Settsetse! The Pirate Nemesis

Unlike other places, Impel Down exists for more than just imprisoning criminals. Here, there is no concept of human rights; all mortals are subjects to be abused and beaten at will. Because of this, each level of the prison has its own severe and distinct punishments.

The fifth level is known as the extreme cold hell, with temperatures constantly hovering around -5 degrees Celsius. The fourth level, on the other hand, is the scorching hell, with temperatures consistently above 40 degrees Celsius. They are like two separate worlds. Previously, things were orderly, but with the riots of the lower-level prisoners, the area between the fourth and fifth levels has now become a blood-soaked battlefield.

His appearance was just like his name; Hannibal's face was like that of the jealous demon Hannya. His skin was sallow, he wore a headdress reminiscent of an Egyptian pharaoh, and his belly bulged like a demon's. In his hand, he gripped a sharp, double-edged katana. The blade was located at both ends of the hilt, and when swung, it resembled a windmill. With each swing, the blade, coated in fuel, would burst into flames.

Faced with the swirling fiery wheels, the pirates, tormented by the cold in the fifth level of the extreme hell and nearly exhausted, had no choice but to retreat one after another—in terms of pure strength, each of them could fight Hannibal head-on. However, years of imprisonment had completely depleted their physical abilities. Furthermore, the bone-chilling poison had not only weakened most of them, but their joints were also broken.

In contrast, the pirates in the Infinite Hell are much more ferocious. At least, those who can be imprisoned in the Infinite Hell are not the kind of people whose will can be broken by ordinary torture... especially since a few newcomers have arrived in the Infinite Hell recently.

Just as the prisoners on the fifth floor came to a standstill, a malicious voice suddenly rang out.

"Strike the line,"

A transparent white line shot out from the snow, piercing Hannibal's shoulder before he could react. A sharp pain shot through him, and Crocodile lunged forward—"Desert Greatsword!!!"

The surging yellow sand tore through the frozen ground, rapidly churning under Crocodile's control. Then, it burst forth from the ground, viciously concentrating the force of its impact on the blade Hannibal held in front of him!

*Thump!* His body staggered backward, leaving two deep gashes on the ground. Outnumbered and outmatched, before Hannibal could even adjust his stance, suddenly, a tall man with unkempt blond hair flashed out from the side. He raised his thigh high, his wooden clogs stained black with Armament Haki, and then delivered a powerful front kick!

With a muffled thud, Hannibal felt a sweet taste in his throat, and then the hilt of his longsword slammed heavily into his chest from the impact. His body, thrown off balance, was sent flying backward.

"Not bad, Hannibal... I did receive your help before."

Two longswords hung at his waist as a blond figure emerged from the darkness, and the surrounding pirates appeared to be led by him. Hearing the familiar voice, Hannibal looked up.

Immediately afterward, his gaze narrowed. Just as Hannibal had predicted, the person who arrived was none other than the pirate admiral, Golden Lion!

Golden Lion's eyes were filled with a wild smile—in fact, he had already prepared for his escape long ago. Although his hands were bound by seastone shackles, Golden Lion didn't care—seastone was hard, extremely hard. Harder than flesh enhanced with Armament Haki. And it was precisely because of this that Golden Lion was confident he could smash his own ankles with the seastone…

However, Shiki was waiting for an opportunity—and in the process, he discovered something interesting: the Celestial Dragons had also arrived at Impel Down… These were rare guests indeed!

The prisoners of Level 6, the Infinite Impel Down, gave Doflamingo a warm welcome and a barrage of mockery. This included, but was not limited to, spitting and wiping their noses into his food. It was also because of Doflamingo's arrival that Shiki realized the outer sea might not be as calm as he had imagined, so he decided to remain in hiding… Just a few days ago, Doflamingo told them about a plan called "Sin Army."

"First, they escape Impel Down through a riot, and then the World Government recruits them to become the 'Criminal Legion'..."

Upon hearing Doflamingo's words, Shiki realized something—that the situation on the outer seas had become uncontrollable... Otherwise, the World Government would never have tried to bring them under its control.

As for why they were allowed to riot and escape from prison... it's quite simple: only in this way can the negative impact be minimized.

After all, the prisoner escape from Impel Down could only be attributed to negligence on the part of the warden and director. The World Government's intervention to persuade them to surrender was a timely measure to mitigate the damage—while directly appointing convicts would have yielded the same result, but would have faced far more criticism. Different methods achieve the same goal, but the outcomes are different.

