"It really is... surprisingly cool here..."
Barn hugged his shoulders as he said the opposite of what he felt.
The other three remained silent. Leonard quietly activated Iron Body to ward off the bitter cold, while Golden Lion and Oniwood simply endured the bone-chilling wind. At Barn's words, Golden Lion glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and said flatly.
"It's a little cold, but surely not enough to leave you like that."
Oniwood nodded in solemn agreement.
Barn could only give a few bitter chuckles at Golden Lion's remark.
I've focused on training my skills these past few years. I've worked on my body too, but I'm still nowhere near these heavyweights. I can't keep exhausting myself every time I use my skills. Looks like I'll have to toughen up my body from now on.
Faced with their "mockery," Barn could only quietly make that resolution.
They were now on the fifth level of Impel Down, Freezing Hell. The pirates imprisoned here all had bounties exceeding a hundred million. The prisoners lived in temperatures lower than those of a massive freezer, suffering severe frostbite until they died. Large numbers of Guard Wolves were also kept in the forests of this frozen hell.
It was hard to imagine that directly above such a frigid place lay Blazing Hell, with its boiling pools of blood and seas of fire. Notably, the temperature here was too low for any Den Den Mushi to be installed, allowing Golden Lion, Barn, and the others to wander around without fear of discovery.
"Hmm?"
Golden Lion spotted the cells ahead, but there wasn't a single living person inside-only rows of "ice sculptures." Since these "sculptures" had long since died, they were no different to Barn from lifeless tables and chairs. His Mind's Eye couldn't detect them. But he sensed Golden Lion stop, so he asked.
"What's wrong, Shiki?"
Golden Lion shook his head and resumed walking, speaking as he went.
"Nothing. Just spotted a few lovely sights."
"Tch."
Barn couldn't see, so naturally he had no interest in these supposedly lovely sights. He hugged his shoulders again and followed Golden Lion. Oniwood and Leonard had also seen the scene inside the cells, but sights like these could no longer rattle them...
The four reached a forest. Thick ice and snow covered it, leaving not a trace of green in sight. Oniwood crouched down, having spotted tracks on the ground.
"These are the Guard Wolves the Navy raises. The prisoners are their 'rations.' As you can see, they probably haven't eaten in a long time."
It was Leonard who spoke. As a former member of CP9, he knew a little about these Navy secrets.
Golden Lion raised an eyebrow at his words and said with an amused expression.
"So they're getting ready to feast on us?"
Just then, dozens of pairs of scarlet eyes suddenly appeared in the darkness of the snowy forest.
"I don't feel like moving a muscle."
Barn spoke with his arms wrapped around his shoulders.
"Hmph."
Oniwood stood, placed his hand on Long Light's hilt, and walked toward the darkness.
"Whew, this roast wolf meat is pretty good! We never got anything like this on Level Six. At least eating it warms you up a little."
"Mm."
Watching Barn devour a wolf leg, Golden Lion gave only a quiet grunt. His mind was elsewhere. All he wanted was to get out as soon as possible and see Roger.
"Hmm? Is that...?"
Leonard, who had been eating his wolf meat in small bites, spotted a hole in the ground nearby. He put down his meat and walked toward it.
Golden Lion and Oniwood noticed Leonard's odd behavior and followed him.
"Hey, where are you going? Wait for me!"
Barn put down his wolf leg too and followed...
"There seems to be light down this hole!"
Leonard peered inside and spoke in surprise.
Barn already knew where this hole led. It had to be the legendary Level 5.5. He hadn't expected it to exist this early. Dragon was probably still serving in the Navy, and the Revolutionary Army hadn't even been founded yet. The Okama King, Ivankov, wouldn't be here either. So who was living down there now? Barn wondered.
Oniwood, however, wasted no time and jumped straight down. Leonard could only shake his head at that. After a word to Barn, the two of them jumped down as well. Looking amused and curious, Golden Lion flew down after them.
Crackle, crackle.
The only sound in the vast underground cavern was the crackling of burning wood. It was warm here-much warmer than Freezing Hell above, at least. But just as they were enjoying this rare warmth, something suddenly happened!
