Former CP0 Chief? Take Him Away

"Shoot to kill him, Shinsō."

Rosen let out a cold shout.

The surface of Shinsō, which he had turned into a Black Blade with Armament Haki, suddenly blossomed with streaks of purple light. As a steady stream of Armament Haki poured into it, Shinsō's power and sharpness surged instantly.

"Tekkai!"

At this moment, Gebol seemed to see the Death God beckoning to him.

Faced with despair and helplessness, he could only harden his body with Armament Haki while placing all his hopes on Tekkai.

Then—

Amid a bone-chilling sound of tearing fabric, Shinsō's tip forcibly ripped through the flesh Gebol had fortified with Tekkai and Armament Haki. It pierced through his body, reached his internal organs, then punched all the way through him and emerged from his back.

With a bang, Shinsō even stabbed a deep gash into the prison ceiling pressed against his back.

Gebol's eyes widened.

Blood vessels filled the area around his pupils. His right arm stretched straight out, but in less than two seconds, the arm hanging in the air as it tried to grab Rosen dropped limply.

"Another one dead?"

Shiryu stared fixedly at Rosen.

He remembered it crystal clear.

When Rosen had first arrived in Infinite Hell yesterday and faced Byrnndi World, he had used every trick he had. Three Colors of Haki, physical techniques, Paramecia Ability—he had used them all.

Though he had won with overwhelming superiority, that had only been possible because he had gone all out.

But today, facing the Former CP0 Chief, whose strength was in no way inferior to World Destroyer's and perhaps even surpassed it, Rosen had still won with overwhelming superiority. Yet unlike yesterday, he had not moved even a single step.

From the beginning of the battle until victory was decided.

Shiryu realized that Rosen had stood in the same spot throughout the entire fight. He had not moved a single step, and had only swung his blade twice.

He knew crystal clear what that meant.

Compared to yesterday—

Rosen was practically a different person.

His Haki was.

His physical techniques were.

His Paramecia Ability was as well.

Every aspect had undergone a tremendous leap forward.

"Your strength and abilities change every day."

"Junior."

"You really are terrifying!"

Borsalino looked at Shinsō, which had pierced through Gebol's left chest. He withdrew his gaze and shook his head with a sigh.

When facing pirates in the past, this had been his usual catchphrase.

He would say someone was so terrifying, but it was really just a disdainful joke.

But now, there was not the slightest trace of teasing in his voice. Instead, it carried a few shades more seriousness.

Clearly.

Borsalino was not mocking Rosen. He genuinely found his junior terrifying.

"Compared to the three of you seniors, I'm still short by just a tiny little bit."

Rosen showed no arrogance in the face of Borsalino's praise.

Only the wearer knew where the shoe pinched.

It was true that his strength had been changing by the day ever since he began training under Zefa, but he had only trained for three days, after all.

Compared to a top-tier fighter like Borsalino, there was still a clearly visible gap.

After all, Borsalino's rank might only be vice admiral, and he might still be an Admiral Candidate, but his strength had long since entered the admiral tier. Among admirals throughout history, if he was not among the very best, he was still near the top.

He could be called a top-tier admiral.

If he had possessed the inborn Conqueror's Haki, he could have stood shoulder to shoulder with Whitebeard at his peak—and might have been even harder to deal with.

Although Rosen knew there was still some distance between him and a top-tier admiral, when he said he was "just a tiny little bit" short, his tone was utterly calm. There was not a hint of self-deprecation. Instead, he gave off a stern confidence that he could cross that "tiny little gap" at any moment.

At the very least—

Borsalino felt that way, and he did not doubt it in the slightest.

"Former CP0 Chief?"

Rosen looked up at Gebol, whose heart had been pierced through, and spoke indifferently.

"Take him away."

He withdrew the Black Blade Shinsō and dispersed his Armament Haki, while not forgetting to speak to Shiryu.

As Shinsō returned to its sheath, Gebol, who had been nailed to the ceiling, immediately fell to the floor, landing right beside the cell that had originally belonged to him.

If you think this book is good, add it to your bookshelf so you can find it next time.

Shiryu said nothing. He merely walked over and, as though lifting a chick, reached out and picked up Gebol's corpse.

