48 Shiki’s Prison Break! Incident!
A/N: If you want to see more chapters and support my work, go to my Patre@n to see more chapters ahead.
You can see more chapters ahead of everyone on my Patre@n:
WWW.patre@n.com/RK98
------------------------------
Brontes looked at Dr. Vegapunk and said: "You're familiar with the legendary Sky Island, right? The design I have here is originated from that place. I stumbled upon it years ago, before I even joined the Marine."
Dr. Vegapunk, with his ever-present curiosity, responded: "Indeed, I've come across ancient texts about Sky Island. It's clear from those writings that the people of Sky Island had a highly advanced civilization."
Brontes continued: "The Rumble-Rumble Fruit had been lost for centuries. I found it in the Sky Island's Temple of God, and this old blueprint was with it. If I'm not wrong, the temple was like a vault, built by the Sky Islanders back then."
Dr. Vegapunk, more interested in the science than the history, said: "I'm more intrigued by the technical aspects of this design."
"I'll leave the technical details to you, Doctor. I plan to have the Marine shipwrights construct a sturdy vessel, and I'll trust you with the mechanical and internal components. I've already spoken with the Fleet-Admiral, and after getting the nod from the Five Elders, he's agreed to let me have my own warship." Brontes explained.
Dr. Vegapunk took the blueprint, signaling his agreement to assist Brontes with the core of his warship.
The blueprint was actually for the Ark Maxim, which Brontes had discovered alongside the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. He had acquired both a decade ago in Birka and had long wished to build the Ark Maxim.
Now, with Dr. Vegapunk on board, Brontes was one step closer to realizing his dream of a flying warship.
While the ark wouldn't directly make him stronger, it would certainly enhance his efficiency in pirate hunting by boosting his lightning powers to some extent.
...
After departing from Punk Hazard, Brontes was in his usual training session at the gym when his assistant, Kaise, rushed to find him.
"Come in." Brontes said, his eyes closed. His Observation Haki had already alerted him to Kaise's approach.
Kaise entered, hesitating upon seeing Brontes's closed eyes. Brontes's power was growing; at just twenty-eight, he was already an Admiral in the Marines.
Kaise, though two years his senior and not just any assistant—he had trained alongside Kuzan in the Elite Camp—felt the gap between them.
"Sir, it's an urgent message from Marineford." Kaise sad, regaining his composure: "Shiki, the Golden Lion, has escaped from Impel Down. His current location is unknown."
Brontes's brow furrowed: "If Shiki has escaped, why hasn't Impel Down requested reinforcements?"
Kaise hastily explained: "Admiral Sengoku has asked for you to contact him as soon as you get this message." He handed Brontes the Den Den Mushi and left the room.
"Moshi moshi, this is Sengoku." Came the voice from the snail-like communication device.
"Sengoku-san, it's me." Brontes replied.
"You've heard the news, right? Shiki has escaped." Sengoku said seriously.
"Yes, Kaise just informed me." Brontes acknowledged.
"There's more. Along with Shiki's escape, another grave incident has occurred..." Sengoku's voice was tense.
"Another incident?" Brontes pondered.
Aside from the Ohara incident and Shiki's escape, he couldn't recall any other significant events from the original story occurring this year.
Sengoku's voice was thick with anger as he delivered the shocking news: "The Chief Warden of Impel Down, King, has betrayed us."
Brontes had anticipated Shiki's escape; it was a twist in the story he knew well. But King's betrayal was a complete surprise.
Brontes had never met King in person, only hearing of his formidable and cruel reputation. In the comics, King later became a notorious figure, the strongest of the Beasts Pirates under Kaido and the leader of the Three Disasters.
This news left Brontes feeling a mix of familiarity and disbelief. Such a betrayal by the Chief Warden was a scandal that couldn't be ignored—the Marines would have to act swiftly.
"Do we have any idea where they are now?" Brontes asked, trying to grasp the situation.
Sengoku replied: "Currently, we have no clue. They both have the ability to fly and may well have crossed the Red Line into the New World. Stay vigilant, and I'll update you with any new information."