Realizing this, Shiki simply went into hiding. Meanwhile, the criminals in the sixth layer of Infinite Hell received more food with the help of people within the World Government… or perhaps Shiki had already enjoyed a hearty meal in the prison kitchen of the fourth layer, Blazing Hell. Incidentally, he also retrieved his swords, "Withered Wood" and "Sakura Ten," from the warehouse.

Looking at Hannibal, unlike other pirates, Shiki had no intention of becoming a criminal... Back then, after learning that Roger had surrendered, Shiki personally went to Marineford to confront Roger and demand an explanation. Although Shiki was definitely not a good person, like other guys on this sea, he also had his own romanticism and arrogance.

Although he was the deputy warden, Hannibal was different from the other guards at Deepsea Prison. More often than not, Hannibal would stick to his post and openly express his ambition... or he would often intentionally or unintentionally reveal his ambition.

Coincidentally, Shiki was never one to be afraid of ambition... On the contrary, he greatly admired Hannibal's behavior.

"Don't you have your own ambitions? If you have any ambitions, why be the warden of a prison where there's no sunlight? Come and defect with me! Being a pirate is much more comfortable than staying here!!"

"Stop joking!!"

Despite hearing the Golden Lion's words, Hannibal's gaze remained unwavering. He struggled to his feet, his ribs broken.

"You are nothing but pirates and rebels shrouded in infamy! Freedom and ideals are nothing but pretty words used by you scoundrels to indulge your desires! Because of your existence, because you came to this sea, do you know how many people have lost sleep from the fear of losing their loved ones?!"

His eyes revealed a firm resolve, a stark contrast to his previous nonchalant demeanor. He showed no sign of backing down, not even the way Hannibal gripped the hilt of his sword, his face covered in blood.

"To ensure the safety of the weak, this prison has been established to house all the most heinous criminals. This is a fortress of hell! Once breached, this entire region will plunge into a terrifying abyss. I will not allow you to break out, not even a single step!!!"

Upon hearing Hannibal's words, the surrounding jailers were momentarily speechless, feeling an immense weight of their mission. Even their previously hesitant eyes hardened with determination—the power of example is immense. Especially when it was the usually carefree Hannibal. Only now did people understand why Warden Magellan had appointed this man, who constantly plotted to replace him, as his adjutant.

The pirates responded with mocking and malicious smiles. In contrast, Shiki also laughed, but his eyes were filled with a strong sense of amusement—after hearing Hannibal's words, Shiki had grown even more fond of this guy who looked like a demon and made no attempt to hide his ambition.

However, that's all there is to it.

Drawing his twin swords, the Golden Lion's eyes were filled with seriousness: "A good answer... I'm growing to like you more and more. Unfortunately, there's no time to waste now, so let me give you a glorious death!!!"

As he spoke, the Golden Lion vanished in an instant, unconscious from the heavy blow. By the time Hannibal reacted, the Golden Lion was already standing in front of him, his twin swords raised high: "Lion, Heaven and Earth Bite!!!"

The crossed swords fell with a devastating force, like the jaws of a lion snapping shut. Hannibal barely managed to react, but his twin blades were already overwhelmed. The moment they touched Sakura and the withered tree, they were instantly severed into three pieces by the power of the Golden Lion.

Just as the blade was about to touch Hannibal's body, a sudden, intense sense of danger surged up from the Golden Lion's spine. A sharp, chilling cold spread along his spine, causing the Golden Lion to shiver involuntarily.

Without a second thought, he rolled on the spot, and almost the next instant, two deep purple beams of plasma shimmered out from the other end of the dimly lit passage.

"Ughhhhhh!!!!"

Unable to dodge, the pirates' bodies turned into inorganic dust at a visible speed after being shot, offering no resistance whatsoever.

He raised his head and looked into the passageway. Among the crowd, those eyes shimmering with purple light stood out so clearly. Sett walked out unhurriedly, his smile almost reaching his ears.

"The riot at the garbage dump—you can smell a nauseating stench no matter where you are!"

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Thanks to the generous donation from the "Persuade to Die" expert. I'll reply with 9k points tomorrow. Mainly, I had some private lessons before, and today was the last one. After that, I felt much better.

246·Excitement

His eyes were filled with a ferocious rage. If there was anything that disappointed Sett the most about coming here, it would be Magellan's incompetence... In fact, Magellan was very strong. Against any of the troublesome people in Impel Down, his Paramecia-type Venom-Venom Fruit ability could cause very direct damage.

His entire body is covered in poison, making him virtually invincible in close combat. Outside, his robust physique would allow him to withstand the poison for a while. However, inside Impel Down, everyone's physical abilities are at their lowest. Not only others, but even Shiki's strength has declined. With weakened immunity, he is naturally at a disadvantage against the Poison-Poison Fruit's power.

