Magellan didn't spare Hannyabal another glance. His face was set in stone, his aura of poisonous fury seeping out in waves.
They began making their way toward the center of Eternal Hell — the cell that had belonged to the now-deceased World Destroyer.
As they walked, the prisoners stirred like caged beasts sensing fresh meat.
Wicked laughter echoed from the cells.
"Oy, oy, look at that! Big scary Magellan's dragging a brat with him!"
"Hahaha! What's the Navy doing, sending babies to play in the deepest hell?!"
"Come here, kid! I'll show you what a real pirate can do!"
Rattle! Rattle!
Chains clanged as some inmates hurled themselves against the bars, gnashing their teeth like rabid dogs.
Luffy's step didn't falter for even a moment. In fact, he turned to the worst heckler — a skeletal-looking pirate with wild, broken teeth — and gave a cheeky wink.
"Sorry, old man, I don't do charity work," He called, blowing a lazy kiss. "Maybe in your next life, you'll be cute enough."
Wham!
The prisoner smashed his fists against the bars, roaring in rage, but the Sea Stone kept him weak and sluggish.
Magellan, however, had reached the end of his patience.
Without warning, his huge hand erupted with thick, bubbling purple poison, forming a writhing serpent.
"Hydra: Poisonous Dragon!" He bellowed.
SHRIEEEEEEEK!!
The poisonous dragon shot forward with terrifying speed, slamming into the troublemakers' cells with a deafening explosion. Poison splattered everywhere, hissing and eating through the walls and bars like acid.
Boom!
The mocking pirates instantly fell silent, coughing and gasping, some collapsing against the far ends of their cells to avoid the lethal fumes.
A heavy silence fell over Eternal Hell, broken only by the sizzling sound of burning stone.
Luffy let out a low whistle, clapping slowly, an exaggerated expression of amazement on his face.
Clap... Clap... Clap...
"Bravo, Chief Warden," Luffy said with a wide grin, giving a dramatic thumbs-up. "Seriously, you're wasted down here babysitting these losers."
Magellan turned his heavy gaze toward him, blinking slowly.
Luffy smirked.
"With your strength," He continued, his voice turning sharper, darker, "you could clean up half the Grand Line. No need to keep locking them up... just erase them. Future problems, solved."
Domino shot him a scandalized look but said nothing.
Even Magellan froze for a moment.
He stared at the boy standing casually amid the sea of despair.
He's not joking, Magellan realized with a chill. This kid... he's dead serious.
For a brief moment, the idea flashed across Magellan's mind — a world where he wasn't a warden, but an executioner.
There would be no cells, no endless punishments, and no hellish stink of guilt and regret.
There would only be justice, and it would be quick, brutal, and clean.
But he shook the thought away.
"I have a duty," Magellan said gruffly, almost to himself.
Luffy shrugged, hands behind his head as he sauntered forward, whistling again.
"Suit yourself, Warden," He said casually. "But don't blame me when they crawl out one day and bite you in the ass."
He grinned widely, showing off perfect white teeth. "And you know they'll try."
At last, they reached the destination.
The cell that once housed the World Destroyer, Byrnndi World.
The stench of blood and death hung thick in the air.
Inside, World's corpse lay sprawled grotesquely on the floor, his face twisted in a permanent grimace of shock and agony. He had two bloody holes on his body, one in his forehead and one on his chest.
Magellan's eyes darkened, his fists clenching so tightly his knuckles cracked.
Luffy stared at the scene, his face unreadable, his mind calculating.
Perfect execution, He thought smugly.
But out loud, he let out a low whistle.
"Wow," he said, crouching down beside the body, poking it lightly with a stick Domino handed him.
"Someone really had it out for this guy, huh?"
Domino grimaced at his casualness, while Hannyabal took frantic notes like a reporter hungry for headlines.
Magellan finally spoke, his voice colder than the grave.
"I want every inch of this floor searched. Every guard would be questioned. No one leaves until I find out who did this."
His poisonous aura exploded outward again, making the guards pale and tremble.
Luffy rose to his feet slowly, dusting his hands off, smiling lazily.
"Sounds like fun," He said. "Count me in."
The air of Eternal Hell remained heavy even after the corpse of Byrnndi World had been covered and carted off by trembling guards.
The tension was thick enough to choke on.
"Alright, alright, come frisk me," Luffy said suddenly, stretching his arms wide with a cheeky grin. His voice cut through the heavy atmosphere like a blade.
The guards blinked in confusion.
Even Magellan raised an eyebrow.
"I mean it," Luffy added, wiggling his eyebrows teasingly. "If you think I'm suspicious, come on, check me. Maybe you'll find a hidden bazooka in my pants."
A few guards coughed violently, faces turning bright red.
Domino shot him a warning glare but couldn't fully hide the amused twitch at the corner of her lips.
"You... Rear Admiral Luffy, we would never—!" One young guard stammered.
Luffy tilted his head innocently, batting his lashes like a mischievous devil.
"Then what's the problem, huh? Scared to touch a dangerous criminal like me?"
He leaned in, whispering loud enough for everyone to hear, "Don't worry. I don't bite... hard."
BAM!!
Domino slammed her heel onto the floor, the sharp crack echoing like a gunshot.
"Enough teasing!" She barked, her cheeks tinged pink. "Proceed with the inspection!"
The guards, flustered but obedient, quickly patted Luffy down. They checked his sleeves, his boots, his waist, even his pockets — but of course, they found nothing. Not even a pebble, let alone a gun.
Luffy let them search with a saintly patience, smirking the entire time.
When they finished, he threw his hands behind his head lazily.
"See?" He said with a big grin. "Clean as a whistle."
Then he flexed his fist, making a few knuckles pop loudly.
"Besides," He added, his voice dropping to a casual yet chilling tone, "if I wanted to kill someone, why would I bother with a gun?"
The guards swallowed nervously.
"I'm called Divine Fist for a reason, y'know," Luffy said, flashing a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "One punch. Lights out."
Magellan gave Luffy a long, considering look.
'This brat...' He thought grimly. 'He's hiding more than he shows.'
Once the formalities were over, Luffy didn't just stand around.
He rolled up his sleeves, figuratively and literally, and joined the guards in scouring Level 6 for clues.
Domino walked beside him, clipboard in hand, trying to look professional.
"You don't have to get your hands dirty, Rear Admiral," She said stiffly.
Luffy grinned at her, reaching out to tug playfully at a strand of her golden hair.
"But where's the fun in that, Miss Domino?" He teased. "If I'm here, I might as well get my money's worth."
She slapped his hand away, her cheeks warming slightly, but didn't argue.
For the next hour, Luffy moved through the massive floor, peeking into cells, examining broken chains, and even sniffing around the walls dramatically just to make Domino roll her eyes.
He chatted with prisoners, cracked jokes, and laughed loudly, but all the while, he observed carefully, his sharp eyes missing nothing.
Yet despite their efforts, they found nothing.
It was as if the killer had been a ghost.
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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