Chapter 29: Coach, I Want To...
In a stretch of oppressive gloom, shadows writhed like living things. A bizarre figure silently approached the sleeping "Ren Arakawa"!
The creature, roughly the size of an octopus, slithered forward at an astonishing speed!
Its target was clear, aimed straight for Ren Arakawa's defenseless body!
"Ren Arakawa" lay there, his breathing steady, completely oblivious to the impending danger.
His eyes were shut tight, immersed in a dream, unresponsive to the external threat.
The creature lunged, blanketing "Ren Arakawa's" face. The icy touch and heavy pressure sent ripples through his dreamscape.
It opened its maw, revealing sharp teeth and a long tongue covered in barbs. In the dimness, these barbs glinted with a cold light!
The barbs scraped across "Ren Arakawa's" cheek. The cold, sharp sensation finally pierced the veil of his dream, waking him from his deep slumber.
Uchiha Ren's eyes flew open. His heart pounded and adrenaline surged. In an instant, his hand shot out instinctively, shoving the creature off his chest.
After seeing what was on his chest, his heart rate gradually steadied.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he let out a long sigh, his voice trembling slightly. "Thank goodness it's you, Little Flower. If that had been a Facehugger... that would've been terrifying..."
A calico cat sat innocently to the side, looking with its bright green eyes at the human who often fed it, as if it didn't understand why its show of affection had been rejected.
His nap ruined, Uchiha Ren stretched. The sky was still dark. He called out to his brothers in his mind.
"Is everyone awake?"
Main God Ren Arakawa still didn't respond.
Stephen Fang was also sound asleep in the attic.
After a moment, Pirate Ren Arakawa's voice came through.
"Not sleeping."
The view synced.
The corner of a staircase, dark and damp. The few faint rays of light couldn't penetrate the heavy shadows.
A few people in tattered prison uniforms huddled on the moss-covered floor, their bodies trembling from cold and fear, seeking each other's body heat for a sliver of warmth.
Their faces were gaunt, their eyes filled with despair. They drifted in and out of a fitful sleep born of exhaustion and hunger. The occasional moans and coughs sounded exceptionally clear in the silence.
Not far away, a massive beast occupied the space beneath the stairs. Its form was colossal, its breathing heavy, and it produced a deafening snore.
The beast's enormous body looked even more terrifying in the gloom. Its every breath made the surrounding air tremble.
Its skin reflected a metallic sheen in the faint light, and when it occasionally turned over, the clang of chains and shackles echoed through the stairwell, sending a chill down one's spine.
Pirate Ren Arakawa glanced around, looking at the prisoners seeking peace in their despair, then at the sleeping behemoth. He shook his head and said with a wry smile, "If you can fall asleep in an environment like this, I'll give you credit."
Just as Uchiha Ren was about to reply, the prisoner next to Pirate Ren Arakawa turned his head.
"Hey, kid. What are you thinking about instead of sleeping?"
This prisoner had a long, narrow face and a sturdy-looking frame. He sat bolt upright as he leaned against the wall, a stark contrast to the other inmates nearby.
Pirate Ren Arakawa had noticed this peculiar prisoner long ago.
It couldn't be helped. Compared to the standard prison uniforms worn by the others, his Marine-issue shirt was far too eye-catching.
Pirate Ren Arakawa shrugged and joked, "Escaping, of course. What else? How to make a home here?"
"Escaping? You've got guts, saying that to me, an 'undercover Marine'."
"Haha, what kind of undercover agent wears a Marine uniform." Pirate Ren Arakawa forced a smile. "I'd love to offer you a smoke right now, but forget smokes, the last time I had Shiramishi was four days ago."
"Well, it's the thought that counts, kid."
"The name's Multiple Ren. May I ask you, Mr. Marine..."
"Multiple Ren? What a strange name. Listen up, I'm Torlin Fuller! Everyone likes to call me Iron Head. As you can see, I'm a Marine."
"How did a Marine end up in Impel Down?"
"What's so strange about that?" Iron Head Torlin Fuller wiped some drool from the corner of his mouth. "The charge doesn't matter. What matters is who wanted me framed."
"So who framed you?" Pirate Ren Arakawa asked, curious.
"Sigh, my superior, Commodore Ryan Forbes..."
"I walked in on his friend and my wife in the bedroom. I beat up his friend."
Pirate Ren Arakawa scratched his head. "Huh? You catch a guy in the act and you're the one who gets thrown into Impel Down? Is there any justice in the world?"
"No, no, no. To be precise, after they suspended my pay, I went to the higher-ups to reason with them and made a big scene..."
"It was only then that I found out the guy I beat up was a butler for a local Celestial Dragon family."
Pirate Ren Arakawa sighed. "Okay, now I get it."
Iron Head Torlin Fuller also grew curious. "You don't look that old, but you seem to have lived a lot. How long have you been locked up?"
"I was sent in seven years ago."
"Seven years ago? They actually locked up a kid your age? Why?"
"I don't know either," Pirate Ren Arakawa replied with a trace of bitterness.
Both of them sighed at the same time, finding a moment of connection in the oppressive environment.
However, just as the two were about to end their conversation and try to find a moment of rest in this wretched place, the unexpected happened.
A patrolling venomous snake suddenly changed its path, slithering silently into a prisoner's pant leg.
The next second, with a crunch, the snake's fangs pierced the fabric and sank deep into the prisoner's flesh!
"AHHHH!"
The prisoner awoke with a start. His scream echoed through the stairwell, shattering the previous tranquility.
That scream was like a lit match, igniting the tense atmosphere of this relatively safe spot.
The problem wasn't the scream itself.
It was their location...
The Fierce Beast Hell!
This was the territory of wild beasts!
The prisoner's scream was like a needle that popped the fragile bubble of balance!
The massive beast was startled awake by the shriek. It let out a deafening roar, a sound like thunder that made all the prisoners' ears ring violently.
They had to flee this place immediately!
"Run! Run far away!" someone shouted, their voice laced with panic.
The prisoners scattered like a frightened flock of sheep, but in the territory of these beasts, their escape seemed utterly futile.
A giant lion wielding a baseball bat was furiously chasing the prisoners. It was clearly having a rough morning, and every swing of its bat carried lethal force.
One prisoner per swing, it sent them flying!
Pirate Ren Arakawa was also running for his life.
He could feel the lion behind him getting closer and closer...
"Beast—"
Just as he was about to form hand seals and prepare a counterattack, a figure suddenly appeared behind him.
"Kid! Run!"
Before Pirate Ren Arakawa could react, a loud "CLANG" of metal striking metal rang out by his ear.
He turned his head in astonishment.
Iron Head Torlin Fuller had taken the giant lion's attack head-on—with his head.
The metal baseball bat collided with his skull, letting out a crisp ring!
Yet Iron Head Torlin Fuller seemed to feel nothing at all. He even had a smile on his face!
"Fellow prisoners, run! The farther the better!"
Torlin Fuller thought he was playing the hero, but then an out-of-place voice sounded from beside him.
"Coach, I want to learn Tekkai."
(end of chapter)