Chapter 10: Hannibal

A cold glint flashed through Orochimaru's eyes as he murmured to himself, "What a pity, such a man of principle, yet he stands on the opposite side of me. In the Ninja World, people like him are destined not to live long."

His voice had not yet fallen when his hands flew through hand seals, and he shouted lowly, "Earth Release: Earth Core!"

The next second, the ground beneath Hannibal's feet suddenly collapsed, forming a deep pit. Caught off guard, Hannibal's footing gave way, and he instantly lost his balance.

"What?!" Hannibal exclaimed in shock, eyes wide, but before he could react, he fell heavily to the ground with a dull thud.

The next second, Orochimaru's hands formed hand seals again: "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Bullet!"

Following his words, a massive fire dragon coalesced before him, emitting scorching heat waves. The fire dragon let out a deafening roar and charged into the deep pit beneath Hannibal's feet.

Releasing such a powerful ninjutsu in such a confined space, the air seemed baked dry, the ground instantly turning into a stretch of scalding hot glass, emitting a blazing red glow.

"Vice Warden!" The surrounding prison guards, seeing this, all stared with wide eyes, faces full of terror. Someone subconsciously reached out, as if to grab Hannibal, but the scorching heat wave from the fire dragon forced them to retreat.

"Ah!!"

Hannibal's heart-rending scream came from the pit, sounding especially weak amid the fire dragon's roar. But soon, the scream cut off abruptly, leaving only the fire dragon's rampaging howl in the pit.

"How could Vice Warden he..." A young prison guard muttered to himself, face deathly pale, lips trembling.

At this moment, all the prisoners' gazes focused on the four people behind them.

"That's the Seven Warlords of the Sea's Sea Knight Jinbe and Sand Crocodile Crocodile!" A bearded prisoner pointed at Jinbe and Crocodile, voice trembling: "They're both terrifying existences who can each match an entire fleet!"

"Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander Fire Fist Ace is here too!" Another prisoner with a scar on his face had burning eyes: "To fight alongside these big shots, I'll have no regrets in this life!"

"And that person who just released the fire dragon, he took out Hannibal in one move! So strong! Who is he?"

At this moment, a burly man suddenly stepped out from the crowd: "Boss! You finally came!" It was Man Niu.

At this moment, the surrounding prisoners instantly focused their gazes on Man Niu, and Man Niu immediately said to everyone: "It was Boss who gave me the key, so we had a chance to escape! It was Boss who gave us freedom!"

At this moment, everyone cast their gazes onto Orochimaru, and they realized he was the mastermind behind this Impel Down breakout.

"Boss! Boss!"

"Following Boss, we can regain our freedom!"

Rising and falling cheers instantly resounded through the prison, prisoners excitedly shouting Orochimaru's title, the scene momentarily spiraling out of control.

The prison guards facing the prisoners, however, felt waves of dread. They nervously gripped their weapons, eyes flickering, bean-sized beads of sweat appearing on their foreheads.

They knew they faced four world-renowned powerhouses. Any one alone could rout ordinary prison guards like them. Let alone these four joining forces...

As Orochimaru walked forward, the two prison guards at the very front widened their eyes, their whole bodies trembling involuntarily.

As Orochimaru approached, a terrifying illusion suddenly surfaced in the two guards' minds; his figure rapidly twisted and deformed in their eyes, transforming into a giant, ferocious python.

The python flicked its crimson tongue, amber vertical pupils staring dead at the two guards, as if it would entangle and devour them the next second.

"Ah!" The two guards could no longer bear this pressure, their bodies going limp, they subconsciously retreated to the sides.

And the next second they came to their senses, hearts full of regret, cursing their own cowardice for actually retreating before the enemy. But when they turned back, seeking support from their comrades, they found the guards behind them likewise trembling, faces pale. And among those guards, a passage had somehow been cleared. "Hehe." Orochimaru chuckled coldly, just as he was about to step forward, a hand suddenly seized his right leg, the force so great his body involuntarily paused.

"Don't don't think of leaving here..." A weak voice came from the ground, but its tone revealed a thread of unyielding resolve, "Even if even if I die, I'll stop you criminals."

Orochimaru lowered his head, gaze landing on the hand gripping him. That arm's skin had been scorched charred black, shocking to behold. Following the arm up, he saw a face covered in burns, nearly unrecognizable. But those eyes were wide and round, staring dead at Orochimaru, as if to pierce him through.

At the same time, a scent of meat wafted into Orochimaru's nostrils, the smell of charred human flesh, making one feel a wave of nausea.

"Hannibal?" Orochimaru raised a brow, a hint of surprise in his tone.

He hadn't expected this prison guard, after suffering such severe trauma, could still remain conscious. That Fire Release's power was enough to burn an ordinary person to ash. Yet this Hannibal, relying on sheer unyielding will, had endured.

Before the words were finished, Hannibal coughed violently, vomiting a large mouthful of fresh blood, mixed with charred skin and flesh. But his hand still clung tightly to Orochimaru's leg, not loosening in the slightest, even his nails piercing through Orochimaru's skin.

"Vice Warden!" The surrounding prison guards, seeing this, couldn't help but cry out. They wanted to rush forward to help Hannibal, but were intimidated by the pressure emanating from Orochimaru and the others, not daring to act rashly.

Orochimaru looked down at Hannibal on his leg, raised his right foot, and kicked hard, sending Hannibal flying.

"That's about enough." Orochimaru said coldly.

Hannibal crashed heavily to the ground with a dull thud. His body curled into a ball, fresh blood gushing from his wounds, pooling into a red pond on the ground.

"Let's go." Orochimaru turned his head at this moment, preparing to leave, when suddenly Hannibal's voice came from behind again. Orochimaru looked back, and the sight before him even made him widen his eyes slightly.

"I said I absolutely won't let you escape."

Only to see Hannibal trembling as he stood up, blood flowing down his body, pooling into a dark red on the ground. But he seemed to no longer feel pain, just stubbornly stepping forward, walking toward Orochimaru's direction.

"Even if even if my bones are all shattered. Even if my flesh is all charred. Even if my blood all drains dry." Hannibal spoke word by word, each word squeezed from his throat, "I'll stop you."

"Vice Warden!" At this moment, a prison guard behind could no longer hold back, tears bursting forth. He shouted loudly: "Don't stand up anymore! You'll die!"

"What a joke!"

Hearing the guard's words, Hannibal abruptly lifted his head, his body trembling from intense pain, every breath like igniting a fire in his lungs. But his gaze grew ever more determined, blazing and compelling, as if to burn through the pirates before him.

"You damn pirates!" He roared through gritted teeth, voice hoarse yet sonorous, "Do you know how many civilians on this Sea lie awake at night from the fear of losing loved ones?!"

Hannibal advanced step by step toward the four, wounds tearing, drenched in blood, but he didn't care. "What Four Emperors Captain, what Seven Warlords, your so-called big-shot titles are all built on the white bones and fresh blood of countless civilians!"

Finishing, Hannibal planted his feet, both hands gripping the large blade in his hand. The blade trembled slightly in his grasp, emitting a faint cold light under the torchlight.

Hannibal gritted his teeth, using all his strength to roar: "Impel Down's existence is to isolate you vicious scum from the outside world!"

His voice, though hoarse, was resonant and powerful, echoing through the entire prison.

"As long as this door stands, demons can never rush into the mortal world, and innocent lives can be spared from falling into endless nightmares!"

"The Marine's Justice, I will protect!" His roar grew louder and louder, like a thunderclap exploding, shaking the prisoners with fear.

(Chapter End)