Vicious Jailer Beast

Ye Chen hesitated over Golden Lion's proposal. Golden Lion was simply too powerful and vicious. If Ye Chen let him out and he killed Ye Chen afterward, what then? But if he did not let him out, how could Ye Chen escape?

After weighing it over, Ye Chen decided to take a look and see whether he could find Golden Lion's two swords. As long as Golden Lion got those swords, he could cut through the Seastone shackles. Whether he believed it or not, Ye Chen wanted to try and see if he could steal the two swords out successfully.

What Ye Chen did not know was that Golden Lion was deeply calculating. In truth, he already had a way to break out of prison. If he could obtain Kogarashi and Oto in advance, all the better—he could cut apart his shackles and escape from his cell. If he could not get them, he could cut off his own legs and escape all the same. Golden Lion was an immensely ambitious man; to escape prison, he did not care even if he had to sever both his legs.

Moving stealthily, Ye Chen kept watch for War Wolves while quietly making his way toward the cell door.

The cell door was shut. To reach the fourth level from here, someone had to open it. "Hm?" When he reached the door, Ye Chen suddenly froze. He faintly sensed someone on the other side. Though the presence was extremely weak, he could still catch it keenly.

"What is this?" Ye Chen pressed his ear against the door to listen. The door was too thick and sealed tightly, so he could not hear anything from the other side. Yet he could sense it with his heart. He could even clearly detect the faint presence of a Den Den Mushi in the nearby corridor.

"Could this be Observation Haki?"

Sure enough, when Ye Chen extended his range further, the presences he sensed became increasingly faint. At roughly ten-odd meters, he could no longer sense anything at all. Since he had trained in Haki for too short a time, not only was his range limited, but he could not sustain it for long, and the presences he sensed were not very distinct.

On the other side of the door, someone seemed to be hanging his head and sighing. That person's heart was beating rapidly, as if he had been frightened by something. Ye Chen could tell that he was badly scared, leaning against the door with an utterly chaotic presence.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Ye Chen clenched his fist and lightly knocked on the door a few times. At first, the person paid no attention. After a while, when the sound rang out again, he paused in confusion before curiously opening the door a crack and poking his head inside. Ye Chen had already clung to the top of the cell door like a gecko. The moment the gap opened, he flipped over and slipped through above it.

He saw the person who had opened the door clearly. It was Hannibal, who had just taken him to Infinite Level.

"What an idiot." Ye Chen flipped onto a beam above the corridor and hid behind it. Hannibal was still bent over with his backside sticking out, looking around everywhere. Not only did he fail to spot Ye Chen, but he had also broken out in a cold sweat. Ye Chen was immensely pleased with himself. Though he wanted to give Hannibal a scare, he held back. It would be bad if he were discovered.

After staying there only a short while, Ye Chen began to feel uncomfortable all over. Why was this level so hot? Before long, sweat had formed on his forehead. When he sniffed the air, even each breath was scorching. The fifth level was as cold as an ice cellar, while this fourth level was like a furnace. Separated by only one door, they were worlds apart.

"There's no one here. Was I hallucinating?" Hannibal pulled his head back, shut the cell door again, and muttered in puzzlement. Seeing that it was getting late, he did not dare delay any longer and hurried toward the monitoring room.

It seemed Hannibal had been terrified by Golden Lion and still had not recovered. He walked with his head lowered and his spirits crushed, like an eggplant wilted by frost.

"Awooo..." Before he had gone far, a strange cry suddenly rang out from the end of the corridor, like the roar of some savage beast. The sound grew closer and closer. Ye Chen could clearly feel even the ground trembling faintly beneath it. That ghostly, terrifying cry made one's hair stand on end, carrying a dreadful ferocity that made even Hannibal's body tremble uncontrollably with fright.

Hannibal had only just arrived at Impel Down this year and had yet to grow accustomed to the place. When a huge black shadow appeared in the distance, he cried out in terror, his legs went weak, and he collapsed limply to the floor.

"What kind of monster is that?" It looked like a bull and carried a club in its hand, but its size was astonishing. Its two lantern-sized eyes were wide open, and a long string of snot hung beneath its nostrils. As it walked, it warily scanned its surroundings. With every step, the stone floor beneath its feet cracked loudly, as though even the sturdy bluestone could not bear the monstrous strength of this bull-headed creature.

Its upper body was that of a cow, a black-and-white spotted dairy cow at that. It looked somewhat adorable and did not appear fierce. Its lower body resembled a human's, standing and walking freely on two legs. It carried a massive spiked club in its hand. Ye Chen quickly held his breath, afraid of being discovered by this fellow. Just from its size alone, he knew it was not someone to provoke.

"H-hello... Minotaurus." Summoning his courage, Hannibal greeted the bull-headed monster. Minotaurus snorted. The disgusting snot was almost dripping to the floor, but he suddenly sucked it back up into his nose. Ye Chen nearly burst out laughing.

The bull-headed monster strode over to Hannibal, bent down, and pressed his enormous bovine face almost against Hannibal's body, seemingly to confirm his identity. After a while, he snorted, patted Hannibal twice on the shoulder, then swaggered away.

Hannibal and Ye Chen both breathed sighs of relief. Hannibal's face had gone pale. Just as he tried to stand, he realized his legs had gone numb. After recovering for a while, Hannibal supported himself against the wall and limped toward the monitoring room. Ye Chen followed at an unhurried pace along the beam, using the Gecko Technique. Before long, a terrifying scream came from ahead.

Hannibal's scalp went numb, and he nearly collapsed again from fear. Supporting himself against the wall, he shuffled forward step by step. When he got closer, he discovered that the bull-headed monster was punishing a prisoner. The prisoner had been beaten bloody all over, and even his legs had been smashed apart. He howled in agony. A wanted criminal with a bounty of tens of millions was like a dead dog before the bull-headed monster. Before long, he was beaten to death. The icy spiked club was covered in flesh and blood, a particularly horrifying sight.

"No wonder they call them heartless Jailer Beasts. He's far too ruthless." After a while, Hannibal sucked in a cold breath and immediately ran off at full speed. Ye Chen was still shaken as well and hurried after him. This place was far too terrifying. They actually let such vicious monsters brutally beat prisoners, killing them at the slightest provocation. If he were discovered, he would probably meet the same fate. He could not stay here any longer; he had to escape as soon as possible.