Chapter 29: 5 Years Later
In the year 1505 of the Sea Calendar, five years had swiftly passed since Ohara Island vanished without a trace from the world map.
The Four Seas and the New World were rife with chaos and conflict in the age of pirates, growing ever more turbulent and violent.
No one paid attention to Impel Down.
Even Sengoku, who had recently become Fleet Admiral, had completely forgotten about the monstrous young prisoner from a few years back.
Currently, in Level 5.5 of Impel Down:
Evan floated in mid-air, eyes closed, within a glowing spherical barrier.
He was nearly sixteen years old, having been in this world for a decade. As the saying goes, ten years is a cycle.
Evan’s body had fully matured. Standing at nearly six feet, his bronzed skin gleamed, and his lean, muscular frame was devoid of any excess fat, appearing very fit and trim.
His once boyish features were now sharp and defined, with a cropped hairstyle and chiseled face, giving him a strikingly handsome appearance.
Suddenly, Evan opened his eyes, his golden irises shining like stars.
His aura was overwhelming, honed by years of swordsmanship training, like a finely tempered blade, exuding a relentless sharpness that instilled fear.
The five years of training had yielded unimaginable results.
Evan had mastered a wide array of skills, including martial arts, swordsmanship, Haki, and his Devil Fruit abilities.
Despite the saying “jack of all trades, master of none,” he had grown stronger by the day, making significant progress in every area, surpassing even the Night Emperor.
“It’s about time to leave this place,” Evan mused, his figure flickering as he vanished from the spherical barrier.
Below the surface, a vast space covered nearly the entire 5.5th floor, where Evan manipulated the repulsive forces within the space, creating a gravity-like field.
Within this space, Crow and Snow were sparring in martial arts.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Their Armament Haki clashes sent shockwaves through the air.
“Snow, why are you hitting so hard during a spar?” Crow complained, barely managing to fend off Snow’s fierce attacks.
Snow remained silent, her small hands covered in Armament Haki, striking Crow’s raised arms with force.
“Ow! I’m going to die!” Crow wailed, but his layered Armament Haki shielded him from harm.
Crow’s talent in Armament Haki had been acknowledged by the Night Emperor, though he used it purely for defense, fitting his somewhat sly personality.
Snow’s eyes grew colder, her entire being radiating an icy, murderous aura, causing Crow to panic.
“Hey, Snow, you don’t really want to kill me, do you? Hey, I taught you Haki. Even if you don’t call me Master, you don’t have to kill me!” Crow’s rambling provoked an even sharper glare from Snow.
Whoosh!
Black flames ignited from Snow’s hands, a massive spectral wolf forming behind her.
She pressed her hands down, unleashing Hellfire to incinerate Crow.
“Damn it!”
Crow shouted exaggeratedly, diving into the ground, leaving a bottomless hole behind.
Snow stepped forward, her hands over the hole, pouring black flames into it.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground erupted and collapsed, and a giant pangolin wearing only shorts emerged from another hole, followed by a pillar of black flames.
Crow’s back was covered in black flames, but his Armament Haki shielded him from harm.
“Snow, I’m sorry. I’ll clean up today, as usual. Okay, I promise not to peek at you bathing anymore,” Crow pleaded, but black flames swirled around them, forming a massive black flame flower.
Each petal radiated breathtaking beauty, exuding extreme danger.
The massive black flame flower had not yet fully formed, but the temperature in Level 5.5 skyrocketed. If not for Evan’s gravity barrier stabilizing the area, the flames alone would have destroyed everything.
“Amaryllis!”
Crow’s eyes widened, his usual playful expression replaced
with fear, he stared at the forming black flame flower in the air. He never expected Snow to unleash her wrath truly!
“Snow… this…” Crow’s face turned pale. After years of training together, he knew all too well the terrifying power of this move.
The black flame flower, radiant and sinister, was about to take shape and could no longer be retracted. It carried the aura of hell, ready to obliterate everything in its path.
Just as the massive black flame flower was about to descend, Evan appeared instantly, his hands coming together.
“ROOM: Imprisonment!”
The spherical barrier that had been maintaining the gravity field suddenly contracted, tightly encasing the black flame flower.
“ROOM: Void Break!”
Channeling his spatial abilities, Evan’s hand glowed with a milky white light. He punched the air, shattering it to create a black hole the size of a fist.
With his other hand, he pushed the spherical barrier containing the black flames into the black hole, bit by bit, until it completely disappeared.
“Phew.”
Seeing the crisis averted, Crow reverted to his human form and wiped the sweat from his brow.
Evan teleported over, catching Snow’s slightly weakened body.
“I’ve told you not to use this move, yet you never listen,” Evan scolded her, his brows furrowed. Snow remained silent, biting her lip. Her usual cold and proud demeanor now showed a hint of a vulnerable girl, which made Evan transfer some healing life force to her.
“Evan, me too,” Crow said with a grin, only to be kicked aside by Evan. “You nearly caused a disaster, and you’re still joking around. I told you not to tease Snow.”
After ensuring Snow had recovered somewhat, Evan teleported away to make final preparations for their escape.
Once Evan left, Crow approached Snow. “Snow, I’m sorry, but you really need to learn to take a joke.”
Snow remained silent, lowering her head and touching her hand, where the warmth from Evan’s life force lingered. She was lost in thought.
Crow gave her a puzzled look, then suddenly asked, “Snow, you don’t happen to like Evan, do you? Haha, that would be too funny…”
Boom!
Black flames erupted, rapidly engulfing Crow.
“Ahhh, help!” Crow fled in defeat.
The Night Emperor sat quietly among the rocks, lost in thought. His frail and aged body looked like that of an ordinary old man, a far cry from the legendary swordsman who once shook the seas.
“Master,” Evan called as he approached.
“You’re here,” the Night Emperor replied, turning to reveal a face more aged than it was five years ago.
Since breaking his obsession, his life force had grown increasingly weak.
Evan’s heart ached, unsure of what to say.
“Cough, cough. It’s about time. I can still hold on until you become a great swordsman,” the Night Emperor said, understanding Evan’s thoughts. He patted the spot beside him, signaling Evan to sit.
“Master, I’ve decided to escape tomorrow,” Evan declared, sitting down with determination.
For Robin, for the Night Emperor, and even for himself, he couldn’t afford to waste any more years here.
The Night Emperor nodded. “It’s time. I have nothing more to teach you. The rest is up to you to understand and master.”
“I believe that once you leave Impel Down, you’ll become a legend. Just ensure the Black Night Style is known across the seas, and I will have no regrets,” the Night Emperor said, looking at Evan with satisfaction.
He truly had no regrets. Meeting someone who could carry on his swordsmanship in the infinite hell was perhaps the best fortune of his life.
“Even if I die here, so be it…” the Night Emperor mused. He knew his half-crippled body was more of a burden than an asset.
“Master! You don’t need to say that!” Evan’s voice was firm and resolute.
“Tomorrow, I will definitely take you out of here! If you don’t go, I won’t go either!”
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