One Piece: SSS-Rank Haki at Age Seventeen

Level 2 — Beast Hell

Luffy sat quietly on the ground, seemingly lost in thought.

Not far away, Buggy and his group peeked out from behind cover. Scarlet poison covered the floor, yet within three meters of the young pirate, the ground remained untouched—as if it were sacred land.

"Straw Hat… he actually…!"

Buggy's pupils reflected that red silhouette.

For a brief moment, Luffy, Gol D. Roger, and Shanks overlapped in his mind.

All of them possessed overwhelming dominance.

They were… born kings.

"Buggy!!"

Luffy turned his head and burst out laughing at the sight of the clown's ridiculous red nose.

"Want to leave with us?"

"Huh—?!"

"You heard that? Straw Hat invited Captain Buggy!"

"Even the so-called Fifth Emperor of the Sea is asking for Captain Buggy's help?!"

"Captain Buggy is amazing!!"

The remaining prisoners looked at Buggy as if he were a god.

"Uh… ah…"

Buggy froze.

But with his lightning-fast brain, he immediately seized the opportunity to ride this wave of hype.

Cough, cough.

"Well… since you clearly need my help so badly…"

"…I suppose I'll reluctantly assist you!"

Watching Buggy getting completely carried away, even Luffy was struggling not to burst out laughing.

Fortunately—

Someone arrived to break the tension.

"Luffy! We're here!"

"Shiryu, thanks a lot."

Sabo and Blackbeard stepped into Beast Hell at the same time—one from above, the other from below.

"Zehahaha! I'm seeing quite a few familiar faces today!"

Teach laughed arrogantly as he looked at the crowd. Even after being completely wiped out by Magellan once, he still hadn't learned his lesson.

"Teach… no, I suppose I should call you Blackbeard now."

Jinbe spoke in a deep voice.

"Blackbeard? So you're the one who captured Ace and caused his execution?!"

Flames of fury ignited in Sabo's eyes as his right hand curled into a claw.

"Wait."

Luffy pushed himself off the ground and stood up.

"You guys go steal a warship."

"I'll handle him."

The moment Luffy's black-and-red eyes locked onto Teach, Blackbeard felt his breathing grow heavy.

It was…

Pure killing intent.

The Battle Begins

"Zehahaha! Straw Hat, you're really arrogant!"

"Just because people started calling you the Fifth Emperor doesn't mean you can act like you own the world!"

"Oh, right…"

"When you visit Ace's grave, make sure to thank him properly!"

"If he hadn't run into me first… I was actually planning to capture you instead!"

Blackbeard threw his head back in laughter, arms raised like a triumphant king.

Behind him, his crew spoke one after another.

Van Augur:

"There are no coincidences in fate…"

Doc Q:

"So your luck must be quite good."

Laffitte:

"Now that our captain has become a Warlord of the Sea, we have no need to take your life."

Jesus Burgess:

"Your brother put up a good fight back then!"

"Oh?"

Luffy tilted his head slightly.

"If you say I'm lucky… then me appearing here must mean…"

WHOOSH!

His body vanished.

In the next instant, he appeared above Blackbeard.

His right foot—coated in Armament Haki—descended with terrifying force.

"…that it's your bad luck."

BOOM!

His sandal smashed directly into Blackbeard's face.

Stone shattered everywhere as Teach was slammed violently into the ground beneath Luffy's foot.

Van Augur reacted instantly, raising his rifle and firing.

BANG!

The bullet pierced straight through Luffy.

But—

It was only an afterimage.

Everyone's eyes widened in shock.

Luffy suddenly appeared in front of Van Augur and swung his Haki-coated palm.

SLAP!

Van Augur was sent flying.

"Damn it!"

A massive shadow loomed behind Luffy.

Burgess lunged forward with a fist the size of a cannonball.

CLANG!

Luffy stopped the punch with a single index finger.

Then he clenched his fist.

BOOM!

Burgess was blasted away as well.

Blackbeard's Desperation

Teach slowly struggled to his feet.

"Zehahaha—!"

Before he could finish laughing, Luffy stomped down on his face again.

The overwhelming force pinned him to the ground.

Luffy stood there with his foot on Blackbeard's head, calmly scanning the surroundings.

"Anyone else want to try?"

No one moved.

Even Shiryu remained completely still.

"Too bad."

Black lightning crackled around Luffy's body.

Within seconds, it formed a roaring thunder dragon that shot toward the pirates.

When the lightning faded—

Everyone lay unconscious.

Everyone except Shiryu.

Shiryu drew Raiu and barely blocked the lightning dragon.

