Passing through the majestic Gate of Justice, they entered the Calm Belt.
Under the gloomy sky, the Prison Battleship came to a stop before an imposing complex of fortress-like structures.
Impel Down had arrived.
The battleship docked at the pier.
Both Marines and prisoners disembarked in an orderly fashion.
The highest-ranking officer overseeing this prisoner transport mission was Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Grizly.
Storm followed behind Grizly as they moved toward Impel Down's entrance.
A lone figure stood silently at the prison's gates, his appearance resembling a grotesque fusion of pharaoh and demon.
As Storm and Grizly approached, the figure finally spoke.
"Welcome to—"
Hannyabal said calmly.
"My Impel Down."
Grizly had been about to extend a hand in greeting.
At these words, his movement froze momentarily.
If he remembered correctly,
Wasn't Impel Down's Chief Warden supposed to be Magellan?
Then who was this pot-bellied, ogre-like fool standing before them?
Before Grizly could voice his question,
Hannyabal hastily grabbed the Vice Admiral's right hand and shook it vigorously.
"Ah! My apologies! That was a slip of the tongue! Saying 'my prison' might reveal too much of my ambitions."
"I'm Impel Down's Chief Jailer, Hannyabal. Pleased to meet you."
Grizly's eye twitched slightly as he responded coldly.
"...Grizly."
"I've heard about this one - Vongola Storm, correct?"
Releasing Grizly's hand, Hannyabal turned his attention to Storm behind him.
"My new subordinate—ah! There I go again revealing my ambitions!"
Grizly didn't linger long, excusing himself promptly on grounds of "pressing military duties."
Only Storm and Hannyabal remained.
"Sir."
Storm produced the transfer order Aokiji had given him earlier.
"Here's the official transfer order from Headquarters for your review."
"Don't call me 'sir'—address me as 'Chief Jailer'!"
Hannyabal took the document while emphasizing firmly.
"Though if you'd prefer to call me 'Chief Warden,' that would be fine too."
"To be honest, Warden Hannyabal, I could tell at first glance you have what it takes to be Impel Down's Chief Warden."
Storm suggested with complete seriousness.
"Why don't we storm the Chief Warden's office together and seize Warden Magellan's position?"
Huh? Hannyabal involuntarily took a step back, as if startled.
Kid, I'm just an ambitious loudmouth who likes to talk big—but you're actually serious about this? "I think... you might be taking things too far, ahem."
Hannyabal casually stuffed the transfer order into his pocket.
"Follow me, I'll give you a tour of my Impel Down."
Storm trailed behind Hannyabal as they entered the prison's interior.
The moment he stepped through the gates, agonized screams echoed from nearby.
"Beautiful screams, aren't they?"
Hannyabal smiled contentedly, gesturing toward the iron railings lining the path.
"Prisoners brought to my Impel Down are first taken beyond those railings."
"They must strip naked and enter the 'Warm Water of Hell' heated to 100 degrees for disinfection."
"This is also the 'baptism' that Impel Down gives to its prisoners."
Storm nodded calmly, then feigned curiosity and asked,
"Warden Hannyabal, why does Impel Down use boiling water instead of hot oil?"
H-Hot oil? Hannyabal's smile instantly stiffened.
Kid, are you trying to deep-fry all the prisoners?! "Because... it's tradition."
Hannyabal wiped the sweat from his forehead, eager to end the topic.
But Storm wasn't about to let him off so easily.
"Sir, if you become the warden in the future, could you change the 'Warm Water of Hell' into 'Warm Oil of Hell'?"
Kid, I think you're taking things a bit too far! Hannyabal roared internally.
Now he understood.
Why this kid had been transferred from Marine Headquarters to Impel Down!
Hell is empty, the devils are in the Marines!
"Newbie, not every prisoner in Impel Down is on death row."
"So why is that?"
This time, Storm was genuinely puzzled.
"Is the government keeping these scum alive just waiting for them to escape?"
"Escape?"
Hannyabal burst out laughing as if he'd heard the biggest joke.
"Impel Down is built with impenetrable walls—it's the world's most secure prison."
"No prisoner could ever escape from Impel Down!"
Storm glanced at Hannyabal and casually dropped a name.
"Golden Lion Shiki?"
"Uh..."
Hannyabal froze again.
A little-known fact about Impel Down.
Hannyabal had personally witnessed Golden Lion Shiki's escape.
Shiki had even asked Hannyabal directly where Impel Down had stored his [Cherry Ten] and [Withered Tree].
Being cornered repeatedly by a newbie was making Hannyabal lose face.
"Newbie! Impel Down has rules! Subordinates aren't allowed to talk back to their superiors!"
Really? I don't buy it.
