Can You Escape?

"Jiehahahaha... Ghost, do you think this place can hold me? You just got here, didn't you? If you don't want to die, do as you're told. Otherwise, once I get out, you'll be the first one I kill."

Seeing Hannibal scared out of his wits, Golden Lion let out a disdainful sneer.

Though he was imprisoned, Golden Lion's terrifying laughter still sent chills down everyone's spine. Even Ye Chen could feel the air around them fill with dreadful killing intent in an instant.

No wonder Basan had said that this level held monsters from legend. Hannibal fled in a panic, crawling and scrambling away, while Golden Lion's voice drifted after him. "Ghost, I know about your ambition. If you die, your ambition will amount to nothing."

Ye Chen understood that Golden Lion was referring to Hannibal's desire to become the warden of Impel Down. It seemed Hannibal's catchphrase had long since become common knowledge.

Once Hannibal had gone far enough, Ye Chen was about to leave when Golden Lion suddenly spoke again. "Ghost, who are you?"

After confirming that Golden Lion could not leave his cell, Ye Chen gathered his courage and jumped down from the beam. He walked to the front of Golden Lion's cell and coldly asked, "Can you escape from here?"

"Ghost, you haven't answered my question. Who are you? Why are you here?"

A six-year-old Ghost had suddenly appeared in Impel Down, and in the lowest level, Infinite Level no less. Anyone would have been shocked. Golden Lion wondered whether this kid was the child of one of the guards.

But he did not look like one. There was quite a bit of blood on him, and he wore wolfskin clothing. Though young, Ye Chen possessed a powerful obsession that Golden Lion could plainly see. This Ghost was probably trapped here as well and wanted to escape.

"My name is Ye Chen. I'm not a prisoner here, but I want to get out too. You can escape, can't you?"

Though this man was dangerous, Ye Chen wanted to leave this Ghost-forsaken place every moment of every day. Even if he could endure it, Olvia could not.

Golden Lion nodded. "As long as I get my swords back, I can get out!" He answered with utter confidence, as though escaping was no difficult matter at all.

"I don't believe you." Ye Chen shook his head.

He felt Golden Lion was lying. Everyone knew that the prisoners here wore Seastone shackles, which were as hard as diamonds. Could a sword really chop through them?

That was too absurd. Everyone had seen diamonds before. They were practically indestructible.

"Jiehahaha... Ghost, don't judge by what others can do. There are too many things in this world that you haven't seen. How about this? If you can steal my swords for me, I'll take you out of here with me. What do you say? That's a pretty good deal, isn't it?"

Golden Lion had always been a schemer. Hannibal was timid and cowardly, and Golden Lion wanted to use him to steal back his two treasured swords. However, Hannibal had clearly not made up his mind and was still hesitating. If Ye Chen could steal the swords for him, that would work too.

So Golden Lion shifted his attention to Ye Chen. This Ghost looked extremely clever, and he could even climb along walls. Based on that skill alone, Golden Lion felt he was more likely than Hannibal to steal the swords.

"Let me think about it. You're too strong. What if you come out and kill me? You can't trust a pirate's words."

Seeing Golden Lion look at him expectantly, Ye Chen bluntly shook his head and refused. Golden Lion was so angry that he did not know whether to laugh or cry. He snorted unhappily. "You're just a Ghost. Do I really need to kill you? Ask around about who I, Golden Lion, am. I may have killed countless people, but I disdain laying a hand on a Ghost."

"You can think it over. I'll wait here for your answer." Golden Lion did not press him too hard. He could tell that Ye Chen was very cautious.

Golden Lion knew this Ghost was far from stupid, so he might as well let him consider it. In any case, without him, Ye Chen could not get out.

Ye Chen turned to leave, but Golden Lion called out again. "Ghost, other than me, no one can take you out of here. You'd better think it through."

No one else had heard their conversation. Until Ye Chen left, no one but Golden Lion had even noticed his presence.

It was not that the other prisoners lacked sharp senses. They simply had not paid attention. But Golden Lion was a formidable pirate who stood shoulder to shoulder with the Pirate King Roger. His senses far surpassed everyone else's, and he had noticed Ye Chen the instant he entered Infinite Level.

After successfully leaving Infinite Level, Ye Chen could not calm down for a long time.

No matter what, this was an opportunity for Ye Chen. This place was practically an impregnable fortress. He had heard Basan and the others mention that Magellan and Shiryu of the Rain were both terrifyingly powerful: one was an exceptional swordsman, while the other possessed the power of the Venom-Venom Fruit. It was precisely because of these two top-tier powerhouses that no prisoner had ever escaped. Moreover, even if one could leave this place, there was nothing outside but the sea, with the Gates of Justice blocking the way. Escaping Impel Down safely was nothing more than a fool's dream.

They had to break out of Impel Down and open the Gates of Justice successfully. Neither could be omitted, and the difficulty was easy to imagine.

Seeing Ye Chen return safely, Basan sighed in relief. But Ye Chen was clearly frowning and looked rather dispirited, so Basan jokingly asked, "Ye Chen, don't tell me someone bullied you?"

"I'd say there's an eighty percent chance Hannibal did that to him."

"Did what?" Seeing Jace grin maliciously, a pirate beside him chimed in.

"What else could it be? Ye Chen's got such delicate skin. He must have been done by Hannibal. You should know Hannibal is a famous lecherous Ghost. Maybe he was so desperate that he treated Ye Chen like a woman and slept with him."

"Basan... Has anyone ever escaped from Impel Down?"

Ye Chen could not be bothered to respond to their heartless teasing and mockery.

Basan shook his head. "Ye Chen, I'm not trying to discourage you, but since Impel Down was established, not a single person has ever left this Ghost place. No matter who it is, once they're locked in here, there's only one ending: dying here."

Basan's words left Ye Chen silent for a long while.

These pirates imprisoned in Freezing Hell knew Impel Down fairly well. Basan did not want to discourage Ye Chen, but this was the naked truth.

No matter who entered, they could forget about leaving alive. Even after they died here, their corpses would remain here forever.

"What about Golden Lion? Can he get out?" After a long silence, a faint spark of hope seemed to reignite in Ye Chen.

"Golden Lion... I know of him. He's been locked up here for some time. He... can't get out either."

Just the Seastone shackles alone, with their diamond-like hardness, were enough for Basan to believe Golden Lion could not break them.