Just as Dalton drew his blade and Magellan soared upward
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The harbor began to quake violently! The offshore platform twisted and warped.
One after another, the warships at the harbor's edge slowly broke free from the sea surface, rising up into the sky.
"What?!"
Magellan froze mid-action, staring at the floating warships in shock.
The offshore platform twisted like flowing water, splitting into two massive slabs that came crashing down toward him.
Magellan was forced into a tight spot.
After all, unless he revealed his trump card, his deadly venom had little effect against stone.
"Old man! We've worked together before. I don't want to go too far. If you back off now, I won't drop these warships!"
Rosen's voice echoed from the high-floating warship.
Dalton lifted his head.
There Rosen stood at the bow, arms folded, long black hair streaming in the air though no wind blew, his aura vast and commanding.
"Damn it!"
Dalton lowered his gaze toward the offshore platform.
The head jailers had already begun organizing a retreat back into the great prison. This was no longer a battle they could interfere with.
But if those warships were to come crashing down now, only a few would survive.
Dalton was old. His bond with Impel Down was deeper than anyone's he had dedicated his entire life to guarding it.
If he kept chasing them, even without knowing Rosen's full strength, with an ability so similar to the Float-Float Fruit, there was no way they could be captured.
And worse, it would cost the lives of countless jailers under his command.
Yet if he simply gave up, then the legend of Impel Down "the unbreakable prison" would end here.
A lifetime of guarding would be reduced to nothing.
"...Hah! Rosen! You'd better keep your word! Otherwise, even if it costs me my life, I will drag you down!"
After weighing it all, Dalton ignored Rosen and Shiryu, and turned back in retreat.
Rosen had no intention of fighting a powerhouse to the death right after setting sail.
It wasn't that he couldn't win but it would derail the plans that followed.
…
…
With the warships gone from the sky,
The greatest scandal in Impel Down's history was born!
The prison that had never once been breached had traitors within!
And not just any traitors two high-ranking officers!
The impact was disastrous, but with greater matters looming, the incident could only be suppressed…
Buru-buru-buru Buru-buru-buru
Click.
"Moshi moshi, this is Kong."
At Marine Headquarters, Marineford, in the Fleet Admiral's office
Kong picked up the call.
The Den Den Mushi morphed into the face of an old man.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, this is Impel Down. Warden Dalton speaking."
The Den Den Mushi imitated his facial features perfectly.
"Oh! Dalton! The Golden Lion has been successfully locked away, hasn't he? Hahahaha! Borsalino already reported to me!"
Kong answered with glee.
It had been a long time since he'd felt so pleased.
First, the so-called "Pirate King" Roger had been secured.
Though he turned himself in, the result was the same the Marines captured the Pirate King without losing a single soldier.
Soon, he would be publicly executed. And with confirmed reports that the Roger Pirates had already disbanded, there would be no talk of a rescue attempt.
This would be a monumental victory for Justice executing the King of Pirates in the name of the Marines, proving the might of the Marines to the seas.
It would deter other pirates, and convince reckless youths to abandon their dreams of setting sail.
If even the Pirate King could be crushed by the Marines, the impact of this public execution would be massive.
The other piece of good news was that the Golden Lion had stormed Marine Headquarters alone.
Roger, though called the Pirate King, had never been much of a threat in Kong's eyes.
The Roger Pirates were few in number, with just one ship. And more importantly, Roger never slaughtered civilians.
His threat was mainly directed at the World Government.
But the Golden Lion was different.
He was a true pirate.
Ruthless in pursuit of his goals, consumed by ambition, dreaming of toppling the world like Rocks once did.
His massive fleet spanned wide seas, his influence spreading far and wide.
And with the Float-Float Fruit's mobility, he could hurl warships or even islands at Marine bases at will.
Capturing the Golden Lion was nearly impossible.
And if they tried with full force, Marine casualties would be catastrophic.
Yet this untouchable menace abandoned his fleet and stormed Marine Headquarters alone.
Though he caused great destruction, with Sengoku and Garp on guard, his fate was sealed.
Successfully locking away the Golden Lion was another great triumph, right after "capturing" Roger.
So in recent days, Kong had been in high spirits even the Five Elders rarely praised him, but now they had.
This year's military budget would surely be larger.
Hearing the excitement in Kong's voice, and seeing the Den Den Mushi mimic his beaming face,
Dalton knew the blow his next words would deliver.
But what had happened could not be undone. The Marines had to be informed. And worse, it would have to be reported to the World Government too… that was the hardest part.
"Fleet Admiral Kong… my deepest apologies. There's been a problem at Impel Down."
Dalton said heavily.
"Hmm?!"
Kong's whole body jolted.
"Don't tell me… the Golden Lion has escaped?!"
"No. The Golden Lion has been locked away in Level 6. The problem is with former Deputy Chief Warden Shiryu… and former Chief Guard Rosen. After the Golden Lion's imprisonment, they defected. I couldn't stop them."
Dalton replied.
"Nani?! Two Impel Down officers defected?! In the Calm Belt, how did the two of them escape?"
Kong's face twisted in disbelief. This shouldn't have been possible.
Forget their strength how could they escape Dalton's pursuit?
And more importantly, Impel Down sat in the Calm Belt. They couldn't sail a warship out… did they really fly away?
"Yes. That's the most serious problem. Former Chief Guard Rosen awakened Conqueror's Haki upon seeing the Golden Lion."
"And his level of Conqueror's Haki was no weaker than the Golden Lion's. During the escape, he even demonstrated an ability akin to the Float-Float Fruit."
"They took a warship and flew away. The prison itself remains intact, no casualties were suffered."
Dalton finished his report, awaiting the response.
"…Alright. I understand."
Kong exhaled deeply, forcing himself calm as he answered.
What was done was done words could not change it. The only thing left was to prepare countermeasures.
Click.
He hung up, interlaced his fingers, propped his chin, and sank into thought.
Moments later, he dialed another line.
"This is Kong. Summon all vice admirals and above present at Headquarters for a meeting."
--------------
T/N:
Access 30 chapters in advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/FicTale