Half an hour later, the prison beast, controlled by the Sharingan, arrived with a dripping chunk of raw meat. This rational Ominous Beast, naturally unfamiliar with the human concept of "food," had procured the meat based on its own understanding for Rojen.
When the massive, bloody chunk of meat landed before Rojen, his eyes twitched involuntarily.
'Raw? Uh, maybe this extra-rare meat won't taste too bad.'
After a moment's hesitation, Rojen ultimately gave up.
"Cooked!"
He issued a clear command to the prison beast.
Confusion flickered in the beast's eyes, followed by a loud belch. It then opened its mouth and exhaled into the cage.
Whoosh!
To Rojen's astonishment, the Sharingan-controlled prison beast unleashed a torrent of crimson flames from its maw.
Under the searing heat, the meat began to sizzle, emitting a burnt aroma within seconds.
"Halt!"
Upon receiving the command again, the prison beast retreated two steps.
Rojen stared at the creature, his face full of wonder. This was truly bizarre. This type of prison beast, common as dirt in the sixth level, not only possessed immense strength but could also breathe fire.
The beast opened its jaws and bit down, quickly chewing the cooked meat in its mouth. Remarkably, the meat tasted quite good, tender, juicy, and satisfyingly chewy.
In just three minutes, Rojen had devoured the entire large chunk of cooked meat.
The other prisoners confined in the sixth level watched this spectacle with envy. They had never seen anyone imprisoned in this hellhole living so freely and comfortably.
"Hey kid, if you give me a piece of that meat, I'll teach you Training Kenbunshoku."
A voice called out.
Rojen's heart stirred. He recognized the speaker as the man who had previously claimed to foresee the future.
"Oh?"
Intrigued by the offer, Rojen soon tossed another piece of cooked meat in front of the speaker.
The sound of chewing echoed through the prison once more, making the other inmates' mouths water.
"I can teach you swordsmanship."
"Kid, my fighting style is no less powerful than the Marines' Rokushiki. I'll teach you everything."
"That 'king' I mentioned earlier? If you keep feeding me meat, I'll let you take the title!"
In the blink of an eye, the bidding war erupted anew.
Those who had never gone hungry could scarcely comprehend the desperate craving for food among these prisoners who had never eaten their fill. The lure of a single bite of cooked meat was utterly terrifying to them.
For Rojen, however, a piece of cooked meat was trivial.
Under the control of his Sharingan, the prison beast's attack power had more than doubled. It now utterly dominated the other beasts, making any fight utterly one-sided.
Thus, one advantage after another fell into Rojen's lap.
The following day, Golden Lion began teaching Rojen Armament Haki.
However, this was a prison after all, with harsh conditions. Without any demonstrations, relying solely on explanations, Rojen had to exert tremendous effort, mostly figuring things out and experimenting on his own.
Meanwhile, progress was also being made on selling the keys.
Treasure maps, hidden Devil Fruits, and even control over subordinate factions, pirates and criminals freely promised these things to Rojen.
'Whether I'll ever use them or not, I'll take anything that might be useful,' Rojen thought, meticulously accepting every offer.
Day after day passed, and Rojen's gains continued to accumulate.
In this Seabed Great Prison, the passage of time was imperceptible.
Then one day, as Rojen was training again, following Golden Lion's explanations and his own insights, a smile finally spread across his face.
In the darkness, a faint, almost imperceptible aura flickered at the tip of his finger, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
"Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)!"
The aura was small, barely the size of a fingernail, but it was unmistakably Armament Haki.
"The gains from Seabed Great Prison are truly remarkable!" Rojen laughed heartily, drawing the attention of everyone else.
Ever since arriving in the world of One Piece, Haki, specifically Domineering Haki, had been a persistent thorn in his side. This unique method of harnessing energy was exceedingly difficult to master independently; it could only be acquired swiftly through direct instruction from others.
He had once asked Rayleigh, who had expressed willingness to teach him, but unfortunately, their time together had been too brief to even begin the process.
Yet here he was, having made such a breakthrough in Seabed Great Prison.
"Kid, you actually did it?"
"Golden Lion Shiki!" the prisoners exclaimed in astonishment.
"Indeed," Rojen nodded in confirmation. "Though still weak and unstable, it has been awakened."
His words caused the other prisoners' eyes to gleam with interest.
The implications of being able to train and awaken Armament Haki in this prison were crystal clear to them. They had all attempted to train before, but in their starved and weakened state, even maintaining basic survival was a struggle. How could they possibly train? They could only watch helplessly as their bodies gradually deteriorated, collapsing before their very eyes.
'This kid... he might actually have a chance to escape!'
"Alright, kid," the man who had honed his Observation Haki to predict the future said calmly. "From this moment on, I will guide your training in Observation Haki."
From that day forward, Rojen began training his Observation Haki under the man's tutelage.
With prison beasts providing ample food, Rojen never lacked sustenance. Occasionally, after receiving small favors from other inmates, he would toss them a piece of cooked meat to satisfy their cravings.
For the time being, Rojen found himself surprisingly reluctant to leave the Seabed Great Prison. The abundant spiritual energy and rapid training progress made it a rare treasure. Combined with the resources of these high-level teachers, he resolved to stay until he obtained greater benefits and became strong enough to leave.
Time passed without measure. In the darkness, Rojen focused solely on training when awake and resting when tired, ignoring everything else.
After an unknown duration, the Golden Lion, imprisoned next to Rojen, suddenly let out a thunderous roar.
"I can't take it anymore!"
With that enraged shout, the Golden Lion decisively severed both his legs. The sea stone shackles, still attached to his ankles, were immediately stained crimson.
The sixth level of Impel Down Prison erupted into chaos. The prisoners were stunned, awestruck by the Golden Lion's audacity.
Immediately, a swarm of prison guards came rushing in.
"Father is free!" the Golden Lion roared from within his cage.
Among the guards was the chief warden of the sixth level. Hearing the Golden Lion's roar, his face darkened, and he snatched the key to the Golden Lion's cell from the table, sprinting toward the commotion.
The actions of such a notorious and dangerous criminal demanded his immediate attention.
When he and his guards arrived at the Golden Lion's cell, the sight of the man's freed hands sent a jolt of alarm through his heart.
"Hand over the key!" the Golden Lion bellowed, his body swiftly levitating forward. His right hand shot through the bars, seizing the warden by the collar and dragging him forward.
"He's going to succeed!"
A wave of uproar swept through the sixth level.
(End Of This Chapter)
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