"You bastards should've been tortured to death the first time! I spared your miserable lives, and you still dare rebel?!"
Little Satie's shrill voice cut through the air like a whip.
Shin Kawa smirked, his tone dripping with mockery."Hey, lady. That's a lot of attitude for someone hiding behind prison walls. Guess you've been down here too long—makes you forget what real strength looks like."
He tilted his head slightly."Saludes and Sphinx had the same blind confidence. Wonder if they're still breathing? If you survive, you should go visit them—if you can find what's left."
As Shin Kawa stepped forward, the prisoners lining the corridor instinctively parted to clear a path for him. His calm, measured stride carried more threat than any shout could.
Satie's face twisted. She knew exactly what that meant—he'd already crushed Saludes and Sphinx, two elite guards. Her grip tightened around her trident, knuckles whitening.
This man wasn't some ordinary pirate. He was a monster.
"You think you can pass me?" she spat.
Shin's expression didn't change. "You can't stop me."
A low hum filled the air—then he vanished.
"What—?!"
Satie's eyes widened as a blur of motion appeared beside her. She didn't even have time to raise her weapon before Shin's fist connected with her face.
BOOM.
The impact cracked through the hall like thunder. A sickening crunch echoed as Satie's body slammed into the stone wall, leaving a crater behind her.
Ding!Congratulations, Host. You have defeated an enemy.Reputation gained: +10,000.
Shin Kawa exhaled slowly, rolling his shoulders."Not bad," he muttered. "At least she was worth some decent points."
In the monitoring room above, silence fell.
The staff stared at the screen in shock. Even Magellan, the towering prison warden known for his poison-based powers, jolted to his feet.
"How…? He was standing across from her just a second ago…" Magellan muttered, eyes narrowing. "That speed… impossible."
He clenched his fists. The sheer force of Shin's punch had shattered Satie's defenses in one blow. Even if she wasn't the strongest officer in Impel Prison, she was no pushover.
On screen, Shin Kawa walked up to the fallen woman, grabbed a handful of her disheveled hair, and lifted her face toward the surveillance camera hanging on the wall.
"Magellan," he said evenly, his tone carrying quiet menace. "You really want to force me to clear out this whole place? I've got a bad temper. If I start a massacre, no one's walking out alive."
He dropped her. Her face smacked the floor with a dull thud.
Even if she survived, her fighting days were probably over.
In the observation room, tension rose.
"Director Magellan, you're in trouble now," a round man with an Egyptian-style headpiece and a bloated stomach snickered. "Looks like that guy's calling you out directly. If you lose, I can take your seat as warden! Heh heh—ah! I-I mean, I'm just worried, sir! If you fall, the whole prison's doomed, right?"
Magellan's glare could've melted steel. "Hannibal, you fool! As deputy warden, your job is to stop the prisoners, not fantasize about promotions! If we fail here, the World Government will have all our heads!"
Hannibal shrugged, muttering under his breath, "You're the warden, not me. Responsibility's all yours…"
Everyone knew Hannibal's ambition. He'd wanted Magellan's seat for years, always scheming, always shifting blame. Even now—after several officers had been crushed by Shin Kawa—he was thinking of power, not survival.
"Enough!" Magellan roared. "I order you to lead the main force to the third level immediately! If you refuse, I'll consider it mutiny!"
That shut him up. Hannibal paled, snapped to attention, and ran off, trident in hand.
Once the door slammed shut, a new voice spoke up.
"Warden Magellan, allow me to assist Hannibal. I'll hold them off."
A tall woman stepped forward—slim, poised, and dangerous. Her long blond curls brushed the shoulders of her brown jacket, her sunglasses gleamed red under the control room light, and her posture radiated sharp confidence.
Domino. Acting chief warden of Impel Prison.
She had replaced Shiryū of the Rain after his imprisonment for excessive cruelty—and though she didn't have his monstrous bloodlust, her composure was legendary.
Magellan turned toward her, his tone grave. "Domino, I have a critical mission for you. One that could decide whether this prison survives or falls."
Her brow furrowed. "What mission?"
"Go to the sixth level," he said. "Monitor the cameras on the fourth. If I'm defeated… release Shiryū of the Rain."
Her eyes widened. "What?! Warden, that's insane! You can't mean—"
"You know what's at stake." Magellan's gaze hardened. "Shiryū may be a murderer, but he's still one of us. He slaughtered countless inmates to keep this prison secure. I believe—no, I know—when the time comes, he'll make the right choice."
Domino hesitated, but she could feel the weight of his words.
Down below, the walls of Impel Prison trembled with the echoes of war—of something greater, darker, and far more dangerous than anyone had ever imagined.
And at the heart of it stood Shin Kawa, eyes burning with power, fists still warm from battle.
The storm was only beginning.