Storm smirked. If subordinates in Impel Down truly couldn't sass their superiors,
Hannyabal would've been thrown into Infinite Hell the moment his ambitions were exposed.
Still, Storm quite liked this blustering superior.
Seeing Hannyabal about to lose his temper, Storm pinched his thumb and forefinger together and drew them across his lips—a gesture meaning "sealing his mouth."
Only then did Hannyabal nod in satisfaction.
The first floor of Impel Down wasn't particularly large.
Hannyabal led Storm on a tour.
From the initial baptism chamber to the generator room, infirmary, surveillance room, and warden dormitories.
When they passed the prison's cafeteria,
Storm saw a group of Blue Gorillas dragging enormous chunks of meat toward the kitchen.
Their leader was a woman in a pink leather outfit with long, wavy orange hair.
"My dear Sadie."
Hannyabal waved enthusiastically at her.
"Did the food supply go smoothly today?"
"Of course!"
Sadie's orange bangs covered her eyes, but her vision didn't seem affected.
She easily noticed Storm standing beside Hannyabal.
"Hmm?! Is this the newbie taking over my job?"
As she spoke,
Sadie gave a slight twist to the long-handled pitchfork in her hand.
The prongs of the pitchfork detached instantly, revealing a long, slender whip in her hand.
Crack! Sadie flicked the whip through the air, producing a sharp, resounding snap.
"Newbie, what's your name, hmm?"
"Vongola Storm."
Storm stepped forward, meeting Sadie's gaze.
"Officer?"
"Call me Sadie!"
In the blink of an eye, Sadie lashed out with her whip, striking toward Storm from a distance.
Her mastery of the whip far surpassed Kujaku's.
The black whip, crafted from an unknown material, gleamed with an oily sheen.
Upon closer inspection, one could see the sharp barbs lining its surface.
Being struck by such a whip would have dire consequences.
Yet, Storm didn't even bat an eye at the attack.
Without making any visible movement, ripples of white energy shimmered across his body.
The next moment.
A white serpent made of clay shot forth from Storm's body, lunging to bite the incoming whip.
Crack! Sadie's whip struck the serpent's head with precision, causing the soft clay to burst apart instantly.
But the serpent didn't "die" from the blow.
Instead.
The shattered serpent transformed into an impenetrable net of clay, tightly ensnaring the black whip.
Storm manipulated the clay like a white chain, engaging in a tug-of-war with Sadie.
"Sadie! Vongola! Stop fighting already!"
Hannyabal's anxious voice rang out from the side.
"If you keep this up, the Blue Gorillas will go berserk!"
Sadie jolted in alarm.
She turned her head just in time to see one of the Blue Gorillas, which had been carrying food earlier, charging toward them.
The Blue Gorillas, whose true name was "Brugri," were massive in size, possessed incredible strength, and bore eerie skull-like markings on their faces. They were known as the "Sea Fighters."
The Blue Gorilla sprinting toward them had a clear target—
Storm, who was currently fighting Sadie!
"Roar! Roar!"
The Blue Gorilla brandished a massive double-sided axe, swinging it fiercely at Storm.
Storm's expression remained utterly unchanged.
He raised his right hand, and white clay surged forth endlessly, rapidly piling up beside him into a small mountain.
Then, the clay mountain writhed.
A colossal white gorilla, nearly tall enough to breach Impel Down's ceiling, "burst" from the clay! The Blue Gorilla swung its axe with all its might.
Due to its height, the strike only managed to hit the white gorilla's knee.
The combat prowess of the Sea Fighters was nothing to scoff at.
Even the Sea Kings of the Calm Belt could be effortlessly "split in two" by their axes.
The white gorilla, made of clay, couldn't withstand the axe's hardness—its knee was cleanly severed.
But clay constructs feared no injury.
Even with its knee severed by the "Sea Fighter," the upper half of the white gorilla remained unscathed.
Storm manipulated the white gorilla, which raised an enormous fist and brought it crashing down.
Boom! The attacking Blue Gorilla had no chance to dodge—the clay fist smashed directly into its head.
With a deafening crash.
The Blue Gorilla was sent sprawling, completely knocked unconscious.
[Silver Trophy: Brugri]
[Trophy Rating: ★★★]
A single Blue Gorilla equals a Silver Trophy?!
Storm watched as a troop of Blue Gorillas charged toward him from the distance.
In his eyes, these weren't just Blue Water Monkeys—they were piles of Silver Trophies! Storm could almost hear the phantom whispers in his ears.
Main Quest Triggered! Begin Dominating Impel Down with the Blue Water Monkeys!
Contract status updated.
Please keep reading and supporting!
——
In the year 1522 of the Sea Calendar, Hannyabal temporarily served as Deputy Warden of Impel Down.
But now, in 1518, the setting shows Hannyabal still as Chief Jailer, not yet promoted.