Unfortunately for Magellan, he faced Sett—not to mention Sett's ever-growing physique, his half-beast Vastaya bloodline alone granted him immense resistance to neurotoxins and hemotoxins. Furthermore, after enhancements, Sett's detoxification abilities had reached unimaginable levels. For Magellan, this was a natural counter.

Now, looking at Shiki and the others, Sett felt a surge of excitement—bullying weaklings was boring, and victories achieved through elemental advantage lacked the thrill of real combat. In contrast, looking at the pirates before him, Sett, who had initially felt somewhat disinterested, suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline—the more intense the battle, the longer the aftertaste.

Upon seeing Sett's enormous figure, Crocodile, Doflamingo, and the others, who had been in the crowd, instantly turned extremely ugly. Although Sett's current size was vastly different from before, having grown by more than a meter, from two meters to three meters, his highly recognizable animal ears and unruly face still allowed them to clearly identify who this red-haired man was.

"Sett!!!"

Upon hearing Doflamingo's words, Shiki raised an eyebrow slightly, then a smile appeared on his lips: "You're Sett?"

Shiki was no stranger to the name Sett… Impel Down's sixth level, the Infinite Hell, housed many criminals, but the vast majority were captured in previous eras. In 1508 alone, the Infinite Hell only had three new prisoners. These three new prisoners were Gecko Moria, the Celestial Dragon Doflamingo, Baroque Works, and Crocodile.

All three criminals were brought in by Sett himself... Under these circumstances, it would be strange if Shiki didn't know Sett.

After all, in order to make himself seem less shameful, Sett has been portrayed by Crocodile, Doflamingo, and others as a cruel, cunning, and extremely vicious pirate hunter.

And now...

Glancing at the dust behind him, the golden lion's eyes revealed a solemn expression.

I can't understand it.

The deep purple beam of light felt far too dangerous to the Golden Lion, so dangerous that he didn't even dare to try to analyze its power with his own body... This might seem cowardly, but in reality, it proved that the Golden Lion's actions were perfectly justified.

Just like those pirates who were just dismantled, weren't they all vicious and heinous criminals? And what happened? They were all utterly powerless and reduced to ashes the moment they were touched… Was it a Devil Fruit ability? Golden Lion couldn't be sure, because even the World Government's Devil Fruit encyclopedia only had a very limited list of Devil Fruits. Some of them only had names, without even a clear understanding of their specific abilities. After all, the appearance of Devil Fruits was far too random, completely without any discernible pattern.

"Ser...ti?"

Hearing the words of Shiki and the others, Hannibal turned to look. As Sett emerged from the passage, the lingering echo of the life-form disintegration ray still lingered in his eyes. Although both were rebels, beings opposed to the World Government, Hannibal didn't truly hate Sett. The reason, indeed, was the abolition of slavery…

The abolition of slavery was something Sett didn't care about; it was just a casual act. But this seemingly insignificant act earned him a halo, making him almost a saint. Even now, though everyone knows the World Government and Sett are sworn enemies, no one equates Sett with the word "pirate."

"Good spirits, but unfortunately lacking in strength."

Sett stretched his shoulders a couple of times, then placed his hand on Hannibal's shoulder and pulled him up from the ground. Without pausing, he looked at the group of vicious pirates before him: "And then—let's begin!!!"

"Ok?"

Before anyone could react, Sett's aura surged, instantly enveloping the narrow passage in his ferocious battle intent. Seeing this, even the previously bewildered Golden Lion's face lit up with a long-lost excitement—this ferocious will was completely different from Roger's. Roger's aura was romantic and resolute. But Sett, even someone completely ignorant of willpower, could clearly feel the almost twisted, ferocious battle intent within him. A timid person would probably have wet themselves the moment they sensed it.

But Shiki was different—as someone who had once rivaled Roger, Shiki felt his blood boil upon receiving the invitation.

"What's that saying from the Land of Flowers again?"

Wielding twin blades, veins bulged on his seemingly withered arms, blood gushing forth. A grin revealed a set of yellow teeth. He looked at Sett without a trace of fear: "This old man is indulging in youthful madness!!!"

With a surge of power, the golden lion waved its arms, especially its right arm, which was taut like a giant tree that could break at any moment.

"One-Sword Style, Lion's White Fang!!!"

A flash of black appeared on the blade of Liang Kumu's swift sword. With the enhancement of Armament Haki, he made a diagonal slash from bottom to top, leaving a white flash in the air—this was not the Golden Lion who had severed his ankle.

