Chapter 3

At this moment in the Main God Space, a massive screen was projected before Zhang Feng, showing precisely the environment Orochimaru currently found himself in.

Zhang Feng stared unblinkingly at the screen before him, and as Orochimaru's surroundings continued to unfold, the speculation in Zhang Feng's heart grew ever clearer.

"One Piece World?" Zhang Feng murmured to himself, excitement flashing in his eyes: "This should be inside the Fifth Layer Prison of Impel Down."

Impel Down is the highest-level prison used by the Pirate World Government to hold heavy criminals; notorious pirates and Revolutionary Army members from all over the world are imprisoned there, and it is called an absolutely unbreakable place.

"Didn't expect they'd actually transmit Orochimaru there." Zhang Feng couldn't help but sigh. He understood that with Orochimaru's abilities, surviving in Impel Down should be no problem.

As long as Reincarnators disrupt the plot in other worlds, destroying the original fate, the Main God can obtain energy from it.

Just like a stone thrown into a pond, it will always splash.

"Main God, issue the mission." Zhang Feng said.

…………

At this moment Orochimaru was observing his surroundings when a dazzling light suddenly appeared before his eyes; he subconsciously narrowed his eyes, and then a translucent virtual screen materialized out of thin air in front of him.

"What is this?" Orochimaru frowned slightly, his gaze locking onto the screen as he carefully read the content on it.

【Main Quest: Escape from Impel Down】

【Difficulty: A】

【Task Content: Escape from the Underground Prison Impel Down, and successfully pass through the Gate of Justice; upon completion you may return.】

【Mission Reward: 2000 Reward Points】

【Time Limit: 10 hours】

After reading the mission description, a trace of surprise and doubt flashed through Orochimaru's eyes.

"Impel Down? Gate of Justice? What kind of place is this?" he murmured, his mind rapidly searching for information related to these terms, but finding nothing.

Just as Orochimaru tried to sort out his thoughts, the virtual screen suddenly flickered a few times, and immediately a line of large characters appeared on it: 【Mission Start】.

Simultaneously, the translucent light curtain enveloping Orochimaru began to gradually dissipate, as if a thin layer of mist were scattered by sunlight.

The moment Orochimaru appeared, several prisoners originally curled up in the corner raised their heads in unison, their gazes landing on him in perfect synchronization.

The sudden uninvited guest clearly gave them a great shock, surprise and wariness flashing in their eyes.

"Hey, who are you? Where did you pop out from?!" At this moment a prisoner squeezed out a few words from between his teeth, sizing Orochimaru up and down.

Orochimaru merely glanced at them indifferently and did not answer. He walked to the iron bars and gazed out at the boundless snowfield.

At this moment everyone's gazes concentrated on Orochimaru's clothes, and they swallowed in unison; in this cold hellish place, the clothing on his body was undoubtedly a fatal temptation.

At this moment a burly, powerfully built man slowly stood up from the corner, his eyes staring dead at Orochimaru.

He was a prisoner newly thrown in recently; compared to the other prisoners already so weak they could barely stand, he still retained a considerable portion of his strength.

"Hey, pretty boy, take off the clothes on your body and give them to me." The burly man's mouth curled into a ferocious smile, his tone brooking no refusal. He took large strides toward Orochimaru, each step kicking up a flurry of snow.

Orochimaru turned around unhurriedly, golden snake pupils staring straight at the newcomer, a playful smile hooking the corner of his mouth: "Want them? Then use your strength to take them."

"You brat are courting death!" The burly man was enraged by Orochimaru's attitude, veins bulging, ferocity flashing in his eyes. "I'm the nine-figure bounty Man Niu! A mere pretty boy dares act arrogant with me?!"

Man Niu roared in anger, stomping his foot hard, his whole body charging at Orochimaru like a cannonball.

The heavy iron chains and iron ball cuffed on his wrists were violently yanked up by him, tracing a sharp arc through the air with a piercing wind sound.

