Chapter Thirty-Four: The Villainous Pirate of the Frozen Inferno

“This... this can't be!”
The man screamed hoarsely. How could the Sea Prism Stone handcuffs fail to suppress his abilities?

“To tell you the truth... I came to Impel Down of my own volition. The upper four floors are far too dull; only the fifth floor and the legendary sixth floor pique my interest. This prison—I can enter and leave whenever I wish.”

Shu Mingyuan sneered, flexing his wrists, his expression calm as he gazed at the wicked man before him.

“Now, let's return to the previous topic. I'll ask, you answer.”

The man's pupils contracted sharply. Though he sensed no threat from the youth before him, the boy's abilities were strange, and he treated the harsh environment of the Frozen Hell with utter indifference. Rationality told him this youth was anything but ordinary. If the boy truly could come and go from Impel Down as he pleased, then any hope of escape rested solely on him.

He took a deep breath, his gaze solemn. “Kid, what do you want to know?”

“Who are you?”

“Sergei Karch.”

Shu Mingyuan frowned; the name evoked no memory. The original story had described little of this floor. Still, anyone imprisoned here would be nothing less than a depraved villain.

“What’s your bounty?”

“One hundred and thirty million berries.”

Shu Mingyuan was somewhat satisfied by the answer. To casually ask a random prisoner and find their bounty exceeding one hundred million—there was no need to hunt for criminals elsewhere.

“Oh? One hundred and thirty million berries, interesting. Then how were you captured?”

“Hey, kid, prying into these matters won’t do you any good,” Sergei Karch said, his gaze shadowed.

“Speak.” Shu Mingyuan lifted his eyelids, his tone indifferent.

Sergei Karch squinted, sizing up the youth before him, who stood as immovable as a mountain—a shroud of mystery, impossible to fathom.

“In the first half of the Grand Line, I seized an island. Two navy ships arrived in response, and I took them out. Afterwards, some bastard named Mouseman brought me here. That thrill of killing—I haven’t felt it in so long.”

Sergei Karch recalled the scene with intoxication, as if the fresh blood on his hands still lingered from yesterday.

Shu Mingyuan looked at the murderous madman with revulsion. He hardly needed to guess what atrocities this man had committed on that island.

“Do you know what I am?” Without waiting for Sergei Karch’s reply, he curled his lips into a grin. “I’m a pirate hunter. For scum like you, guilty of unspeakable crimes, I don’t mind treating you as my cash dispenser.”

Shu Mingyuan’s words carried a biting chill, the murderous intent emanating from his very bones making even the murderous Sergei Karch shudder.

“Kid, what are you trying to do?” Sergei Karch roared.

“Heh, what am I trying to do? Naturally, kill you!”

In a flash, Shu Mingyuan appeared before Sergei Karch, kicking his legs. The killer’s knees buckled, forcing him to kneel.

“Kid, don’t think you can do as you please before me. You’re far from matching my strength! If you want to kill me, try again in a hundred years! I’m no Devil Fruit user—the Sea Prism Stone handcuffs don’t affect me much!”

Sergei Karch raised his hands above his head, fists clenched, bringing the handcuffs down toward Shu Mingyuan’s head in a brutal strike.

Shu Mingyuan dodged. He’d already noticed that Impel Down, when dealing with physical combatants, not only fitted them with handcuffs as hard as Sea Prism Stone, but also heavy foot shackles, and even pierced their shoulder blades with Sea Prism Stone hooks.

Of course. If they only restrained them with handcuffs, this prison would be in chaos.

Today, one master of Haki breaks out; tomorrow, another does the same. Impel Down’s reputation would be ruined.

Shu Mingyuan darted aside. Sergei Karch’s fist struck the icy floor. Frozen for countless years, the ice was harder than steel, yet now it cracked.

“Damn it... cursed Magellan, look at what he’s done to my body!”

His movements pulled at his wounds, tearing open what had once healed. Blood poured out, quickly freezing in the intense cold. The heavy foot shackles hampered him further. Facing this agile youth, he found himself at a loss for a counter.

“No wonder you managed to sink two navy ships—a true expert. Even with your combat skills reduced, you still resist. This place is getting more and more intriguing.”

“Shadow Dance Leaf!”

A whirlwind swept through the cell; Shu Mingyuan vanished. Sergei Karch’s pupils contracted. “So fast!”

“Go to hell!”

Shu Mingyuan leapt before Sergei Karch’s face, launching a punch that slammed into his features. Sergei Karch’s body crashed against the wall, the entire cell shuddering slightly.

“Sergei Karch, your justice points—I’ll take them now.”

Shu Mingyuan uttered a cryptic remark, then, under Sergei Karch’s horrified gaze, brought down a fist wrapped in dazzling currents of electricity.

Ah!!

A piercing scream echoed from a cell in the Frozen Hell, only to be smothered by the swirling snowstorm.

Shu Mingyuan’s fist smashed Sergei Karch’s head into a bloody pulp, red and white splattering across his body. After several convulsions, Sergei Karch’s body fell completely still.

In that instant, Shu Mingyuan received a notification from the system.

Killed a pirate with a bounty of one hundred and thirty million—earned 2,600 justice points. The speed here far outstripped the upper four floors. Though the prisoners were tougher, the Frozen Hell lacked surveillance Den Den Mushi, allowing him to hunt infamous pirates freely and gain the justice points he desired.

It could even be considered... eliminating evil for the people?

Otherwise, once Luffy released them in the future, who knows how many innocent lives would be lost.

The thought brought a smile to his lips. In this life, he lived for himself alone—unrestrained, free, without any shackles.

On the path to becoming a peerless powerhouse, his steps would only grow more resolute. Only then could he taste the freedom of soaring where the sky knows no limits.

Shu Mingyuan glanced at Sergei Karch’s corpse, stood, and dragged the body by its leg out of the cell.

Such a beast dying so easily would be too merciful. His remains must be utterly destroyed.

A wolf’s howl echoed from the distant woods.

Besides criminals, there was a pack of military wolves here!

ps: [Thanks to Qidian reader Divine Emperor Shitian for five recommendation votes, Chuangshi reader 119****, and xm for the votes.
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