But Luffy immediately followed up with a punch to the blade.

CLANG—!

The famous sword cried out as the released Armament Haki tore through Shiryu's body.

Shiryu collapsed.

Now only one man remained.

Blackbeard.

"You're the last one."

Under the shadow of the straw hat, Luffy's eyes locked onto Teach, who was struggling to rise with blood covering his face.

Teach raised his left hand.

Darkness surged outward like a tidal wave, forming a swirling vortex that emitted immense gravitational pull.

Luffy's body was dragged toward him.

But Luffy made no attempt to resist.

The moment Teach grabbed him—

He grinned.

"Zehahaha! Once I touch you, your Devil Fruit power disappears!"

But his laughter stopped abruptly.

His eyes widened.

Luffy had grabbed his head.

Armament Haki flowed over his arm like liquid darkness.

Then Luffy jumped high into the air, lifting Blackbeard with him.

A destructive aura erupted.

"N-No… wait—!"

Teach's face filled with terror.

Pure Armament Haki condensed into a brilliant black cross of light in the sky.

Luffy's arm unleashed strength greater than a giant's.

"Bone Fist — Meteor!"

WHOOSH!

Wrapped in overwhelming force, Blackbeard shot downward like a streak of dark light.

He smashed through the floors of Level 2, Level 3, Level 4, and beyond—

Each impact triggering violent explosions.

Escape from Impel Down

Meanwhile, the escape group finally reached the front gate of Impel Down.

The prisoners basked in sunlight with excitement.

But the distant Marine warships quickly became a problem.

Fortunately…

For Jinbe, that wasn't difficult at all.

Carrying a large wooden door as a raft, he dove into the sea with Crocodile and Sabo, heading straight for a warship.

Soon—

They successfully seized it.

"We escaped!!"

"That's amazing!"

Buggy and Mr. 2 Bon Clay danced excitedly side by side.

Jinbe took the helm while Sabo relaxed along the deck railing.

"Sabo, shouldn't we wait for Straw Hat boy?" Ivankov asked, his enormous eyes wide.

"It's fine."

Sabo opened a can of cola and took a sip.

"He'll come."

"By the way, how many supplies are on this ship? We should recover some strength before the war."

He glanced toward Jinbe with a smile.

"Right?"

"Hahaha, I'm fine. I only went hungry for a few days."

Jinbe scratched his head while steering.

"Crocodile, on the other hand… hasn't eaten for more than a month."

Suddenly—

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Cannons fired from Marine ships.

Even with Jinbe's expert navigation, the enormous Gates of Justice blocked their escape like a falling mountain.

"What do we do?! What do we do?!"

Buggy panicked.

He had no intention of returning to prison.

But Jinbe remained calm.

Then—

A beam of light reflected across the Marine officer's face.

The massive gates slowly began to move.

The Gates of Justice opened.

"What?!"

"How could the Gates of Justice open?!"

Even the Marines couldn't believe it.

Yet the stolen warship sailed straight through the gates—

Toward the sea leading to Marine Headquarters Marineford.

Inside the Power Room

"Warden… are you sure we can open the gates?"

A guard nervously asked Magellan.

"When have I ever given the wrong order?"

Magellan replied calmly.

"Once that warship leaves…"

"Close the Gates of Justice."

"Understood!"

Soon the ship passed through.

Just then—

A straw-hat-wearing head popped through the doorway.

"Bon-chan, you here?"

"Straw Hat!"

Magellan immediately slammed the shutdown button and destroyed the control machine with a kick before lunging at Luffy.

CRACKLE!

A blue arc of lightning flashed.

Both men vanished instantly.

The guards stared at each other in silence.

"…Are we doomed?"

On the Warship

A heavy sadness filled the deck.

"So Bon-chan… sacrificed himself for us…"

"What a hero…"

Everyone was moved to tears.

Without Bon Clay's sacrifice, they would never have escaped.

"Hey! What are you all crying for?!"

Just as the Gates of Justice slammed shut—

A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.

Luffy appeared sitting at the bow of the ship.

Meanwhile, Bon Clay lay on the deck, vomiting.

"Straw Hat! I am NEVER letting you carry me like that again!"

Sabo raised a hand weakly.

"…Same here."

Luffy pulled down the brim of his straw hat and smiled.

"Alright."

"Let's go."

"To Marineford."

Meanwhile — Level 5: Freezing Hell

A hand suddenly burst out of the snow.

A battered Blackbeard dragged himself up from the ice.

Blood covered his body.

But he laughed hoarsely.

"People's dreams…"

"…will never end!!!"

Impel Down Arc — End

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