"Bang!"
With a deafening crash, the guards blocking Chen Qiang's path were sent flying. Countless wounds of all sizes appeared across their bodies.
"You little brat! That's enough!"
Hannyabal had just gotten to his feet when he saw the guards sprawled across the ground. He shouted furiously.
"Tch! You think I'm still the kid you could do whatever you wanted with two months ago?" Chen Qiang said, looking at him with contempt.
"But as far as getting stronger goes, I have you and these guards to thank. You gave me the chance to reach this level in just two short months!" Chen Qiang clenched his fist, feeling the strength in it. A murderous glint entered his eyes.
"But you, Hannyabal! I'll never forget the inhuman torment you put me through!" Chen Qiang's expression abruptly darkened halfway through his words.
"Just lie down and behave. I don't have all day to stick around and play with you!" Hannyabal paid no attention to what Chen Qiang said. As soon as he got up, he launched the first attack.
"Heh! You're underestimating me!"
Watching Hannyabal charge at him, Chen Qiang chuckled and tightened his grip on his long blade. Just as Hannyabal was about to reach him, Chen Qiang swung.
The immense force of the blow sent Hannyabal staggering backward.
"How is this possible? How can he be this strong?"
Hannyabal stared at Chen Qiang in disbelief. He couldn't believe that in just two months, the person he'd once been able to bully at will could knock him back with a single slash.
"Anything is possible on these seas!"
Chen Qiang's smile grew wider at Hannyabal's disbelief. As he spoke, he drew back his blade and held it horizontally before him.
"Tiger Roar!"
"Roar!"
Chen Qiang's blade spun as he brought it down on Hannyabal. A gigantic, blood-red tiger's head appeared along the blade and let out a thunderous roar.
Blood-red blades of wind formed in the tiger's mouth, then shot toward Hannyabal.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
At Chen Qiang's attack, Hannyabal spun the double-ended blade in his hands like a windmill, holding it in front of him. He blocked the blades of wind one after another, and none broke through his defense.
"It's not over yet!"
While Hannyabal struggled to defend against the blades in front of him, Chen Qiang had somehow appeared behind him. He raised his blade once more.
"When did you—?" Hannyabal froze when he heard Chen Qiang's voice behind him.
"Tiger Bite!"
But Chen Qiang didn't hesitate. A blood-red glow spread over his blade again as he swung it upward.
His blade transformed into a gigantic tiger. It opened its jaws and swallowed Hannyabal whole.
Inside the tiger's belly, Hannyabal found himself surrounded by blood-red blades of wind that swiftly tore into him.
"Argh!" "Bang!"
Hannyabal was sent flying again, but this time he didn't get back up. His body was covered in wounds, and blood poured from them. As he lost blood, his strength ebbed away, and he collapsed helplessly onto the ground, unable to move.
"Just as I thought! Nothing beats taking down your own enemy!" Chen Qiang said cheerfully, rubbing his hair, which had grown long after two months without a trim.
"Step, step, step!"
Just then, footsteps sounded from the upward passage, drawing closer by the second.
"So it's Blackbeard!"
As the footsteps approached, Chen Qiang finally spotted the newcomers at the corner: a burly man with a full head of black hair and three pistols at his waist—Blackbeard—and several other crewmen he'd recruited.
"Zehahaha! You're quite a strong one, kid!" Blackbeard laughed loudly when he saw Chen Qiang standing among the fallen guards.
"Blackbeard! I almost forgot you'd be coming to Impel Down around this time!" Chen Qiang said, patting his head ruefully instead of attacking him.
It had been two months since Chen Qiang had crossed over. All that time, he'd been tortured and trying to escape, and he'd nearly forgotten the plot of the anime. Seeing Blackbeard reminded him that Blackbeard had indeed appeared in Impel Down, later taking part in the Summit War and gaining Whitebeard's power.
"Zehahaha! I didn't expect to meet someone here who knows who I am!" Blackbeard laughed again when Chen Qiang called him by name.
"Hey, kid, how about joining us and searching for the legendary ONE PIECE together?" Blackbeard suddenly took a liking to Chen Qiang and invited him to join.
"ONE PIECE? I am interested, but I don't think we'd get along, so I'd rather look for it on my own!" Chen Qiang refused outright.
