In the surveillance room...
"Why hasn't Deputy Warden Hannyabal come back yet?" the tall, thin Marine standing in front of the monitors asked curiously.
"He probably got held up with something," the short, chubby Marine beside him replied casually.
"You don't think something happened to him, do you?" the tall Marine suddenly looked worried.
"Relax, there's nothing to worry about," the chubby Marine said dismissively. "How many dangerous criminals have we escorted into this prison before? Nothing ever happens. Besides, even if something did go wrong, we have Warden Magellan."
"That's true," the tall Marine breathed a little easier. "Too bad there's no surveillance Den Den Mushi on Level Five because of the extreme cold. Otherwise, we could see what's going on."
"You're worrying too much. With Deputy Warden Hannyabal around, how could anything go wrong?" the chubby Marine yawned, looking sleepy.
"Yeah, maybe I'm just overthinking it," the tall one said with a laugh.
Meanwhile, in Level Five: Freezing Hell...
Hannyabal lay motionless on the icy ground, a huge bump on his head, eyes rolled back, completely unconscious.
"That was tougher than expected," Kaguya muttered as she removed the seastone cuffs from her wrists and tossed them aside.
"Idiot," Kaguya said as she kicked the unconscious Hannyabal. "And you think you're fit to be Chief Warden? Pathetic."
Without another glance at him, she turned and headed toward Level Six.
Following the spiral staircase downward, her crisp footsteps echoed eerily in the dead silence. The chill in the air was even colder than Level Five—bone-piercingly cold.
"So this is where they keep the worst of the worst... It doesn't look much different from the other levels."
Unlike what she had imagined, this level wasn't covered in blood. In fact, it was relatively clean. Still, the thick stench of corruption lingered, making her wrinkle her nose in disgust.
Then, she suddenly stopped and turned, smirking. "Come out. Don't tell me prisoners here have developed a peeping habit, Shiryu of the Rain."
"I didn't expect you to break free from the seastone cuffs. I guess I underestimated you."
A tall, muscular man stepped out from the shadows. He wore a wide-brimmed hat and a black military uniform, a cigar in his mouth, and a long sword in hand—still stained with traces of blood.
"Seastone cuffs are nothing worth mentioning," Kaguya said coldly. "So, are you here to stop me?"
"Stop you? I don't have time for that," Shiryu replied, taking a puff from his cigar. His sinister eyes glinted with bloodlust. "But unfortunately for you, you're on my turf now. I can't just let you walk away."
"Oh?" Kaguya raised an eyebrow, her voice icy. "You think you're enough to stop me?"
"Being overly arrogant can get you killed," Shiryu sneered, lifting his long blade and wiping off the blood. "I haven't had my fun yet. Let me play with you a little. Try not to disappoint me."
As soon as the words fell, Shiryu stomped forward, his figure vanishing in a blur. In an instant, he appeared beside Kaguya, raising his arm high and bringing his blade down with force.
At the last second, a flash of black-red light streaked through the air to meet the blow.
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring echoed through the hall as sword and blade clashed violently, scattering a burst of brilliant sparks.
"You're nothing but an underdeveloped gorilla, and you dare spout such laughable lines," Kaguya scoffed, sword held firm against Shiryu's blade. "Why don't you go back to eating bananas? The zoo is where you belong."
Bloodshot, Shiryu's eyes glinted red. "You're asking for it!" he roared. His muscular arm swelled with power, gripping his sword tightly before swinging it in a wide arc. A fierce windstorm erupted from the motion, a barrage of wind blades cutting through the air and flying at Kaguya.
"Showing off in front of a master," Kaguya sneered. A gleam of frost flickered in her eyes as she swung her black-red blade, tearing through the air with a mighty wave.
"Barrier of the Wind King."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The wind blades slammed against the transparent barrier and vanished into thin air.
What?!
Shiryu's eyes widened. His attack had been completely neutralized.
"If that's the extent of your skill, it's truly pathetic," Kaguya said coldly. "Let me teach you how to wield a sword, fool."
With that, Kaguya dashed forward. Her body blurred as she accelerated, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. Like a phantom, she appeared behind Shiryu. Her eyes focused, she thrust her sword toward his neck like a streak of lightning.
But just as the blade was about to pierce him, Shiryu smirked wickedly. Raising his head, he snarled, "You fell for it."
With a powerful grip, he unleashed a massive surge of killing intent. Countless sword shadows burst forth, slashing at Kaguya with blinding speed.
A trap!
Faced with the oncoming storm of blades, Kaguya didn't flinch. Instead, her lips curled into a mocking smile. She whispered:
"Instinct."
Without retreating, she charged forward. It was as if she could see the future—she weaved gracefully through the sword storm like a dragon in flight. In a flash, she was right in front of Shiryu.
Not a single blade had touched her—not even a strand of her hair.
Shiryu's pupils shrank in disbelief.
A spray of crimson blood burst forth.
Shiryu flew backward like a cannonball. With a loud "boom," he slammed into the wall, spiderweb cracks splintering from the impact. A savage wound now marred his chest, blood pouring from it.
