One Piece: From Marine to Legend

Would Hannyabal's words have bearing?

Storm wasn't sure yet.

After a sumptuous lunch, he took the elevator down to the second level of Impel Down.

Wild Beast Hell.

Whether or not Hannyabal's recommendation could secure his promotion remained uncertain.

But Magellan's direct order? That was absolute.

As of now, Storm was officially the Chief Guard of both Crimson Hell and Wild Beast Hell.

And the first task at hand?

Naturally—he needed to meet his new subordinates.

Unlike Crimson Hell, which had its blood-red trees and razor-sharp grass, Wild Beast Hell was a bleak, steel-clad prison.

There were no landscapes, no open fields—just endless rows of densely packed cells, towering corridors, and...

Roars.

Endless, deafening roars.

"HOOOOOOOO——!"

"OOOOOOOOH——!"

The moment Storm stepped inside, he was met with an overwhelming wall of sound.

It was like a relentless sonic assault, a chaotic mixture of howls, screeches, and deep, guttural growls.

As though something monstrous lurked within the dimly lit corridors, waiting to pounce.

For an ordinary person, just standing here for a few minutes would be enough to shatter their nerves.

"So noisy…"

Storm dug his fingers into his ears and let out an exasperated sigh.

Without wasting time, he set off for the jailers' office, intending to retrieve a list of Wild Beast Hell's prisoners.

After all, his "Trophy Hunting Plan" required a clear list of targets.

But just as he took a few steps—

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The distinct sound of heavy footsteps echoed from a dark corridor ahead.

Accompanied by a furious, almost human-like roar.

"Key!"

"Give me the key!"

Storm stopped in his tracks, frowning as he glanced toward the surveillance Den Den Mushi in the corner of the ceiling.

An escape attempt?

But… why wasn't there any alarm from the monitoring room?

Something felt off.

He stood his ground, waiting in silence as the noisy footsteps grew louder.

Finally—

A large group of figures emerged from the shadows.

But contrary to his expectations, these were not prisoners in striped uniforms attempting to flee.

Instead, they were a pack of massive, lion-like creatures with grotesque human faces.

Manticore.

The notorious guardian beasts of Wild Beast Hell.

Their black, human-like eyes locked onto Storm the moment they saw him.

To be precise—

They had been drawn here by the unfamiliar scent of a stranger.

And now that they'd found the "intruder," the entire group of manticores surged forward, roaring ferociously.

"Boxers! Boxers!"

"Loincloth! Loincloth!"

Storm's expression twitched.

"What kind of nonsense are these things yelling?"

Even though manticores had human-like faces and could mimic speech, their intelligence was barely above that of the blue gorillas in Crimson Hell.

They could repeat random words they'd heard before—but had no clue what those words meant.

'A blue gorilla that can swim in the sea…'

'A human-faced lion beast that can talk…'

Storm narrowed his eyes, he hardened his muscles.

'What kind of bizarre creatures are locked up in this place?'

The fastest manticore lunged forward, raising a massive paw, ready to slam down on Storm with full force.

Boom!

The impact landed directly on Storm's body—but instead of feeling flesh and bone beneath its paw…

It felt like it had struck a wall of solid steel.

Crack!

A sharp, sickening sound echoed.

The manticore's claws bent at an unnatural angle, completely shattered from the recoil.

"GRUUUAAAAHHH!!"

The beast howled in agony, its once-fearsome roar turning into a pitiful whimper.

Storm didn't even flinch.

The first manticore collapsed, writhing on the ground as it clutched its broken paw in pain.

But before it could retreat—

More manticores charged forward.

However—

No matter how many attacked, no matter how ferociously they clawed and bit…

Storm did not budge.

The manticores were a raging tide, but he was an unshakable rock.

And like waves crashing against the shore, the lion-like creatures fell one after another.

Some had broken limbs, others had shattered fangs, but all were left groaning on the cold steel floor.

Despite their size and ferocity—

They were completely powerless against Storm's defense.

"The manticores aren't even as strong as those blue gorillas from Crimson Hell…"

Storm muttered to himself, his uniform slightly torn but otherwise unharmed.

Then, without hesitation—

He raised a hand, and a wave of clay began to flow from his palm.

In the next moment, massive fists the size of cannonballs formed in mid-air.

"Clay Rain!"

With a simple gesture, the giant fists shot forward, slamming down onto the heads of the fallen manticores.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The unique, watermelon-like sound of impact echoed throughout the corridor.

And one by one—

Every last manticore was knocked unconscious.

[Silver Trophy: Manticore × 9]

Storm glanced at the corner surveillance Den Den Mushi once more.

"The jailers of Wild Beast Hell… come and take your stray cats."

His voice was calm, yet authoritative, carrying through the corridors.

And in the neighboring prison cells, the prisoners who had witnessed the entire battle remained dead silent.

Not a single one dared to breathe too loudly, let alone speak.

In Storm's eyes, the manticore were nothing more than oversized alley cats—annoying, but easy to deal with.

But in the eyes of the prisoners of Wild Beast Hell…

Each manticore was a nightmarish beast, a creature that could kill them with a single swipe.

And yet—

The new Chief Guard had defeated an entire pack effortlessly.

His unshakable defense.

His unparalleled strength.

For the first time in a long while, fear crept into the hearts of the prisoners.

As Storm walked away, his figure disappeared into the dark corridor.

The prisoners finally dared to whisper among themselves.

"That was terrifying… he took down all the manticore in an instant."

"He's wearing a high-ranking officer's uniform. He must be one of the top brass here."

"I still miss Sadi… She was way easier to deal with than this guy."

"At least it's not Shiryu of the Rain… Otherwise, we'd all be dead already."

Among the prisoners, the name "Shiryu of the Rain" carried a special importance.

As soon as his name was uttered—

Every prisoner fell silent.

In the end, only an elderly inmate sighed.

"This place is hell…"

Meanwhile, Storm retrieved the prisoner list from the jailers' office in Beast Hell.

Along with it, he also obtained a detailed prison map outlining the daily activities of the beast guards.

The jailers had even categorized each beast cell by threat level.

From their assessment—

The manticore he fought earlier were merely low-threat creatures in Beast Hell.

Other dangerous beasts included:

Giant Rats

Giant Praying Mantis

Giant-Mouth Hippos

Puzzle Scorpion

But Storm ignored these.

He set his sights on the true bosses.

The Basilisk and the Sphinx.

According to the jailers—

Another beast guard called Army Wolves was strong enough to be imprisoned on Level 5, the Freezing Hell.

"That doesn't sound too impressive…" Storm muttered.

Holding the prisoner list and map, he wandered through the floor.

Finally, he arrived at the staircase connecting to Starvation Hell.

And there—

A massive creature lay crouched.

A leonine body.

A pair of massive wings.

It slowly rose, revealing a dark, human-like face.

The boss of this floor, the Sphinx.

As it let out a thunderous roar, Storm grinned.

"Let's see how strong you really are."

The air inside Wild Beast Hell had changed.

Storm had made his presence known.

And soon—

His true hunt would begin.

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