Chapter Fifty-Four: Damn, We've Been Discovered [Third Update]

After his struggle, the Crimson Solitaire, Baroric Ledfield, seemed to have exhausted all his strength and collapsed limply where he lay. Shu Mingyuan frowned. The power of Seastone against Devil Fruit users shouldn’t be this simple. These forces, he imagined, must have taken years to accumulate. But exactly how long—one month, two, a year, or two—remained a mystery.

The clink of the Seastone shackles rang especially clear in the darkness. Not long after, the jailer beast that had just passed returned, hefting a massive spiked iron club. Yet, upon seeing who was imprisoned in the cell, its menacing demeanor instantly vanished.

“Heh heh heh, little lamb, dare to come in? I’ve never tasted the blood of a Zoan Devil Fruit user after awakening. I must admit, I’m quite curious.” The Crimson Solitaire cruelly licked his lips, his eyes nakedly greedy for blood.

The jailer beast shivered from head to toe and, with a startled yelp, turned and bolted.

Shu Mingyuan took it all in. The jailer beasts here, long accustomed to this environment, were clearly far more savage than their counterparts on the upper floors. Yet in the presence of this unparalleled monster, none dared release even a hint of their menace, terrified of being devoured alive.

“Boy, pray you’re not caught. Heh heh heh…” With a twisted laugh, he drifted into slumber, utterly disregarding the finger gun Shu Mingyuan fired his way.

…

Footsteps echoed up the spiral staircase leading down to Level Six. Hannyabal stood at the great iron doors, flanked by a troop of Blue Gorillas and regular warders. His hands shook as he gazed at the pitch-black doors, dreading the terror that lay within, but he forced himself to push them open.

To all, the Infinite Hell of Level Six was a forbidden place. Other than Director Magellan and Chief Warden Shiryu of the Rain, even the bravest rarely dared enter. The environment was far too horrifying, many times worse than any other level; the oppressive atmosphere and negative energy in the air could drive a person mad.

All the warders were bundled in thick cold-resistant suits, their heads encased in special helmets to block out the air within. Those lacking strength found it hard even to breathe in such intense oppression. Fortunately, their numbers and Hannyabal’s leadership gave them some backbone.

“I’ve warned you all about the conditions on Level Six. Don’t indulge in wishful thinking—be ready for anything. Even I haven’t been here often; I don’t know what awaits us now. But I’ll ignite the wall oil at once, and if you spot the Demon Hunter, report immediately!”

“Yes, Vice Warden Hannyabal!”

“Warden? Wahahaha!”

The great door slowly opened, and an aura like that of the abyss itself seemed to swallow them. Some weaker warders cried out the instant they stepped inside. In this endless darkness, their eyes conjured hallucinations: this was a true slaughterhouse, a burial ground!

“A ghost… there’s a ghost…”

“Useless!” Hannyabal slashed the whining warder, then calmly drew a firestone from his clothes. Relying on memory, he struck it, sparking the oil channel along the wall.

A serpent of flame raced out along the walls, and at last, the Infinite Hell, shrouded in darkness for untold years, was illuminated by firelight.

Though not bright, Level Six was no longer pitch black. And as the warders laid eyes on the infamous pirates of legend, they collectively gasped.

“The most notorious female prisoner in history—Catarina Devon!”

“Bacchus Jote, the Drunken Giant!”

“Saint Juan Wolf, whose stature rivals the Navy’s greatest warships!”

“Evil King, Avalo Pizarro!”

“Waldo, the World Destroyer, user of the Momo-Momo Fruit!”

“And the legendary pirate who rose with Roger, Golden Lion, and Whitebeard—the Crimson Solitaire, Baroric Ledfield!”

…

Dozens more were recorded only in the Navy’s annals, famed across the world. They watched Hannyabal’s group in silence, the oppressive air thickening suddenly.

“Heh heh heh, Hannyabal, did you bring all these delicious humans as fresh blood for me?”

“Hmm, what mouthwatering food they are.”

Their eyes gleamed with naked greed, as if they would not be satisfied until every last one of the warders had been devoured. All the warders shuddered collectively in terror.

“Hmph!” Hannyabal barked, “Don’t listen to them. These monsters have been here for countless years and haven’t caused any real trouble. They only look terrifying. All units, spread out and search for the Demon Hunter, Mengqi D. Shu Mingyuan. There are many of us—if that brat is hiding here, he won’t escape!”

“If you’re afraid, just don’t get too close to the cells!”

“Yes, sir!”

All the warders dispersed in every direction, searching for Shu Mingyuan. Hannyabal exhaled a long breath. This damned place truly wasn’t fit for humans. Though the darkness had lifted, the air remained thick with negative energy, and the cold still bit deep.

“Hahaha, little brats, such tasty morsels—come, let me take a look at you.”

“Little prey, I’m starving—why not let me chew on your hands a bit…”

The savage voices of the prisoners echoed through Infinite Hell, reverberating in the dim prison. The warders sent to hunt Shu Mingyuan were already deathly pale, yet under Hannyabal’s command, they dared not shirk their duty.

Showing weakness before felons of this caliber was a capital offense in Impel Down.

Shu Mingyuan hid in a blind spot. The moment the doors to Infinite Hell opened, his Kenbunshoku Haki alerted him to several powerful auras, utterly distinct from the other pirates—one, unmistakably, belonged to Hannyabal.

Given the havoc he’d caused in the Freezing Hell, Shu Mingyuan had expected his presence might be discovered, but the speed with which Hannyabal mobilized had still caught him off guard.

Clearly, Hannyabal was no fool or glutton as some might believe.

Relying on both Kenbunshoku Haki and the Sharingan, Shu Mingyuan narrowly avoided the warders’ search time and time again. Unlike the Starvation, Blazing, or Freezing Hells, there were few obstacles here to hide behind. With both the warders conducting a carpet search and infrared surveillance Den Den Mushi watching the walls, there were precious few blind spots left.

Shu Mingyuan crept furtively in a corner, the firelight casting his shadow across the wall.

A vigilant warder noticed something amiss. He slowed, creeping forward, craning his neck around the corner.

There, huddled in the shadows, Shu Mingyuan was caught red-handed.

“Damn!”

ps: [I started writing after a whole day’s work and haven’t stopped once. I’m truly exhausted. Thank you all for your ever-increasing votes. I can no longer list every reader’s ID as I used to, but I recognize you all—you’ve always supported me! Thank you, truly! Also, a recommendation for my sister-in-law’s book: “Metamorphosis: I Am the Empress.”]