"Taste my fist!" Man Niu roared, his right fist like a small mountain smashing toward Orochimaru's face.

Yet Orochimaru stood motionless in place, as if frightened stupid, staring unblinkingly at the oncoming iron fist.

Boom! Man Niu's fist heavily slammed into Orochimaru's chest. Orochimaru's body instantly flew backward, heavily crashing into the stone wall with a dull thud. A large dent caved in his chest.

"Heh, just this much ability?" Man Niu retracted his fist, coldly laughing at Orochimaru collapsed on the ground.

Just as Man Niu walked toward Orochimaru in high spirits, preparing to strip the clothes off his body, an unbelievable scene suddenly occurred.

Orochimaru's lips suddenly split open, his oral cavity expanding at an inconceivable speed, as if to swallow his entire lower jaw.

Simultaneously, a white object slowly emerged from his wide-open mouth, its surface coated in sticky saliva.

"Th-this is what?!" Man Niu's eyes widened, staring in disbelief at the scene before him.

Only to see that white object grow longer and longer, gradually revealing a human shape. When it completely left Orochimaru's oral cavity, everyone was stunned — it was actually another Orochimaru!

"Snake Slough?!" An old prisoner murmured tremblingly, eyes full of fear. "Could this guy be a Devil Fruit User?"

And at this moment Orochimaru carefully sized up Man Niu: "Hmm, purely physical attack, strength and speed equivalent to a Taijutsu-master Jonin. But that's all." His tone was flat, as if he didn't take Man Niu's strength seriously at all.

Man Niu flew into a rage, veins bulging. "Devil Fruit Users I've seen before, don't think shedding a skin can scare me! Die!" He roared and charged at Orochimaru again.

However at this moment Orochimaru's arms suddenly swelled, his sleeves instantly bursting. Dozens of white small snakes surged from his arms, pouring down like a waterfall.

Orochimaru gave a low shout: "Hidden Shadow Snake Hands!" At the same time both hands violently thrust forward, countless venomous snakes shooting toward Man Niu like arrows leaving a bowstring, instantly entwining his limbs and torso, opening their mouths to bite.

A fierce light flashed in Man Niu's eyes; he fiercely gritted his teeth, veins bulging on both arms as he violently struggled, actually shaking off the snake swarm entwining his body.

"Roar!" Man Niu let out a sky-shaking roar, like an enraged wild beast, his feet stomping hard, his whole body turning into a body flicker, carrying the sound of tearing wind as he pounced at Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly; seeing Man Niu about to reach him, he lightly tapped his toes, his whole person instantly becoming a body flicker, instantly pulling away the distance from Man Niu.

"Oh? Physical constitution actually this powerful, far surpassing ordinary ninja." Orochimaru smiled meaningfully, simultaneously forming hand seals rapidly with both hands.

"Earth Release: Earth Splitting!"

With Orochimaru's low shout, the ground beneath Man Niu's feet suddenly emitted a rumbling sound, and immediately a huge crack instantly appeared.

"What?!" Man Niu's eyes widened; before he could react, his whole body fell straight into the earth fissure.

The next second, Orochimaru formed hand seals again. Only to see that earth fissure rapidly close, leaving only Man Niu's head exposed on the ground.

"Damn." Man Niu gritted his teeth, struggling desperately, yet unable to break free of the earth's binding no matter what.

"Hiss hiss."

At this moment, countless venomous snakes surged from all directions, vying to pounce on Man Niu's head, sharp venomous fangs stabbing at his eyes, nose, ears, and lips — these vulnerable parts.

"Get lost, you damn beasts!" Man Niu desperately shook his head, trying to shake off those disgusting venomous snakes; however the more he struggled, the tighter the snakes coiled, venomous fangs deeply piercing his flesh, injecting potent venom.

Man Niu's complexion gradually turned livid, limbs convulsing, intermittent groans escaping his mouth.

