calm belt
Impel Down — the great underwater prison where the Navy locks away the worst of the worst.
On Level Two, in the corner of a small cell, Arthur wore a rueful smile and shook his head. Every inch of his body tingled with pain; he was speechless.
As a perpetually unlucky, nondescript young man, he'd thought his life couldn't get any worse. Then, by sheer misfortune, he was transmigrated into the world of One Piece — and his luck didn't improve a bit.
A few days earlier, fresh through the portal, he'd expected the kind of destiny novel protagonists get: instant power, fame, glory in a strange new world. Instead, he woke up on a pirate ship that had just been captured by the Navy.
Being on a pirate ship was an indelible stain. There was no cleaning that sort of thing.
Not long after, they dumped him into the cold, merciless cells of Impel Down.
The only consolation: the ship had been a minor crew, and he'd only been thrown into Level Two. If he'd landed among the murderers on the lower levels, an unarmed ordinary man like him would've been torn apart in no time.
Even on Level Two, though, he was still easy pickings for guards and other inmates. A few days of that, and he was exhausted, beaten in body and spirit.
"Goddamn it, you miserable universe—if you're putting me through this, at least give me a system!" he muttered.
At that, a bell-like voice chimed in his head.
"System installing… please wait…"
"Huh?! It's actually—"
For a moment Arthur thought he'd hallucinated, but the voice was real enough, and a tangible system interface appeared in his mind. He had to accept that this was happening.
Ding!
"The Strongest Check-In System installation complete. Newbie starter pack reward available. Accept?"
His heart jumped. He shouted without thinking, "Accept!"
A new card appeared on the mental panel — the image of a dark-skinned, heavily muscled old man filled the card.
Ding!
"Congratulations, host. You have obtained the Third Raikage Inheritance Card. It can inherit all abilities of the target. Merge now?"
"The Third Raikage!"
Arthur swallowed hard; his eyes flashed.
In his previous life as an avid anime fan, besides One Piece, Naruto had been one of his favorites. The Third Raikage was no stranger to him.
A body that could withstand the combined assault of shinobi, the spear powerful enough to slice through the Eight-Tails' tentacles in a single strike, and speed that ranked among the absolute fastest in the ninja world — a top-tier powerhouse.
This system was unbelievably generous.
"Merge! System, merge me now!"
At his command, the battered frame of his body prickled as tiny blue arcs of electricity crawled across his skin. Light raced over every inch of him; his hair stood on end.
He felt his body being reconstructed with visible speed. Flesh knit into new form; his limbs filled out, muscles defining where flab had hung. His gut tightened into a sculpted torso.
A vast chakra — like a tailed beast's in scope — streamed into him. Memories flooded his mind: every jutsu, every training memory the Third Raikage had accumulated in his life. It was as if Arthur were living those moments himself; he comprehended techniques and combat instincts in an instant.
A minute later, the electric glow faded. The sickly figure that had been him was replaced by a golden-ratio physique — strong, well-proportioned, athletic.
He clenched his fist, relished the surge of power, and nodded with satisfaction. "Finally. In this world, I can fend for myself."
Emotions swung like a roller coaster. His life had pivoted from hopeless victim to potentially dangerous wildcard.
The system chimed again.
"Host: Check-In System has been activated. Checking in at designated locations grants random rewards."
"Check-in task updated. Location: Impel Down — Level Six."
A cascade of system prompts followed, and Arthur froze.
Huh?
He was planning to escape — so why was the check-in point on Level Six?
He furrowed his brow, but quickly brushed the thought aside. Maybe he could recruit some allies on the way. Level Six or bust — he wasn't the same helpless man he'd been before. Even if Magellan himself showed up, he wouldn't tremble.
If he was going to carve out a corner for himself in this chaotic world, he might as well enjoy the storm.
Excitement prickled his chest. He took a long breath in front of the iron cell door, planted the foot that crackled with lightning, and prepared to start.
A crooked smile pulled at his lips. Years of humiliation and anger coiled in him; he channeled it into that single step forward.
Alarm! Alarm!
Red lights flashed in the control room. The monitors screamed. A guard at the console stared at the impossible scene unfolding on the Level Two camera, beads of sweat raining down his face. He fumbled for the internal phone and called.
"Hello—this is Magellan…"
"Warden, something serious's going down! A prisoner on Level Two is escaping!"
"What?! Someone dares escape under my watch?"
"Yes! He beat the guards, took their keys, released inmates on Level Two and Three, and now he's heading toward Level Four!"
"What? Understood."
Magellan, sitting on the toilet at that exact moment, scowled. Someone trying to flee Impel Down under his supervision was a slap to his authority.
Even worse: the troublemaker was coming toward Magellan himself. That was an outright insult.
He rose without delay, calling higher-ups to assemble. He wanted to see the face of the fool challenging his rule.
At the entrance to Level Four, a massive rhinoceros Jailer Beast charged and crashed down; it collapsed with a thunderous impact.
Through the smoke at the gate, a figure wrapped in sparking lightning walked down, every step calm.
A hundred guards readied their weapons, rifles up and trained on the newcomer. At Magellan's order they would turn him into paste without hesitation.
When the dust settled, the man in front of them was revealed: a handsome, perfectly built young man with violet hair.
It was Arthur.
"Huh—well, he's certainly easy on the eyes. I'd love to bind him and interrogate him a little," Sadie said aloud, her perverted impulses creeping forward at the sight of his perfect form.
Magellan rolled his eyes and ignored her. He addressed the prisoner who dared flout his authority.
"You little punk! You've got guts—escaping while under my watch!"
His anger flared; he unleashed his Devil Fruit power. His body turned into purple venom, prepared to let Arthur taste it.
Arthur didn't take him seriously. He gave a small curl of his finger.
"Save the speech. If you've got the guts, make your move."
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