Although he severed his ankles and replaced them with sword blades to make himself look like a steel shadow, and although the strength of his thighs on paper was more than three times that of his upper limbs, in reality, this was not the case—the true function of the thighs was support.

The strength that a support can provide is far beyond what a single muscle can provide.

Just like now, in the instant of the violent swing of the blade, his calves exerted force, raising his spine as high as he could. The power flowed segment by segment, expanding continuously. The dazzling blade pierced through flesh the moment it touched Sett's body, and a torrent of blood gushed out—

"Well done!!!"

Despite the intense stinging pain, Sett showed no sign of distress. On the contrary, the instant his flesh broke open, Sett felt a surge of pleasure. His Vastaya bloodline activated, and his long-dormant spirit reawakened. A surge of intracranial anesthetic, dopamine, and endorphins rushed in. Adrenaline levels increased, and his already engorged muscles swelled even more in an instant. Before Lion could react, his black and gold iron fist clenched tightly.

"You did a great job cutting it!!!"

In his extreme excitement, Sett's punching speed exceeded Shiki's expectations—or perhaps Shiki never imagined that, apart from Whitebeard and Kaido, there was someone on the high seas who could withstand his blow head-on without being affected in the slightest!

A punch landed squarely in his abdomen. The moment he felt the impact, with no bones to stop him, the Golden Lion felt his internal organs being jostled around in pain and he felt like vomiting.

Like a novice beating a master with a flurry of punches, devoid of any technique, Sett felt a long-lost excitement, like a virile man who had abstained from sex for ten years. In his excitement, he relied purely on his physical instincts to lunge forward. His hands were raised high above his head, gripped tightly like two heavy hammers.

Seeing this, Crocodile realized something was wrong. He manipulated the sand and quickly transformed it into sharp spears, aiming them at Sett's body. Crocodile didn't think this would hurt Sett; he just wanted to slow down Sett's attack and give Lion enough time to react.

Unfortunately, he had been imprisoned for far too long, in the Infinite Hell, a place where the sun never shines. Crocodile was completely unaware of what had happened in Mary Geoise. He was even less aware of Sett's true power—in Crocodile's mind, even after a year of growth outside, Sett was at most a high-ranking official like one of the Four Sweet Commanders or a Beastmaster.

And who knows just how ferocious Sett has become during battle!

Without the slightest pause, Sett paid no attention to the forest of golden spears hardened by Armament Haki that shot out. With a swift punch, the spears shattered one after another under the dark Armament Haki, making them resemble more of a pile of baguettes than spears.

Even so, after this period of arduous training, three spears still pierced Sett's flesh under Crocodile's full power. But facing this pain, Sett did not slow down. Instead, he used his muscles to crush the spears into pieces, and then smashed his twin hammers into the golden lion's head, viciously embedding it into the stone bricks like a stamp!

"No, attack together!!!" Having witnessed Sett's terrifying strength, Doflamingo, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, exclaimed, "This guy is not like the previous trash! If we don't kill him, none of us will escape!!"

Upon hearing Doflamingo's words, the criminals nearby erupted in a chorus of shouts, followed by several more powerful auras bursting forth.

247·Mastering Bliss

The Impel Down guards knew what was happening outside, but the prisoners were oblivious. In their eyes, Sett was merely a rising star who had emerged during their absence… Although Sett had gained the upper hand in a direct confrontation with Shiki, so what? These prisoners believed it was due to Shiki's old age and the limitations of the terrain. If they were outside, an island falling on Sett would have been enough to kill him, no matter how powerful he was.

Sensing their ferocity, Sett could only marvel—no wonder they were the biggest criminals in Impel Down, their aura was completely different from those small-time pirates outside! The killing intent and malice in their eyes were tangible, it was hard to tell whether to call them extremely vicious or just ignorant and fearless.

At that very moment, the blue bricks beneath Sett's feet suddenly trembled, and amidst the dust that fell, large chunks of bricks and tiles rose from the ground. Floating in the air, they then, under Lion's control, hurtled towards Sett's body like missiles.

"Lion's Might, Earth Sweep!!"

Thanks to the Float-Float Fruit, these enormous rocks possess the destructive power of cannonballs.

Amidst all this, Sett's lips curled into a cold smile. Then, with the release, his dark body grew a full meter taller in everyone's sight, expanding from three meters to four meters, his muscles swelling like twisted steel.

His entire body was crimson, with golden light flashing constantly. His blood pressure rose, and his heart contracted faster. The blood in his limbs circulated at a speed far beyond human imagination. If it were anyone else's body, they would probably be drained dry by the intense energy the very first moment they entered this state.