A Turn for the Better

Eternal Hell, untouched by the passage of time.

Everything here was cut off from the outside world, like another frozen time and space.

Unlike the harsh environments of the other levels, which tortured the body, the sixth level wore a person down more from within. It was as if the entire world had exiled you, slowly grinding away a prisoner's sharpness and edges through endless, lonely years.

No sunlight penetrated the cold, dark prison, where violent coughing suddenly echoed.

Ye Qiong lay facedown on the ground, his body convulsing violently as he coughed weakly, as though he were about to cough out his lungs. His face was pale, utterly bloodless.

He had been in Eternal Hell for over a month. He had been confident that, with his willpower, he could endure no matter what torment or suffering came his way.

Yet something unexpected had still happened—his heavily injured body had continued to worsen.

The icy aura and scorching current within him collided and clashed, ravaging his body wildly. His bones felt as if they had been scraped raw over and over again.

Over the past month, he had wandered between life and death countless times.

The hidden injuries left behind by Kuzan and Sakazuki's abilities had become far too deadly for his current body.

"If this continues, I'll die..."

Ye Qiong sighed inwardly and slipped back into unconsciousness.

Within the dark prison, a faint green glow suddenly flickered from Ye Qiong's chest before swiftly fading away.

The elderly prisoner in the cell opposite opened his bleary eyes and glanced over. Thinking he was seeing things, he soon fell asleep again. Sleeping was truly the best way to pass the time in Eternal Hell.

Meanwhile, Ye Qiong's body was already undergoing a miraculous change.

Dense vitality descended upon his withered body like a nourishing rain, beginning to repair the accumulated hidden injuries and wounds within him.

He had a very, very long dream.

In the dream, Robin had grown into a graceful young woman. She sat atop a rocky cliff by the sea, her dark blue hair drifting elegantly in the ocean breeze.

She gazed out toward the shore, at the blue, blue sea where sky and water merged as one, indistinguishable from each other.

"Ye Qiong, you liar."

Her rosy lips pouted. She seemed helpless and a little saddened, yet a smile still lingered at the corners of her mouth.

The azure sky was suddenly set ablaze, turning scarlet and scorching, just like the sky above Ohara Island during the Buster Call. Sakazuki arrived using Geppo, his expression cold and stern as his massive crimson magma fist smashed toward that graceful figure...

"Stop!!!"

Ye Qiong jolted awake, his face twisted in agony, his entire body drenched in cold sweat as his chest rose and fell unsteadily.

"Robin..." he murmured, instinctively clenching his fist.

A wisp of strength rose from the muscles of his body, thin and weak, yet vastly different from his previous state of utter frailty.

"This is..."

Ye Qiong froze. He pushed himself up with his legs, slowly rising to his feet. Amid the clinking of his shackles, his weak, heavily injured body actually stood up. He clenched and unclenched his hands, feeling as though it were all a dream.

His body still felt the pain of being torn apart, but a tingling sensation flowed through his chest, accompanied by a gentle nourishment as his blood and vitality slowly recovered bit by bit.

Confused, Ye Qiong tore open his damaged shirt. A green vine tattoo had appeared on the skin of his chest. Its roots began at his navel, while the vines wound around his limbs and back, lush and brimming with vitality.

A plant tattoo?

Ye Qiong's expression turned strange. He did not remember getting a tattoo like this.

Still, in this bizarre world of pirates, any strange and miraculous occurrence could probably be accepted.

Most importantly, he could clearly sense that this vine tattoo was actually healing his body!

Surging vitality poured into his crippled body, gradually erasing the hidden injuries caused by the icy aura and scorching current that had been ravaging him from within.

A dead tree meeting spring.

Suppressing the turbulent emotions in his heart, Ye Qiong sat back down on the ground.

"At this rate of self-healing, I'll return to normal before long." Light gleamed in his eyes, shining brightly.

If he were at his peak, then with the ability of the Space-Space Fruit, how could this mere world prison possibly hold him for the rest of his life?

"Robin, wait for me. I'll keep my promise and come find you."

He murmured to himself, determination shining in his eyes.

Over the following days, Ye Qiong's body improved day by day.

The wounds on his body scabbed over and peeled away. Only the wound that had pierced through his right abdomen had yet to fully recover, though it was already about sixty percent healed.

As for the hidden injuries from the icy aura and scorching current, they had been completely suppressed and eliminated.

