Chapter Thirty-Three: Infernal Cold

"Wishing all esteemed readers a joyful Mid-Autumn Festival!"

"Those who stand in my way shall die!"

"Supreme Pushing Palms!"

With a thunderous roar, Shu Mingyuan unleashed a pair of colossal hands that descended like an overwhelming tide. Not only was the narrow stairway obliterated, but even the massive wall behind it shattered in an instant. Little Satie swung her Crimson Demon Whip again and again, but every strike was reflected by an even mightier force. All the power of the Supreme Pushing Palms landed squarely on the jailer-beasts; with a single blow, every obstacle was rendered powerless, their fate unknown.

Shu Mingyuan gasped for breath, his chest heaving. To win precious time, he had resorted to his ultimate techniques. Now, his entire body was close to its limit—every muscle ached with pain, a sure sign of being overtaxed. His chakra reserves were less than a tenth of their usual strength, yet with the Freezing Hell before him, retreat was out of the question.

He stepped over the bodies of unconscious jailers and guards without a glance, dragging his exhausted frame step by step toward the fifth underground floor. The deeper he went, the more he felt the stark difference between the fifth level and the searing fourth level above—a pervasive chill seeped into his very bones. The walls on either side were coated with thick layers of black ice. The temperature plunged sharply, and by the time he reached the bottom, the air was at minus eighty degrees Celsius.

Truly, one’s breath froze instantly.

Standing before him was a figure with little demon wings and an Egyptian pharaoh’s headdress—someone Shu Mingyuan recognized at once.

The Deputy Warden of Impel Down, Hannibal!

It seemed his rampage had not caused widespread chaos; perhaps Chief Warden Magellan and Head Jailer Rain Shiryu were still unaware, or perhaps they simply disdained to act against a newcomer pirate with a mere fifty-million bounty.

But this suited Shu Mingyuan perfectly.

He knew Hannibal’s weakness all too well.

“Demon Hunter Mengqi D. Shu Mingyuan! The great Deputy Warden Hannibal is here. You are under arrest!” Hannibal stomped his naginata on the ground, pointing the blade at Shu Mingyuan with a harsh voice.

With a thud, Shu Mingyuan’s knees buckled, and he knelt down, tears welling instantly in his eyes. “Lord Hannibal, I beg you, arrest me! I’m not here to escape—I’ve come to turn myself in. With your wisdom and might, I could never be your match. To subdue me without a fight would be another great achievement for you! And the position of Chief Warden in Impel Down…”

He left the words hanging, extending his arms forward, willingly offering himself to be shackled with Sea Prism Stone cuffs.

“Ha! Smart lad! Knowing when to yield is a virtue. Once I get my promotion and officially become the Chief Warden, I’ll be sure to visit you often!” Hannibal laughed heartily, his ambition to become Chief Warden swelling by the moment—the position felt almost within reach.

“Shackle him with the Sea Prism Stone! For this boy to fight his way down to Level Five alone, he must be as strong as the monsters imprisoned here. Lock him in the Freezing Hell!”

The massive gates to the fifth basement swung open, and Shu Mingyuan was escorted into the freezing prison. It was so cold that even the Den Den Mushi couldn’t survive. Here, only pirates with bounties over a hundred million were held, and outside the cells, packs of wolf soldiers prowled.

The iron door creaked open, then clanged shut behind him. The guards gave a few perfunctory instructions and left.

“Well, another new brat. So young, yet sent to the Freezing Hell on Level Five. What’s your bounty?” From a snow-covered corner, a deep, muffled voice rang out. The ice that had encased him for years shattered instantly.

“Fifty million Berries.” Shu Mingyuan turned, eyes narrowed at the speaker. He didn’t know who it was, but anyone imprisoned here was far from ordinary.

There seemed to be four people in this cell, but the other three had been frozen into corpses, dead long ago. Only the figure in the corner still lived. If he hadn’t been recently locked up, his strength must be truly monstrous.

“Fifty million Berries,” the man mused, then let out a sinister, rasping laugh. “Fifty million isn’t enough for Level Five. Kid, you’d be better off in the comfort of Level Three. But tell me, what crime did you commit to end up in the Freezing Hell?”

“Prison break,” the youth replied with a crooked smile. “I fought my way from the first floor at sea straight down to Level Five, then turned myself in.”

“What? You broke in alone? Made it all the way here by yourself?”

The voice lost its composure, mouth twitching. To reach this depth unaided was clearly impossible without overwhelming power.

In Impel Down, every level had a chief enforcer! Above the Freezing Hell were four awakened Zoan-type Devil Fruit users guarding the way—enemies that even pirates with bounties just over a hundred million struggled against.

Yet this youth, though exhausted, bore not a single wound. The man in the shadows realized then that this seemingly ordinary boy was far more formidable than he appeared.

“Enough. I’ve answered your questions. Now it’s my turn to ask you.” Shu Mingyuan plopped down on the icy floor, asking coolly.

“Kid, get it straight—I never agreed to answer anything!” the man retorted.

Shu Mingyuan scoffed, “That’s your opinion. Whether you speak or not, I have my ways to make you talk.”

“Haha! Brat, do you think that just because you played house in the upper floors, you can do as you please here? Every soul here is a pirate with a bounty over a hundred million! Your threats mean nothing to me!”

The man suddenly stood, shattering the ice that bound him. He was over three meters tall! Who knew how long he’d been imprisoned, or how much of his killing intent had been worn away, but as he rose, Shu Mingyuan could feel the aura of bloodlust—formed only by those who had killed countless times.

“It means nothing, does it? I wonder how much of your strength remains after your powers are sealed by Sea Prism Stone.”

Staring into the man’s eyes, Shu Mingyuan gathered the last remnants of his chakra, forming a lightning-wreathed dagger between his palms. With a twist of his wrist, he slashed hard at the shackles.

Clang!

Before the man’s incredulous gaze, the Sea Prism Stone cuffs around Shu Mingyuan’s wrists fell away.

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