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In an instant, the numerous cages in the deepest recesses of Impel Down's Level 6, the Eternal Hell, sprang open. One after another, bloodthirsty auras erupted from the prison's depths, like caged beasts unleashed upon the world.
A cacophony of footsteps, the dragging of chains against the stone floor, and the triumphant, boisterous laughter of the prisoners formed a cruel symphony.
Figures moved in the dim light of the deepest part of Level 6, a terrifying, murderous aura permeating the air. A suffocating, dangerous atmosphere descended, more oppressive than anything they had experienced before. Hearts pounded in chests.
"Gahahaha! Just as I predicted! After all these years in this godforsaken hellhole, I'm finally free!"
"My era is about to begin! Those who put me here, you better wash your necks and wait!"
The freed criminals, their minds filled with visions of freedom, imagined a future where the vast sea and boundless sky were their playground.
Released from their cages, the pirates' true natures were laid bare. They believed themselves beyond the reach of any authority, their bloodlust unrestrained. Some even turned on the very prisoner who had opened their cells, snapping his neck with brutal efficiency.
Those imprisoned in the deepest part of Level 6 were the worst of the worst, their bounties starting at 300-400 million berries.
The desperate pleas for freedom from just moments ago were forgotten. The promises they had made were now null and void. This was the true face of piracy.
Not a word that came from their mouths could be trusted. Broken promises were commonplace. Sharing a drink one moment, plunging a knife into your back the next, such betrayals were the norm.
Outlandish excuses and justifications filled the air. "My eighty-year-old mother and young children are waiting for me!"
Such ludicrous claims, not even a ghost would believe. The pirate who spoke of caring for his elderly mother had murdered her with his own hands. And children? He'd been imprisoned for decades. What children? The irony was thick enough to grow a forest on their heads.
Despite hearing the News of the Devil Marine Vice Admiral, they still underestimated Ian. He was just one man, while they numbered in the hundreds, even thousands, all hardened criminals from the deepest depths of Impel Down.
Even if that so-called Emperor of the Sea was causing havoc above, what could he do against such overwhelming numbers? Could he truly suppress them all simultaneously? Only a God could achieve such a feat. Unfortunately for them, there were no gods in this world, only kings and emperors.
"Ants, no matter how numerous, are still insignificant." Ian's cold, pale green eyes swept across the seething mass of criminals in Level 6, a chilling smile playing on his lips. His gaze finally settled on Doflamingo and the others.
Sensing the faint killing intent and oppressive aura emanating from him, the criminals' expressions faltered. Beads of sweat trickled down their foreheads as they froze, momentarily stunned.
"No, no, even if he defeated several Warlords and fought Mihawk to a draw, what of it? He's still just one man, and there are hundreds of us!" The gazes of hundreds of hardened criminals from the deepest depths of Impel Down converged on Ian.
Savage grins twisted their faces, but the fear was gone. Having tasted freedom, they weren't eager to relinquish it.
"The cages are open. Do you really think you can put us all back inside? Don't make me laugh!" The pirates roared with laughter.
"I'm not putting you back in your cells. I'm sending you straight to hell." Ian nodded calmly. A hush fell over the crowd, followed by an even more uproarious wave of laughter.
"Are you hearing yourself? Sending us to hell? You think you can kill us all? Who do you think we are? Do you even know how many of us there are? You'd need to be a god to pull that off!"
"No, I'm a Devil who reaps souls. And if you want to call me a god, then I suppose the Shinigami counts." Ian's voice was cold and indifferent. A terrifying spiritual pressure radiated outwards, causing the prisoners to tense involuntarily, a primal fear gripping their hearts.
It was as if they were truly facing a Devil from hell, their souls on the verge of being harvested.
"Enough talk! Everyone, attack! Kill him!" One of the prisoners roared, inciting the others. "Gahahaha! Black-winged Devil? Never heard of you. Let me see what you're made of!"
"He's just a kid, acting all high and mighty. It's infuriating!" Another prisoner snarled, his eyes burning with hatred as he advanced towards Ian.
Whoosh!
With blinding speed, the prisoner, known as Avalo Pizarro, moved like a phantom, appearing before Ian in an instant and launching a punch aimed at his head. Ian raised his sword to block, the impact sending shockwaves through the air as he was forced back a step.
"Fast!" Some of the prisoners gasped, their faces pale with fear. Even they were wary of Avalo Pizarro's power.
"Avalo Pizarro, huh? I vaguely remember him. Too bad, he's still too weak." Despite being pushed back, Ian's expression remained unchanged, his eyes betraying no emotion. He shifted his grip to a two-handed stance and swung his sword.
A black wave of sword energy erupted, slicing through the air towards Avalo Pizarro.
As a future commander of the Blackbeard Pirates, a Yonko crew, he had to be capable of pushing Ian back, even if Ian was caught off guard. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been one of the few prisoners released from Level 6.
Avalo Pizarro, surprised that his full-speed attack had been blocked, felt a flicker of unease. He had intended to take Ian out quickly, but the rumors seemed to be true.
Whoosh! He dodged the sword energy and charged again, his eyes narrowed. Even if Ian had blocked one attack, could he withstand a barrage of blows at full speed? The clash of steel echoed through the prison. Clang! Clang! Clang!
Ian parried each blow, his Observation Haki fully activated, predicting Avalo Pizarro's movements and reacting instantly.
Their figures blurred, exchanging dozens of blows in the blink of an eye.
Many of the prisoners in Level 6 couldn't even follow their movements. Those with weaker Observation Haki couldn't even perceive their attacks, seeing only two blurs clashing.
Bang! Even in terms of speed and physical strength, Avalo Pizarro was no match for Ian.
