Basque Shot never expected Shiryu of the Rain to strike so suddenly. Bound by seastone shackles, his movements were sluggish, and before he could react, Shiryu's blade had already slashed into his arm.
"Aaagh!"
His pained howl echoed across Level 6 of Impel Down.
"Shiryu of the Rain, how dare you attack me!" Basque Shot roared in rage.
"You're trash. If I hadn't been locked up all this time, killing you would've been effortless."
"Then let me out, and I'll crush you into paste with one hand!"
"Hey hey, what's with all the barking? Yeah, you're Basque Shot, right? I've heard you were kind of famous. But right now, you should worry about bleeding out. Once I finish off Shiryu, we can chat. Just hold on—don't bleed to death before I get back to you."
Qin Chuan's calm voice cut through their argument.
At that moment, Shiryu turned his attention from Shot to Qin Chuan again. He could tell this was his true opponent.
"Die! Wave Slash!"
Raising Thunderstorm, Shiryu swung downward with force. A cyan blade wave surged from the floor, roaring toward Qin Chuan.
"Eight Gates Released Formation! Gate of Shock!"
This was the seventh gate, Jingmen, the last before death's door. As Qin Chuan activated it, his body burst with blue steam—the result of evaporated sweat from the surge in chakra.
His speed now pushed the limits of what a human body could handle.
In his eyes, the incoming blade wave moved like a ripple on still water. He shifted his weight slightly, dodging it with ease.
Boom!
Shiryu's attack smashed into the wall behind Qin Chuan, carving a massive gash into solid stone.
"Now it's my turn. Shiryu of the Rain, it's over—Daytime Tiger!" Qin Chuan roared skyward, blue steam roaring upward.
In the next moment, he compressed the surrounding air and unleashed it all in a single instant. A massive tiger-shaped air cannon formed, the shockwaves trailing behind it like claws of the wind.
Before Shiryu could even blink, the tiger was upon him. Qin Chuan's fist connected directly with Shiryu's face.
Boom!
Shiryu was launched backward like a ragdoll, flying through the air as if his strings had been cut. The shockwave blasted outward, rattling every corner of the dungeon.
Even Domino, standing at a distance, was thrown back by the force. She stumbled, blood trailing from the corner of her mouth.
The sheer power of the shockwave alone was enough to injure her. That alone was a testament to the overwhelming force of Qin Chuan's strike.
As the dust settled, the system chimed twice in rapid succession.
Ding. Congratulations to the host for successfully defeating the enemy. You have received 40000 reputation points.
Ding. Congratulations to the host for successfully defeating the enemy. You have received 30000 reputation points.
Two back-to-back prompts stunned Qin Chuan. What's this, a buy-one-get-one-free?
One message clearly referred to Shiryu of the Rain. But the other didn't match Domino's level. When Magellan had been defeated, the reward had only been 10000. There was no way Domino would be worth more.
Just then, a fresh pool of blood flowed out from a nearby cell.
Qin Chuan turned his gaze. Inside the cell, lying in his own blood, was Basque Shot—his arm gone from Shiryu's earlier strike.
His lifeless eyes stared ahead, wide open in disbelief.
Shot had never imagined his end would come like this.
After Shiryu severed his arm, his physical condition deteriorated rapidly. When Qin Chuan's Daytime Tiger was released, the shockwave shattered his internal organs instantly.
He died on the spot.
"So even these imprisoned pirates count toward reputation rewards? If that's the case, and considering how many legendary pirates are locked away on Level 6, then today's going to be a jackpot," Qin Chuan said to himself with a smirk.
But he knew the risk. The Eight Gates Released Formation came with a steep cost. Theoretically, activating all eight meant certain death—unless, of course, you were the protagonist.
That's why Qin Chuan had limited himself to the seventh gate for now. But even opening just that gate came with heavy strain. Once it closed, even minor contact with his body would bring immense pain and risk.
Before the Gate of Shock faded, Qin Chuan walked slowly toward Domino.
All around them, pirates who had been blasted off their feet by the shockwave started to stir. They had witnessed Qin Chuan's strength firsthand and recognized that he was perhaps their only chance to escape this fortress.
Years ago, the legendary Golden Lion Shiki had escaped. If he could do it, they believed they could too—with Qin Chuan leading the way.
One after another, the pirates began shouting from their cells.
"I'm Avalo Pizarro! Let me out and I'll be your strongest crewmate!" yelled a man in a long white and dark brown fur coat, adorned with a light purple necklace and cat-like eyes, slamming against his cell bars with fiery desperation.