One Piece: From Marine to Legend

Passing through the majestic Gate of Justice, the prison warship entered the Calm Belt. The sky overhead was dark and gloomy, mirroring the oppressive atmosphere of their destination.

Before them stood a fortress complex, its neat and orderly structure exuding an air of inescapability.

Impel Down.

The ship docked at the pier, and the personnel on board—both Marines and prisoners—disembarked in an orderly manner. The highest-ranking officer in charge of this prisoner escort mission was Vice Admiral Momonga from Marine Headquarters.

Storm followed Momonga as they made their way toward the prison's massive gate.

A towering figure stood silently at the entrance, his presence both eerie and commanding. His appearance was a bizarre combination of a pharaoh and a demon, his grotesque features making him seem almost otherworldly.

As Storm and Momonga approached, the figure finally spoke.

"Welcome to—"

Hannyabal's voice was calm yet firm.

"—My Impel Down."

Momonga extended his hand for a greeting, but the words made him pause.

'Wait a minute… Isn't Magellan the director of Impel Down?'

Before he could voice his confusion, Hannyabal swiftly grabbed his hand and began shaking it vigorously.

"Ah! My apologies, that slipped out by accident! Saying 'my Impel Down' is a bit too ambitious, isn't it?"

Hannyabal let out an exaggerated laugh before straightening up.

"I am Hannyabal, the Vice Warden of Impel Down. Please take care of me!"

Momonga's expression remained stoic, his eye twitching slightly.

"…Momonga," he responded coldly.

Hannyabal turned his gaze to Storm.

"And you must be Storm?"

He released Momonga's hand and clenched his fist dramatically, his voice growing more passionate.

"My new subordinate! Ah! I'm getting ahead of myself again!"

Momonga had no interest in entertaining Hannyabal's theatrics. He swiftly excused himself, citing urgent military affairs, leaving only Storm and Hannyabal at the prison's entrance.

"Sir," Storm said, reaching into his coat and pulling out a folded document.

"This is my transfer order issued by Admiral Kuzan. Please take a look."

"Don't call me 'Sir'—call me Lord Warden!" Hannyabal corrected, puffing out his chest.

"If you want, you can call me 'Director' instead. That works too."

Storm's lips curled into a smirk.

"Ever since I first saw Lord Hannyabal, I felt that you had the potential to be the true ruler of Impel Down."

He stepped closer, his voice lowering conspiratorially.

"Lord Hannyabal, why don't we storm the Director's Office, kill our way to the Burning Hell, and take Magellan's position by force?"

Hannyabal stumbled backward, eyes widening in shock.

'Boy, I'm just a guy who likes to talk big, but you're actually serious about this?!'

"Ahem! I think… you're a little too radical," Hannyabal said, his voice unsteady.

He quickly stuffed Storm's transfer order into his pocket, pretending not to have heard the suggestion.

"Come with me. I'll show you around my Impel Down!"

As they stepped through the iron gates, a chorus of agonized screams echoed through the hallways.

"Ah, such a wonderful symphony of suffering!" Hannyabal sighed contentedly, gesturing toward the nearby iron-barred corridor.

"The first thing all prisoners experience upon arrival in my Impel Down is their baptism in.."

He pointed toward a large steaming pool behind the iron fence.

"Hell's Hot Tub. A special bath heated to 100 degrees Celsius for disinfection and sterilization."

Storm observed the prisoners being forced into the boiling water, their shrieks filling the air.

Then, he turned to Hannyabal with mock curiosity.

"Lord Hannyabal, why boiling water and not boiling oil?"

Hannyabal's smile faltered instantly.

"Boiling… oil?"

Storm nodded seriously.

"Yes. If the goal is to cleanse impurities, wouldn't oil work better? After all, frying something gets rid of bacteria more effectively than water."

Hannyabal broke into a cold sweat.

'This guy—he's even crazier than I am!'

"A-Ahem! It's a long-standing tradition of Impel Down!" he stammered.

However, Storm wasn't done yet.

"But if you become the Director in the future, you could change tradition, right?"

Hannyabal's face twitched violently.

'No wonder this guy was transferred here. This guy is too much!'

Hannyabal hurriedly changed the subject, leading Storm further inside.

.

