The smile on Sengoku's face froze instantly.
Cigarettes and meat—those, this old man could understand.
But cigars and hard liquor? That's a bit much, isn't it?
That brat Daren… is he throwing a party in Impel Down?
A few dark lines formed on Sengoku's forehead.
Seeing him remain silent, the aide's heart skipped a beat. He cautiously asked,
"Because of the order you issued a few days ago, allowing departments to loosen their spending limits, these additional supply requests have already been approved… Admiral Sengoku, should I contact the administrative department to stop the shipment?"
Within the Navy's organizational hierarchy, Impel Down—though hailed as the "World's Greatest Prison"—actually ranked among the lowest in status. That wasn't due to a lack of authority, but rather the sheer grimness of the place itself.
Housing countless criminals, Impel Down was designed with various "hells" to torment its inmates. Anyone working there long-term, surrounded by such cruelty, blood, and misery, would inevitably develop some quirks in their personality. And since the prison was surrounded by the Calm Belt and guarded so tightly that no one had ever escaped, the workload was light, with virtually no chance of earning merit or promotion.
As a result, those assigned to Impel Down were usually either eccentric oddballs or troublemakers punished for violating military regulations. Because of that, despite being responsible for housing so many criminals, Impel Down's standing within the Navy—and even the World Government—remained quite low.
Seeing Sengoku still silent, the aide instinctively assumed the admiral was unwilling to allocate funds to the prison.
"No, that won't be necessary," Sengoku said, waving his hand.
He might not know what that brat Daren was doing inside Impel Down, but such a small request for supplies wasn't unreasonable. Besides, that funding had originally been allocated to Daren anyway.
The aide hesitated.
"Are you sure? Impel Down's supply request is indeed a bit above the usual quota. We could reject it…"
"—Above quota? In what way?" Sengoku's tone turned serious.
"Impel Down, as the 'World's Greatest Prison,' carries the crucial duty of detaining countless criminals. Their request isn't excessive in the slightest."
"Yes, in this old man's opinion, it's perfectly reasonable!"
The aide: "…"
Just a few days ago, your tone wasn't like this at all. Back when the budget was tight, the first department you wanted to cut funding for was the Deep Sea Grand Prison. Watching Sengoku's righteous expression now, the aide's lips twitched slightly as he couldn't help but complain inwardly.
"Then I'll carry out your orders and make sure the supplies are delivered to Impel Down as soon as possible."
He still didn't understand why Admiral Sengoku suddenly cared so much about the prison staff's welfare, but as a personal aide, he had long since learned never to ask questions he shouldn't.
Sengoku nodded. After the aide turned to leave, he fell silent for a few seconds, still uneasy. Then he reached into his robe, took out a military Den Den Mushi, and dialed a number.
"Pururururu..."
The Den Den Mushi's ringing echoed, and the line connected almost immediately.
An overly obsequious voice came through:
"Admiral Sengoku, receiving your orders is truly the greatest honor of my life! You have no idea—ever since I was stationed in Impel Down, I've spent sleepless nights, tossing and turning, waiting for this very call from you..."
"Enough, enough, Borgus! Drop the act!"
Sengoku waved his hand impatiently, cutting him off.
"You hold the highest authority over the world's greatest prison. As the esteemed Commissioner of Impel Down, don't embarrass this old man!"
Still, a faint smile crept across Sengoku's lips despite himself.
"I have something important to ask you."
The Commissioner of Impel Down, Borgus, immediately responded with utmost respect.
"Admiral Sengoku, please speak! As long as it doesn't involve cutting the military budget, I can agree to anything! Of course, if I could be transferred from Impel Down to headquarters—even if it were just as a Vice Admiral—I would have no complaints at all."
Sengoku: "..."
"We'll discuss transfers later. What I want to know is about that... Da—uh, that new Warden, Bruce Wayne. How is he doing in his post at Impel Down?"
"Bruce Wayne?"
On the other end, Borgus paused in surprise.
So that mysterious "bat" kid really did have some kind of background... Even Admiral Sengoku himself was taking the initiative to ask about him.
"Well... Admiral Sengoku, I'm not too sure about the details. From the very first day that kid arrived, he went straight down to the sixth underground level—Eternal Hell—and he hasn't come out since."
Borgus lowered his voice.
Hasn't come out since?
Sengoku's eyes widened in disbelief.
"And..."
Borgus seemed to remember something, shuddering as he continued,
"According to the guards stationed on the fifth level, they've occasionally heard wails of agony echoing from the sixth underground level... along with heavy rumbling noises."
Sengoku's eye twitched.
"You never thought of going in to check?"
"How could I dare? I mean, I trust in our officers' abilities!"
Borgus declared righteously.
"Besides, Warden clearly stated that once he entered the sixth underground level, all consequences would be his responsibility. Even if he died down there, no one was to interfere."
Sengoku frowned.
"Aren't you afraid the prisoners in Eternal Hell might escape?"
Borgus chuckled.
"Not at all. Wain looks like a smart man—he wouldn't do anything stupid like that."
That's because you don't know his personality at all.
Sengoku silently grumbled to himself.
Borgus then added,
"Besides, Wayne said on his first day that if anything went wrong, Admiral Sengoku would take full responsibility... And I figured, with your foresight, Admiral Sengoku, appointing Wayne as Warden must have been part of your grand plan."
"..."
Sengoku suddenly felt a sharp pang in his chest.
"Fine. Regarding that kid Wayne, if there's any new information, make sure to report it to me immediately."
He muttered gloomily, then abruptly hung up the Den Den Mushi.
"Ugh, that bastard Daren... I hope he doesn't cause trouble in Impel Down."
Sengoku rubbed his temples and sighed.
"How terrifying..."
Just then, a drawling, teasing voice spoke from behind him.
Sengoku's body went rigid.
Oh no.
"This is quite the interesting bit of news, Admiral Sengoku..."
Hearing that mocking tone, Sengoku stiffly turned around.
A tall, lanky figure had appeared out of nowhere.
Borsalino stood there, grinning lazily as he stroked the stubble on his chin, amusement gleaming in his eyes.
"So... Daren is in Impel Down?"