Ignoring the fact that most of the base was already asleep at this late hour, Rowen took out his Den Den Mushi. After dialing, he spoke in a low, sharp tone.
"Assign a team to keep a constant, close watch on North Blue. The moment Vinsmoke Judge succeeds in his objective, report to me immediately."
Dante, on the other end, had no clue what new, convoluted scheme Rowen was brewing or why he suddenly cared about the mundane politics of North Blue. But rank crushed all, especially when the gap was several grades wide.
He stood in his pajamas, his face twitching before the Den Den Mushi. "Yes, sir!"
Rowen then dialed a second number.
"Little Dragon, Lord of Kano Country, it's been a while since we've chatted."
He didn't pause for a reply. "It's like this: I hear the Germa Kingdom has declared war on the North Blue noble families, and their shiny new weapons were purchased directly from you."
"No, no, don't worry about it. I don't have time to bother with your smuggling affairs… I just want to offer a word of warning: Germa is a pack of wolves, and you all had better be extremely careful."
"Mm, that's it. Go back to sleep."
Rowen hung up again.
On the other end, the young lord of Kano Country stared at the deactivated Den Den Mushi with a look of utter bewilderment and fear, then quickly rushed to change his clothes.
"Call Minister Huo Hai and Old Minister Sai, we have urgent, immediate matters to discuss!"
Having finished his subtle maneuvering, Rowen found himself in an excellent mood. He sneered quietly.
"Reality is a harsh teacher, showing us that leaving a little room for decency when conducting business makes future encounters much easier… See? This is a perfect example of what happens when you don't."
To abuse Ain's ancestors was, in Rowen's mind, the same as disrespecting him.
When Fleet Admiral Akainu walked straight through the door, Rowen was momentarily surprised, but he ignored the breach of protocol and delivered his report immediately.
"Sir, Lirisk wants to see you."
"Click-click… I knew it would be him."
Akainu stepped forward, picked up Warden Hannyabal's written report, and skimmed it. "So he's… finally seen the light?"
"No idea. But wasn't that the very reason we didn't execute him?" Akainu offered a thin, unsettling smile, a look that was strangely out of character.
"Now that his own father has turned into that… monstrosity, Lirisk should have plenty of motivation to hate him."
"That's highly likely. Prepare a battleship immediately. I'll depart for Impel Down now."
"Understood!"
Rowen suddenly patted Akainu on the shoulder, leaving the Fleet Admiral looking completely stunned. They had known each other for years, and even though Akainu was his superior officer, Rowen was still his elder in terms of Marine seniority.
Rowen put on a tragic expression and sighed dramatically:
"Fleet Admiral… please, don't be like this. The Marines already have enough master schemers. Just stick to being yourself."
Akainu's face flushed, whether from suppressed anger or sheer embarrassment, and he ground his teeth until they creaked. He spoke each word with distinct, cold clarity:
"Safe… journeys… sir."
"No need to see me off!" Rowen replied, offering a shamelessly cheerful wave as he departed.
Impel Down was still the infamous prison he remembered, yet an undeniable sense of "change" hung in the air, affecting both the place and the people.
Dragon's mass breakout had done little damage to the lower, more fortified levels, but the upper floors, the gateway floors, particularly Crimson Hell, which acted as the "front gate", had been heavily compromised. The specialized red needle-grass hadn't fully regrown, forcing the stationing of extra guards to watch the inmates. Crimson Hell now existed in name only; it was more accurately a Sea of People Hell.
That was the change in the place.
As for the people...
Seeing Hannyabal standing at the front of the welcoming group, Rowen couldn't help but laugh inwardly. While judging people by appearance was often unfair, compared to the imposing Deputy Chief Warden Magellan standing stoically behind him, Hannyabal's bulging round belly and duck-like gait made him look ridiculous.
Hannyabal, however, was clearly unconcerned. As long as Impel Down remained stable, his Warden position was secure, and that was all the contentment he needed. Prestige? Who needed prestige in Impel Down? Here, only fear and obedience mattered.
"Lord Soryu (Azure Dragon), welcome back to Impel Down!" Hannyabal shrieked in his familiar, grating voice, rushing forward with a sickeningly ingratiating grin.
Sadi-chan and the other staff members looked away in profound embarrassment. He's one of the great "Vortex Iron Triangle" of this prison… couldn't he try to act dignified for once? It was painful just to watch.
