Impel Down is, without a doubt, the most infamous prison in the world.
Located in the Calm Belt, it's connected to Marineford and Enies Lobby through the triangular currents behind the Gates of Justice, allowing prisoners to be delivered directly and Marines to offer timely support. It is, in the true sense, easy to defend but difficult to attack.
Coupled with the powerful jailers stationed there, the myth of Impel Down was forged.
Since its construction, no prisoner had ever escaped, earning it the moniker of the "Great Prison with Walls of Bronze and Iron."
However, in the past year, Impel Down's status had quietly changed.
After Marineford was destroyed by the Pirate Alliance, reconstruction efforts were launched, but the progress was agonizingly slow.
After all, the entire island had been lifted by the Golden Lion and slammed into the Gates of Justice.
The whole island was ruined and had completely sunk into the sea. Rebuilding required land reclamation, an engineering feat of astonishing magnitude.
Therefore, even though the World Government was desperately trying to rebuild Marineford for the security of Mary Geoise, progress was slow.
Without Marineford, the Great Prison was no longer as secure as it once was.
If anything were to happen, the Marines would find it difficult to provide support.
Insecurity is the biggest flaw for a prison.
Thus, the number of criminals sent to Impel Down had noticeably decreased over the past year.
And events would soon prove this subtle shift in policy to be correct.
Because.
"Zehahahahaha!"
With his golden mane flowing, the traveling Golden Lion Shiki landed on the rooftop of the first level above the sea.
He pressed his right hand onto the ground.
Then.
Rumble!
Huge ripples spread across the sea, and the building beneath his feet began to shake violently.
Inside the prison at that moment.
The violent tremor caused many objects to fall and sway, and many prisoners and jailers were thrown off balance and fell to the ground.
The unluckiest were the prisoners enduring torture in the Crimson Hell (Level 1), which was below sea level.
The cells on this level opened up to a unique forest, where the trees were Blade Trees with razor-sharp leaves, and the grass was Needle Grass with sharp points.
Prisoners held here were forced to run wildly through this hell of blades and swords daily—it was a testament to the fact that Impel Down was essentially a massive execution ground.
As the severe shaking began, the pirates running through the forest were caught off guard, tumbling to the ground and rolling over—
For these weakest of Impel Down's prisoners, this was effectively equivalent to slow torture by slicing.
Simultaneously, voices of astonishment erupted throughout the prison.
"What's wrong? An earthquake?"
"The entire Impel Down is shaking violently! Is it an earthquake of this magnitude?"
While prisoners and jailers were confused.
Ground Level 1, Monitoring Room.
"Th-this..."
Looking at the monitors, the guards' foreheads were covered in cold sweat. "It's flying! It's flying!!"
The guards patrolling the port outside the prison gates saw it even more clearly than those inside.
They watched wide-eyed as the sea grew farther and farther away. The entire Impel Down was being forcibly lifted from the seabed by an unseen force!
In the blink of an eye, their perspective had shifted from sea level to high altitude!
How could this happen?
What in the world is going on!
As the guards were gripped by terror.
"Zehahahahaha! Are you ready to welcome your true master, Impel Down!"
The lion-like man swaggered down from above, heading straight for the tightly sealed gate.
Seeing him, the guards were stunned for a moment.
Then, all their confusion was instantly resolved.
"The Golden Lion! It's the Golden Lion!!"
It made sense!
Only the Golden Lion possessed such power; only he could effortlessly wrench the entire Impel Down from the seabed.
Shiki couldn't be bothered with the terrified guards. In that instant, black lightning erupted from his body. The bolts deflected in the air and slammed into Impel Down.
The prison, which had just stabilized, began to shake violently again.
Inside, jailers and prisoners collapsed in droves, losing consciousness.
Shiki was here to recruit officers, and he wasn't interested in small fry. The selection had begun.
As Shiki approached, the prison gate suddenly warped and cracked open. He quietly flew inside.
Ground Level 1 of Impel Down was now dead silent. Guards and jailers were sprawled everywhere.
Shiki didn't care. He casually activated his power, and the ground warped and churned, forming a huge hole leading directly to the basement level.
Unfortunately, all the prisoners in Level 1, the Crimson Hell, were already wiped out.
Level 2, the Beast Hell, all wiped out.
Level 3, the Starvation Hell, all wiped out.
Shiki continued until he reached Level 4, the Blazing Hell. Here, a scattering of pirates still managed to maintain consciousness.
But here, an obstacle appeared.
"This is as far as you go! Golden Lion!"
Two men blocked Shiki's path. Behind them stood a handful of high-ranking jailers and guards.
"Zehahahahaha! Finally, some interesting characters have arrived! I was starting to wonder if I came to the wrong place!"