Though the Seastone in his leg shackles weakened him, his vigor and spirit continued to recover, gradually growing stronger and sweeping away his previous listlessness.

Sometimes, he even got up to do simple exercises, moving his body as though it had rusted from disuse.

Creak—

"Tap, tap, tap..."

Military boots struck the hard floor, producing heavy footsteps.

"Hmm? Not the meal delivery..." Hearing the footsteps, Ye Qiong listened closely and quickly understood. "It should be a new prisoner."

Of course, he was not the only one drawn by the footsteps. Prisoners in the other cells woke one after another, wanting to see what sort of person had been sent into Eternal Hell.

"Hey, hey! Isn't that a Marine vice admiral? Infighting, huh! Hahaha."

"It really is! What a rare sight. This is so satisfying—dogs biting dogs!"

The prisoners in the cells near the entrance burst into mocking laughter.

Ye Qiong got up and moved to the iron door of his cell. He could clearly see that the prisoner being escorted in had his head lowered. He wore a black shirt and a Marine coat over his shoulders, indeed dressed like a Marine vice admiral.

(According to Marine regulations, recruits through seamen wore standard Marine uniforms and caps. After being promoted to petty officer, they could choose various styles of clothing, even civilian attire, though they were still forbidden from wearing anything unsuitable for the Marine image. Officers were permitted to wear the standard uniform together with a Marine coat bearing the word "Justice" on its back.)

Only upon reaching the rank of commissioned officer or flag officer could one wear a Marine coat together with civilian clothing. Of course, the rank insignia on the shoulders of the coats differed according to rank, making them easy to distinguish at a glance.

Generally speaking, Marines without coats worn like capes were merely background characters or cannon fodder in the pirate world, insignificant figures in the original story. Vice admirals and above, on the other hand, were major characters.

Ye Qiong watched as the Marines escorted the prisoner closer and closer, until they unexpectedly stopped before his cell. The leading Marine used a key to open the iron door.

They were putting him in his cell...

Ye Qiong had already retreated to lean against the wall, narrowing his eyes as he assessed the prisoner who had once held the rank of vice admiral.

The prisoner was a burly man with a face full of thick beard and somewhat gloomy eyes. As he was brought in, he coldly glanced at Ye Qiong, who lay half-reclined on the ground.

The leading Marine shackled the bearded man's limbs with iron chains, each chain nailed into his body and secured to the side wall of the cell.

They had not used Seastone. Instead, they had restrained him in a way that even locked down his bones. He was definitely not a Devil Fruit user, but someone exceptional in physical combat.

"Bastard, repent properly in there!"

The leading Marine cursed viciously at the bearded man before hurrying away with the soldiers.

The Marines had left, but the prison remained exceptionally lively, as if it had boiled over. After all, a Marine vice admiral being thrown in here was an extremely rare event.

"New guy! Tell us, what did you do to end up in here?!"

"Haha, don't tell me you slept with some admiral's wife? Hahaha."

The prisoners eagerly tried to pry information out of him.

"Shut up! I'm not the same kind of person as trash like you!" The bearded man suddenly yanked at his chains and spat fiercely.

"What kind of bullshit is that? Once you're in here, no matter who you are, you'll rot in prison for the rest of your life!"

A prisoner retorted with a sinister chuckle.

"Hmph! No matter what, people like you are trash!" the bearded man said coldly.

Little did he know, that single remark had offended every prisoner in Eternal Hell.

"Heh, young and ignorant." The old man in the opposite cell shook his head and lay down to sleep.

"Hey, hey, if we were outside, I'd really like to twist your head right off!"

"How would that be enough? At the very least, we'd have to slice all the flesh from his body piece by piece."

The prisoners shrieked and let out bone-chilling laughter.

The bearded man snorted and said nothing more.

Ye Qiong remained silent throughout. Having another prisoner in the cell—especially someone so extreme, foolish, and hostile toward prisoners—would greatly hinder some of his plans.

He would have to find an opportunity to get rid of him.

But not now. Though the bearded man's limb bones were chained down and he could not move freely or display even a tenth of his strength, his powerful body was still formidable, beyond what ordinary people could match. Ye Qiong was in an even worse state. Though his body had taken a turn for the better, his severe injuries had not fully healed, and the Seastone shackles further weakened him...

Ye Qiong considered it for a moment, then closed his eyes. There was no rush.