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Chapter Start - Downtohell 3: Could... Miss Chief Warden give me a "baptism"?
Impel Down, First Sea Layer. Haiyna slowly approached the entrance to the passage, stealing a glance at the beautiful, blonde-haired woman in a military uniform, the Chief Warden. Before long, Haiyna's clothes were removed one by one. Under the Chief Warden's escort, and shackled with Seastone handcuffs, Haiyna walked naked toward the steaming end of the passage, her long red hair dancing like flames across her smooth, bare back…
...
A circular smiley face, bisected by a diagonal black line.
This pattern...
In the restaurant, several pairs of eyes simultaneously fell on the designs on the backs of the clothing worn by "Skullcrusher" and "Ghost Beard."
The two men had entered with such arrogance, kicking away the diners who had been seated at a table and helping themselves to the food without a care in the world.
"100 million... 20 million... 90 million..."
Just then, someone in the restaurant couldn't hold back any longer.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Three swords drew from their sheaths simultaneously as three figures suddenly rose from their seats and charged toward the eating "Skullcrusher" Bilim.Nair and "Ghost Beard" Tantakos.
"It's them! The legendary bounty hunters, the Stephen Three Brothers!"
The swordsmen who had suddenly attacked were immediately recognized by others in the restaurant.
"Stephen Gold! Stephen Silver! And... Stephen Evans!"
"Why isn't there a Stephen Bronze?!" The rest of the restaurantgoers raised their hands in unison and shouted.
"Hmph..." Bilim.Nair, still chewing his food, glanced back, his pupils silently transforming into vertical, oil-green slits.
A crimson tentacle erupted from the back of Tantakos's hand as he gripped his chopsticks.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the restaurant. The door burst outward in a shower of debris, and three figures shot out like bullets, smashing through several air bubbles that cushioned their flight before slamming into the trunk of the "Number 23" mangrove tree.
The three Stephen brothers slid slowly down the trunk, leaving a trail of blood.
"How wicked!" Old Boss Stephen Gold clutched his blood-soaked head.
They stared in shock at the smoke-filled, shattered doorway as two figures emerged slowly.
"I never expected... they're both..." Stephen Silver struggled to rise.
One of the figures emerging from the dust was Bilim.Nair, the "Skullcrusher," his body massive and his eyes glowing with a feral green light, his head now that of a jackal. The other was Tantakos, the "Ghost Beard," his body writhing with sinister tendrils.
"...Devil Fruit users!"
Stephen Evans tightened his grip on his knife, his face as grim as his two brothers' as they spoke. Inside the restaurant, behind the shattered door, the crowd let out a collective gasp.
Don't think Devil Fruits are a dime a dozen. These treasures are auctioned off for at least 100 million Belly. With the number of pirates boasting bounties over 100 million dwindling in recent years, the onlookers were naturally stunned to witness two powerful Devil Fruit users instantly obliterate three renowned bounty hunters.
Even in the New World, such a display would have caused a stir.
Bilim.Nair, who had transformed into the Jackal Form of the Dog-Dog Fruit, sneered, "Hmph! Overconfident fools! How dare you hunt me down with such pathetic strength?!"
"How dare you underestimate the three Stephen brothers... Unforgivable!"
The three bounty hunters gritted their teeth, raised their blades, and charged forward again in formation.
"Heh heh heh..."
Three sharp blades, glinting with a menacing chill, slashed towards him. Yet "Ghost Beard" Tantakos smiled leisurely, crimson tendrils suddenly sprouting from his shoulders, neck, and arms.
"How wicked!"
The teeming tendrils surged forward, binding the three Stephen brothers who had been attacking with their blades. Unable to evade, they were completely entangled, struggling desperately.
"What the hell is this thing?!"
The restaurant patrons watching in secret were stunned. The "Ghost Beard" laughed maniacally. "Useless! The more you struggle, the tighter my tendrils will wrap around you!
"Captain, shall we let them experience the terror of 'Skullcrusher'? What do you say? Heh heh heh..."
"Do I need to be told...?"
Bilim.Nair's eyes glowed like a wild beast's. His massive, jackal-like maw split open, revealing rows of terrifying teeth. The sight of this monstrous half-beast form sent the onlookers trembling. Skullcrusher? Was he going to use those jackal-like fangs to... crush their skulls?
As everyone was thinking, the Jackalman, Bilim.Nair, charged toward the bounty hunter brothers, who were tightly bound by tentacles, his jaws gaping wide.
Then, he slashed forward with his claws. "Skull-Crushing Claws!!"
So it's his claws, not his teeth! Those hiding in the restaurant thought in terror.
On a nearby rooftop, an old man with graying hair, wearing only shorts and flip-flops, his bottle of liquor clutched askew, was fast asleep on the ridge. He was suddenly jolted awake by a faint, rumbling noise.
He opened his eyes and grumbled, "Damn it! You forgot your medicine again, "
"... Hmm." Rayleigh quickly sobered up, sitting silently on the ridge for a few seconds. He yawned, tilted his head back for a swig of liquor, and glanced at the chaos at the restaurant entrance. "Heh, Ability users... One Zoan, one Paramecia..."
"This is wicked! One's a tricky Paramecia ability user, the other's a Zoan with monster-like strength... Big Brother, we don't stand a chance!"
Among the bounty hunter trio, the second brother, Silver, lay unconscious, his head drenched in blood. The third brother, Evans, also bloodied, shouted desperately at Old Boss Gold.
After just a few rounds of combat, they understood: against the Jackalman and the tentacle man, they had absolutely no hope of winning!
"Let's run!" Stephen Gold gritted his teeth, slung the unconscious Silver over his shoulder, and turned to flee, his eyes bloodshot. "We only need to focus on escaping..."
The third brother, Stephen Evans, followed closely behind his big brother. When he glanced back, he realized they had already run a considerable distance, yet the two opponents... seemed to have no intention of pursuing them.
"So this is the... 100 million 30 million Belly..."
"Those three brothers, who we thought were already quite strong, are in a completely different league compared to these two!"
The restaurant buzzed with chatter.
"Is this the strength of Sabaody Archipelago's hunters?" Tantakos chuckled. "Captain, the Grand Line is proving quite disappointing!"
"As expected... with their strength and that emblem on their backs..." Someone stared at the slanted smile symbol on their clothes. "It's the mark of the 'Donquixote Family', a symbol born from the terror of those who survived the North Blue!"
Bilim.Nair's jackal head and claws slowly retracted as he smiled. "Don't forget, our true target is the New World. In this First Half, how could anyone possibly..."
Just then, a warm drop of blood fell on his face from the sky.
At the same time, the three bounty hunters who had fled earlier plummeted from the heavens before him and Tantakos. Covered in blood, they crashed to the ground with heavy thuds, all unconscious.
"Who's there?!"
Bilim.Nair instinctively sensed something was wrong. His head transformed into Jackal Form, his body bulking up, and he twisted around, only to see a massive hand filling his vision. With a slap, it pressed down on his wolf head.
"Move, mutt. You're in the way."
As he heard the voice behind the hand obscuring his vision, Bilim.Nair felt a sharp pain in his neck. The world spun wildly, and he seemed to bounce twice...
'Ah, I'm on the ground. Something warm seems to be flowing between my hair and the ground against my face... It's not water... It's my blood?!'
(End Of This Chapter)