Newkama Land
The revelation hung in the air, thick and heavy. Every eye in the cavern was now fixed on Yamato, but the gazes had changed. The escaped prisoners, who had been wary and self-serving just moments before, now looked at their leader with a newfound respect, bordering on awe. To them, Yamato was no longer just some powerful pirate with Conqueror's Haki; there were plenty of those in the New World. Now, she was the daughter of an Emperor of the Sea, a Yonko who ruled the seas with an iron fist. Following her wasn't just a temporary alliance for escape; it was a potential path to power and protection under the banner of one of the world's strongest crews.
Yamato, however, felt a familiar pang of frustration. She had spent her life trying to escape her father's shadow, to be Kozuki Oden, not Kaido's heir. Yet, time and time again, it was that very identity that opened doors and commanded respect. It was the reason Perona, with her invaluable ghost abilities, had been assigned to her, and it was the reason these hardened criminals were now looking at her with something other than suspicion.
Bonney, sensing her captain's internal conflict, quickly stepped in to reinforce their position. She knew Yamato's story, but this was not the time for an identity crisis. This was about survival. "And it's not just her name!" she announced proudly. "Captain Yamato is incredibly strong! She went head-to-head with Admiral Akainu back on the Sabaody Archipelago! Plus, she's friends with the Knight of the Sea, Jinbe, who's locked up down in Level 6. If we can free him and Ace, think about it, Ivan-chan! With Captain Yamato, Ace, Jinbe, and you, leading all of us… we can definitely break out of here!"
A spark ignited in Ivankov's eyes. She rapidly calculated the odds. A Yonko's daughter, two former Shichibukai, a Whitebeard Commander, and the Queen of the Okama Kingdom, backed by a small army of desperate prisoners from Level 5. It was a long shot, but Bonney was right. It wasn't impossible. They actually stood a chance against Magellan.
"Hee-haw!" Ivankov exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Now that's a plan Vee can get behind! By the way," she added, a thought suddenly striking her. "Do you happen to know someone called Straw Hat?"
"Straw Hat?" The name drew blank stares from most of the prisoners. They'd heard the name, of course—the rookie who had punched a Celestial Dragon—but none of them knew him personally.
Yamato's brow furrowed in thought. "Wait… do you mean Luffy-kun?" she asked. "If you're talking about Luffy, then yes, I know him. He's Ace's little brother. What about him?"
Ivankov's oversized head tilted. "Vell, you may not know this, but the whole world is in an uproar. Not too long ago, Straw Hat himself infiltrated Impel Down. Vee was wondering what kind of fool would charge in here alone, but now it all makes sense. His goal is the same as yours: he's here to rescue his brother."
Before anyone could process this new revelation, a high-pitched shriek tore through the cavern. Everyone turned to see Perona, who had been floating quietly in the background, clutching her head in panic.
"What's wrong?" Yamato demanded.
"It's bad! This is really bad!" Perona cried, her voice trembling. "My ghost… someone just destroyed my ghost!"
The Warden's Fury
The entire underwater prison had descended into utter chaos. Above ground, in the main control room, the surveillance monitors showed a whirlwind of destruction. Straw Hat Luffy was a one-man wrecking crew, tearing through the upper levels and leaving a trail of defeated guards in his wake. But while Luffy was a visible, predictable storm, the other intruder, Kaido's daughter, was a ghost. She was somewhere in the prison, unseen and unheard, and that made her the far more dangerous threat.
At the heavily fortified entrance between Level 3 and Level 4, Warden Magellan stood as the final line of defense. The air around him shimmered with the intense heat rising from the Blazing Hell below. He was flanked by the ambitious Vice Warden Hannyabal and the sadistic Chief Guard Sadi, her whip cracking impatiently. Behind them stood the monstrous Jailer Beasts and rank upon rank of elite guards. This was the might of Impel Down, a force that had broken the spirits of countless legendary pirates. They were confident that unless a Yonko themselves came knocking, no one could breach their walls.