"More-More 10x Shot!"
Dozens of pebbles flew toward them with a rapid succession of whistles through the air!
Oniwood's and Barn's swords flashed out of their sheaths!
Long Light and Nidai Kitetsu danced wildly through the air, silver and red blade trails intertwining amid an indistinguishable flurry of clashes. The pebbles that fell to the ground had all been cut in half.
"More-More? Heh, what an interesting fellow. So you're not dead!"
Golden Lion ignored the "projectiles" Oniwood and Barn had already dealt with. Muttering those words to himself, he flew toward the firelight at a terrifying speed!
"More-More 50x Shot!"
Another few dozen pebbles flew at them, far faster than before. Once again, rapid whistles cut through the air, much louder this time.
"Heh heh! Lion's Might: Two-Sword Earth Splitter!"
Golden Lion went all out as well. He kicked fiercely with the swords attached to his legs. Amid a tremendous surge of air, the dust inside the cavern mingled with his slashes, forming a roaring lion that swallowed the dozen or so little stones whole!
This time, the mysterious attacker didn't strike again. He opened one eye, glanced at Golden Lion, and spoke coldly.
"Never thought I'd see you here, Shiki. Did they catch you too?"
Using his ability, Golden Lion slowly floated over to the man. He folded his arms and spoke casually.
"Bandy Waldo. Heh, you've been gone a long time. So this is where you've been. Where's your crew? All dead?"
The man's hands paused, but he quickly returned to normal. He picked up a branch beside him, tossed it into the fire, and said indifferently.
"A crew? I don't need those things. I'm enough on my own."
By then, Barn, Oniwood, and Leonard had caught up. Barn had also heard Golden Lion call the man Bandy Waldo. He knew this was World, the great pirate known as the "World Destroyer," whom the Navy had frozen into suspended animation and imprisoned on Level Five for thirty years. Yet from the look of things, World hadn't been frozen. In the original course of events, he had escaped amid the chaos of the Paramount War.
Barn was surprised to learn that World was the one occupying Level 5.5. He didn't know much about World, only that his ability allowed him to freely multiply his own speed, or that of anything he touched, by anywhere from one to a hundred. It was a formidable Paramecia ability.
Golden Lion glanced at Barn and the others as they arrived but said nothing, turning back to World. He had also noticed World's reaction to the mention of his crew.
He immediately said to World.
"What, did your crew sell you out, World?"
World answered him with a cold snort.
Golden Lion didn't mind. He looked around and, by the light of World's fire, saw that World was the only person in the enormous cavern. The remaining space was piled with large quantities of food. He said to World.
"World, as you can see, we're planning to break out. You've been here quite a while yourself. Want to come with me?"
"Walululululu! What's this? Did you lose your nerve along with your feet, Golden Lion?"
World slowly stood, letting out his signature laugh as he addressed Golden Lion.
"Tch. I cut off my own feet. Cut the crap. Are you coming or not?"
Unmoved by World's remark, Golden Lion spoke coldly.
"Walulululu. Fine, I've had enough of this place anyway. It's about time I settled the score with 'them.'"
Barn couldn't see World. If he could, he would surely have noticed the icy malice that flashed through World's eye as he spoke.
But he could hear. He heard World's tone suddenly turn cold, and of course he knew who World meant by "them": his former "big brother" and crew. Because of certain misunderstandings, he believed they had betrayed him, reducing him to this state.
Barn knew World wasn't really a bad person. In his youth, he had pursued dreams and freedom, vowing to grow strong enough that no one could stand in his way. He had also valued his bonds...
When he set out to sea, he had even insisted that his older brother sail with him, promising to protect him. He had things he wanted to safeguard.
But time truly was merciless. Little by little, he had grown brutal. In the treacherous world of pirates, not everyone could remain untainted. Those who could hold fast to their dreams were a rare few among a rare few. Unsurprisingly, he had lost his way while pursuing his dreams and turned to pursuing power instead.
In his eyes