Asa subconsciously ignored the man, never expecting that he would actually dare to make a move.
"Hey, brat! Talk—what's going on outside? If you don't speak up, I'll kick you to death!!" The figure struck him several more times with brutal kicks.
"Damn, is this old lady's body made of iron?"
The prisoners in the same cell thought Asa's body was unusually tough. They assumed his strength had already been eroded by the constant intake of drugged food, so they began cursing bitterly.
It had been a long time since Asa had suffered such humiliation. He had almost forgotten what it felt like.
Narrowing his eyes and clenching his weakened fists, he buried his murderous intent deep within the darkness.
If he wanted to survive in this endless hell, the first step was obvious—he had to kill the prisoner sharing his cell.
He thought this silently but still didn't speak.
When a dragon is stranded in the shallows, it gets mocked by shrimps. When a tiger is downed, it's bullied by dogs. There's no one else to blame—only yourself for not being strong enough.
Asa's strength had grown rapidly, but even so, he had been captured despite the Navy mobilizing its strongest forces to hunt him down.
Regret? He had never wasted time on it. Regret was meaningless. One must pay the price for their actions. No matter how severe the consequence, it had already been taken into account.
Boom!!
The inmate seemed to feel that simple kicks weren't enough to vent his anger. He began aiming for Asa's vital points.
His toes struck Asa right in the chest.
"Ugh!" Asa groaned, forcing himself to endure the excruciating pain.
The more pain he endured, the more ruthless he became. His murderous intent swelled within him like a brewing storm beneath calm waters.
Hearing Asa's muffled grunt, the prisoner finally paused and asked with a confused tone, "Huh? You're still conscious after all that?"
"Since you're awake, stop playing dead. Tell us what's going on outside. Are the Golden Lion, Whitebeard, Roger, and Red Earl all dead?"
As he spoke, he picked Asa up with his foot and kicked him against the wall of the cage.
Asa's back hit the solid wall, but the force twisted his body just enough for him to sit up against it.
Now, farther from the tall prisoner who had been cloaked in shadow, Asa could finally take in his surroundings under the faint light.
What he saw through his Observation Haki wasn't images, but white shadows and auras. To see actual forms, he had to rely on his eyes.
The other prisoners were bound by thick chains, just like him. Their hands were shackled, while Asa's feet bore the restraints.
This particular man was nearly four meters tall. Compared to Asa, who stood just over two meters, he was a towering figure—practically a giant.
"I'm a Devil Fruit user, so I can't move under the chains. My strength is limited... I can't use my full power." Asa calmly analyzed the situation.
"Why won't you answer me, kid? What happened outside? How'd someone like you end up in Eternal Hell at such a young age?" the giant prisoner roared again.
Asa turned a deaf ear, contemplating his current dilemma. If there was no hope of escaping from Impel Down, then he'd rather die here than rot in this place forever.
The seastone shackles on his feet nullified his powers, leaving him helpless to break free through force.
This was Level 6 of Impel Down—the most perilous level of Eternal Hell. It was safe to assume the iron bars were laced with seastone as well.
The wall behind him was as hard as diamond and likely mixed with some ultra-durable metal, rendering it impervious to brute strength.
Outside, countless giant Sea Kings roamed the waters.
An impenetrable fortress.
If escape were possible by breaking the walls, Impel Down wouldn't have earned its reputation as a prison from which no one escapes.
"I don't have my strength right now, so escaping is out of the question. First... I need to kill this guy." Asa stared at the man coldly.
If he still had his powers, he wouldn't need much effort to deal with the problem—but the circumstances were different now. Strategy was his only option.
Besides, if he intended to escape, he needed absolute silence. This man's presence was a threat to secrecy. If the Golden Lion managed to escape, he must have either killed his cellmates or had some special means to ensure silence.
Clang! The chains clattered as the four-meter-tall man grew more enraged.
"Hey, you mute or something? Answer me..."
Now out of the man's striking range, Asa ignored the noise and focused on thinking through his next move.
"Quiet down, Flores Moreno. If you wake me up again, I'll kill you. Believe it," a powerful voice boomed through Eternal Hell.
The shout startled Flores Moreno and brought him to a halt.
"There are top dogs even here?" Asa spread out his observation Haki and saw only a man of average height.
The place quieted for a moment.
Then Flores Moreno, regaining his bravado, roared in defiance, "Who the hell do you think you are? Just saying 'quiet' makes me stop? This isn't the sea, it's Eternal Hell! If you've got the guts, come kill me!"
"You got beat into a cripple by Whitebeard!!"
"Hahahahahaha! I'd rather be crippled than a coward like you who pisses himself at the sight of the Golden Lion! How do you even have the nerve to keep living?"
"Hip hip hahahaha!!"
"Huhahahahahahaha!!"
Weird laughter erupted throughout Eternal Hell, echoing from dozens of cells.
The sound of chains rattling followed...
Everyone seemed to forget Asa's arrival as they turned their mockery toward the defeated—those crushed by the three giants of the New World.
"A bunch of losers... You have the nerve to laugh at others but not the guts to escape?" Asa snapped, his voice furious.
His intimidation eclipsed even that of Flores Moreno. His unchained life on the seas had started to awaken his latent Haki.
If Asa could still move freely, he would make the same choice the Golden Lion did—break his own legs and escape, rather than waste away in Eternal Hell.
Be ruthless to others... and even more ruthless to yourself!
"Kid! Who do you think you're mocking? What gives you the right to laugh at us?"
"Everyone here is a loser! What, did you volunteer to come in? Hahaha!"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
The criminals jeered, pointing fingers at Asa.
They had a point—everyone in Eternal Hell was a loser in some way.
But...
Asa wasn't afraid of failure.
What he feared... was that after failing, his ambition would be crushed, just like the Golden Lion's.
No one is born successful. You must first experience failure and pain before you can grow stronger.
But some people... can't afford to fail.
Because once they do, all their efforts are lost forever.
The Golden Lion was the prime example.
(End Of Chapter)
Gimme Powerstones :)))
Also Check out my Patreon at [Patreon.com/GGFanfiction]