The Clown's Fury and Red-Hair's Obsession
Impel Down Level 1
Just before Saint Shepherd Sommers kicked down the door and Sengoku announced the execution from the high platform--
The heavy iron railings stood coldly, and the sound of dripping water echoed in the gloomy corridor.
Shanks, who had entered Impel Down using his Celestial Dragons privileges, stood alone outside the bars, his face grim.
Inside the cell, a figure leaned casually against the wall.
Her long blue hair was tied in a ponytail, and a conspicuous red ball hung on her nose.
He was arrested after trespassing on a secret naval base in search of the legendary "John's Treasure."
Buggy the Clown, former member of the Roger Pirates!
Because he concealed his Devil Fruit abilities and his combat strength was underestimated, he was imprisoned in "LEVEL 1," the shallowest Impel Down.
But with his abilities, if he really wanted to leave, these iron bars wouldn't be able to hold him back at all.
Shanks took a deep breath, his voice low but urgent. "Buggy, if you don't make a decision soon... Mr. Rayleigh is going to die."
As soon as he finished speaking, Buggy inside the cell suddenly threw his head back and burst into laughter, a sharp, manic laugh.
He walked step by step to the iron railing, gripping the Seastone bars tightly with both hands, his eyes bloodshot. "Shanks!! I told you long ago, don't follow the captain's path!!"
"From the very beginning, I've never understood—why you, and those guys on the ship, have absolutely no interest in gold and silver!"
His voice roared, growing increasingly frenzied. "The so-called 'treasure' is just wealth!! It's just gold and jewels!! That's the true nature of a 'Pirate'!!"
"And you—" Buggy slammed his fist against the iron bars, sparks flying.
"All they know how to do is talk about 'fate' and 'balance'!! They let themselves be led by the nose by those useless things all day long!"
"The captain is!! Mr. Rayleigh is!! Mr. Gaban is!! And the others...!"
Buggy's eyes were bloodshot, his teeth grinding together. "Even you... are!!
"You've all been driven to idiocy by this so-called 'mission'!!"
"Let the world treat you like pawns, placing you in predetermined positions!!"
Shanks, standing outside the cell, shuddered, his right arm trembling slightly, his face ashen.
His eyes burned with an almost obsessive flame. "Buggy... you don't understand..."
"Captain Roger's vision of the 'future'--"
Shanks' voice was deep, yet resolute. "It's a road that must be paved with blood!"
"Bullshit!!"
Buggy spat out a mouthful of blood and roared, "Captain Roger was driven to his death by that damned 'future'!!"
"You want to repeat the same mistakes?! Even risk Mr. Rayleigh's life?!"
He was trembling all over, almost losing control of his emotions. He rushed to the railing, grabbed Shanks' collar with both hands, and roared at the top of his lungs:
You are all wrong!
"Star Clown" Buggy
Shanks' eyes turned cold, and he slammed his fist into the iron bars, which rattled loudly.
He roared in response, "That's why I need your power!!"
"If the navy continues like this, there will be no 'freedom' left in this world!!"
"There will be no more 'Pirates' from now on!!"
Inside the cell, Buggy's laughter abruptly stopped.
He fell silent, but his smile grew increasingly cold and desperate.
"Shanks... you're insane."
His voice was low and hoarse, as if squeezed out from deep in his throat.
"You and I are no longer on the same path..."
Shanks remained silent for a long time outside the cell, his fist slowly loosening, his eyes filled with only pain and stubbornness.
Finally, he looked up at Buggy, his voice low and pleading. "I have no other trustworthy companions left... Please help me."
Buggy stared at him, remaining silent.
The fingers gripping the collar gradually loosened, the knuckles turning white from the force, and the air felt oppressive, as if it had solidified.
"What do you want to do...?"
Impel Down, Level 6, Infinite Hell
A bloody and chilling atmosphere lingered in the corridor, and the scraping of chains sounded like the whisper of death.
Shanks and Buggy walked side by side into the deepest part of hell, with countless eyes shining in the darkness on either side, lurking like Beasts.
Behind them followed two figures, the monsters that had been first released from Level 6.
Donquixote Doflamingo, the "King of Newspaper Reading," and Shiryu of the Rain.
Shiryu licked the blade, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "There's a top-tier war waiting for me outside... perfect."
Doflamingo then let out a piercing laugh, "Fuck... The mighty 'Four Emperors' Shanks, actually resorting to such pathetic tactics as to seek out combat power in a prison?"
Has the outside world become so fantastical?
Shanks remained expressionless, his steps unwavering, leaving behind only a cold remark:
"Your entire family... has been slaughtered by Roy."
"--!!!"
Doflamingo's laughter stopped abruptly, and his gaze behind his Glasses suddenly sharpened.
Her fingertips trembled slightly, and the corners of her lips maintained their curve, but her trembling body betrayed the intense turmoil within her.
The corridor grew increasingly dark and secluded, with whispers and mocking laughter rising and falling behind the iron bars.
"Wow~ what kind of combination is this~"
"A naval traitor, Shichibukai, Four Emperors... and a circus clown?"
"Hey, how did you guys sneak into this godforsaken place?"
Mockery and sneer echoed through the iron prison, like the howls of wolves.
Shanks ignored them, his steps firm, and headed straight for the three specially made cells at the deepest part of the cell.
There, three enormous figures were bound by countless chains of Seastone, like giant pythons coiling around their bodies.
Even so, the oppressive aura they exuded still suffocated the entire Infinite Hell.
Shanks spoke, his voice deep and resonant, echoing in the darkness:
"Patrick Redfield..."
"Bondi World..."
"Douglas Bullet..."
In an instant, three auras erupted like a tsunami!
Redfield's red eyes suddenly lit up, like Blood Moon hanging in the sky, captivating and mesmerizing.
World's muscles bulged, and the chains rattled as he struggled, as if they might break at any moment.
Bullet was even more terrifying; his Conqueror's Haki swept across the entire space like a raging sea engulfing all directions!
Doflamingo and Shiryu instantly broke out in a cold sweat, feeling as if they were being deprived of their breath, their faces contorted in rage.
They knew very well that if these three were free, they could once again overturn the entire world order!
Buggy remained unmoved, lazily picking at his ear and yawning. "Nonsense... these old guys still have such bad tempers."
Shanks stepped forward, his Red-Hair billowing in the cold air, his eyes burning with a mad flame.
"--Three people."
"Want to... go out and cause a huge scene?"
"Target: Marineford, Execution Plaza!!"
After a moment of silence, Bullet suddenly threw his head back and laughed wildly, the sound of the chains being pulled like the thunder of hellish war drums, "Red-Hair brat!! What will you give us in exchange for our freedom?!"
Redfield spoke in a low voice, his eyes as cold as a pool of blood in the abyss:
"Don't think that just because we're imprisoned here we're unaware of what's happening outside... Going out now would be no different from courting death!"
The oppressive atmosphere made the air almost freeze.