"You should know that not every prisoner here is on death row," he stated, regaining some composure.

Storm furrowed his brows.

"Then why keep them alive? Is the World Government just waiting for them to escape?"

Hannyabal chuckled.

"Escape? Impossible."

He spread his arms grandly.

"Impel Down is the world's most secure prison. No one—not even the most dangerous criminals—has ever escaped from here!"

Storm raised an eyebrow.

"How about the Golden Lion Shiki ?"

Hannyabal immediately stiffened.

"Ah… this…!"

Sweat beaded on his forehead.

He had personally witnessed Shiki's escape years ago.

'Why is this guy grilling me like an interrogation officer?!'

"Newbie!" Hannyabal barked, straightening up.

"In Impel Down, subordinates must never talk back to their superiors!"

Storm shrugged nonchalantly.

"Is that so? Then why are you still alive after talking back to Magellan so many times?"

Hannyabal's jaw dropped open, but no words came out.

Storm grinned.

'I like this guy. He talks big, but he's not bad.'

Seeing Hannyabal's rising frustration, Storm raised his thumb and index finger, making a zipping motion across his mouth.

Hannyabal nodded in approval.

"That's more like it!"

As they passed the prison guards' cafeteria, Storm spotted a peculiar group—a pack of massive blue-furred gorillas carrying slabs of raw meat.

Leading them was a woman in a pink leather jacket with long, wavy orange hair.

"My little Sadi!" Hannyabal called out warmly.

She snapped her head toward them, cracking a long whip against the floor. Sadi's bangs covered her eyes, but her vision didn't seem to be affected.

"Is this the new guy who's taking over my job?"

Storm met her gaze.

"Storm."

She smirked.

"Call me Little Sadi."

Without warning, she lashed out with her whip, the black leather whistling through the air.

Storm didn't move.

A white ripple shimmered across his body.

A clay serpent emerged from his back, lunging at the whip and forming a tight net around it.

Sadi's eyes widened in surprise.

"Not bad."

Hannyabal panicked.

"Enough! If you keep fighting, the guard beasts will go berserk!"

Sadi turned just in time to see a group of furious beasts charging toward them.

Sadi turned her head and saw the blue gorilla responsible for carrying food sprinting toward her.

The creatures known as Blugori were enormous, towering over most humans, with terrifying skull-like patterns on their faces.

At this moment, the charging Blugori had only one clear target—

Storm was fighting with Sadi!

"Roar! Roar!"

The Blugori let out a deafening battle cry, raising its massive double-sided axe before bringing it down toward Storm with unstoppable momentum.

Storm remained unfazed.

Raising his right hand, streams of white clay flowed out, rapidly piling up into a mound beside him. The mass of clay wriggled and shifted, taking shape as it expanded upward.

Then—

A towering white gorilla, nearly smashing through the ceiling of Impel Down, emerged from the mound!

The Blugori, undeterred, swung its axe with full force. However, due to its size limitations, the strike only landed on the White Gorilla's knee.

Despite its immense size, the blue gorilla's combat strength was undeniable. These creatures were powerful enough to cleave through Sea Kings in the Calm Belt with a single axe swing.

The white clay gorilla's knee was severed instantly, yet it showed no sign of pain.

Unlike living beings, clay creatures felt no fear, no pain, and no hesitation.

Even as its leg was cut off, the white gorilla remained standing.

Storm controlled his creation effortlessly, commanding the massive clay beast to retaliate. With a single, devastating motion, the white gorilla raised its enormous fist and brought it crashing down.

Boom!

A thunderous impact shook the ground as the Blugori, once charging with confidence, had no time to evade. The colossal clay fist struck its skull directly, sending shockwaves through the floor.

The blue gorilla collapsed with a loud thud, rendered completely unconscious.

At that moment—

A system notification flashed before Storm's eyes.

[Silver Trophy: Blugori]

[Star Rating: ★★★]

Storm blinked.

A Blugori… yields a silver trophy?

His gaze shifted to the remaining group of beasts rushing toward him.

To anyone else, they were formidable creatures, dangerous and powerful.

But to Storm, they were no longer enemies…

They were silver trophies waiting to be claimed.

Somewhere in the depths of his mind, he swore he could hear the faint sound of a mission triggering.

The road to dominating Impel Down… begins here.