A huge grin spread across my face as the last lock clicked open. "Ahhh~ Finally, free!!"
All around me, other cells were bursting open. The sounds of screeching metal and crumbling stone filled the damp air.
A scrawny man with a long beard stumbled out, blinking in the relative light. "Someone actually raided Impel Down?!"
"How many years has it been?" another voice croaked from a nearby cell. "Twenty? Thirty? I've lost count!"
The place was coming alive with the sounds of monsters stirring from a long slumber. These pirates, even after being locked away for decades, were still breathing, still dangerous. You could feel the raw power radiating from them as they slowly, cautiously, stepped out of their dark cages.
The celebration was short-lived for some.
CRUNCH!
SLASH!
"GYAAAH!"
I watched, unmoved, as several inmates did the first thing that came to their twisted minds. They turned on the very people who had freed them and cut them down. Guess 'thank you' was not in their vocabulary.
"AHAHAHA! I'M OUT!!!" a massive man bellowed, his voice echoing through the level.
"Kill! Kill everything! We're busting out of this hell!!"
Another roar, this one full of pure, unadulterated rage, cut through the chaos. "RAAAAH OPEN!!!"
BOOOOM!
The very wall of Level 6 shook violently. Then, with a final, deafening crack, a section of it exploded. Not a small hole, either. Chunks of rock and seastone flew everywhere. I had to shield my eyes from the debris.
'What idiot did that?!'
Sure enough, the ocean, under immense pressure, came roaring through the initial man-sized hole. The force of the water immediately widened the gap, tearing it into a gaping wound several meters across. Freezing saltwater began pouring in, rapidly flooding the floor.
"Lunatic!" a nearby prisoner shrieked, his joy instantly replaced by panic.
But the one who punched through the wall, a hulking fish-man, just laughed. He did not care about the rest of us. With a powerful kick, he swam straight into the raging current, the first one to escape the infinite hell.
It was a clean getaway for him. For the rest of us? A death trap. I glanced around. A lot of the old-timers here were Devil Fruit users. They could not follow him, and they could not stay here. The water was rising fast, and soon it would sap all their strength, leaving them to drown like rats.
…
Meanwhile, in another corridor, the air was filled with the sharp ring of steel.
CLANG!
My flimsy, makeshift katana slammed against Shiryu's sword. Every time our blades met, I could feel mine groaning in protest. It was notched and chipped, on the verge of shattering.
During our latest exchange, I saw an opening. I twisted my body, putting all my weight into a kick aimed straight at his ribs.
THUD!
The blow connected solidly. Shiryu grunted, flying backward like a cannonball through the air.
But the bastard was good. As he flew back, his arm snapped out, and his sword's edge caught me across the chest.
SCHLICK!
Hot blood sprayed. A searing line of pain, from my collarbone down to my hip, flared to life. I gritted my teeth, ignoring it. This new wound joined a collection of others, cuts, gashes, a few so deep I could glimpse bone.
CRASH!
Shiryu pulled himself out of the pile of rubble he had landed in. He did not look much better. He was covered in dirt and blood, his uniform in tatters. If anything, he had more wounds than I did. Besides the slashes from my blade, I had managed to break a few of his bones and rattle his organs good.
This whole fight had only lasted a couple of minutes. But in that time, we had thrown everything we had at each other. Raw power, speed, sword skills, martial arts… and Haki.
In pure strength, I had him beat. Speed was about even. His sword technique was a bit more refined, a little sharper. But my Observation Haki… that was my edge.
It was why he was more banged up than I was. I could see his moves just a fraction of a second faster, set little traps, and bait him into making mistakes.
Now, we stood facing each other, knee-deep in the cold seawater that was flooding the level.
"I am done for now" I said, my voice tight. "We will finish this another time."
I did not have time to play around. The Level 6 prisoners were loose, and I needed to get moving with the crowd. Still, fighting Shiryu had been useful. A hundred times more useful than a normal fight would have been.
'My swordsmanship and Observation Haki feel sharper already.'
Nothing like a life-or-death battle to force you to improve.
I knew where I stood now. Pushing this further was pointless and a waste of energy. Escaping was just the first step. We still had the entire Marine force to contend with afterward. I needed to save some strength for that.
Shiryu did not seem eager to continue either. He knew he could not put me down easily.
He glared at me, his eyes narrowed. "What is your name? You must have been thrown in here after I was imprisoned."
He had been locked up for killing too many prisoners. Someone with my skill, he would probably have heard of if he were free.
"It is Kai," I said, turning to leave.
I did not offer anything else. The last thing I wanted was someone calling me by that damned noble's name I had shed.
…
Up ahead, at the passage connecting Level 5 and Level 6, all hell had broken loose.
Warden Magellan, covered in a terrifying, towering suit of purple poison—his "Venom Demon"—was fighting a desperate battle. And he was losing.
Even weak and starved from decades in prison, the monsters from Level 6 were too much for him, especially when they worked together.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY!"
A thunderous voice boomed. I looked up and saw a giant of a man, a legendary face I only recognized from old wanted posters. He was holding an axe, one of the ones the blugoris used. In his massive hand, it looked like a child's toy.
Then, it changed.
More-More Hundredfold AXE
The tiny axe suddenly swelled, becoming a hundred times its original size—a colossal weapon of destruction! He swung it down toward Magellan with terrifying speed.
Even Magellan could not just stand and take that.
"World Byrnndi" Magellan snarled, recognizing the attacker.
The "World Destroyer" himself.
Magellan had no choice but to dodge.
KABOOOOM!
The giant axe cleaved through everything. It did not hit Magellan, but the Venom Demon he had created was sliced clean in half. The axe kept going, smashing through the ceiling above, creating a direct route up to Level 5.