Impel Down (13)

As time passed, Crocodile and his group in the Freezing Hell soon felt something strange coming from the ground beneath their feet.

There was a strong tremor.

It's no exaggeration to say that, given the size of Impel Down's interior, each level of the prison is comparable in size to an island, not to mention how sturdy and thick the foundations that serve as partitions between the two floors are. So... what kind of riot or battle could it take for them, 'upper floor', to perceive it so clearly?

"Hey, hey, hey, isn't this going a bit too far?"

The Crocodile couldn't help but speak up.

Moreover, the tremors showed no signs of abating; on the contrary, they became increasingly pronounced.

The frequent muffled thuds below made it seem as if the snow-covered ground in front of them could erupt like a volcano at any moment, its surface shattered by a powerful force.

Nearly an hour later, the terrifying noise gradually subsided.

Meanwhile, Shiryu had already returned.

"Is it not over yet?"

He strolled over, seemingly oblivious to the corpses scattered around him.

At this moment, the One Piece who were fighting each other in the Freezing Hell have determined the final victor.

There were approximately fifty people, a very small number.

"Crocodile, is this guy one of us too?"

A One Piece was staring at Shiryu with ill intent.

After all, as the administrators of the forward- Impel Down, some of them harbored great hostility towards Shiryu.

"You may try to kill him, but you will be responsible for the consequences."

Crocodile said coldly.

"..."

The battle had just ended, and the One Piece, whose murderous aura had not yet dissipated, looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this... and ultimately no one dared to make a move.

They were aware of Shiryu's bad reputation.

Furthermore, in that once Freezing Hell, many prisoners also perished under Shiryu's blade.

"Have you completed your mission?"

Crocodile gave an irrelevant answer.

"Certainly."

Shiryu gave a wicked smile. "This is something the captain ordered me to do."

"You all need to do your jobs properly too."

Hannibal has already been killed by him... Not only that, during his operation, he also dealt with the One Piece who escaped from various hells, including some of the guards in Impel Down. Even though members of the Hell Pirates were controlling the situation on each floor, due to the number of One Piece and the size and environment of each floor, many still managed to escape... The same was true for the Freezing Hell; Crocodile did not recruit all the prisoners to participate in this game of 'competitors'.

Some weak or unnecessary participants were deliberately let go by Crocodile.

But Shiryu saw this as a slackening of Oboro's orders.

That's why he opened his mouth to mock the Crocodile's abilities.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Old Sand's face darkened. "Although you were personally chosen by the captain, don't be too arrogant... In the Hell Pirates, you're just a newcomer. Behave yourself."

"Want to have a fight? Although it's a bit impolite to take down the first mate so soon after boarding... I believe that from the captain's perspective, he wouldn't be angry if someone more capable became his first mate." Shiryu chuckled, and with a low voice, his thumb gently pried open the hilt of Raiu's sword.

The One Piece, who had just won and were still basking in their own sense of superiority, suddenly felt a chill.

The atmosphere at the scene was very tense.

Some people nervously swallowed.

His gaze lingered between the Crocodile and Shiliu.

Crocodile opened his palm, unleashing a suction force. In the snow-covered, Freezing Hell, wisps of yellow sand, swirling like a gentle breeze, suddenly rose and transformed into a miniature, rotating Tatsumaki in his palm.

The scabbard in Shiryu's hand was also opened wider.

It was like a fierce battle, a fight to the death, about to erupt.

"You..."

"What are you doing?"

At this critical moment, suddenly, the yellow sand in Crocodile's palm shattered, and Shiryu's Raiu instantly returned to its sheath.

Both of them experienced the same hallucination.

It was as if the world had suddenly turned pitch black, and a face conjured from murderous intent appeared behind them, its emotionless eyes staring at them.

Just a moment ago, both of them had murderous intent and were ready to make a move.

At this opportune moment, a chilling consciousness began to set its sights on the two of them.

Crocodile and Shiryu turned to look into the distance.

Then a familiar figure appeared, slowly walking towards them through the swirling snow.

There was one person on each side of him, one on his left and one on his right.

Upon seeing Oboro's appearance, both Crocodile and Shiryu's expressions changed slightly.

Long's suit was tattered to shreds, and he had some recent injuries on his body. There was also a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, clearly indicating that he had just been in a fierce battle and was in very bad shape. But even more disheveled than him was a man on his left.

His entire body was bright red, with a fist-sized hole in his abdomen, from which blood was still flowing uncontrollably.

The hand bone of one arm, even with blood still clinging to it, protruded from under the skin, clearly indicating it was broken.

It's almost a miracle that this person is still alive and able to move under such injuries! However, judging from the man's expression, he seems completely unaffected.

His face was always beaming with arrogance and excitement, along with a faint smile of joy.

As for the person to Oboro's right, he looked quite normal, with no signs of a fight.

"Although I had expected it, seeing it with my own eyes was still surprising."

Crocodile looked at Douglas Bare and said something.

The two are 'old friends'.

In his youth, Crocodile faced Bare and the match ended in a draw.

What surprised him was... judging from Oboro's appearance, some of the injuries seemed to have been inflicted by Bare, which meant that over the years Bare's strength had grown to a terrifying level. The guy who could fight him to a draw back then was probably even stronger than him now... because Crocodile wasn't confident he could inflict such damage on Oboro.

Of course, Oboro only looked like he was seriously injured, but in reality... he hadn't broken any bones and was fine.

"World Destroyer, Bondivaldo".

Shiryu repeated a sentence.

If Bare was the expected choice, then... the fact that old man Waldo came along was a bit of a surprise to him.

In terms of sheer strength, there are many monsters in the Infinite Hell who are even more dangerous than Waldo.

Oboro actually chose him.

However, just as the two were thinking, Oboro raised his eyelids and locked his gaze on Crocodile and Shiryu.

Are you going to make a move?

"..."

Shiliu and Crocodile were quiet for a moment.

Long's originally cold gaze subtly changed, becoming more peaceful. "This is the last time."

Fighting can take place on his ship... but only at his behest.

If anyone violates this rule, no matter how valuable that person is, Oboro wouldn't hesitate to eliminate them.

After saying that, Oboro turned and left.

Bare followed closely in his new boss's footsteps, glancing at Shiryu and Crocodile with a mocking look.

Shiryu glanced back at the Crocodile and followed closely behind the squad.

Old Sha's reaction was calmer.

According to the rules, if he had made that move, he would have indeed broken the agreement with Oboro.

As for the dozens of One Piece standing nearby, they didn't take any of them seriously.

They all knew that... these were not the kind of people who needed 'care' in the future Hell Pirates.

He's just a nobody.