"Laser Beam!"
Faced with the relentless pursuit of the Sphinx, Jiang Lin no longer kept dodging. Raising his right hand, he fired multiple beams of light, instantly piercing through the creature's massive upraised paw.
"Chow Mein!"
"Mixed Noodles!"
The injury only enraged the Sphinx further. Its attack frequency spiked as it slammed its huge palms down in rapid succession, striking wildly at Jiang Lin.
"What a glutton this thing is…" Jiang Lin muttered.
He had no intention of wasting time with the Sphinx. After wounding it, he took advantage of its frenzy to rush straight to the massive gate leading to the lower floor.
"Sea Prism Stone, huh…"
Jiang Lin frowned, glancing back at the Sphinx. He had originally thought about sparing it, but the bars of the gate were forged from solid Seastone. Without Galdino's Wax-Wax Fruit, there was no way for him to open the gate as he was now.
"Roooaaar!"
The Sphinx bellowed as it charged at Jiang Lin again, shouting out the names of noodle dishes with every step.
"Guess I'll borrow your body for a bit."
Using the Yata Mirror, Jiang Lin teleported above the Sphinx, then landed firmly on its back, raining down a flurry of savage kicks.
"Light-Speed Kick!"
"Light-Speed Kick!"
Explosions rippled across the creature's back with every strike. Roaring in pain, the Sphinx thrashed about, stomping wildly across the ground. It bucked and shook violently, trying to throw Jiang Lin off while pounding the floor in a desperate attempt to distract from the agony on its back.
"Oi, oi, oi! What's going on out there?! First, there's all this racket, and now it feels like an earthquake! Is this still Impel Down or what?!"
Inmates on the second floor peered around nervously, terrified yet unable to resist voicing their complaints.
"This… this is bad! The Sphinx has gone berserk! That man… that man has already broken into Level 3!"
Shouts erupted from the surveillance room.
With a final stomp, Jiang Lin leapt from the Sphinx's body, landing in the scorching depths of Impel Down's Third Floor – the Starvation Hell.
The sweltering air engulfed him like a blazing furnace.
"What a pain… If only I'd just taken the elevator earlier!" Jiang Lin sighed, gazing at the endless yellow sand swirling around him. Though he complained aloud, he knew the truth: if he had dared move so openly on the first floor, he would have been surrounded and overwhelmed by guards and Marines long before ever reaching this point.
"Now then… how long do you plan on spying from back there?"
In an instant, Jiang Lin flashed behind a guard holding a Den Den Mushi. Leaning down with a smile, he looked the man square.
"E–Exposed! Repeat, we're exposed! Move immediately! Move now!"
The guard shouted frantically into the receiver, cold sweat pouring down his face.
"No choice then—capture him at once!"
The order was relayed through the Den Den Mushi, and instantly, scores of Blugori and armed guards poured out from every direction, charging straight at Jiang Lin.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Gunshots echoed as dozens of small, black nets were fired toward him—each one woven from Seastone. If even one managed to catch him, Jiang Lin would be instantly stripped of all his abilities.
"Dangerous, dangerous—almost got me there!"
Relying on the dazzling speed of the Glint-Glint Fruit, Jiang Lin blurred across the battlefield, severing rifles as he moved.
He was fast, but the enemy numbers were overwhelming. The chaotic chase unfolded across the furnace-like third floor.
"So this is Level 3, huh? Man, it's hot!"
At that moment, while Jiang Lin was keeping busy, Luffy arrived on the floor as well—bringing Galdino (Mr. 3) with him.
"Target confirmed! Monkey D. Luffy spotted! We've verified he's the brother of Portgas D. Ace, currently imprisoned on Level 5! His purpose here must be to rescue Ace! Do not let him get past Level 3—capture him at all costs!"
The guards in the surveillance room shouted urgently into their Den Den Mushi, their eyes locked onto Luffy's figure.
"But… we already have an even bigger problem right now!"
Another guard, drenched in sweat, gripped his Den Den Mushi tightly. Less than a hundred meters away, Jiang Lin stood calmly amidst a battlefield littered with groaning guards and Blugori, all clutching their stomachs in agony on the floor.
"What's going on? Don't tell me you can't stop that unknown intruder! Where's Saldeath? Isn't he stationed on this floor? Don't tell me even he can't deal with this enemy?!"
The operators in the surveillance room grew pale with dread.
"Saldeath? He… he…"
"What about him?!"
Their faces twisted in horror. Could it be… that Saldeath too…?
"Saldeath's been defeated!!"
The panicked voice of a guard came through the Den Den Mushi. Not far from him, lying motionless beside Jiang Lin's feet, was a short demon-like man gripping a trident—Saldeath, commander of Level 3, unconscious and utterly defeated.