Chapter 371: Shiryu of the Rain

A violent airflow suppressed the entire area, crushing everything within sight!

Even though War Taowan had reacted, it was already too late to take any countermeasures; he could only barely protect himself before being swept away by the surrounding currents and sent flying backward.

"Enemy attack!"

Coming to his senses, Ivankov let out a startled cry, but in the next instant, he felt a hand as hard as steel clamp onto his face and slam him into the ground.

Boom—!

The floor shattered, and the entire bar was crushed by this single strike!

My bones are about to crack!

Ivankov only felt a burst of bloody sweetness in his mouth, as if every bone in his body was falling apart.

Enduring the excruciating pain, he forced his eyes open and finally managed to make out the attacker's face.

Black hair was neatly tied back, metal-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of his nose, his features were refined, and his demeanor was gloomy.

In any other context, such an appearance would lead one to believe the newcomer was a pampered, elegant noble or a top-tier professional scholar.

But all of that was shattered by the killing intent radiating from the newcomer, so dense it seemed almost tangible, stinging Ivankov's skin!

He had followed Dragon and fought countless powerful enemies, including Navy Admirals and ruthless figures comparable to the great powers of the seas.

Although there was an element of surprise, those who could suppress him in a single exchange could be counted on one hand!

This guy... is incredibly strong!

Even within the Revolutionary Army, perhaps only Dragon could suppress him!

This is huge trouble!

Ivankov's face was extremely Solemn, but facing the newcomer's overwhelming power, he was powerless to fight back, unable to even emit a single sound.

The panicked crowd around them only now regained their senses, looking angrily at Xiang Keluo, who had suddenly attacked.

"Bastard!"

"Let go of Lord Ivankov!"

Swish—!

Dozens of flintlock pistols, and even mortars, simultaneously pointed at the man in the center of the crowd.

But they didn't even have time to pull the triggers before discovering that the guns and cannons in their hands were flying uncontrollably into the air, turning to point at themselves!

Everyone felt a chill run through their bodies.

It was at this moment that another figure emerged from the dust and smoke.

The newcomer wore a spotted round hat, held an exaggeratedly large long sword, wore a faint smile on his lips, and exuded an air of absolute confidence from head to toe!

"Room!"

"Shambles!"

Hiss—!

The long sword unsheathed, sweeping across everyone present, yet strangely, not a hint of pain was transmitted.

Just as everyone was puzzled, they discovered in shock that their limbs had already separated from their upper bodies.

Some had their heads suspended in mid-air, momentarily unsure of what had happened, filled with both shock and terror!

"My head—no, my body is gone!"

"What exactly is happening?!"

"Are we truly in hell?!"

"No!"

"That guy is behind this!"

Within the crowd.

Lightning, the Scissors-Scissors Fruit user whose upper and lower bodies were separated, looked at the round-hatted man with sheer terror, no longer able to maintain his former composure.

The situation had changed too quickly, and the strength of those who attacked was beyond imagination.

In merely an instant, all of their resistance had been completely dismantled, reducing them to fish on a chopping block.

This is huge trouble!

But who exactly was it that not only discerned the existence of Level 5.5 but also possessed the ability to infiltrate Impel Down at this precise moment?!

While Lightning was puzzled, three more figures exuding equally powerful auras appeared.

A swordsman wielding three blades, a sniper holding a strange long spear, and a knight clad in silver-white armor whose gaze was ice-cold...

Three more monsters!

Without needing to exchange a single blow, Lightning could judge that he was absolutely no match for the three before him!

It was at this moment that Lightning finally recognized the identities of the newcomers, so shocked that he froze on the spot, unable to utter a single word!

Struggling to rise from the ruins, War Taowan looked at the three figures in the distance with an extremely Solemn Face, his expression gloomy:

"Hundred Plans Kuro, the Surgeon of Death Trafalgar Law, the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro... Could it be that Knight Gao Wen has chosen to invade Impel Down at such a time?!"

Lightning standing nearby turned pale.

He knew what the title Gao Wen meant.

Over the past three years, Gao Wen had risen at an unimaginable speed.

Beheading Golden Lion, defeating the world's greatest swordsman Hawk-Eye, repelling the armies of the Hundred Beasts Kaido, and establishing a foothold in Britannias...

These absurd achievements piled up to create a deterrent power equivalent to that of an Emperor of the Sea.

No!

With Totto Land now in decline, Knight Gao Wen is the Emperor of the Seas, and a cornerstone of the new Four Emperors structure!

"Why would important figures like you appear at Impel Down?!"

Lightning wondered in his heart.

Yet Xiang Keluo simply ignored him, gazing faintly at War Taowan as he said:

"Will you choose to die here, or come with me!"

War Taowan's brows knitted tightly:

"The target is me? No, is it Mr. Vegapunk?!"

"Ah."

Xiang Keluo made no attempt to hide it:

"The capabilities of the world's greatest scientist are also very useful to us."

"Tch—!"

War Taowan sneered in disdain.

During this period of exile, he had already seen countless scoundrels coveting Vegapunk's technology.

It was only when his gaze swept across the bar's ruins, seeing those okama lying amidst the rubble wailing, and noticing Ivankov firmly suppressed by Xiang Keluo, that he finally understood.

This time, he had no choice.

"Spare them."

Xiang Keluo nodded:

"I will take them away from here; as for where they go afterward, that has nothing to do with me."

"Deal!"

……

……

……

Impel Down.

Hell of Freezing.

Dai Si led the Jailer Beasts to quell the unrest, fighting their way all the way into Level Five.

Yet it was here that they encountered unprecedented resistance.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"A big shot has invaded Impel Down, and the exit above has been destroyed; if we want to regain our freedom, now is our only chance!"

"The sea, treasure, women..."

"As long as we can leave this place, we can have whatever we want!"

A prisoner, his face twisted ferociously, wrapped the chains on his body around his fist and unleashed a heavy punch toward the cow Jailer Beast in the distance!

Clang—!

A sound of clashing metal exploded in the air; the prisoner was immediately blasted away by the cow Jailer Beast's explosive force, smashing through several walls before falling unconscious on the spot.

Yet merely an instant later, even more death row prisoners waved their claws and fangs, charging once again at Dai Si and his group who had come to suppress them.

For a moment, even with the four Awakened Jailer Beasts as their trump card, the jailers led by Dai Si were forced into a steady retreat.

Those death row prisoners qualified to be imprisoned in Level Five's Hell of Freezing, if placed upon the seas, were almost all individuals with bounties exceeding one hundred million.

Even in a one-on-one situation, it would require at least a Navy officer to have the qualification to suppress them.

Not to mention that the prisoners imprisoned in Level Five already numbered over four digits.

Even though due to the unrest some had gone missing and some had perished, those remaining here who still retained combat capability numbered in the hundreds.

This was an extremely powerful fighting force, already sufficient to influence the course of a war and the fate of a kingdom.

Relying solely on the Jailer Beasts...

Dai Si's palm was soaked in sweat, unable to even hold the steel trident in his hand steadily, yet deep in his heart he already felt a creeping chill.

"Is destroying Impel Down and burying all the death row prisoners truly the only path left?!"

If there were a choice, who would want to die?!