"Understood. I'll monitor our intelligence closely and report back with any developments." Brontes responded with a serious tone.
After ending the call, Brontes lost his desire to train. He put on his coat and stepped onto the balcony, gazing into the sky, deep in thought.
"Will King join the Beasts Pirates as he did in the anime? Or will he start his own crew?" He wondered.
...
Two months passed by since the prison break incident.
Soon, the Marines received an update. Shiki had been seen on Whitebeard's ship, engaging in conversation before vanishing without a trace. His whereabouts, along with those of the Golden Lion Pirates, were now a mystery to the World Government and the Marine.
However, they had located King. He was on an island in the New World, where he had encountered and was now torturing a group of pirates. King's sadistic nature was on full display, a continuation of his twisted enjoyment of torture and punishment from his time as Chief Warden.
...
On an unnamed island in the New World.
"Why? Ah! Who are you doing this?" Cried a pirate, bound to a post and bleeding from numerous small objects embedded in his flesh.
He was alive, painfully aware, as he watched a tall figure in black, adorned with wings and a mask, use various tools to inflict torment.
"Why do I do this? Because I find it thrilling." The man said with a chilling laugh: "I want to hear you beg for mercy. The screams of your dying friends were music to my ears."
"W-who are you? Why are you doing this? P-please, stop... What have we done to you?" The Pirate screamed, terror and agony in his voice.
"Who am I? You don't know? I'm King. My past as a warden is over. Now, I'm free." King said with a smile, relishing the fresh air yet missing the cries of prisoners: "But there are plenty of people out here, and I can make them scream whenever I want, especially when I torture them myself."
Holding a small, granulated object, King approached the pirate, who was now weeping and begging, the pain overwhelming his senses.
The torture wasn't just physical; it was a symphony of suffering that played on both the body and the mind. The pirate had watched, helpless and horrified, as his crewmates were subjected to excruciating pain, their screams reaching a crescendo each time King brought out his dreaded tool.
"Terrified, aren't you?" King taunted, a twisted smile on his lips: "This little device will pierce right through your spleen. You'll be desperate for death, but it won't come quickly. Think of it as a parting gift." His laughter echoed, a sound devoid of any warmth.
After his betrayal, King had fled to the New World, steering clear of the Marines' reach. But once there, the absence of prisoners' cries and the lack of victims to torment gnawed at him. He craved the old, familiar sounds of agony.
That's when he stumbled upon a pirate crew. The sight of them triggered his suppressed sadistic urges.
Without hesitation, King unleashed his cruelty upon them, torturing the pirates for three days straight, indulging his vile cravings. Now, only one pirate remained, and King was ready to deliver the final blow.
"Ahhh!"
As King inserted the object into the pirate's abdomen, a blood-curdling scream filled the air.
King threw his head back, savoring the sound as if it were a melody in a grand concert hall.
"Fascinating!" King exclaimed, reveling in the agony he inflicted: "There's no music more beautiful than the sound of pure anguish."
"Whoshh! Rumble!"
But then, a strange noise cut through the screams—a whirring, like something spinning rapidly. King's attention snapped upwards to a ship soaring through the sky.
"A flying ship? Could it be Shiki's?" He mused, watching the ship glide above.
King knew his covert actions had facilitated Shiki's escape. Had he chosen to, he could have easily stopped a weakened Shiki, even after the pirate had severed his own legs. But King had other plans, and now Shiki was free, thanks in part to him.
"That's no ordinary ship; it looks like a marine warship. But since when do Marines have ships that can fly?" King was taken aback. He had been out of touch, confined within Impel Down's walls, and the sight of a flying warship was new to him.
As the 'warship' drew closer, King's curiosity turned into a wild impulse.
"What if I were to capture and torture the Marines?" He thought with a perverse anticipation.
He had already turned his back on the World Government and the Marines; what did he have to lose?
A sinister grin spread across King's face. "Come, Marines. Today, you'll learn the true meaning of pain. Hehehe!" He whispered, his voice laced with excitement and a thirst for the suffering of others.
