Cutting Through Diamond

Golden Lion waited for over a month. Every time he saw Ye Chen, hope rekindled in his heart.

But whenever Ye Chen shook his head and said he still had not stolen the swords, Golden Lion immediately deflated.

He did not suspect Ye Chen of deceiving him at all. After all, this was Impel Down. Though Ye Chen was clever and fairly nimble, stealing his swords out of the fortress-like Impel Down was no easy task. Golden Lion gradually stopped hoping. Without Oto and Kogarashi, he could not cut through the Seastone shackles. It seemed he could only cut off his own legs.

No one else would dare do something like that. They would not even dare think about it. If he cut off both legs, how could he escape prison?

But Golden Lion did not care. He had no intention of remaining trapped here forever. Having made up his mind, he sat upright and stared at his legs, a flash of resolve suddenly crossing his eyes. Just as he was about to act, Ye Chen staggered into Infinite Level again. Ye Chen was drenched in blood and covered in wounds, as though he had been attacked by some wild beast. Golden Lion hurriedly stopped. Though Ye Chen had only just entered and had not yet reached his cell, Golden Lion clearly sensed two familiar killing intents from behind him. His eyes suddenly lit up, and a smile appeared on his lips. "Ghost, you finally got my two famous swords!"

"Ah..." Ye Chen made his way along the wall to Golden Lion's cell, wincing in pain as he pointed at his injuries. "I almost died, you know? This time, you have to keep your word. You must take me out of here."

"Haha... Don't worry. I'm Golden Lion. How could I deceive a Ghost like you? Besides, you've helped me plenty. Since you stole Oto and Kogarashi for me, I'll definitely take you out of here. Luckily, you came in time. Otherwise, my two legs would have been done for."

"What? You were planning to cut off your own legs?" Ye Chen stared at Golden Lion in shock and disbelief.

Golden Lion did not care in the slightest. "They're only two legs. What do they matter? Once I have Oto and Kogarashi, my legs will not suffer any loss anyway."

Ye Chen had never seen such a ruthless man before. Golden Lion had actually intended to cut off his own legs just to escape prison.

"Here!" Seeing Golden Lion hold out his hand, Ye Chen quickly steadied himself, pulled Oto and Kogarashi from behind his back, and threw them to Golden Lion.

Golden Lion caught Oto and Kogarashi as they spun through the air. The next instant, Ye Chen saw two dazzling flashes of cold light streak past his eyes. Then came two sharp cracks. When he looked again, the shackles around Golden Lion's legs had snapped in half and fallen to the floor.

The cuts on the two shackles were smooth and even, like polished mirrors, gleaming faintly with a diamond-like luster. Ye Chen was dumbfounded. Before he could recover, two more fierce sword lights flashed past. With a loud clang, the sturdy cell door was cut down by Golden Lion as well.

Up to now, Ye Chen could only fight a War Wolf barehanded. Yet this golden-haired old man before him, already so advanced in age, cut through Seastone shackles and cell doors as if they were tofu, without the slightest effort. Ye Chen's heart pounded wildly, and his face turned pale with fright. Was this even human? Back in Ohara, Ye Chen had thought CP9 was already incredibly powerful. Compared to Golden Lion now, CP9 was not worth a damn.

"Ah... Golden Lion actually cut through the Seastone shackles?" At the sound, the entire Infinite Level erupted. The prisoners in the surrounding cells became restless. One after another, they rose and approached their cell doors, staring at Golden Lion in astonishment. The scene was simply too shocking. That was Seastone, as hard as diamond, yet Golden Lion had cut through it with ease.

"Golden Lion, if you don't mind, let us out while you're at it. We'll be grateful to you." After their shock faded, these legendary terrifying monsters looked at Golden Lion expectantly and began pleading.

"Meow... Golden Lion, how about it? We're old acquaintances, after all. Though we used to be enemies, I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to break out of Impel Down alone." A tall, burly figure suddenly rose in the cell across from him.

"Hmph... I was wondering who it was. So it's Pizarro, the Evil King. You're nothing but a defeated opponent. So what if this is Impel Down? I don't need your help. On my own, I can come and go as I please. Who can possibly hold me?"

No matter how the prisoners begged, even with some falling to their knees, Golden Lion ignored them. Before long, alarms rang through the corridors. Seeing Golden Lion standing in the hallway through the surveillance screens, Impel Down's guards were all terrified. Even Hannibal stared incredulously at Oto and Kogarashi in Golden Lion's hands, muttering in stunned disbelief, "How is this possible? I clearly hid those two swords. How did Golden Lion get them?"

"Vice Warden Magellan, this is terrible! Golden Lion has escaped!" Magellan was in the middle of having diarrhea. Every day, he spent ten hours squatting on the toilet. After subtracting the time he spent sleeping and resting, Magellan only had a few hours each day when he was truly serious about work.

At that moment, Magellan was enjoying himself on the toilet, the sounds beneath him crackling like a rushing flood. He felt indescribably relieved. The area reeked, mixed with plenty of choking poisonous gas. The guard who had come to report the news nearly fainted from the stench after standing there for only a short while.

"What? Golden Lion escaped?"

Hearing the news, Magellan panicked and let out more than a dozen foul farts in a row. Without even wiping himself, he hurriedly pulled up his pants and rushed out of the bathroom. As he walked, Magellan muttered, "Once I become Warden, I'll definitely turn my office into a toilet. Running to the bathroom all day is far too troublesome."

At this time, Magellan was still the Vice Warden! Hannibal was merely a newly arrived guard.

"Golden Lion, why aren't you leaving yet?" Since they had left the cell, they should have departed immediately. Yet Ye Chen waited for quite a while, and Golden Lion did not move at all. He looked utterly relaxed. It was clear that he did not take Impel Down's ironclad defenses seriously.

If he had cut off his legs, Golden Lion might have been somewhat concerned and would have left immediately. But now, he did not care at all. Facing a fully restored Golden Lion, no one could stop him. He did not need to escape from prison. He only needed to stroll out of here at his leisure!