Chapter 9: The Responsible Hannyabal
"What happened in the Second Floor? Where's the prisoner?"
Hannyabal shouted into the receiver, met only with silence. It was like the guards on the second floor had vanished. Frustrated, Hannyabal could only turn back to the first floor guards.
"We lost contact too! No idea what's going on up there!"
The news from below wasn't any better. The entire second floor had gone dark. You must know that the Den Den Mushi is also a living thing, and it will become invalid after being oppressed by Reiatsu.
"This is getting annoying..."
Before Hannyabal could finish, a deafening roar echoed through the building.
"Deputy Director, it's the Sphinx! Must've found the escapee!"
A guard's eyes widened.
"Then let's go!"
Without hesitation, Hannyabal and his men charged forward. But before they could reach the source, they spotted a giant lion plummeting from above, barely dodging the beast. It was the Sphinx, sent flying by Luo Ning. Luo Ning had to admit, the creature was a punching bag, but still no match for him.
"Hannyabal?"
Following Luo Ning through the wall, he found Hannyabal and his group.
"You're a wanted criminal, surrender now!"
Hannyabal brandished his weapon and shouted a warning. The other jailers joined him, most armed with guns.
"Didn't expect you here on the second floor. Thought I'd find you on the fourth"
Luo Ning didn't expect to see Hannyabal.
While he didn't dislike Hannyabal - the guy just wants to be director, his strength is average, and he looks odd - Hannyabal did have a strong sense of duty.
He wouldn't have gotten shot by Luffy if he'd just dodged, but as Impel Down's deputy director, he had a job to do. It wasn't anyone's fault. As a guard, Hannyabal had to stop Luffy. Luffy, on the other hand, just wanted to save his brother.
Overall, Luo Ning didn't have a bad impression of Hannyabal. His biggest issue was his strength not matching his position.
Hannyabal could beat Buggy the Clown and his crew, but Buggy himself struggled against a Brugley . His strength was truly average.
"Fourth floor? Never mind the reason, but down there you'll find real monster - Magellan."
Hannyabal stared at Luo Ning, confused. Why would he want to go down?
"Magellan's one of my targets, by the way. Speaking of which, what floor is Shiryu on?"
Luo Ning seemed more interested in Shiryu than Magellan. Even if Shiryu wasn't quite as strong, it wasn't a huge difference.
Right now, Shiryu shouldn't be locked up by Magellan. When Luffy came to Impel Down, Ivankov mentioned Shiryu's recent death sentence. With Luffy still years from setting sail, Shiryu couldn't be imprisoned yet.
"Shiryu? He's usually on the fourth floor, hardly ever comes up. Wait, why am I telling you this?"
After blurting out the answer, Hannyabal realized his mistake. The way Luo Ning spoke to him, like an old friend, combined with his calm demeanor, threw him off guard.
He'd been tricked.
"Fourth floor down, right? Got it"
Luo Ning clenched his fist and vanished from the spot. In an instant, he reappeared right in front of Hannyabal, moving at an incredible speed.
"So fast!"
Hannyabal realized he couldn't react in time when Luo Ning charged towards him.
"Thanks for the tip. Go get some rest. I took care of everything on this floor, no monsters to worry about"
Luo Ning sidestepped Hannyabal again and struck him in the neck with the back of the sword.
Hannyabal rolled his eyes and collapsed.
The other guards fell unconscious too when Reiatsu was released.
Hannyabal's weak. He didn't even bring the strong jailer monsters, just regular ones. This is like free food for me.
"Freedom's nothing compared to the Sphinx"
Luo Ning looked at Hannyabal on the ground and smirked. This guy really is a cheap import. He may be responsible, but he's still weak.
Luo Ning shook his head and used the points he got from beating guys like Sphinx and Hannyabal to improve his body and Reiatsu.
His physique and Reiatsu got a big boost again.
"Getting stronger feels awesome"
Luo Ning stretched, and his body crackled like popping beans.