Rumble...

The massive doors groaned as if buckling under their own weight, slowly parting from the center while sweeping up the snow piled across the ground.

A wave of putrid, damp air surged violently from behind them, slamming into their faces like a living thing.

Magellan immediately held his breath, every muscle in his body tensing as a cold shiver crawled down his spine.

"W-Warden Wayne, are we really going in there?"

His teeth chattered slightly as he forced himself to stay calm, though his breathing had already grown rough and uneven.

Daren shot him a glance and smiled.

"No need to be nervous. They're all locked up."

Magellan's gaze flicked nervously toward the darkness beyond the gate. The space beyond was swallowed in thick, impenetrable black mist. He couldn't see a thing—and that only made his heart pound harder.

"B-but what if… what if they get out?"

"Wouldn't that be just perfect?"

Daren's chuckle echoed softly.

Magellan froze, staring blankly as the man before him strode forward without a trace of hesitation.

Watching that confident back disappear into the shadows, Magellan suddenly snapped out of his panic.

Right... what am I so afraid of?

Sure, the sixth level of Eternal Hell holds the most savage, world-class criminals alive—but in terms of danger, could any of them possibly outmatch Daren-sensei?

With that comforting thought, the tension melted from his chest. He quickly hurried after him.

...

Drip, drip.

Water dripped from the moss-covered walls, splattering onto the cold stone floor. The flickering oil lamps along the corridor stretched Daren's shadow into a long, wavering silhouette.

Step, step, step...

His steady, powerful footsteps echoed through the damp air.

The moment Daren descended the final staircase and stepped into the Sixth Underground Level—Eternal Hell—

ROAR!!

"Hahahaha! A new face!"

"This brat's getup looks ridiculous!"

"He doesn't look like a Marine at all!"

"Hey, kid! What's with that mask you're wearing?"

"Hahahahaha! Send Garp down here! I want another proper fight with that bastard!"

"..."

Crazed laughter, venomous curses, vile taunts, and furious bellows erupted all at once from every direction of the prison.

A suffocating wave of killing intent flooded the air, colliding and twisting upon itself, generating violent gusts that sent Daren's black cloak whipping wildly behind him.

Magellan's pupils constricted sharply; he nearly stumbled backward.

Under that oppressive storm of murderous intent, it felt like the very air had been sucked from his lungs. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead in sheets.

Worse still—

Pairs of eerie, glowing green eyes began flickering to life one after another in the darkness of the cells.

Those eyes—feral, bloodthirsty, filled with raw hatred—stared at him like predators sizing up their prey.

In that moment, Magellan felt like a helpless lamb surrounded by starving beasts, waiting for them to pounce.

Then, suddenly—

A strong, steady hand clapped lightly on his shoulder.

He froze.

And in that instant, everything vanished.

The entire world fell silent—completely, utterly still.

Then—

BOOM!!

An overwhelming, earth-shattering aura burst from Daren's body, sweeping across the prison like a tidal wave.

Crimson-black lightning crackled into existence from nothingness, weaving together in a chaotic storm. The sheer force of it rippled outward, making the very stone beneath their feet quake violently.

"This is..."

"Aaaagh!!"

"My body... I can't move!"

"Damn brat! That's your Conqueror's Haki!"

"How is this possible!?"

"..."

An overwhelming force crashed down like an invisible giant hand descending from the heavens, snuffing out every pair of feral, wolf-like eyes lurking in the darkness.

Agonized screams erupted from hundreds of cells.

Crimson-black lightning crackled through the air, twisting and splashing like liquid fire, coiling tangibly around each prison cell.

It was then that Magellan finally saw what lay within the countless cells swallowed by darkness.

Prisoners in ragged, black-and-white striped uniforms clutched their heads in unbearable pain. Some hunched over, some doubled down and vomited, some screamed and collapsed to the ground, while others fell to one knee in despair...

All of them were completely subdued under the weight of Daren-sensei's Conqueror's Haki.

Magellan's heart pounded violently. He couldn't help but lift his gaze back to Daren.

His black cloak billowed wildly behind him. The man in the bat-shaped helmet held a lit cigar between his teeth, arms outstretched, a fearless, almost mad grin curling his lips.

It was, without question, the most unforgettable, awe-inspiring sight Magellan had ever seen in his life—

One man, single-handedly suppressing every criminal in Eternal Hell.

"He's... unbelievably strong..."

Magellan stared blankly at Daren's back, a fleeting regret rising in his chest.

If he had joined the North Blue Fleet, would he now be standing alongside that figure, fighting by his side?

But the thought vanished almost instantly, replaced by an even stronger resolve.

Daren-sensei had been right—if it was for the sake of justice, then they were already fighting together.

Just as Magellan's thoughts began to wander, the air suddenly shifted.

A streak of dark purple lightning burst forth from a cell deep within Eternal Hell, piercing through the air like a blade. It carried a crushing, unstoppable force as it slammed straight into Daren.

In the next instant—

BOOM!!

Lightning detonated, two vast storms colliding to unleash a torrent of infernal winds, raging violently as the two forces clashed head-on.

But the standoff lasted only for a heartbeat before both sides withdrew in perfect synchrony, leaving behind countless crimson and violet sparks flickering in the air.

As the last traces of energy faded, heavy breathing filled the silence once more.

The prisoners gasped desperately for air, their eyes now fixed on Daren with raw fear and disbelief.

"Youngster... recklessly unleashing your Haki is not a good habit."

A deep, rasping voice suddenly broke the oppressive stillness.

As flickering light danced through the corridor, a figure slowly emerged from the deepest cell of Eternal Hell.

It was a man whose age was impossible to tell.

Tall and lean, with long white hair braided into two plaits draped over his shoulders, and dark red eyebrows that drew immediate attention. A golden chain pierced through the corner of his mouth and looped to his earlobe, glinting faintly as he spoke, his lips curling into a charmingly sinister smile.

Even in the same prison uniform as the others, the loose garment somehow carried an air of refined grace on him—elegant, almost aristocratic, like a well-educated gentleman trapped in a monster's cage.

"Tell me... is this how Zephyr taught you?"

...

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