The Gates Were Near

The Night Emperor drew a longsword, but his Armament Haki dissipated, unable to cover the blade.

His body had already decayed beyond recognition, and using Armament Haki was difficult and exhausting for him.

"Get out of the way!" Crow King gritted his teeth. His massive body dug fiercely into the ground as he tried to evade the sword light hurtling toward his back.

The Night Emperor was already powerless to stop it, while White Snow remained unconscious. The situation seemed impossible to turn around!

Ye Qiong's figure instantly appeared atop Crow King's back, one hand reaching toward the incoming sword light.

"R!"

A circular space expanded, its spatial wall blocking the white sword light.

The sharp sword light struck it as though hitting an iron wall. Spatial ripples spread, yet the barrier remained unbroken.

"You are?"

Shiryu of the Rain looked doubtfully at the suddenly appearing Ye Qiong, who had blocked his attack, and paused at once.

"Brother Ye! Whoa! If you'd come any later, that guy would've chopped us into pieces!"

Crow King also halted his huge body, his dark eyes spinning as he nearly burst into cheers.

"Master, are you all right?"

Ye Qiong's concerned gaze fell on the Night Emperor.

The Night Emperor shook his head, then flicked his left hand and tossed away the sword he held. "I'm old. Truly old. I can barely hold a sword anymore."

Ye Qiong caught the longsword, his gaze gradually turning cold as it shifted to Shiryu of the Rain. His expression grew solemn.

He finally understood why White Snow had used that move.

Shiryu of the Rain, also known as Rain's Son Dragon, was a powerful swordsman and the chief warden of the Underwater Prison.

His strength was not far behind Magellan's. Together with Magellan, he was one of Impel Down's swordsmen known as the "Iron Wall"!

"Why are you here? Don't tell me you defeated Magellan?!" Shiryu of the Rain's expression flickered with uncertainty. He knew Magellan had been fighting an inmate in the fourth level, the Burning Hell. Why had he now appeared in the third level, the Hunger Hell?

Though he refused to acknowledge Magellan as Impel Down's strongest man, within the prison environment, Magellan's ability was indeed nearly impossible to counter.

"Shiryu of the Rain, huh? If there's a chance next time, I'll definitely ask you for some swordsmanship lessons!"

Ye Qiong gave him a cold glance. The expanded R had already scanned the passage leading upward.

"Let's go!"

Ye Qiong pressed a hand against Crow King. His spatial ability activated, silver light flashed, and he took them with him in a spatial teleportation.

"What?!"

Shiryu of the Rain stared in confusion as Ye Qiong and the others vanished from where they stood.

The next moment, Ye Qiong brought Crow King and the others to the entrance passage of the third floor, using his ability to construct Space Cubes upward as footholds.

"Quick! Charge up!"

Ye Qiong landed on Crow King's broad back. The repeated use of his spatial ability continually drained his stamina, leaving his body close to collapse.

The plant tattoo on his chest emitted a faintly cool, warm current, and vitality surged through his depleted body.

The horrific wound on his left shoulder had already completely clotted with blood.

Carrying the three of them was effortless for Crow King. His feet frantically kicked off the Space Cubes in midair. His powerful legs shattered nearly every Space Cube with each step, while his enormous pangolin body tore through the air and shot upward at high speed.

"Don't even think about leaving!"

Not far below, Shiryu of the Rain held his sword and used Geppo through the air, rapidly chasing after them.

He continuously swung his sword. The famous blade flashed with razor-sharp brilliance as several white slashes burst forth, ripping through the air and cutting toward Ye Qiong and the others.

Sitting on Crow King's back, Ye Qiong watched the slashes fly toward them and swung his sword hard to block them.

"Black Night Nights!"

The ink-black blade swung, unleashing a dense black sword light that tore through the air. One became two, two became four, and four black crescent slashes swept downward.

Screech!!!

A piercing sound split the air as black and white sword lights collided, stirring the atmosphere. The pressure rippled through the passage, shaking it from top to bottom.

