Ch. 21- The Lid of Hell's Cauldron Opens

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

Luffy stood before the cackling Blackbeard, his blood boiling.

"After I met you back in Mock Town," said Blackbeard as he pointed at Luffy, "I soon realized that you were the one who took down the former Warlord, Crocodile, over there, Straw Hat Luffy!"

Crocodile just stood in his place, saying nothing.

Blizzard, on the other hand, was too nervous about Luffy's impending rage to even think.

"I wanted to become one of the Seven Warlords, Straw Hat," said Blackbeard. "So, I figured the best way to show the World Government that I was the right man for the job was to hunt you down and present to them your head!"

Luffy also stood in silence, but he is still very furious.

Flashback, Banaro Island

"I'm gonna go to Water 7 and kill Straw Hat Luffy, Ace!" Blackbeard proclaimed to the fellow D. carrier. "When I do, I'll present his head to the World Government as a gift!"

"That's another reason why I can't let you run loose," said Ace. "Straw Hat Luffy…is my little brother!"

Flashback end

"But fate protected you, Straw Hat!" Blackbeard declared. "Ace has been hunting me down like a dog ever since I committed that terrible crime aboard Old Man Whitebeard's ship! And by curious coincidence, he was your big brother! All because I said I was gonna kill ya, he couldn't turn back! ZEHAHAHAHA!"

Dude, Blizzard thought, tentatively glancing at Luffy. I think you better stop talking. Seriously.

"You see, now, Straw Hat?" Blackbeard asked. "If Ace were to let us go, not only would he be bringing shame to the Whitebeard Pirates' name, but you, his dear little brother, would've been killed!"

Really, man, Blizzard thought, still glancing at Luffy. Stop talking unless you wanna lose all your teeth!

"There is no such thing as coincidence," said Augur. "Only fate. In other words…"

"Yes…" Doc Q wheezed, slumped on the back of Stronger. "You're a very lucky man." KOFF! he coughed up a little blood.

"Now that the captain has successfully become one of the Seven Warlords," said Lafitte, "he won't be needing you, anymore."

"WEE-HA-HA!" Burgess laughed. "Your big bro sure did fight bravely!"

Stop it! Blizzard shouted in thought. Seriously! Don't say anymore!

"You better be sure to thank Ace at his grave," said Blackbeard. "If he didn't show, back then, you'd be long dead, by now."

That did it.

TOMP! VOOM! Luffy threw his fist into the ground and pumped blood through his body.

"Then how about you TRY AND KILL ME NOW?!" he shouted.

Tried to warn ya, Blizzard thought.

"Gum GUUUUUUM…JET PISTOL!"

WHABAM! KRASH! With a mighty Jet Pistol attack, the enraged Luffy punched Blackbeard dead center in the gut, sending him flying back, right into a wall!

"Captain!" cried Augur.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUGH!" Blackbeard screamed, holding his head in pain.

"There's no way in HELL I'm letting them kill Ace!" Luffy shouted as he prepared to fire another punch. "Gum GUUUUUM…JET-"

"Black VORTEX!"

Suddenly, as Blackbeard's hand started to glow black and hazy, Luffy found himself somehow getting pulled towards him!

"W-what the-?!" Luffy questioned.

Jimbei gasped.

"Straw Hat!" Bon Clay cried.

KRASH! Blackbeard pummels Luffy straight into the floor, headfirst!

LUFFY! Blizzard cried in his head.

To the shock of those watching…Luffy was bleeding.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" Luffy screamed in agony. "IT HUUUUUUUUURRTS!"

"Blood?!" Crocodile questioned. "But Straw Hat's supposed to be made of rubber!"

It's just like how that Sengoku guy back at Sabaody and how Hancock's sisters managed to hit Luffy! Blizzard thought.

Luffy grunted as he got back up to his feet.

"Gum GUUUUUUUM…"

"LUFFY, STOP!"

WHAP! Before Luffy could lunge at Blackbeard, Jimbei blocked his path and grabbed him by his arms. Blizzard helped by holding Luffy by the back of his pants with his teeth.

"That's enough, Luffy!" Jimbei said. "You must control your temper!"

Yeah! Calm down! Blizzard thought.

"Remember what you came for, Luffy!" Jimbei shouted.

"LET ME GO!" Luffy shouted. "LET ME GO, RIGHT NOW, SO I CAN KICK HIS FAT ASS!"

Luffy, STOP IT! Blizzard yelled in thought. Just let it go, for now! You'll get your chance, but right now, we've got bigger fish to fry!