Although Infinite Hell had plenty of cells and was in no danger of running out of beds, as Chief Guard, he could not allow a corpse to continue occupying a cell on the Sixth Layer.

Even if that corpse had been a CP0 chief in life.

"That will be all for today."

"To all the prisoners in Infinite Hell."

"I look forward to seeing even more exciting performances from you at this time tomorrow."

Rosen inserted Shinsō back into its scabbard, his gaze sweeping across the prisoners of Infinite Hell.

Every one of them wore dark expressions, but without exception, not one spoke. They seemed to have been intimidated by the deaths of Byrnndi World and Gebol.

But Rosen knew better.

These monstrous criminals, whose sins were so vile they had been erased from history, would never submit so easily. Fear was even less likely.

Their current obedience was merely superficial and temporary.

In fact, the pirates imprisoned on the Sixth Layer were like volcanoes gathering energy, capable of erupting at any moment.

Rosen understood this perfectly.

But so what?

What hunter would fear the fierce beasts in a cage, especially when that hunter held a Zanpakuto?

Your comprehension is heaven-defying. Through your battle with Gebol, combined with your cultivation of Qi Body Origin Flow, your Three Colors of Haki have received a breakthrough enhancement.

Armament Haki strength increased by 125%.

Observation Haki strength increased by 108%.

Conqueror's Haki strength increased by 130%.

Through the information prompt in his mind, Rosen directly saw the gains he had received from his battle with Gebol.

He glanced over the prisoners on the Sixth Layer, pausing briefly at the two cells in the deepest part before withdrawing his gaze and turning toward the exit.

Although the gains from killing Gebol were not as great as those from his battle against World Destroyer, they were still immediate and significant. Yet he chose to do the same as yesterday.

After sending Gebol, the former CP0 chief, to meet the Twenty Kings of the Celestial Dragons, Rosen did not linger and left Infinite Hell directly.

Practical combat in the morning, cultivation at noon, creating techniques in the afternoon, and rest at night.

Work and rest in balance, combat and training as one.

This was the plan Zefa had tailored specifically for him.

According to Zefa, whether it was battle, training, food, or rest, they were all merely means. Steadily becoming an admiral at rapid speed was the ultimate goal.

Too much fighting? No.

That would only keep his mind in a prolonged state of tension, causing him to neglect understanding himself, delaying the development of his physical techniques, swordsmanship, and Paramecia Ability, while making it easy for him to become addicted to killing.

Blindly burying himself in training? No.

The result would be possessing powerful abilities and Haki without being able to convert them into actual combat strength.

Focusing only on food and rest? That would not do either.

He would become too lazy, his will would slacken, and his growth would be too slow.

Only by combining all four—balancing battle and cultivation while supplementing them with food and rest—could Rosen steadily become an admiral at rapid speed.

Over the following days—

Every day, at the appointed time, Rosen would head to Infinite Hell with Borsalino and Zefa to clock in.

Then he would draw his sword without mercy.

He would send one pirate from the list Zefa had carefully selected to meet their king.

Gol D. Roger.

Afterward, Rosen would leave and return to the Burning Hell on the Fourth Layer to enjoy the Sea King feast Domino had carefully prepared for him. Using Qi Body Origin Flow and Six Warehouses Immortal Thief, he would give his Three Colors of Haki and body a combined boost.

In the afternoon, as usual, he would craft a Zanpakuto by hand.

And so—

Time marched forward day by day.

With each passing day, Infinite Hell lost one pirate who had long been freeloading a bed and Marine meals, while Rosen's Paramecia Ability, Three Colors of Haki, and physical techniques received corresponding all-around improvements.

This also created an excellent virtuous cycle.

As time passed, the prisoners who faced Rosen later on died ever more easily.

It was not because the later prisoners were weaker than Byrnndi World or the Former CP0 Chief. On the contrary, the further down Zefa's list they were, the stronger they became. But the rate at which the prisoners grew stronger simply could not keep up with Rosen's daily rate of improvement.

If the prisoner on the third day was roughly twenty to thirty percent stronger overall than the prisoner on the second day, then Rosen on his third day in Impel Down was twice as strong overall as he had been on the second day.

As the days accumulated, the gap in strength between the later prisoners and Rosen not only failed to shrink—it grew larger and larger.

Especially by the tenth day.