Shiryu of the Rain's ascending body stalled, but he stepped on empty air. A burst of air exploded beneath his foot, strengthening his Geppo as he continued the pursuit upward.

"Still refusing to give up!"

Ye Qiong swung his sword again and again. This time, the sword lights shot out like black lightning, cutting into the walls of the surrounding passage.

Crash!

Chunks of stone were sliced apart by the black sword lights and continuously fell downward, obstructing Shiryu of the Rain's path.

"If you've got the guts, stop and fight me! What kind of man uses such despicable tricks?!"

Shiryu of the Rain was growing exasperated. He swung his sword, repeatedly smashing apart the falling bricks and stones, but his speed inevitably dropped. He could only watch Ye Qiong and the others get farther and farther away.

"We're escaping from prison! We're not here to challenge anyone, idiot."

"And what's the point of talking about fair or unfair with someone like you? What a joke."

Ye Qiong sneered disdainfully.

In the original story, Shiryu of the Rain had always been one to follow whichever way the wind blew. It was bad enough that he brutally murdered prisoners who did not deserve to die, but he had also betrayed the Marines and joined forces with Blackbeard. He was utterly without integrity.

Ye Qiong swung even harder, tearing open the walls and sending rubble rolling downward.

"Damn it!" Shiryu of the Rain roared from below.

A faint light appeared ahead. The second level of hell was near!

"Keep charging!"

Ye Qiong patted Crow King's back. Although the plant tattoo was healing him, he was constructing Space Cubes with his ability while using swordsmanship to obstruct Shiryu of the Rain. He had no time at all to recover his stamina.

Yet although Crow King had been fleeing nonstop, he remained full of vigor. His steps did not weaken in the slightest as he forcefully shattered the Space Cubes and charged upward.

Whoosh!

The view before them suddenly opened up. They had reached the second level of hell!

Only one more level remained! Then they could charge straight to Impel Down's gates!

Crow King did not pause, rushing directly into the final stretch of the floor passage.

"Shiryu of the Rain, stop them!!!"

From farther below came Magellan's roar. His furious voice erupted from deep within his throat, making the entire Impel Down tremble.

So even a compressed air bullet couldn't do anything to him. Ye Qiong sighed inwardly. Still, buying some time was enough.

"Crow King, hurry!" Ye Qiong urged.

Crow King clenched his teeth and used both hands and feet, kicking off the Space Cubes as he sprinted upward.

"Disciple, that warden is getting closer!" the Night Emperor suddenly warned.

"Hm?" Ye Qiong frowned. He extended his Observation Haki downward and discovered that Magellan had already overtaken Shiryu of the Rain. Purple venom continuously secreted from Magellan's body, forming a passage that clung to the walls and allowed him to glide. He was more than twice as fast as anyone else!

"This is bad!" Ye Qiong's expression changed. If Magellan caught up to them, they would be in serious trouble.

He swung his sword at high speed. Black sword lights carved through the walls, and stones rumbled as they fell below.

Boom!

Magellan's entire body was covered in venom, yet he crashed straight through the falling stones and continued chasing without being hindered.

Another mass of purple venom transformed into a dragon and sprayed upward in a fierce pounce.

Ye Qiong was just about to use R to block it when a scorching presence arose beside him. A mass of black flames blasted downward.

The Black Flames burned the Poison Dragon, and the tremendous heat instantly evaporated it completely.

"Hm?" Ye Qiong turned his head. White Snow had awakened from her unconsciousness.

"White Snow, use the hellfire Black Flames to buy us time!" Ye Qiong said.

White Snow nodded. Black Flames emerged from both her hands and continuously poured downward, burning everything below.

The Black Flames clung to the walls and the empty air as they burned, making Magellan wary and unable to advance a single step.

"Good! Crow King, keep charging upward!" Ye Qiong let out a breath of relief as the faint light above gradually brightened.

Above them was the first level of hell!

Impel Down's gates were within reach!