Chapter Thirty-Six: A Failed Threat? Arrogance! [Part Three]

"Surrender?"
"Hahaha, brat. Who do you think you are?"
"Every pirate in the Frozen Hell is a figure of legendary renown, and you expect us to bow to you?"
"I've been in the Frozen Hell for twenty years, and not even the World Government has managed to make me lower my head! Who do you think you are? What a joke!"

The three spoke with scorn. Though their powers were sealed by the sea stone, they had once been infamous pirates—how could they possibly submit to another so easily?
Did he think he was the Pirate King? Or one of the Four Emperors?

Shu Mingyuan regarded the trio across from him with a calm expression. Their reaction was no surprise; as some of the most notorious pirates of their era, they could never be convinced with mere words.
Since that was the case, he would have to enforce his will with strength.

"There's nothing more to say. Then die."
With a flick of his brows, Shu Mingyuan's fingers formed seals in rapid succession. A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, engulfing the cell in a sea of flames.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

The scorching flames roasted the cell; even the age-old, unyielding ice began to show faint signs of melting. All four of them were enveloped in his fire. Since the flames were born of his chakra, Shu Mingyuan felt no fear. Surprisingly, the other three, surrounded by fire, did not utter a single scream.

"Brat! Are you giving us a fire to warm up? How pleasant! After so many years here, I'd almost forgotten the comfort of flame."
The disdainful voice drifted from the inferno, causing Shu Mingyuan's expression to change. He had underestimated these pirates—fire could do nothing to them.

The temperature in the Frozen Hell was so low that the flames burned for only thirty seconds before slowly extinguishing. The three men remained standing as before, save for some singed hair, their expressions unchanged.

"Ha! Brat, is this the might you boast of? At best, you serve as my fireplace! I don't know how you possess both lightning and fire powers, but as you are now? Back in my day, I could have killed you with a single finger!"
"And you are?"
"Kurosta! Former Rear Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, bounty of 250 million! Twenty years ago, I was the number one Supernova of the first half of the Grand Line!" Kurosta declared arrogantly.

"A Rear Admiral? So, you know the Six Powers of the Navy?" Shu Mingyuan's eyes gleamed. One of his main reasons for coming to Impel Down was to acquire that very martial art— the Navy's Six Powers.
"Is that all you want?"

"Teach me the Six Powers, and I will spare you," Shu Mingyuan said in a low voice.
"Haha! Brat, even if you kill me, I won't teach you. A man can be destroyed, but never made to yield! Bring out whatever tricks you have; I will never submit to you!"
Kurosta laughed up at the ceiling. He had risen to high rank in the Navy, become a pirate feared across the seas—his pride would never let him bow to anyone!

Shu Mingyuan frowned; things had developed far beyond his expectations. He had thought that threatening these men with death would force their submission and allow him to learn their skills. But reality was proving very different.
This was troublesome.
These men would rather die than yield; even if he slaughtered them all, their pride would not let them serve him.

"I wonder if the Sharingan could copy their techniques," Shu Mingyuan muttered to himself.
It was said the Sharingan could see chakra pathways, read every subtle movement, hand sign, and illusion, and could copy all jutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu that were not bloodline-limited.
The Navy's Six Powers were a form of physical technique. That gave him hope he could steal the skill.

Having made up his mind, Shu Mingyuan dove into the system interface, found the bloodline limits section, and saw the Uchiha clan's Sharingan listed for 25,000 Justice Points. He currently had 18,964—about seven thousand short. But it wouldn't take long.
If he were on the fourth floor above, it would take a long time to kill enough pirates to collect 7,000 points. But here in the Frozen Hell, killing just three more should be enough.

"And who are you two?"
"Brat, I'm Hilton the Cannibal, bounty of 270 million. Pray you never fall into my hands, or I'll swallow you alive and show you the true meaning of suffering. Kyehahaha!"
Shu Mingyuan ignored the threat. The man with the little devil's wings appeared to be of the same race as Magellan. From him, Shu Mingyuan sensed a monstrous bloodlust and resentment—a man capable of unspeakable atrocities.

"And you?"
"Daniel Coz! When I was making my mark on the first half of the Grand Line, you weren't even born yet, brat. My bounty is 250 million—worth far more than you! A runt like you, I could crush five or six with a single punch!"

"Do either of you wield Haki?"
"Haki?"
Both men's eyes narrowed. Clearly, they had heard of it, but legend said only those with Haki could enter the New World—and neither possessed it.
From their expressions, Shu Mingyuan guessed the truth.

"Heh, a bunch of old men with nothing but bluster. Even if you reached the New World, you'd be little more than cannon fodder—just big fish in a small pond. Even here in this prison, you're just putting on airs. Without me, you couldn't even open the cell doors. You'd have to run from the Wolf Guards. How much weight does your threat carry now? To me, it's nothing." Shu Mingyuan sneered.

"Boy, don't get cocky! My life is not yours to trifle with!"
With a roar, Daniel Coz stomped his foot, then brought it crashing down. He towered five meters high, his bulk immense; a single step seemed enough to smash Shu Mingyuan into pulp.
But Shu Mingyuan did not dodge. He simply raised a single hand to the sky, gazing up at the descending foot.

"Brat, die!"
Boom!
The cell seemed to tremble, and the ancient ice on the floor shattered into shards.

"Did he do it?"
The other two looked on. The small figure beneath Daniel Coz's foot had not perished; rather, the giant foot hung strangely in midair.
This man was holding up Daniel Coz, famed for his strength, with a single hand. No matter how much force Coz used, the man below him did not budge an inch.

"Dammit, blocked?"
"Is that all you've got, Daniel Coz? Without your powers, that's your limit? Without Haki, you're truly weak."
"And now, move your filthy foot!"

With Shu Mingyuan's mocking words, a spear of lightning shot from his palm, piercing through Daniel Coz's foot, then his shoulder, and stabbing deep into the ceiling above.

ps: [Thanks to xm for the reward—our first butler in Pirate Hunter! Thank you!
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