Chapter 4 - Slaying Saldeath
"You got a death wish, punk? Asking us for money here?"
The jailers below the stage began shouting at Nathan.
"If I don't get my five million Berries today, things might not end so peacefully,"
Nathan said calmly, his voice carrying a hint of warning.
The moment his words fell, Saldeath leapt directly down onto the stage.
Without a word, he kicked the corpse of the fallen Number 38 to the side.
The body flew through the air, landing heavily on the cold stone floor.
"Now your opponent is me," Saldeath said coldly, gripping his trident.
"I want to place one more bet with you—how about it?"
"Sure, what are the stakes?" Nathan asked.
"If I lose, I'll give you five million. If you lose… you leave your life behind."
"Hm… Sounds like I'm getting the short end of the stick. What if I refuse the bet?"
Nathan pretended to think it over before replying.
"You refuse? That's fine too—just means your life stays here either way!"
Hearing that, Nathan instantly understood—he'd been marked as a threat.
In a place like this, threats were either transferred to the deeper levels of the prison… or eliminated outright.
It was clear Saldeath had chosen the latter.
At that moment, a bold idea took root in Nathan's heart. He no longer wanted to rely on these petty deathmatches to grind reputation points. Earning only a few hundred per battle was far too slow.
Instead, he would use Might Guy's power to tear through all of Impel Down.
And the first step—was to take down the gatekeeper of Level One: Saldeath.
"Alright, I'll accept your bet. But I want to raise the stakes."
"Oh? Go on, what do you want to add?"
"If I lose, I'll leave my life behind. But if you lose, I want your life. How about that?"
"You? Kill me? That'll never happen! Die!"
Saldeath sneered and lunged at Nathan, trident flashing.
"Foolish!"
Nathan scoffed, "Leaf Instant Body Technique!"
Just as the trident was about to pierce his chest, Nathan's figure suddenly vanished.
A heartbeat later, he reappeared—behind Saldeath.
"You're too slow."
Saldeath's heart skipped a beat. A surge of dread flooded his chest.
He whirled around in an attempt to retaliate—
But too late.
Nathan's leg was already flying toward him.
"Dynamic Entry!!!"
This time, Nathan held nothing back.
All his strength was channeled into his right leg, boosted by an explosive burst of speed.
The moment the kick landed, Saldeath's face twisted grotesquely from the impact.
Boom!!!
He was sent flying like a ragdoll, soaring dozens of meters before crashing onto the cold stone floor.
For a moment, the prisoners on either side of the corridor stared in stunned silence.
Then—an explosion of cheering erupted from every cell.
Clearly, the inmates were overjoyed to see Saldeath get beaten to a pulp.
They had long suffered under his cruelty, and now, watching him get smashed into the ground—it was cathartic.
The jailers nearby began to panic.
"Quick, stop him! Report to Chief Guard Sadie!" one of them shouted.
All jailers in Impel Down reported to Sadie, who was stationed on Level Four. Saldeath only commanded the Blue Gorillas.
Because those brute-forced apes weren't the most reliable, Saldeath had requested a personal squad to oversee the deathmatch games.
Now, the guards instinctively sought to alert Sadie of the chaos.
Nathan didn't bother stopping them.
After all, surveillance Den Den Mushi were mounted throughout the prison.
These worked like real-world security cameras, broadcasting everything to the main control room.
So his takedown of Saldeath had already been transmitted across the prison.
And if he was going to storm all of Impel Down, he'd need to defeat every guard layer by layer.
Let them come to him.
Just then, the system's voice rang in his mind:
Ding! Congratulations, Host has defeated the enemy. You have received 5,000 Reputation Points.
Nathan's heart surged with joy.
Taking down Saldeath had earned him 5,000 points in one shot.
If he could kill Magellan, the prison warden… wouldn't that mean tens of thousands?
In just ten minutes, Nathan had amassed 5,500 Reputation Points. Far more than he expected.
By now, a squad of armed jailers had arrived. They lined up in formation, rifles raised at Nathan.
"Open fire!" one of them ordered.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A volley of bullets tore through the air, aimed straight at him.
"Such weak tricks… and you dare show off with that?"
Nathan muttered mockingly.
"Great Heavenly Dragon—no, wait, wrong line. Let's do that again."
"Weak tricks, and you still dare flaunt them? Leaf Instant Body Technique!"
With a burst of speed, he vanished again, dodging every bullet effortlessly.
In the next second, he dashed straight into the front ranks of the soldiers.
Now empowered with Might Guy's full physique and taijutsu mastery, his body was agile, his strikes explosive.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A flurry of punches rang out.
Moments later, the jailers lay sprawled across the floor, groaning or unconscious.
The prisoners in the surrounding cells roared with excitement.
"Bro! Set us free! Let's escape together!"
Someone shouted from within one of the cells.
The entire place boiled with energy.
Hundreds began slamming fists, chains, and shackles against the iron bars—
The clamor echoed through the entire first level of Crimson Hell.
Nathan glanced up at one of the surveillance Den Den Mushi mounted on the wall.
A smirk spread across his face.
"Well, since everyone's so fired up... Let's get this party started."