"Cough, cough."
Shiryu clutched his mouth and coughed violently, blood trickling from between his fingers. Kaguya's earlier strike had hit his chest squarely, likely injuring his lungs.
Kaguya stepped forward, sword pointed down at Shiryu as he sat on the ground. Her gaze was cold and commanding.
"Tell me where Caesar is. You're familiar with this place. You should know where he's being held."
"Caesar?" Shiryu wiped the blood from his mouth and sneered. "Ridiculous. Why would I care about such a small fry?"
"You're the Chief Guard of Impel Down and you don't know the location of your prisoners?" Kaguya narrowed her eyes. "Do you think I'm stupid?"
"Oh, I remember now," Shiryu said, grinning. "That guy? I probably killed him."
Killed him?
Kaguya frowned. That would complicate things.
But just then, Shiryu suddenly lunged from the ground, moving with explosive speed. His sword was raised high, and he roared, "Die!"
Clang!
Their blades clashed once again in a shower of sparks.
A figure flew back across the floor—but this time, it wasn't Shiryu. It was Kaguya.
She twisted mid-air, adjusting her posture before landing and skidding back several meters.
Kaguya lifted her head, eyes narrowing. So, he had been hiding his true strength.
"Too bad," Shiryu said with a wide grin, cigar clamped in his teeth. "I thought I could finish you off. Next time, you won't be so lucky. So just die already."
He stomped forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet. Using the recoil, he launched forward, swinging his blade in a dazzling arc.
Clang!
The wave of force that crashed through Kaguya's blade was like a tsunami. Her expression hardened. What a terrifying power.
If he could release attacks like this, then Shiryu was no ordinary fighter. Even if he wasn't an Admiral, he was dangerously close to that level—no wonder Blackbeard valued him.
Kaguya was still at a disadvantage physically. Her current form wasn't that of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki but of Black Saber. Her body, small and lithe at just over 150 cm, gave her no advantage in strength.
"Die! Die!" Shiryu bellowed. "I'll tear you to pieces!"
"You think you can beat me just like that?" Kaguya's delicate face flashed with anger. "You're nothing but a gorilla. Go back to the zoo and eat your bananas."
As her words fell, black flames surged from Kaguya's body—dense and tar-like, swirling like mist around her. A suffocating pressure filled the air, and the surrounding temperature plummeted. Ice began forming on the ground, turning everything a frosty white.
When the mist cleared, Kaguya was revealed in full battle form. She wore jet-black armor, steel boots, and wielded a black-red longsword that pulsed with ominous energy.
Shiryu's pupils shrank.
This power…
"Didn't you want a proper fight?" Kaguya smirked. "Then come at me."
With a stomp, she vanished like a bolt of black lightning and reappeared before Shiryu in an instant.
He was stunned.
Such speed!
Kaguya's smirk deepened, her golden eyes gleaming with madness. She slashed downward, her black-red blade crackling with power as it cut through the air like lightning.
Boom!
A thunderous crash echoed through the chamber as Kaguya's black-red sword struck Shiryu's blade with tremendous force, sparks flying and a massive shockwave erupting from the impact.
Boom!
The ground beneath Shiryu shattered with a deafening roar, rocks splintering and debris scattering everywhere.
Shiryu's eyes widened.
Such brutal power.
Even his arms had gone slightly numb from the impact.
"You managed to block it?" Kaguya's eyes flashed red. Her voice deepened with menace. "Perfect—then let's fight until we drop."
She spun around and brought her sword down again with terrifying might.
No, if this keeps up, I'm the one who won't last.
Seeing the ferocity of her attack, Shiryu quickly leapt back to avoid the incoming blow.
Boom!
Another deafening crash. Rocks exploded, dust billowed in all directions, and a violent gale surged from the force.
As the smoke cleared, a long trench had been carved into the basalt floor.
Shiryu's eyes sharpened. Her power had increased dramatically.
How was this possible?
"Found you."
Before he could think further, a familiar voice whispered in his ear. Alarmed, Shiryu's eyes shot wide open.
Damn it.
At some point, Kaguya had silently appeared behind him, unnoticed.
She grinned, raised her sword with one hand, and slashed down with a savage burst of sword aura.
Startled, Shiryu twisted to block the attack.
Boom!
He was sent flying again, but before he could land, a black shadow flashed past—Kaguya reappeared in front of him.
She laughed wildly. "Is that all you've got? That won't do."
Shiryu's pupils shrank.
Her black-red sword slammed down on his blade like a thunderbolt.
Clang!
Sparks exploded as their weapons clashed.
Overwhelmed by her strength, Shiryu was launched like a cannonball. He crashed into the wall with a heavy boom, blood spurting from his mouth.
Panicking, Shiryu looked up. The confidence from earlier had vanished, replaced by shock.
Was she a monster?
So young, yet already so powerful.
"We're not done yet."
A dark shadow flickered again. Kaguya appeared before him, eyes glowing with dangerous light.
"I'm not done playing yet," she said with a twisted smile.
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