Chapter 9: Release the Prisoners

Orochimaru glanced at the wildly shouting prisoners, the corner of his mouth curling slightly upward, revealing a playful smile.

"The more people the better," he said unhurriedly, his tone carrying a hint of confidence. "This way we can create chaos and draw the Marines' attention."

Crocodile listened and nodded lightly; even if the released prisoners attacked them, it was impossible for them to defeat all four at once.

Orochimaru, hands rapidly forming hand seals, gathered chakra throughout his body.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" he shouted lowly.

Bang bang bang! Dozens of Orochimaru's clones appeared in response, each identical to the real body, their auras and chakra fluctuations indistinguishable.

The clones quickly scattered, rushing toward different cells. Some condensed chakra into sharp blades to sever the iron bars; others activated Earth Release to crumble the cell walls.

The cells opened in response, hundreds of prisoners surging out like a tide, cheering and leaping for joy.

"Freedom! We're finally free!"

In an instant, the entire prison boiled. The prisoners' roars and cheers converged into a torrent, resounding through the clouds.

Magellan gritted his teeth, barely managing to stand up. His face was ashen, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his breathing rapid and heavy.

"You damn criminals!" Magellan roared, his voice weak yet extraordinarily firm: "Do you think you can escape just like that?!"

Magellan slowly straightened his body; although every movement pulled at his wounds, causing him unbearable pain, he still forced himself to stand tall.

"Impel Down is not a place you can come and go as you please!" Magellan said coldly, each word like ice.

Magellan's gaze was like a sharp sword, sweeping over every prisoner. "You think someone can save you? Stop dreaming! This is Impel Down, a hell you can never escape!"

His voice grew louder and louder, like thunder reverberating through the entire prison. "The Marines will bring every last one of you escapees to justice! Let you understand the consequence of challenging justice!"

Magellan's words exploded in the prison like a thunderclap, deafening. That sonorous, powerful voice carried an undeniable majesty, sending chills down one's spine.

At this moment some prisoners showed terrified expressions, but the next second a voice rang out from the crowd: "Hah! Look at his state now — how much strength does he have left? Don't let him scare you; he's this weak now, what can he do to us?!"

Hearing this, the prisoners' courage swelled. They began clamoring, their words dripping with bloodthirsty madness.

"Kill him! Kill Magellan!"

"As long as we take him down, we'll be famous throughout the world!"

"Charge! Tear him apart!"

Countless prisoners instantly surged toward Magellan.

"You foolish things," he forced out through gritted teeth, voice low and dangerous: "Then all of you, die!"

Purple-black poison began flowing around Magellan, writhing like a living thing; in an instant a great battle was on the verge of breaking out.

……

At this moment Orochimaru and the others had already reached Level 4 and were quickly heading for the Level 3 gate. Just then Orochimaru's brow furrowed; he sensed his shadow clones being instantly slaughtered by prisoners while releasing some inmates.

"Hehe, looks like there really is a group of lunatics hidden among these prisoners..." At this moment a trace of surprise showed on Orochimaru.

And at this moment Ace turned to Orochimaru, brow tightly knit, eyes full of worry, and urgently asked, "On your way here, did you see a straw-hat-wearing boy? His name is Luffy, my younger brother. That guy said he'd come save me; he's probably already broken in."

Hearing Ace's question, Orochimaru shook his head: "Straw-hat boy? Haven't encountered anyone like that."

Ace's face instantly turned grave at those words: "That guy Luffy..."

Hearing this name, Crocodile's expression suddenly turned strange, but the next second he coldly snorted and interjected: "Now is not the time to worry about others; we must leave here as fast as possible, otherwise once Marine reinforcements arrive, everything will be too late."

Just as everyone was conversing, a heaven-shaking roar suddenly came from ahead, forcibly cutting off their dialogue.

Hearing the sound, Orochimaru looked up, gaze directed forward — only to see a large mass of prisoners gathered there, blocking the road to the city gate so tightly not even water could trickle through. And before the prisoners stood a tall, burly man blocking their path.

"This is the Impel Down Hell Fortress; no matter how many of you there are, don't think you can pass through me!" the man roared with full vigor, the greatsword in his hand spinning rapidly in the air, forcing the approaching prisoners to retreat repeatedly.

His thick, fleshy brows trembled slightly in rage; his whole face twisted and deformed from excessive exertion, looking exceptionally ferocious and terrifying.

"Bastard! Hannibal, get out of our way! Just you alone can't stop this many of us! You're courting death?!"

The prisoners were clearly awed by Hannibal's momentum of fighting a crowd alone, yet unwilling to back down, now shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Then come and try!"

Hannibal coldly snorted, then abruptly slammed his greatsword into the ground; the blade trembled lightly, emitting a buzzing resonance, and his aura rose another level.

Hannibal's eyes, though not large, were like two sharp swords, slowly sweeping over the prisoners before him, carrying a heart-chilling deterrence.

"Listen well, you villains! As the Warden of Impel Down! Maintaining order and guarding you criminals is my mission!" Hannibal shouted sternly: "As long as I have a single breath left, I will absolutely not let you scum escape!"

As Hannibal spoke, his muscles bulged all over, like an enraged lion, his momentum terrifying. He took a large step forward, his greatsword slashing out fiercely, the blade wind biting, forcing the prisoners into continuous retreat.

"Come on, bring it all! I'll use this blade to let you fools who don't know death taste the flavor of hell!"

At this moment the prison guards behind Hannibal also fell into an excited state.

"The Vice Warden is getting serious! It's the greatsword 'Blood Sucking'!"

"These prisoners are done for now; the Vice Warden is very strong!"

Orochimaru looked at the Hannibal before him; seeing him assume a death-defying stance, vowing to defend the prison to the death, he couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart.

He had originally thought the other was like Danzo — a despicable villain who would stop at nothing for advancement — but unexpectedly at this moment he was so righteous and awe-inspiring.

"Interesting," Orochimaru mused inwardly: "This Hannibal's impression is truly unexpected. On the surface a self-serving petty man, yet at the critical moment he can display such bearing and courage."

(Chapter End)