Back in his previous life, Chen Qiang hadn't particularly disliked Blackbeard as he watched the anime. But how should he put it? Blackbeard was probably the character in the anime most like a real pirate. Still, not disliking him didn't mean Chen Qiang would join him.
After all, in his previous life, Chen Qiang had received a good moral education, and he had a strong sense of justice. Being tortured here for two months had changed him somewhat, but that didn't mean he'd become a true pirate. He could relate more to someone like Luffy.
On the voyage, he'd knock down whatever he couldn't stand. That was enough.
"Zehahaha! What a shame. So, kid, what are you going to do now? Stop me?" Blackbeard wasn't surprised by Chen Qiang's refusal. He simply asked him again.
"No. If you want to go on, go ahead. Our goals don't conflict, and I have no reason to stop you on behalf of these guards!" Chen Qiang raised an eyebrow at Blackbeard's question, stepped aside, and answered.
"Hahahaha! What an interesting kid! What do you think?" Blackbeard laughed even harder at Chen Qiang's gesture, then turned to ask his crewmen.
"He really is interesting!"
"Yeah! Yeah!"
"Hey, kid! Want an apple?"
The others smiled at Chen Qiang as they answered Blackbeard. Doc Q, who was riding a horse, grinned and pulled an apple from his clothes, offering it to Chen Qiang.
"Oh? Is that a provocation?"
Chen Qiang raised an eyebrow at the apple held out to him. He didn't take it, but calmly watched Blackbeard and his crew, tightening his grip on his long blade.
"Zehahaha! Looks like you know a lot about us, kid. Don't worry! It really is an apple!"
Blackbeard and the others paused at Chen Qiang's reaction, but quickly understood and burst into laughter.
"In that case, thanks! To be honest, I am a little hungry!"
Hearing Blackbeard say that, Chen Qiang stopped suspecting anything. He took the apple from him, thanked him, and said.
"Maybe we'll meet again, Blackbeard!" After taking the apple, Chen Qiang casually bit into it. It was fresh, just as he'd been told. Then he called out to Blackbeard, who had already gone some distance down the passage.
"Zehahaha!"
Blackbeard said no more. Laughing loudly, he led his men toward the fourth level.
After passing Blackbeard, Chen Qiang didn't linger. He hurried toward the first level above the sea.
Soon, Chen Qiang reached the first level above the sea without a hitch. He ran into no resistance along the way because Blackbeard's men had already cleared out the Marines guarding the route as they headed down.
"This is the place!"
After a few quick dashes across the first level above the sea, Chen Qiang arrived at a place with a tightly shut door and looked at it.
"Bang!"
"So this is it!"
With a single kick, Chen Qiang kicked open the closed door. Inside, he saw metal pipes and various instruments flashing with light. Just as he'd remembered, this was where they controlled the opening of the Gates of Justice.
"The Undying, Chen Qiang! He's here!"
"Did he escape again?"
"What's he doing here?"
"Everyone, grab your weapons! Don't let him in!"
Chen Qiang had escaped from prison dozens of times, so hardly anyone in Impel Down didn't recognize him. The guards inside recognized him as soon as he kicked open the door and quickly prepared to attack.
"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!" "..."
Gunshots rang out again, and bullets streaked through the air, hitting Chen Qiang.
"Why can't you understand? These things can't hurt me at all!"
Chen Qiang glanced at the bullets embedded in his body and shook his head helplessly.
"Tiger Flash!"
With a low shout, Chen Qiang vanished from the doorway. When he appeared again, he was behind the guards. The long blade in his hand slid slowly into its sheath.
The guards who'd been firing stopped moving. Disbelief filled their faces. As Chen Qiang's blade slid all the way into its sheath, blood burst from their chests, and they collapsed to the ground, rolling their eyes back.
"This must be it!"
Ignoring the fallen guards, Chen Qiang searched the room. Recalling the switch he'd seen in the anime in his previous life, he quickly found a device.
The device had two large buttons. One was labeled "Open," and the other "Close." Without hesitation, Chen Qiang pressed the button marked "Open."
"Rumble!"
After pressing it, Chen Qiang heard chains dragging, followed by the tremendous sound of a gate opening.
"Looks like I remembered right!"
Hearing the two sounds coming from outside, Chen Qiang nodded in satisfaction.
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