The dense bed of needlegrass sent sharp pain through his soles with the slightest touch.
Every step Pirate Yujin took felt like walking barefoot on a bed of blades.
The needlegrass easily pierced his feet, stabbing deep into his flesh, and the stabbing pain made cold sweat bead across his forehead.
Even with clothes wrapped around his legs, it was hard to avoid discomfort.
Towering sword trees loomed above, their trunks bristling with countless sharp thorns, like walls of natural blades.
The branches and leaves of the sword trees twisted and intertwined, casting eerie shadows in the dim light, like clawing demons hiding in the dark.
Yujin's Sharingan spun rapidly, scanning the surroundings with full alertness.
In a place like this, the smallest mistake could cost him his life.
Every step had to be careful. Every move had to be calculated.
Suddenly, a rustling sound echoed from all directions. It was the sound of poisonous spiders crawling!
Yujin's heart tensed sharply. He clenched his fists, crouching slightly, ready for battle!
Poisonous spiders emerged from the shadows of the sword trees and the gaps between the needlegrass. Their massive bodies, as large as calves, moved with alarming speed!
In the blink of an eye, they had completely surrounded Yujin!
One of the spiders lunged straight at him!
Yujin's figure blurred, dodging the attack at the last second, but the spider's venomous fangs still tore through the fabric of his pants!
He could clearly feel the venom's searing sting, its acrid stench hanging in the air. Just a graze was enough to send burning pain crawling across his skin!
Yujin didn't dare hesitate. His hands swiftly formed hand seals!
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A massive fireball roared from his mouth, sweeping toward the oncoming poisonous spiders!
Flames collided with their grotesque forms, sparking a crackling explosion!
Shrill screams erupted as spiders caught fire. Some thrashed wildly for a moment before being reduced to ash.
But more of them seemed unafraid of the flames. They circled around the fire and continued charging at Yujin.
Dodging attacks while forcing his way forward, Yujin pressed toward the direction of the Wild Beast Hell.
Bloody footprints trailed behind him on the needlegrass. Every step was a torment — the sting of the spikes and the pain from his wounds twisted together into agony.
The venomous spiders gave him no respite. They leapt and skittered between the sword trees like messengers of death, chasing after Yujin relentlessly.
While dodging an incoming wave of attacks, Yujin's shoulder slammed against the trunk of a nearby sword tree. The sharp spikes jutting out from the bark tore into his back, and a searing pain exploded across his nerves. He nearly blacked out on the spot.
Clenching his teeth, he forced himself to endure the agony. Blood spilled from the wounds and dripped steadily onto the dense needlegrass below.
The thick scent of iron filled the air, and the spiders—sensing weakness—went berserk.
They swarmed in faster, more vicious than ever.
Yujin's movements grew sluggish. His breathing was ragged. His legs trembled beneath him, but deep inside, his will refused to break.
That single, desperate belief—to escape this hell—was the only thing keeping him moving.
His sharp eyes scanned the chaos and caught a flicker of opportunity: a narrow gap in the spiders' formation. Without hesitation, he threw himself at it, aiming to break through.
The swarm responded immediately. Dozens of spiders pounced from every direction, trying to close off his escape.
Yujin let out a low roar and yanked a branch from the sword tree. The branch was jagged, shaped like a crude blade, but it would do. With it in hand, he met the swarm head-on.
The blade-branch flashed as he swung it. Each strike sent spiders tumbling, legs twitching, but their hard exoskeletons dulled the blows. It wasn't enough.
Pain blossomed across his chest as a spider's claw tore a shallow gash. Then another. And another. His body was a canvas of fresh wounds, and with each cut, venom seeped into his bloodstream.
His strength began to wane. His vision blurred.
But he didn't stop.
Even as his knees threatened to buckle, even as his muscles screamed in protest, the fire in his eyes refused to die.
Then, in the moment just before the swarm could overwhelm him completely, something inside him shattered—and awakened.
A surge of power, ancient and wild, exploded from deep within his core.
—First Gene Lock—
Unlocked.
The world seemed to still for a heartbeat.
"…This feeling…"
Yujin's eyes widened in disbelief as his body trembled—not with fear, but with overwhelming vitality.
Chakra surged through him like a river unbound. His energy reserves, once depleted, now roared back to life—nearly doubled in volume.
Everything had changed.
Although it might overdraw his chakra and harm his body, there was no other option.
He cast the Great Fireball Technique again!
This time, the jutsu was far more powerful, exploding with intense heat and force, blasting open a gap in the swarm of venomous spiders!
Yujin seized the moment and bolted toward the breach.
He ran with everything he had, completely ignoring the pain, as the poisonous spiders chased him relentlessly.
Each step grew heavier, as if every ounce of strength was draining from his body.
But his eyes remained locked on the path ahead—toward the entrance of the Wild Beast Hell.
Within this infernal prison of crimson flames, he was like a lone leaf on a stormy sea, struggling to survive.
And that Wild Beast Hell ahead was his only hope of salvation.
He didn't know how long he had been running when he finally caught sight of it—a passageway leading into the Wild Beast Hell.
A massive stone gate loomed before him, surrounded by carvings of fierce and savage beasts, as if warning all who dared approach.
Resolve flashed in Yujin's eyes.
He charged toward the gate, while the swarm of venomous spiders stayed hot on his trail.
Only by passing through that gate did he have even a sliver of a chance at survival.
Just then—
"Yohoho, unbelievable! Someone's actually trying to escape from Crimson Hell into Wild Beast Hell?"
"If I capture a prisoner like this... maybe I'll finally get promoted to Warden!"
"...Crap! Did I just say that out loud?!"
Yujin's heart skipped a beat as he looked ahead and saw a towering figure—over three meters tall—holding a demonic dung fork.
"Damn it! Why is that guy guarding this gate?!"
It was none other than Hannyabal, one of Impel Down's fiercest warriors, and after Magellan's demotion, the acting head of the entire prison.
His strength far exceeded that of a typical jonin.
At Yujin's current level, there was no way he could take him on.
Without a second thought, he turned and tried to flee!
"Trying to run!? No way!"
"You're the stepping stone to my promotion!"
"Buzz!"
A gleaming, massive blade suddenly blocked Pirate Yujin's path!
"So fast!" Yujin's eyes narrowed. "Looks like there's no turning back..."
He glanced quickly at the direction of the gate, then clasped his hands together in front of his chest.
"Don't move! Or I'll bring this blade down right now!" Vice Warden Hannyabal gave a final warning.
"If you've got the guts, then do it!" Yujin kept his hands together and bolted straight toward the Wild Beast Hell zone.
"I said don't move!"
"Whoosh!"
A powerful gust followed the swing of Hannyabal's broadsword as it swept toward Yujin's neck.
The man clearly hadn't been bluffing—once he moved, Hannyabal really showed no mercy!
That strike was aimed straight for the kill!
"Looking for death..."
Hannyabal clearly felt the sensation of the blade hitting something solid.
He relaxed the force in his arms, ready to grab the target now that he had him.
Boom!
A cloud of white smoke burst around Hannyabal!
"W-What's going on?!"
He hurriedly waved the smoke away from his face and looked again at what his blade was pressing down on.
It was...
It was—
"A piece of wood?"
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