Shiki, floating in mid-air, condescendingly surveyed the people below, especially the two standing at the forefront.
"You two are the Warden and the Head Jailer of Impel Down, correct? This prison now belongs to me. How about you join my fleet? Don't worry, the pay will certainly be better than before."
According to the information he received, the Warden's office was located on this level.
"Enough nonsense!"
The Warden of Impel Down, a gray-haired man, angrily lunged straight at Shiki. "We are the guardians of Hell! How could we join the ranks of a demon!"
"Demon?"
Shiki paused, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Compared to a certain brat, what kind of demon am I?"
"However,"
His hands were already on the hilts of the swords at his waist. "Since you insist on seeking death, then I suppose I can oblige you!"
These two were quite strong, so he would be a little serious.
Later.
Level 5, the Freezing Hell, of Impel Down.
Blood dripped from Shiki onto the snow-covered ground.
Shiki's Observation Haki spread out freely. He finally nodded in satisfaction. There were quite a few people still active on this level.
However, now was not the time to deal with them. First, he would go see the true heavyweights.
"Impel Down actually has a sixth basement level?"
Shiki muttered to himself and activated his power again.
This was something he only realized after arriving at Impel Down. Before, the World Government had always advertised only five levels.
If all went as expected, following the rule that strength increased the deeper you went, the most truly terrifying criminals must be locked up in that forbidden sixth level, right?
However, there was a slight detour on the way to Level 6.
There was a void between Level 5 and Level 6, but it was empty, so Shiki didn't pay it any mind.
Finally, he landed in the dimmest bottom floor of Impel Down, known as the Eternal Hell.
Almost simultaneously with his arrival, voices rang out from the darkness.
"Who! Who has come!"
"What the hell happened outside!"
"What was that Conqueror's Haki just now?"
Shiki looked around, his lips curving into a smile. "Zehahahahaha! There are quite a few familiar faces from the old days locked up here! I thought you were all dead long ago! It seems I didn't come to the wrong place this time!"
"Wait, that voice!"
"Shiki? Is that Boss Shiki?"
"Golden Lion, why are you here!!"
Gasps of astonishment rose one after another in the gloomy prison.
"Why am I here?"
Shiki chuckled. "Impel Down now belongs to me! Those willing to follow me can live!"
"Refuse, and you die!"
His wild laughter echoed through the Eternal Hell. "What is your answer?"
Almost concurrently, Marine Headquarters, New Marineford.
"What? The Golden Lion attacked Impel Down?"
Sengoku looked up in astonishment at the rushing messenger.
"Y-yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
The Marine with fine sweat on his forehead quickly said, "This is an urgent communication from Warden Anderson. He said the entire Impel Down was taken by the Golden Lion, and he will lead all surviving forces to engage the Golden Lion..."
Sengoku's eyes flickered.
"In that case, Impel Down is probably completely lost."
Across the sofa, Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had come to discuss the Navy's future strategy with Sengoku, sighed helplessly. "Warden Anderson and Head Jailer Shepherd are both formidable, but if their enemy is the Golden Lion, they have no chance of winning."
"The prisoners!"
Sengoku waved his hand, dismissing the soldier from his office. Then, the man who commanded millions of Marines worldwide ground his teeth. "That bastard Golden Lion lost almost all his main forces to Roger last year! Although he's been recruiting over the past year, losses among his officers aren't easily replaced!"
"So, he set his sights on the prisoners in Impel Down!"
"Damn it! These maniacs are becoming too reckless!"
Sengoku lowered his voice. "The Warlord System must be implemented as soon as possible. Maniacs like Roa and the Golden Lion should not be allowed to roam these seas!"
The Warlord System, huh?
Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed deeply.
The official announcement of this plan would likely cause an uproar.
No, it was already causing enough waves.
Just before this, at the high-level Marine meeting, after Sengoku announced the plan, the radical faction led by Zephyr began furiously opposing it.
They firmly believed that pirates were pirates, and the idea of "legally sanctioned pirates" was an insult to Marine justice.
Zephyr had once again clashed fiercely with Sengoku. If not for her and Garp mediating, the two would have come to blows.
The final result was Sengoku's declaration, "Shut up, Zephyr, I am the Fleet Admiral!" which successfully angered Zephyr into slamming the door shut, leaving behind only the words, "Sengoku, you will regret this!"
However, after Zephyr left, a large number of Marine officers immediately followed him.
Everyone realized at this point that while they were still fighting for the same justice, a split in strategy had torn the Marine high command into two factions.
It was difficult to judge, as those who followed Zephyr were almost all high-ranking officers who held their positions before the Great Conscription. They were not only veterans who had fought for the Navy for years, but they also shared a common tragedy: almost all of them had family who perished during the destruction of Marineford.
They had the right and the justification to despise all pirates, especially those like Wang Zhi who participated in that incident.