With a 62% fusion rate, Ian's Hierro, Sonido, and even his sword pressure were on par Yonko.
"Is that all you've got?" Ian sneered, seizing an opportunity. He channeled the power of his dual Devil Fruits, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, into his fist, sending Avalo Pizarro reeling backward.
Avalo Pizarro's expression changed as a wave of numbness spread through his right arm, momentarily paralyzing him. The combined effects of lightning and explosions were taking their toll.
"Then die. Chidori Sharp Spear!"
Ian's voice, cold and merciless, sent shivers down the spines of the prisoners. As his words echoed through the prison, the white blade in his hand flashed forward, piercing through Avalo Pizarro's chest in an instant.
A surge of lightning, crackling like a thousand birds, erupted from the blade. An attack at that speed was unavoidable. Blood sprayed from the wound, splattering across the floor.
Even a Future Yonko commander was no match for him now. Avalo Pizarro coughed up blood, his eyes wide with disbelief.
While his Busoshoku Haki wasn't the strongest, it was far from weak. Yet, Ian had pierced it with ease. Ian wasn't entirely sure if the lightning alone would be enough to kill Avalo Pizarro, so he had used the Chidori Sharp Spear, a technique known for its piercing power.
He was a Yonko commander, after all. Without pausing, Ian continued his attack, swinging his sword horizontally.
Avalo Pizarro's body, bisected at the waist, collapsed to the ground in a pool of blood. The momentum of Ian's swing carried his blade forward, threatening to strike Catarina Devon, Vasco Shot, and several other powerful pirates.
The clash between Ian and Avalo Pizarro had been a blur of speed and power, lasting only a few moments. It had left the other prisoners stunned and disoriented.
Some hadn't even registered Avalo Pizarro's death.
A wave of fear washed over the prisoners. Avalo Pizarro, despite being weakened by his long imprisonment, had been slain in an instant. The shock was palpable.
Ian, despite his relatively small stature, radiated an overwhelming aura of power, like an insurmountable mountain. An eerie silence descended upon the prison.
The decisive execution of Avalo Pizarro had cowed most of the prisoners. While some were undoubtedly powerful, their long imprisonment had taken its toll, their strength far below its peak. Even so…
They had two choices: return to their cells in the Eternal Hell, condemned to a life of darkness, or fight their way past the black-winged Devil and escape.
They had no other options. As the twenty-meter long spear of energy hurtled towards Catarina Devon, a sword materialized in her hand, coated in Busoshoku Haki. She braced herself, blocking the attack, but the force sent her staggering backward.
"Is this your Mythical Zoan power? And that sword… you created it with your ability, didn't you?" Devon strained against the force of Ian's attack, her eyes fixed on him.
Her body began to transform, shifting into the form of a fox, nine fluffy tails sprouting from her back. This was her Devil Fruit power.
The Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Kyubi no Kitsune, a Mythical Zoan type. The sword she had summoned was clearly conjured using her ability, a transformation of some other object..
Theoretically, if awakened, she could manipulate the shape of objects as well. Her fox form granted her incredible speed, agility, and cunning.
"No comment. It wouldn't matter anyway. I'm sending you all to hell. Perhaps that's a mercy, considering the alternative is rotting away in this lightless prison, waiting for death."
An eerie silence hung in the air, broken only by the savage grins and bloodthirsty growls of the prisoners. The atmosphere crackled with tension, the air thick with killing intent. "I won't be locked up again!"
"Damn Marines! Damn guards! Die! Die! Die!" A prisoner, his eyes bloodshot, roared, charging towards Ian without hesitation.
Despite Ian's formidable strength, his victories over Warlords and legendary pirates, they preferred a glorious death in battle to a life of eternal imprisonment.
In that moment, every prisoner in Level 6, save for a handful who had lost the will to fight, was consumed by a frenzy of bloodlust, surging towards Ian like a tidal wave.
If Domino, Hannyabal, or any of the other guards had witnessed this scene, they would have paled in fear. Their worst nightmare had come to pass: the prisoners, united in their hatred, their goals aligned. If they had fought individually, suppressing them would have been manageable. But now, united, even the weakest among them was a pirate with a bounty of over 200 million berries. The combined force was scary.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Facing the onslaught, Ian's fighting spirit soared.
Swish! Swish! Swish! He wielded his swords with blinding speed, waves of lightning and shadow erupting around him, sword energy slicing through the air, drawing blood with every strike.
Blood splattered across the floor as bodies piled up at his feet. The prisoners, consumed by madness, continued to charge, wave after wave crashing against him.
Devil Fruit powers flew in all directions. Ian lost track of how many times he had swung his swords, his power unleashed, a whirlwind of lightning and shadow. He stood firm, an unyielding rock against the raging tide of attackers.
Not a single prisoner managed to break through his defenses. Bodies piled up, only to be torn apart by the relentless barrage of attacks. The battle raged on, time losing all meaning. Finally, the tide began to recede, the remaining prisoners retreating, seeking the safety of their cells.
There was no hatred, no resentment in their eyes, only disbelief. Simple lightning and shadow had decimated the most powerful criminals in Impel Down, most of whom possessed both Armament and Observation Haki.
Killing them outright was difficult, unless he used concentrated attacks like Chidori or Shadow Spear, but their sheer numbers made it impractical.
He couldn't simply crush them as he had done before. So, he had opted for relentless sword strikes, imbued with the power of lightning, explosions, and sharpness. Despite their numbers, none had broken through. They had all fallen before his blade, their bodies mangled beyond recognition.
Only a few dozen remained standing, including Doflamingo, Catarina Devon, Vasco Shot, and a handful of other powerful pirates… along with the legendary figures still locked in their cages.
The stench of blood filled the air of Level 6…
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