HST: Chapter 303/304

Chapter 303: Fight Two?

Caelan rode the Azure Dragon and landed on the ground floor of Impel Down.

Magellan, along with several guards, surrounded Caelan.

He looked at the young man before him as if facing a formidable enemy.

He knew that he was no match for Caelan no matter what, even with Shiryu.

Not to mention, this man was riding a mighty and domineering Azure Dragon.

"Mr. Caelan, may I ask what brings you to Impel Down?"

Magellan took a step forward and asked carefully.

"I think you are capable, so I am here to recruit you."

Caelan looked at Magellan and smiled.

As a user of the Poison-Poison Fruit, his strength was only slightly weaker than an Admiral.

A warden who usually performed his duties diligently was a talent worth winning over.

"Mr. Caelan, you flatter me. I am not that good."

Magellan felt flattered and said shyly.

He had not expected this powerful God Slayer to try to recruit him at the start.

This attention surprised him greatly.

"So do you agree, or not?"

Caelan asked, a little speechless.

You are not a woman. Do not act shy like a tea kettle.

"I am sorry, I cannot accept. I am doing well here, and I have no intention of changing jobs for the time being," Magellan said seriously.

He did not have any special affection for the brutal World Government, but Impel Down was quiet and relatively free of trouble, and he had gotten used to it.

Suddenly, Magellan's stomach growled and his face turned pale.

He suppressed his discomfort and said with difficulty, "I am sorry to embarrass you."

"…"

Caelan looked at Magellan's strained expression, thoughtful.

This was a side effect of the Poison-Poison Fruit. He was constantly poisoned by his own gas. Because he had immunity from eating the Devil Fruit, the toxicity would not kill him, but it would cause chronic diarrhea.

As a result, Magellan spent ten hours a day in the bathroom.

In other words, the warden was getting paid to sit on the toilet for ten hours a day.

"Come here, I will help you deal with the side effects of the Poison-Poison Fruit."

Caelan looked at Magellan and spoke seriously.

As long as Magellan became a heroic spirit, he would no longer be tormented by the gas, unless its toxicity could harm the soul itself.

"Really?"

Magellan looked at Caelan in astonishment.

He had not expected Caelan to see through the side effects at a glance and say he could solve them.

For a moment, he hesitated.

If he joined Caelan, he would not have to be forced to sit on the toilet for ten hours every day.

Some might joke about getting paid to sit there, but he truly suffered.

Ten hours a day had hardened his will, and his body still smelled. If not for his strong mind, he might have committed suicide long ago.

"Personally, I want to go," Magellan said hesitantly. "But there are still so many pirates in Impel Down. I must keep watch over them."

"That is fine. I came here to kill all the pirates in Impel Down. They are too dangerous."

Caelan waved his hand and smiled.

"Your purpose in coming to Impel Down is to kill the pirates? They are already detained. There is no need for you to act."

Magellan was surprised by Caelan.

For no reason, coming to a prison to wipe out pirates, he could not understand Caelan's thinking.

And calling these pirates dangerous?

All of them together were not as dangerous as Caelan alone.

"But Impel Down's defenses are not absolutely safe. Considering they might break out and endanger the world, I decided to kill them."

Caelan looked at Magellan and spoke seriously.

In the original incident, Straw Hat Luffy released thousands of vicious pirates, causing great turmoil across the world. From the film villains alone, one could see the tip of the iceberg. The unnamed ones would hardly be obedient.

If they were allowed out to wreak havoc again, the one with a headache would not be the World Government, but the Neo Navy.

After all, the World Government's main role was to collect the Heavenly Tribute, only symbolically intervening in the life and death of member nations.

His Neo Navy did the real work. Clearing pirates from countries affiliated with the Illuminati was their daily task.

By eliminating the pirates in Impel Down on the spot, he could avoid hidden dangers in advance and prevent trouble that the World Government's cooperation with pirates might cause the Neo Navy.

"Nothing can go wrong in Impel Down. Your worries are unnecessary."

Magellan spoke confidently.

Impel Down was tightly guarded. Over the years, the only escapee had been the Golden Lion, who fled after cutting off his legs.