Fortunately, one thing remained unquestionable.
Both sides were still dedicated to upholding justice, would continue to fight tirelessly against pirates, and remained trusted comrades.
Simultaneously, New World, Hachinosu Island.
Inside the Skull Building.
Wang Zhi (Wang Zhi, a former Rocks Pirate) looked at the man in the white suit before him with some surprise. "You have some nerve, walking right up to me, and even daring to introduce yourself. CP0—are you tired of living?"
"If Mr. Wang Zhi wants me dead, I naturally cannot resist."
The white-suited CP0 agent didn't seem bothered by Wang Zhi's cold attitude, even maintaining a genial smile. "But before you send me to my death, may I finish what I have to say?"
"Say what the Government sent you here to say,"
Wang Zhi yawned. "Then, I'll decide how you die based on how funny the message is."
The CP0 agent's smile never faded. He even bowed slightly to Wang Zhi. "Mr. Wang Zhi, I am here to save you."
"I've changed my mind!"
Wang Zhi's eyes instantly sharpened. As Haki surged, his signature pitch-black giant hand suddenly materialized, grabbing the CP0 agent. The immense strength squeezed the CP0 agent's entire body, making his bones creak.
"You die now!"
"Are you not afraid?"
Truly a seasoned operative, the white suit remained composed even as he was being crushed. "Mr. Wang Zhi, are you not afraid of Roa and the Golden Lion?"
Wang Zhi instantly paused.
"You must know, Roa is a lunatic. He craves chaos and disorder! Sooner or later, he will expand again, and when he does, you, whose territory is adjacent to his, will naturally be the first to fall!"
The CP0 agent spoke.
Wang Zhi couldn't argue.
Roa being a lunatic was undeniable.
And the fact that his territory was right next to Roa's was also true.
Despite their apparent camaraderie when he helped Roa fight the Whitebeard Pirates back then, Wang Zhi knew very well that if he ever obstructed Roa, the brat would not hesitate to strike.
Or rather, no matter who it was—even if Captain Rocks were resurrected—if they stood in Roa's way, that brat would attack without hesitation.
"You must know how terrifying Roa is now,"
The CP0 agent continued. "Aside from the Golden Lion and Whitebeard, there is likely no third pirate in the world who can match him. You certainly are no match for him."
Wang Zhi frowned, then angrily threw the CP0 agent to the ground, who bounced amusingly.
"It seems you understand,"
The CP0 agent laughed rather than grew angry, lightly brushing the dust off his suit as he stood up. "Next is the Golden Lion. Though he is not as insane as Roa, his arrogance is no less. The latest news is that the Golden Lion has attacked Impel Down. He should immediately acquire a batch of reinforcements."
"What?"
Wang Zhi was genuinely startled. "Impel Down?"
"That is correct."
The CP0 agent nodded slightly. "Once the Golden Lion regains his strength, given his self-centered nature, do you think the expansion of the Flying Pirates will stop?"
Wang Zhi's face darkened further.
The Golden Lion's territory bordered the Red Line on the other side. If he wanted to expand, he could only move toward Wang Zhi's territory.
Hadn't he gone to great lengths to scheme against the Golden Lion precisely because of this threat?
"And,"
The CP0 agent smiled strangely, "Mr. Wang Zhi, you wouldn't want the Golden Lion to know that his complete defeat by Roger last year was due in no small part to your instigation—Urgh!"
Wang Zhi clutched the CP0 agent's throat, his eyes sharp. "What do you know?"
"Hnn..."
The CP0 agent could only make a muffled sound, indicating he couldn't speak with his neck squeezed.
Wang Zhi then loosened his grip.
"Huff—"
Catching his breath, the CP0 agent's smile remained. "Anything known by a second person is no longer a secret, let alone the fact that you used so much manpower and resources to confirm the location of the Roger Pirates, Mr. Wang Zhi."
Wang Zhi secretly gritted his teeth.
I was so focused on scheming against the Golden Lion back then!
I forgot about the World Government, which is always lurking around the New World!
Now they have leverage!
If the Golden Lion ever found out, war would break out instantly!
And it was highly unlikely that Roa wouldn't take advantage of the situation!
How could he possibly withstand the combined forces of Roa and the Golden Lion? Even with Silver Axe and Captain John, it wouldn't be enough.
"Please rest assured, Mr. Wang Zhi, we certainly haven't disclosed this information to the Golden Lion."
The CP0 agent said, "After all, we have come to you sincerely seeking cooperation."
Wang Zhi looked deeply at the agent. "What exactly do you mean by this 'cooperation'?"
"You assist the Government in eliminating madmen like Roa and the Golden Lion, and the Government will designate you as a legal pirate and recognize your control over your territory in the New World. What do you say?"
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