The prisoners, all securely chained, boarded the massive marine warship at Seastones to prevent any possibility of escape. Several pirates with substantial bounties were transported alongside Gojo and his crew. Without delay, the warship set sail, cutting through the ocean waves toward the most formidable prison in history.
Aboard the vessel, food was distributed to the prisoners not only to maintain their vitality but also to sustain them for the tortures that lay ahead. Gojo could perceive from their expressions that the other pirates were utterly terrified, dreading the prospect of being incarcerated in Vice Admiral Murdock's facility.
"I don't wanna die! Please let me go back!" One pirate pleaded, tears and mucus streaming down his face as he confronted the certainty of being delivered to his grave.
The marines observed the captives closely and noted that Gojo and his crew remained unusually calm—and surprisingly unrestrained. The situation felt peculiar, even disconcerting.
Something feels off…
"This will be the last time you ever see sunlight, so savor this moment while you can," one of the rear admirals remarked coolly, taking a seat beside Tsuru.
The voyage to Impel Down proceeded swiftly, smoothly, and without incident—until a pirate ship appeared on the horizon.
"Are those fools actually not going to flee?" Gojo marveled at the audacity of the pirates who dared to approach two grand marine fleets.
The pirates initiated the engagement, firing their cannons toward the immense warship looming ahead.
"Take aim! Fire!" commanded Rear Admiral Topi, a man whose face was etched with scars, his tone utterly nonchalant.
The marines returned fire, training their cannons on the diminutive pirate vessel and unleashing a devastating barrage.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, the pirate ship was shattered and sent plunging into the depths, every trace of its existence obliterated by the marine artillery.
"What did they possibly hope to achieve by engaging us?"
"What a joke!"
Unfazed, the marines continued their advance toward their destination. They had been sailing for over a week and were now nearing the greatest prison ever constructed: the infamous Underwater Prison.
Soon, Impel Down came into view.
A wry smile spread across Gojo's face. "Oh god, I'm feeling so excited," he whispered to himself, winking at his crewmates, who could only sigh in response.
The ship slowed as it approached the entrance. Rear Admiral Tsuru stood on the deck, arms folded. "Bring out the prisoners."
"Understood!"
A contingent of jailers and guards, led by the Warden's representative and possibly including a captain of the guards or other administrative personnel, customarily greeted arriving marine vessels.
The Warden supervises all prison operations, ensuring new arrivals are processed appropriately, while the jailers are responsible for the transportation and intake of prisoners.
"Good to see you, Rear Admiral Tsuru!" One of the jailers greeted her with a smile.
"We are here to deliver these criminals on the orders of Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Tsuru replied calmly, signaling with a hand gesture as the marines escorted the shackled prisoners forward.
"Hoh, what a pity—a man as handsome as you is going to be stuck here for the rest of his life," the jailer taunted, eyeing the white-haired, blue-eyed pirate.
"Well, too bad y'all are gonna lose your jobs… soon," Gojo retorted with a smirk, promptly earning a sharp punch to the face from the jailer.
"Thank you for delivering the prisoners; we shall ensure they are thoroughly… accommodated." A dismissive wave came from the Warden. "Safe journey back to Marineford."
"Our gratitude," Tsuru hummed in acknowledgment. "Let us depart, men. Our duty here is concluded!"
"Understood!" The marine ship sailed away, gradually fading into the horizon and abandoning the assemblage of criminals at the imposing entrance of Impel Down.
"Now, let us proceed!" The colossal, towering gate began its slow, grinding ascent, and the criminals were forcibly surged into their subterranean grave.
Impel Down is a vast, submerged, tower-like structure whose foundation is anchored to the very bedrock of the ocean floor. As it is constructed within the Calm Belt, the entire edifice is perpetually encircled by gargantuan Sea Kings patrolling the depths. Complementing these leviathans, the prison is guarded by an extensive fleet of Marine battleships.
Within the dark, confined interiors of the prison reside various cells and torture chambers utilized for the inmate population. The cells are constructed entirely from Seastone to neutralize and incarcerate those possessing Devil Fruit powers, thereby preventing any escape attempts. The torture chambers are designated for all manner of brutal, unspeakable acts. Among these are methods such as continuous whipping, brutal beatings culminating in death, boiling cauldrons for scalding and drowning, and spiked pits utilized for impalement.
The entire prison is meticulously monitored by a network of Surveillance Den Den Mushi. Miniaturized versions of these creatures are stationed in specific locations throughout Impel Down. Everything they observe is transmitted to a larger, central Den Den Mushi, which relays the video feeds to monitors, thereby allowing the guards to maintain constant surveillance. Each of these smaller units has an alarm beeper affixed to its shell. The primary, larger Den Den Mushi is housed within a dedicated monitor room located somewhere inside the fortress.
There also exists what appears to be a medical laboratory stationed somewhere within the great jail, complete with doctors and a variety of medical equipment for the immediate treatment of any individual within the prison's confines, encompassing both prisoners and staff members alike.
Now we come to the Levels…
A prisoner's assigned level is typically determined by the bounty value placed upon his or her head. Exceptions can be made, however, when the World Government acknowledges that an individual's strength is demonstrably superior to their current bounty.
Alongside various group and solitary cells designed to house inmates, each level possesses a unique form of torture. Due to the nature of these unspeakable acts being perpetrated, each level is granted the ominous title of a Hell. The prison consists of Six Levels in total, and with each descending tier, the tortures progressively worsen.
Crimson Hell is the first level of Impel Down, in which prisoners are initially incarcerated. This level houses the least infamous prisoners and contains an expansive forest composed of red trees. The leaves of these trees, known as "bladed trees," are as sharp as blades, while the grass covering the floor, the "needle grass," is as spiky as needles.
Here, prisoners are forcibly driven to run through the forest while being pursued by poisonous spiders and guards, compelling them to endure the excruciating pain of being lacerated from every direction. God, this is literally hell; I cannot even fathom the agony of running across terrain that is as sharp as needles.
Wild Beast Hell constitutes the second level of Impel Down, designated for the incarceration of prisoners. It contains a menagerie of various wild beasts of all sorts. Prisoners kept here are forcibly compelled to be chased by these creatures through the labyrinthine corridors of the level. Owing to the fearsome danger presented by this environment, prisoners often either lose the will to go on, or they refuse to escape even when their cells are deliberately unlocked.
The beasts kept here include Puzzle Scorpions and Manticores. Puzzle Scorpions are large, poisonous insects that can interlink together to form a giant, centipede-like creature. Manticores are man-eating lions endowed with human faces; they will devour their prey entirely, including all the bones. Because they possess human faces, they are able to speak; however, they can only repetitiously parrot things that they have previously heard.
Among these regular-sized beasts kept here are also two truly gigantic beasts: the Basilisk and the Sphinx.
The Basilisk is a gigantic serpent born from a chicken egg, and it is a feathered mutant that possesses both serpentine and avian traits. What the fuck? How is that even biologically possible?
Then, the Sphinx is a gigantic, human-faced, feathered lion. It is considered the de facto "boss" of the entire level and is expressly charged with guarding the primary stairway that leads out of the level.
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