"Really? But I sense that Impel Down is already in chaos."

Caelan smiled.

His Observation Haki spread through the prison, and he clearly sensed a riot inside Impel Down.

This riot did not start from the first floor, but from the deepest and most dangerous Level 6, Eternal Hell.

"What!?"

Magellan's face changed drastically.

He opened his own Observation Haki in disbelief and saw that the prison was in chaos.

From bottom to top, total chaos.

Caelan and the Azure Dragon had been talking with him here, with no time to commit any crime.

In other words, the rampage in Impel Down was caused by internal riots.

At that moment, a jailer rushed up and said anxiously, "Warden, the deputy warden has released all the criminals on Level 6. Those guys have also released all the criminals in the entire prison…"

"How is that possible!"

Magellan could not believe his ears.

However, before the jailer finished speaking, a blade pierced his body.

Shiryu of the Rain stepped out from behind the jailer and said with a sinister smile, "Warden, that is not important anymore. How about we work together to get rid of Caelan, then join forces to suppress those pirates?"

"So it is you!"

Magellan's face turned extremely ugly.

Caelan praised Shiryu's assist and said with a smile, "I think we should follow my plan, kill the criminals together, then talk about changing jobs."

"Good."

Magellan nodded without hesitation.

Shiryu's smile froze.

I came to fight two against one, not one against two.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 304: Shiryu’s Death

Shiryu looked at Magellan in disbelief.

He did not understand why Magellan and Caelan would join forces in such a short time.

Magellan was clearly the most responsible warden of Impel Down, so why would he stand with the enemy of the World Government to deal with him?

It was you, Magellan, who asked me to come up and help fight the invaders, yet now I am fighting you along with the invader.

Could it be that Magellan, the man with thick eyebrows and righteous eyes, had already betrayed them long ago?

"Please calm down, I was only joking." Shiryu looked at the two of them and said awkwardly, "In fact, I came here to seek refuge with Caelan-sama. I cannot stand staying in Impel Down any longer."

"Alright, so you planned to rebel for a long time. I cannot let you leave today."

Magellan shouted.

"You are allowed to surrender to the enemy, Magellan, but I, Shiryu, am not allowed to surrender to the enemy? How is that reasonable?"

Shiryu felt extremely wronged.

Clearly you, Magellan, surrendered to the enemy, so why are you stopping me from doing the same?

Just because you are the warden, do you think you can bully me, the deputy warden?

Magellan glared at Shiryu and shouted angrily, "I asked you to come up to help me stop the invaders, not to release all the prisoners."

"If you had not caused this disaster, I would not be cooperating with Caelan-sama."

He had never imagined that Shiryu would free the prisoners.

If all the inmates on Level 6 of Impel Down were set loose, he could not handle them even with all his strength.

If those people escaped, the damage to the world would be immeasurable.

Those were criminals the World Government had captured over decades. If they broke out, even the World Government would struggle to deal with them.

If the situation were not so urgent, he would never have accepted Caelan's proposal so quickly.

"Caelan-sama, what do you think? I am willing to follow you." Seeing Magellan being unreasonable, Shiryu turned to Caelan again.

"I am sorry, but I do not want to accept your surrender."

Caelan looked at Shiryu and smiled teasingly.

A bloodthirsty murderer and a psychopathic madman.

He disdained recruiting someone like Shiryu while he was still alive.

Even if he killed him, he would have to work obediently afterward.

"Damn it."

Shiryu's face turned ugly. He had not expected to be rejected by both sides.

He glanced around, trying to find a chance to escape.

"Shiryu, stop struggling. I do not have time to play cat and mouse with you." Caelan sensed the growing riot in Impel Down and said coldly, "Magellan, come with me and kill those pirates."

"Understood."

Magellan agreed quickly.

With that, Caelan drew Shusui.

He slashed at Shiryu.

The blade flashed like lightning, coated in a layer of Armament Haki.

In an instant, it tore through the air and arrived before Shiryu.

"What!?"

Shiryu stared at the incoming slash, pupils contracting.

He had not expected Caelan's sword to be so fast and so powerful.

