In the corridor, beside the massive elevator, Sadi and Ain waited. Sadi in particular wore a worried expression, staring at the massive doors at the end of the hall.
Warden Creed was only a Vice Admiral. Though his strength was undeniable—he had defeated the Warlord Crocodile and annihilated the entire "Marine Hunter" pirate crew—the prisoners of Level 6 were true monsters.
The clash of auras that had just erupted had shaken her to the core. Could something terrible have happened inside? She glanced uneasily at Ain.
Creak~!
The heavy doors swung open. A figure emerged.
Sadi exhaled in relief—it was Warden Creed.
"Do you have a Visual Den Den Mushi?" Creed asked.
Sadi blinked in confusion. Why would he want one? But when Creed's figure came fully into view, her eyes widened in horror. Not at him—but at the "head" he was carrying in his hand.
A… head?!
She was certain that when he had entered, his hands had been empty. So now that he carried a severed head, didn't that mean… he had killed one of the Level 6 prisoners?
Her body stiffened, her scalp prickling with disbelief. She swallowed hard, dizziness washing over her. That was a Level 6 criminal! This was bad—terribly bad.
"Brat, what have you done to me?!"
A voice echoed, snapping Sadi out of her panic.
Where was the voice coming from? She looked around.
"Ahhh!!!"
The scream tore from her throat as goosebumps erupted over her body. She nearly leapt into the air in fright, trembling from head to toe. Her eyes bulged.
"T-The head… the head spoke…"
"Brat… Byrnndi World has something to say—"
"Shut up!"
Crackle!!
A surge of lightning engulfed World's severed head, his hair standing on end, mouth twitching uncontrollably so he couldn't utter another word.
Sadi's breathing slowed. She realized—it must be the Warden's Devil Fruit ability. She glanced at Creed with newfound awe.
"Bring me the Visual Den Den Mushi," Creed ordered.
"Y-Yes!"
Sadi hurried onto the massive elevator.
Visual Den Den Mushi, like regular Den Den Mushi, came in pairs—one for recording, one for projecting. The recording one acted like a camera, the other like a projector.
Soon, Sadi returned with one. Creed placed it inside Level 6, positioning it to record. Then they took the lift back up, arriving once more at Level 5—the Frozen Hell.
As they walked through the corridor lined with countless cells, the prisoners stared. Their gazes fixated on the severed "head" twitching in Creed's hand.
"Oi, oi… isn't that the World Destroyer—Byrnndi World?"
One of the older prisoners recognized him immediately.
The words sent shockwaves down the corridor. Those who knew World trembled violently, horror filling their eyes.
To be imprisoned on Level 5, they were themselves infamous monsters who had once dominated entire seas. They knew World's name all too well.
But now—his severed head dangled in the new Warden's grasp.
Yet it wasn't lifeless. The mouth still opened and closed, the eyes still turned, clear and aware—nothing like the dull haze of the dead.
Every veteran here knew the look of death. This was not it.
Impossible.
A decapitated man still alive—could only be the work of a Devil Fruit. And indeed, the world was full of bizarre abilities.
Those who recognized World's face exhaled in relief once Creed passed. Some even collapsed to the floor, drenched in cold sweat.
"Byrnndi World… the World Destroyer… he laid waste to more than ten nations. A user of the Modo Modo no Mi (Return-Return Fruit)… If you've never heard of him, it's because the World Government erased him from history."
One of the older era criminals spoke grimly.
"So it's true… Level 6 holds the legendary criminals of the seas…"
Outside, more prisoners huddled in groups, shivering in the brutal cold, clinging together for warmth. Some barely clung to life, frost clinging to their bodies.
At the center of Frozen Hell lay a vast lake.
Creed approached its edge.
Despite the surrounding cold, the waters were not frozen, rippling with movement. Within lurked monstrous fish and even creatures akin to Sea Kings.
From the ring-shaped corridor behind the cells, there were small holes cut into the walls, allowing prisoners to glimpse the central lake. Many wondered—why had the Warden come here?
"You… what are you doing?"
Byrnndi World's severed head spoke, his numbness fading. Having only a head left, his situation was too bizarre. Dread welled inside him as Creed gave no reply.
From the distance, Minotaur and the other four jailer beasts appeared. They carried buckets, their bodies battered and bruised, eyes swollen like blackened pandas.
Falkor sat proudly atop the Rhino Jailer Beast's horn, tail swishing.
"Warden, these are lantern fish. They're the favorite prey of the lake's predators," Sadi explained.
The beasts hastily nodded, though their sidelong glances at Falkor betrayed their fear. Creed understood immediately. No wonder Falkor hadn't been with them earlier—he'd been bullying the jailer beasts.
"ROOM!"
Creed activated his ability, taking one lantern fish, over two meters long, and slicing its head clean off.
He pressed Byrnndi World's head onto the fish's neck.
Perfect fit.
The Visual Den Den Mushi was set.
"Open the receiver."
"Yes, Warden."
Sadi set the receiver on the ground.
"You bastard! You damned brat!! I'll kill you, I'll kill you!!!"
World shrieked hysterically, humiliated that his head had been grafted onto the body of a lowly fish.
"Save your strength."
Creed's eyes narrowed in a smile. "Now then… perform for us. Show us your escape."
"Please… begin your performance."
Plop!
He tossed the fused fish into the central lake.
Glub glub…
The calm waters instantly boiled with frenzy. Countless savage predators surged toward him.
World screamed as the first bite tore into him. The pain was unbearable—yet this wasn't even his true body. Why could he still feel it?
"Damn you!!"
Another chunk was ripped free. He sweated cold as agony wracked him. His real body might not be here, but his mind suffered as if it were.
"I'll kill you all!!" he howled, thrashing wildly.
Desperate, he flailed the fish's tail, darting through the waters, trying to flee the swarm of snapping maws that tore after him.
(End of Chapter)
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