"You all put on your gas masks, my poison gas is enough to kill you!" Magellan commanded, his voice carrying through the dim corridors of Impel Down's Sixth Floor.
The Marines behind him, including Vice Admiral Mole, hurriedly obeyed, quickly fastening their masks. Still, Mole's expression was grim. His eyes were filled with dread.
Magellan might not understand the true scope of Ashveil's power, but Mole knew. He had witnessed it firsthand during the war at Marineford. That day, he saw Ashveil unleash strength that defied reason. It was impossible for their group to defeat someone like him.
How could a man who once knocked out twenty thousand elite Marines with a single surge of Conqueror's Haki—someone the Two Admirals barely managed to restrain together—be held back by Magellan alone?
"Vice Admiral Mole, report this to Marine Headquarters and call for support," Magellan said, venom dripping from his voice. "I'll hold him off as long as I can!"
Mole stiffened, realizing the truth. Magellan had no intention of defeating Ashveil. He only meant to stall for time.
A wave of thick, purple gas surged forward, filling the air with death.
But Ashveil only looked at it with disdain.
If Magellan wanted to stall him, he would need far more than this. Did he truly think such poison could stop him? This was underestimating him far too much.
Without dodging, Ashveil walked forward step by step, unflinching as the gas crept closer.
"Be careful," Crocodile muttered, his voice low. "That poison isn't simple."
"Kid, don't get reckless," Douglas Bullet warned, his tone sharp. "Magellan's Devil Fruit is dangerous. His Poison-Poison Fruit makes him nearly untouchable."
The prisoners around them grew restless, fear flashing in their eyes. This young man had broken their shackles—he was their only hope of escaping this hell. If Magellan killed him here, their slim chance at freedom would vanish.
But Ashveil ignored their warnings. His gaze never left Magellan as he continued forward. Deep within, he stirred the vast ocean of power that lay dormant inside him.
Buzz.
A sudden eruption of Conqueror's Haki spread out from his body, shaking the very foundations of the prison. The Sixth Floor, usually as still and suffocating as a tomb, now roared with a storm like a raging typhoon.
The winds blasted through the corridors, scattering the poison gas like dust in the air. The suffocating miasma was gone in an instant, replaced by a crushing pressure that gnawed at the very souls of those present.
Around Ashveil, the air became a void, silent and heavy, a vacuum where only his presence mattered.
The Marines behind Magellan never even had time to resist. Their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed one after another.
Even Vice Admiral Mole buckled, his knees slamming into the floor. His hands trembled so violently he could barely keep hold of his sword. Only by stabbing his blade into his own palm, the sharp pain forcing him awake, did he stop himself from losing consciousness.
The prisoners stared, eyes wide in disbelief.
"What terrifying Conqueror's Haki!" one whispered.
"Just the residue of it is enough to make my chest tighten…?" Crocodile muttered, his usual composure shattered.
In all his years roaming the Grand Line, he had never felt such suffocating power. Not even Whitebeard's Haki during their fateful clash had left this kind of scar on his memory. And yet, this young man's Haki—Ashveil's Haki—felt even heavier, even more domineering.
Could it be that the Zero Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates possessed a will greater than Whitebeard himself?
Crocodile's gaze sharpened, a mix of dread and fascination flickering in his eyes. The seas were growing more dangerous by the day, and Ashveil was proof of it.
Big Barrel, Nine-Tailed Fox, Wolf, Shiryu of the Rain, and countless others stood frozen in their cells, shock etched onto their faces.
"What kind of monster is this brat?" one muttered. "He's so young, yet his Haki feels like it belongs to an ancient beast."
Kaido of the Beasts narrowed his eyes. The scars on his body seemed to ache as memories resurfaced. "That Haki again," he growled. "The same one from before… Damn brat."
Douglas Bullet, on the other hand, grinned with exhilaration. His blood boiled at the sight.
Yes, this was the kind of warrior who could shake the world. A true monster. A kindred spirit.
But none were more unsettled than the Red Count. He had once believed Ashveil's strength was comparable to Roger's, perhaps even lesser when judged one-on-one.
But the Haki surging before him now… It was overwhelming, surpassing even Roger's peak.
For the first time in centuries, the Red Count felt his own confidence waver. If Ashveil continued to grow, with his youth and his monstrous potential, he would surely become a force greater than Rocks himself. Perhaps even one who could topple the world's foundations.
And he wasn't even twenty yet.
Magellan's breathing grew ragged as he coated himself in venom, liquid poison dripping from his body. Each drop sizzled against the floor, burning through the supposedly indestructible materials of Impel Down's Sixth Floor.
Even so, his expression twisted, not with confidence, but with dread.
Because before him stood Thorne Ashveil, a monster whose will threatened to consume the very seas.
____
Advanced chapters are available on my patreon page
Read ahead of everyone 💙
Patreon.com/Zphyr