Where had he ever seen such a bizarre and terrifying ability? At this moment he only felt his whole body turn cold, vitality rapidly flowing away.

"D-don't kill me." Man Niu's eyes were full of fear, trembling as he begged Orochimaru for mercy. "I-I submit, spare my life."

Orochimaru waved his hand, and the white snakes coiled around Man Niu loosened their bindings, slithering aside. A mass of snakes coiled beneath his feet like a vortex, ready to unleash a fatal strike at any moment.

Orochimaru walked slowly to stand before Man Niu, looking down at him coldly. "What place is this?" he asked in a deep voice.

Man Niu's face was full of bewilderment, seemingly not understanding why Orochimaru would ask such an obvious question.

"Answer me." Orochimaru's tone grew even colder, a bone-chilling killing intent radiating from his entire body.

Man Niu shivered violently and hurriedly replied: "This is Impel Down, the place the Marines use to imprison heavy criminals."

"I see." Orochimaru nodded thoughtfully. "Then, who is the strongest person in this prison?"

Man Niu swallowed hard and answered carefully: "The strongest is Warden Magellan. Like you, he is also a Devil Fruit User, a Paramecia Poison-Poison Fruit User."

"Poison-Poison Fruit?" The corner of Orochimaru's mouth hooked into a cruel smile. "Is this kind of Devil Fruit common?"

"As far as I know, Users are rare but not unheard of. Devil Fruits can grant people strange powers, but each fruit is unique." Man Niu answered truthfully.

"One last question," Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "Do you know how to escape this prison?"

Man Niu showed a troubled expression and replied: "It is absolutely impossible to escape this prison. One must first go up from this bottom level, pass through five levels of the prison, and reach the sea surface."

He paused, then continued: "Then one must also pass through the massive Calm Belt, where the currents are turbulent, hidden reefs are everywhere, there is no wind, and ships cannot move an inch."

"The final barrier is the 'Gate of Justice'. That is a huge iron door blocking the only passage to the outside world. Without the Prison Guards' coordination, no one can even think of opening it." Man Niu sighed, his tone full of despair.

"So to speak, escaping from this Underground Prison is nothing but a fool's dream."

"A fool's dream? Heh heh."

Orochimaru paced slowly to stand before Man Niu, bending down, his golden snake pupils staring straight into his eyes.

"Tell me, if I could give you all a chance to escape this place right now," Orochimaru's voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable authority. "What price. are you willing to pay?"

The prisoners instantly fell into a deathly silence, the air seeming to freeze solid. Every face was written with shock, hesitation, and unease, as if waging war between heaven and man.

"What, are you resigned to spending the rest of your lives in this dark dungeon?" Orochimaru chuckled lightly, his tone full of mockery. "If you don't even dare fight for freedom, what difference is there between you and the walking dead?"

When Orochimaru mentioned the word "freedom", Man Niu's pupils suddenly dilated, his originally lifeless eyes instantly erupting with blazing light. It was a frenzy of a beast awakened, an instinctual Awakening.

The reason Man Niu chose to become a Pirate was to pursue that unrestrained, unbridled life.

Galloping across the Sea, fighting in battles, unbound by any rules or constraints — this was the freedom he yearned for.

And now, a chance at a new life lay before him; how could Man Niu possibly let it go? "Freedom." Man Niu murmured to himself, his voice hoarse and trembling, madness and desire burning in his eyes.

Orochimaru was about to continue speaking when suddenly, heavy footsteps rang out from outside the Cell. The sound approached from afar, accompanied by keys jingling — clearly someone was approaching this place.

The prisoners in the Cell instantly showed terror, all shrinking into the corners, not daring to make a sound.

"It's the Prison Guards!" Man Niu said: "Looks like new prisoners are being escorted in."

Hearing this, Orochimaru's face showed not the slightest panic.

"Prison Guards? That saves me quite a bit of effort."

(Chapter End)