Huff! Huff! Blackbeard panted heavily.

"That man has always been a mystery to me," said Jimbei, "since the very first time I laid eyes on him on Whitebeard's ship! I have no idea where it came from, but right now, he has the power to beat even Ace!"

He pushed Luffy back.

"Don't waste your time and energy fighting him, Luffy!" he told him. "I understand how you feel, but you can't let your emotions get the better of you! It's not going to help you save Ace!"

Luffy seethed and growled at Blackbeard, who only grinned as he wiped some blood off his jaw.

"You're certainly a lot stronger than I thought, Straw Hat," said Blackbeard. "And your Haki is a lot stronger than the last time I saw you."

"So, you're Blackbeard, right?" Crocodile asked, out of the blue. "I heard some no-name pirate from Whitebeard's ship had taken my place, but this is strange. You should've been summoned to defend Marine Headquarters, and yet you came to this godforsaken place. It's obvious that you've given up your title of one of the Seven Warlords of the sea by coming here."

"Everything is going according to my plan," Blackbeard replied. "There were some bumps we ran into along the way, but is there any reason to tell you about it…Mr. Crocodile?"

A pause.

"No," Crocodile answered. "Not at all. In fact, I don't give a damn."

"I see you don't mince words," said Blackbeard.

"HEY!" shouted one of the New Kamas. "MAGELLAN'S COMING!"

BOOM! A huge explosion went off behind the group.

"WARDEN MAGELLAN?!"

"CRAP! WE'RE DOOMED!"

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!"

"HEAD FOR LEVEL 3~!"

"Magellan?!" Blackbeard questioned. "Heh…so he's finally here, eh?"

XXX

As one prisoner was trying to run away, GLOOP! He, as well as a few New Kama, were soon devoured by the Hydra!"

XXX

"Warden Magellan!" cried one of the guards.

"At last, he's here!" said another.

"This is bad," said Ivankov before he turned and pointed to Luffy. "Straw Hat Boy! Quick! Vyou must make a run for it! If you get hit by Magellan's poison, NOTHING can save vyou!"

Luffy gritted his teeth in shock before he felt a slight tug on his pants. Looking down, he saw Blizzard, trying to lead him away.

Come on, man! Blizzard thought. We gotta go! NOW!

"Hurry! Up the stairs to Level 3!"

"The Bazooka Traps got wiped out by Blackbeard, so the path is clear!"

KRASH! Minotaurus suddenly appeared and began to smash the rioters with his club.

"It's the Jailer Beast, again!"

"And this time, it's Minotaurus!"

Dammit, not him! Blizzard cursed in thought. How many times do I have to knock this guy out?!

"I thought we already beat Minotaurus already!" Bon Clay cried.

"They don't stay down for very long," explained Crocodile. "The Jailer Beasts all have Devil Fruit powers. They're awakened Zoan-types! Their greatest strength are their toughness and recovery speed. Even when knocked out by Haki, they can still get right back up."

"THAT'S A DEVIL FRUIT POWER, TOO?!" Bon Clay shouted.

"If we don't hurry," Crocodile began, "then the other three will wake up, too."

"WHAT?!"

"But we have an even bigger problem to worry about than those beasts," said Crocodile. "The Warden of the Hells will be here soon."

XXX

Not too far away, Magellan is running to the stairway to Level 3.

"Warden Magellan! Blackbeard has appeared at the gate to Level 3!"

"What?!" Magellan questioned in shock. "But I thought Shiryu was supposed to deal with Blackbeard! Don't tell me he was defeated!"

Suddenly, the Mini-Transponder Snail in a guard's hand rang.

"This is the monitoring room!"

"What is it?"

XXX

In the monitoring room, it looked like the whole place had been trashed. The screens are busted, and some of the guards have either been knocked unconscious…or killed.

"We've got trouble, sir!" said one of the guards. "The Video Receiving Transponder Snail has been destroyed! We've lost all our video feeds, and all communications with Marine Headquarters and other Government facilities have been severed! We're cute off- GAH!"

SLASH! THUD!

"Hey! What's going on?! What's happening, over there?! Who did that?! Hello?! HELLO?!"

Behind the dead guard stood Shiryu, his blade bloody, and a grin upon his face.

"Don't be a tattletale," said Shiryu. "You'll get Magellan on my ass, again."

XXX

Back at Level 4, Magellan and the jailers are still running to the stairs to Level 3.

"Communications have been-"

"Send someone to confirm what's happening there!" Magellan ordered.

"Yes, sir!"