"Long time no see, everyone." Rowen nodded with a smile. "I haven't been here in so long, I almost miss the days when I was acting Warden."
"Especially those inmates… have they been behaving?"
"Behaving! Behaving extraordinarily well!" Worried about how the upper ranks truly viewed his leadership, Hannyabal quickly launched into a confident boast.
"Good. As one of the Iron Triangle of the Great Whirlpool, Impel Down has suffered two, no, three, major disasters in these past few decades." Rowen glanced pointedly at Magellan. "You'd all better keep up the good work."
"Yes, yes, absolutely right, my lord!" Hannyabal beamed, his face practically folding in on itself as he leaned in, practically begging for a pat on the head.
Rowen found such shamelessness impossible to deal with and simply couldn't be bothered. "All right, send someone to guide me. Everyone else, get back to your posts."
"Understood! Hey, you, why are you standing there like an idiot? Hurry and show Lord Soryu (Azure Dragon) the way!"
Magellan, standing behind the Warden, closed his eyes for a beat. He really wanted to poison this man in a loving, merciful embrace.
Once Rowen had stepped into the prison gates, Hannyabal instantly dropped his fawning smile and adopted a chillingly stern expression.
"This is a warning," he announced, his voice surprisingly firm. "Impel Down is different from Enies Lobby or Marineford. They can have accidents; we cannot. First the Golden Lion escaped successfully, then Dragon orchestrated the mass breakout, and in the middle of that, our own man, Shiryu, went rogue. Headquarters is absolutely dissatisfied with us."
He clenched his fists. "My shamelessly flattering him is preferable to all of us being punished later for failing to show respect."
Seeing the shocked and newfound respect in the eyes of his subordinates, Hannyabal straightened his spine, momentarily sucked in his ridiculous belly, and adopted an air of grim, noble dignity.
"This is the resolve of Impel Down's Warden!"
Everyone stood in reverent, stunned silence.
…However, just a few seconds later, he let his belly drop and grinned like a circus clown.
"So? Wasn't I super cool just now?"
Sadi-chan and the others collectively sighed. I actually allowed myself to have expectations for this guy?! Ugh… so embarrassing.
The familiar Impel Down naturally included the infamous Level 6, Thunder Hell.
But Rowen, observant as always, noticed something off: the level was too quiet. Most of the cells were empty.
"After the prisoners who were… dealt with by you, sir, were subjected to the chaos of the last breakout, many were killed off. Added to the total number who escaped afterward, well…" Magellan looked profoundly ashamed.
"No matter. The Marines long ago issued a kill-on-sight order. Those who escaped would never have another chance to be imprisoned anyway." The current state of the sea was nothing like the past. Apart from the slow progress in the New World, the rest of the Grand Line was rapidly being connected by Sea Train routes. Even if the fugitives escaped, there wasn't much room left in the world for them to thrive. And as time went on, that space would shrink even more.
"Some of the escapees have already been located by Marine forces," Rowen continued, his voice echoing slightly in the vast, empty hall. "But I didn't allow them to act immediately. Do you know why?"
"Uh… because a great war is approaching?" Magellan asked cautiously.
"Half right." Rowen grinned, his teeth showing in a sharp, cold line.
"The other half is because I ordered them to record these fugitives' lives every day, how they live in constant, consuming fear. And then, when they reach their greatest despair… or perhaps their highest hope… that is when they will be captured and publicly beheaded."
"A jailbreak is born from the delusion that life outside will be better, that they'll thrive out there. So I'll show them exactly what it feels like to live every day in terror, hunted and isolated."
"Compared to that, this hell, Impel Down, is Heaven."
He hadn't spoken quietly. Most of the remaining, awakened prisoners in Thunder Hell heard every single word. Magellan clearly sensed it: the already silent Level 6 became oppressively quiet. Not even breathing could be heard.
Yes… this is the Soryu (Azure Dragon) I know.
Feeling a strange, dark sense of nostalgia, Magellan stopped in front of a cell hidden in a remote corner and bowed deeply.
"Then I shall leave you, my lord."
Rowen nodded, saying nothing.
After Magellan retreated, Rowen dragged over a solitary stool and sat down heavily.
"You… finally figured it out, Lirisk?"
(End of Chapter)
This novel is finished, and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395