"Let me out!"
"Let me witness the power of the world's strongest!"
"Can you hear me? Let me out!!"
In the dark corridor of the sixth underground level, known as Infinite Hell, roars filled with anxiety, anger, and resentment echoed, accompanied by waves of dark purple energy that swept recklessly across the area.
As Crocodile stepped out of the large elevator, he heard a voice that sounded familiar but couldn't immediately place. The waves of energy that hit him made him frown in annoyance.
"It's that bastard Bullet again. I don't know what's gotten into him lately, but he's been shouting and releasing his Conqueror's Haki all over the place," complained Deputy Warden Magellan, who stood behind him. Because of Bullet, the guards couldn't even come down here; they'd pass out the moment they stepped in.
"Bullet?"
Hearing the name, Crocodile instantly recalled past events and sneered, "So it's Douglas Bullet. I never thought we'd meet again in a place like this!"
"Let's go. Your cell happens to be right next to his. I arranged it specifically so you could help us convince this bastard to shut up and calm down!"
Under Magellan's urging, the two walked one after the other along the stone corridor, passing by massive individual cells. The bars of these cells were made of Seastone, making them extremely sturdy.
[BOOM――――]
Suddenly, as Bullet continued to make a racket, unleashing his dark purple Conqueror's Haki, another wave of dark golden Conqueror's Haki erupted from another cell. This one was even more powerful than the former.
If the first wave was like ripples on the ocean, the second was a tsunami over ten meters high. The dark purple energy was instantly overwhelmed by the dark golden force. The pressure was so intense that it not only made the two men on the corridor break out in a cold sweat but also caused the "monsters" in the cells to shudder.
"Shut the hell up, you brat from Roger's crew!!"
"Who is that?" Crocodile instinctively stopped and whispered, swallowing hard. Magellan answered in a low, grave voice.
"Shiki, the Golden Lion!"
Hearing the name, Crocodile suddenly understood, thinking to himself, "So it's that big shot."
"Let's keep moving."
Magellan urged him on, not wanting to stay there any longer, and continued escorting Crocodile toward Bullet's cell.
"Hahaha, I was wondering who it was. Turns out it's the captain's old rival!" Bullet's extremely arrogant voice rang out.
"Old man, at your age, a few years in here and you'll be done for!"
Shiki angrily retorted, "Brat, I lost to the storm, not Roger! If it weren't for that sudden tempest, I would've wiped out your Roger's crew long ago!"
"Hmph, a loss is a loss. Making excuses is pointless. You're a big shot out there, but you're just someone I'll surpass sooner or later anyway."
Bullet lay on the cold floor, curling his lips in disdain. But his mood remained foul, which was why he was so irritable.
Ever since his conversation with that person, he felt as though every passing moment here was draining his potential and talent. He was eager to get out, to continue growing stronger, to surpass Garp, to defeat Garp, and to prove that he was stronger than Roger.
He also wanted to witness the so-called true strongest in the world, and then surpass and defeat them! With his own strength, he would surpass everyone and claim everything! On the other side, Shiki, hearing the young man's taunts, sneered and retorted, "Surpass? You ignorant brat, if we were outside, I'd cut you down with a single strike. But in this place, you'll never get out. You'll never surpass me or Roger in this lifetime!"
The first part of Shiki's words didn't faze Bullet much, but the last sentence struck a nerve. His expression twisted into a grimace, and his breathing grew heavy.
However, he didn't retaliate. Instead, he thought about the mysterious man's words. That person had said that in a year or two, he would be released to meet the true strongest in the world.
To be honest, just this alone gave him a glimmer of hope and something to look forward to. But he didn't want to speak of it, fearing that something might go wrong.
Yet, even this relatively short period felt unbearably long. He couldn't imagine how he would endure the next two years, which was why he had been so frantically shouting and screaming, hoping to catch the attention of that mysterious man and be released early! With Bullet falling silent, Shiki also stopped engaging with him, and the 'Infinite Hell' returned to its usual state of eerie quiet.
This made the sounds from the corridor outside more noticeable.
"Go in."
It was Magellan's voice, familiar to most of the people here. Hearing this, they knew another 'companion' had arrived, though they weren't sure who it was.
This wasn't a place just anyone could enter.
In fact, given Crocodile's current strength and status, he technically didn't qualify to be here. He should have been imprisoned in the 'Freezing Hell' upstairs, where criminals with bounties over a hundred million were held.
But he had been personally captured by the 'Holy Shield' of CP0, who specifically requested that he be locked up in the 'Infinite Hell.' Director Columbus had no choice but to comply.
Of course, Columbus wasn't following the orders of the 'Holy Shield' but rather the orders of the World Government behind them. After all, the two organizations belonged to different systems, and neither could command the other.
Crocodile obediently walked into his assigned cell. He ignored Magellan, who was closing the door behind him, and instead glanced around the environment. There wasn't much to see—just a stone platform that could serve as both a seat and a bed, and a stone toilet next to it. Nothing else.
But he didn't care. He casually sat down on the stone platform, already imagining how boring his days here would be. At least there was an old acquaintance nearby.
"Ha—Ha—Ha—Ha—"
Crocodile's laughter was particularly amusing. Though each syllable was a "ha," it seemed as though he deliberately elongated the tone, giving the impression that he might run out of breath at any moment.
In the adjacent cell, Bullet immediately recognized the voice, and an unpleasant face flashed in his mind—a sand-playing bastard he couldn't defeat but also couldn't lose to two years ago.
This had been a mystery to him back then. When he fought Rayleigh, the vice-captain, it was always a draw. Yet, when he faced that sand-playing guy, it was also a draw.
This didn't make sense!
Bullet was the world's greatest genius, so achieving this was only natural. But how could a rookie who had just set sail seem to be on par with Rayleigh, the "Dark King"?
Was his strength equal to Rayleigh's, or was it equal to that bastard's?
"Stupid crocodile, I didn't expect you to get caught too. But why is your aura so weak now?"
"Uh—"
Crocodile's hearty laugh was immediately stifled by Bullet's words. His face turned red, and he gritted his teeth, retorting, "We're evenly matched, so if I've weakened, that means you've weakened too!"
"Huh?"
Bullet was dumbfounded. What kind of logic was that? Yet, it somehow made sense. Enraged, he shouted, "I don't know what happened to you, but with your current aura, I could crush you in less than a day!"
"Hmph, then come out and do it! Our record so far is a tie, so you have no right to call me weak!" Crocodile sneered, desperately trying to save face.
"..."
Bullet clenched his teeth in frustration.