's surprise, my own Conqueror's Haki surged out like a primordial beast, clashing with Shiki's will. Yellow lightning clashed with black and gold lightning. Despite Shiki trying to overpower me with his will, mine was unshakable. It was like an unstoppable force clashing against an immovable object. Shiki suddenly felt that he saw the silhouette of Roger within the teen in front of him.
I met his gaze without flinching. "I'm offering you a chance, Shiki. A chance to reclaim your legacy. But if you prefer to rot here, bound and forgotten, then so be it."
"One pirate to another! I don't want your legacy to end here," I said genuinely, though I had a hidden agenda as well.
For a moment, Shiki was silent, his eyes boring into mine, searching for any sign of deceit or weakness. Then, with sudden, fierce resolve, he spoke.
"What's in it for you? In these seas, nothing is free," Shiki asked, his tone suspicious but intrigued.
"I have my reasons. As long as you are against the World Government, that is all I ask," I replied. "But know this: if you accept my help, I need your word as a fellow pirate that you will not target my family. However, if you want to clash with me, you are welcome to try anytime. All I ask in return for your freedom is that you shake the very foundations of the world as you originally intended."
Shiki's lips curled into a smirk, his eyes gleaming with renewed fire. "Shihahaha, very well, brat. I thought that with Roger gone, the sea might not have another true man who I can call my rival, but you... you brat, have the potential to be my rival. You've piqued my interest. But remember, if you disappoint me, I will make sure you suffer before you die."
I chuckled, accepting his challenge. With a swift motion, I sliced through the remaining chains, freeing Shiki from his bindings. He stretched, testing his limbs, and despite his weakened state, there was a palpable energy about him—a lion ready to reclaim its throne.
As Shiki stood before me, I extended my hand. "Welcome back, Golden Lion."
He clasped my hand in a tight grip. "Remember, brat, keep growing and never stop. If you ever fall back, I will personally come to claim your head." He was serious about his words. The fire that had been extinguished after Roger's death lit up inside Shiki once more. The world would once again know the true terror of Golden Lion Shiki.
"Fine, brat! It seems like you have quite a party going on. Let me go ahead and stretch my limbs a bit." As he stepped up, I placed Shusui in front of him.
"Remember, Shiki, if you go back on your word and touch my family, your death will be so gruesome that it will scar your soul for eternity," I warned him. Although he gave me his word, this was a cruel world, and with my Voice of All Things, I knew that Shiki would keep his word. But then, strength is the only absolute in this world, so I warned him.
"Shihahahaha, Brat, you are still a bit too early to threaten me. And who do you think I am? I may be a pirate, but I never go back on my word!!" With that, he walked out of the cell to unleash a rampage within Impel Down.
As Shiki stepped out and flew up to level five, the atmosphere of Impel Down shifted. The guards, who had been frantically trying to regain control, froze at the sight of the legendary pirate walking free. Their eyes widened in recognition and terror as they saw the Golden Lion, a man who was supposed to be securely imprisoned, now striding with purpose and menace.
"Stop him!" one of the guards shouted, but his voice was laced with panic.
Shiki raised his hand, and with a flick of his fingers, he used his Float-Float Fruit ability to hurl debris at the approaching guards, sending them crashing into the walls. "Pathetic," he muttered.
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