"Straw Hat," Magellan's voice boomed, laced with venomous promise. "Your rampage ends here!"
Just as he spoke, a guard came sprinting towards them, his face pale with panic. "Warden Magellan, sir! It's terrible! Straw Hat and the other escapees… they didn't use the main passage! They fell from the ceiling!"
Hannyabal scoffed. "Fell down? Then they should have landed right in the pool of boiling blood. Problem solved." The scorching heat of the giant pot was enough to melt steel, let alone a human body.
"No, sir!" the guard stammered. "He used the falling debris as platforms to jump across and clear the pool!"
"Damn it!" Magellan roared in frustration. "Hannyabal, you and your men hold this position! Everyone else, with me! The legend of Impel Down will not be broken again! This time, I will personally melt that boy down to his very bones!"
With a final, furious roar, Magellan's body contorted and swelled, transforming into his Venom Demon form—a monstrous hydra of pure, corrosive poison. He launched himself into the fiery depths of Level 4, leaving Hannyabal to guard an empty doorway.
The Demon of the Rain
Deep within the hidden caverns of Level 5.5, the metallic scent of blood filled the air. The prisoners who had escaped from the Freezing Hell now lay broken and bleeding on the stone floor, cut down in an instant. Only one remained on his feet, or rather, on one knee. Red, the stoic giant, clutched a deep wound in his chest, blood pouring between his fingers. He glared up with defiant eyes at the man standing over him, a cruel, satisfied smile on his face.
Shiliew of the Rain.
"Hmph," Shiliew grunted, wiping a splash of blood from his cheek with the back of his glove. "So this is where you little rats were hiding."
He knew of this place, of course. He was the one who had created the legend of the "Gate to the Demonic Realm" in the first place. When his sadistic urges got the better of him and he slaughtered too many prisoners, he would dump the bodies here, using the myth as a cover for his crimes.
Clack… clack… The sound of his leather boots echoed crisply as he walked slowly toward the kneeling giant. He looked down at Red, a hint of amusement in his cold eyes. "You don't seem very afraid."
"Afraid?" Red's deep voice rumbled, strained with pain but steady. "I had my fill of that emotion when I was a slave. I have nothing left to fear."
"A slave, is that it?" Shiliew mused, his smile widening. "Well then, allow me to finally bring your miserable life to an end."
With a grunt of sheer willpower, Red pushed himself up, struggling to stand. "My life… isn't miserable," he gasped, cold sweat pouring down his face. "Meeting Captain Yamato… was the greatest luck I've ever had."
"Captain Yamato… you mean Kaido's daughter?" Shiliew chuckled. "How touching. Don't worry, I'll be sending her down to join you very soon." He raised his nodachi, Raiu, the blood-soaked blade gleaming in the dim light. "Die."
But as he tensed his muscles for the final strike, a powerful, chilling premonition washed over him—an intense feeling of imminent danger. It was followed by a roar from the far end of the cavern, a voice filled with such rage that it seemed to shake the very foundations of the prison.
"You bastard! What are you doing to my crewmate?!"
Shiliew spun around, and for the first time, the calm, cruel composure on his face shattered, replaced by a look of genuine shock and panic. His eyes widened as he saw a horned figure rocketing toward him at an impossible speed.
It was too late.
"So fast!" was the last thought that flashed through his mind.
Then, the world exploded.
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
BOOM!
A cataclysmic shockwave erupted from the point of impact, and a tremor ripped through every level of Impel Down, from the deepest pits of hell to the warden's office above the waves.
At the now-quiet entrance between Level 4 and Level 3, Hannyabal stood proudly, leaning on his trident. At his feet lay the bruised and unconscious forms of two would-be escapees: one with a large, red nose, and the other with a prominent '3' styled into his hair.
------------------------
For Advance chapters visit : patreon.com/Mythic_Muse