"This is bad," Magellan thought aloud. "If Blackbeard has reached this Hell, then he must've crashed through the gate on Level 2! Nothing is going our way! How could two intruders spark all this mayhem and chaos?!"

XXX

On Level 2...

"Flashy~! Flashy~! Flashy~! Flashy~!"

The rioters had broken free, thanks to Blackbeard, and now, led by Buggy and Mr. 3, they started to riot again!

"YAHOO!" Buggy cheered. "WE'RE THE LUCKY FLASHY MEN! COME ON, YOU LOT! TO LEVEL !"

"And we'll keep going on until we reach freedom!" Mr. 3 shouted.

"Yeah! He's the luckiest, flashiest man alive!"

"Our savior, Captain Buggy!"

"WHOO-HOO!"

XXX

"I'm gonna rescue Ace, no matter who or what stands in my way!" Luffy shouted towards Blackbeard.

"ZEHAHAHAHA!" Blackbeard laughed. "I won't say that you're wasting your time, Straw Hat. Nothing's impossible in this world!"

As Luffy and Blizzard passed by him, Blackbeard turned and asked, "The Sky Island exists, doesn't it, boy?"

Flashback, Mock Town

"THE DREAMS OF PIRATES…WILL NEVER END~!" Blackbeard yelled into the sky.

Flashback end

"It's the same with the One Piece!" Blackbeard declared. "It sure as hell exists! ZEHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Luffy just glared at Blackbeard, who started to walk away with his men.

"Just you wait and see, Straw Hat!" the rotund pirate shouted. "In just a few short hours, we're going to put on a show that will SHAKE THE WORLD! ZEHAHAHAHAHAAAAA~!"

Luffy kept glaring back at Blackbeard, who continued to walk away.

"Just ignore him, Luffy," said Jimbei.

Yeah, Blizzard thought. He's not worth it.

Luffy turned and started to run with the New Kamas and the escapees with Blizzard following not too far behind.

"Keep going! On to Level 3!" Ivankov shouted.

XXX

Meanwhile, Sadie is dangling above the floor by a rope, her body arched to the point where her back might snap.

"Mmmm~, Warden!" she cried. "Help me!"

"Sadie!" Magellan said.

"That damned Ivankov, mmmm~, did this to me!" Sadie yelled. "This is insulting! Life isn't worth living if I'M not the inflicting the pain!"

"Get her down," Magellan ordered the guards.

"Yes, sir!"

At that moment, Magellan noticed the Blackbeard Pirates approaching.

"ZEHAHAHAHAHA!" Blackbeard laughed. "So, you're Magellan."

"And you must be Teach, A.K.A 'Blackbeard'," said Magellan.

"That's right!" Blackbeard answered.

"HYDRA!"

GLOOP! To the Blackbeard Pirates' surprise, one of the heads from Magellan's Hydra attack chomped down on the crew. Soon, the crew is drenched in the poison.

"Ah…AAAAAAAAHH!" Blackbeard screamed in agony. "IT BUUUUUURRNS!"

"I've neither the time nor the inclination to ask you why you're here," said Magellan.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH! What the hell is this stuff?! Poison?! AGH!"

Magellan looked down and spotted Hannyabal on the floor, still unconscious.

"Hannyabal," said Magellan. "You did well holding them back for so long."

"Vice-Warden Hannyabal!" cried one of the guards as some of them ran to his aid.

"Look at all this blood!"

"Quick! He needs medical attention! STAT!"

"I'll take it from here, Hannyabal," said Magellan as he stalked off toward the stairway to Level 3. "Until then, try not to die…because you are the only one…fit to succeed me!"

Now, if Hannyabal was conscious, he'd be overwhelmed shock and joy, but since he was currently knocked out, that wasn't the case.

Once Magellan stood at the bottom of the stairway, he looked upstairs, where he saw the knocked out Bazooka Troops. He then took in a deep breath.

"STRAAAAAAAAW HAAAAAAAAAT!" he boomed in a venomous, demonic voice.

"AAAAH!" a prisoner yelped, covering his ears in fright.

"Who the hell was that?! Was that Magellan?!"

"Well, it ain't your grandma! Step on it, man!"

Crap, crap, crap, CRAP TIMES 100! Blizzard cursed in his head as he ran alongside Luffy, who looked back downstairs.

"It's the poison guy!" he said.

"You will not escape from this prison…ALIVE!" Magellan roared.

GLOOP! Using a jet of poison, the Warden gave chase after Luffy and his army of escapees.

TO BE CONTINUED…

This is probably gonna be the last update for a while, since school starts tomorrow.

Review, please!