We are both swordsmen, so why not fight head-on?

Is Caelan afraid?

Impossible, this only meant he did not consider him an opponent.

Just like one would not notify an ant before stepping on it.

Shiryu felt greatly insulted.

What frightened him even more was that the gap between them was truly like that between an ant and a human.

He had no time to dodge, and he could not take the blow.

It was clearly just a slash, yet it felt irresistible.

He was also a great swordsman, but he was certain he could neither swing such a strike nor block it.

In his haste, Shiryu did not even have time to fully draw his blade.

He could only brace his sword and sheath across his body to resist.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the slash collided with Shiryu's sword, producing a thunderous roar.

Shiryu was blasted away uncontrollably, his body suffering severe damage.

The remaining power of the slash poured forward, carving a trench dozens of meters deep across the first floor of the prison.

At the deepest point of the ravine, one could faintly see the lights of Crimson Hell on the underground level.

The prisoners below in Crimson Hell felt a terrifying tremor. In their bewilderment, dust from the walls fell upon their heads.

"Cough, what a monster."

Shiryu struggled to stand, spitting large mouthfuls of blood. He drew his famed blade, Thunderstorm, and used it to support himself.

He looked at Caelan's calm expression and was terrified to the extreme.

As a great swordsman, he had almost been killed by a single blow from Caelan.

He did not understand how a slash with only a thin layer of Armament Haki could be so powerful.

He felt that Caelan's sword had surpassed the realm of a great swordsman and had stepped into a higher realm.

No wonder the World Government feared Caelan. The tip of the iceberg he revealed was enough for many to look up to for a lifetime.

"Caelan-sama, your strength is truly astonishing."

Beside him, Magellan looked at Caelan in amazement.

Shiryu's raw strength was almost equal to his. He had always relied on his poison to restrain Shiryu.

He had not expected Caelan to seriously injure Shiryu with a single strike.

Then it would not be difficult to deal with him.

No wonder Caelan dared to break into the prison alone. This strength was his greatest confidence.

Caelan looked at Shiryu, who was barely standing, and smiled in appreciation. "To survive my sword, you have some skill."

As he spoke, Caelan raised his blade again.

"Wait, no."

Shiryu saw Caelan's movement and cried out in fear to stop him.

He could beg for mercy, and he still had reasons to live.

He had value, and there were many he still had to kill.

"Who cares what small fry think."

Caelan did not care and swung a clean slash.

"Damn it."

Shiryu cursed and swung Thunderstorm to block.

What Caelan said sounded familiar.

Those were the words he had once spoken to those who died by his hand, but he had never expected to hear them aimed at himself today.

Was he small fry too?

How could that be? He was strong.

Shiryu gritted his teeth, veins bulging in his arms, and swung with all his strength.

"Boom!"

The moment Shiryu's blade met the slash, despite using full force, he was driven back without resistance.

The bones in his hand shattered instantly, Thunderstorm's blade pierced into his own chest, and he was sent flying.

The remaining force slammed into the previous trench again.

This time, the thick wall between the ground floor and the first underground level was completely destroyed.

Shiryu was chopped down into Crimson Hell below along with his sword.

This time, he could not be more dead.

In Crimson Hell on the underground level, a large number of pirates stared at the corpse that had fallen and the gaping rent above their heads, so frightened they lost control.

"That is the deputy warden, Shiryu of the Rain!"

Some prisoners recognized him.

Bloodthirsty by nature, Shiryu often executed prisoners at will, and when he went mad, he even killed jailers.

Even though Shiryu had later been imprisoned, his terrifying reputation among the prisoners remained.

Now, such a terrifying man had died before their eyes.

"Who killed him, the invading God Slayer?"

All the prisoners looked up toward the massive crack in the ceiling, through which sunlight and sea breeze poured.

They gazed at the long-lost light, but showed no joy.

Two figures leaped down through the gap and stood before the many prisoners.

One was the familiar Warden Magellan. The other was a tall young man.

"Ah, there are so many prisoners here. If they escape, it will be troublesome. Let us kill them all." Caelan looked at the densely packed inmates and spoke a terrifying sentence.

(To be continued.)