"Lord Raleigh, I am Magellan, the Warden of Impel Down."
Magellan, who bore a devil-like appearance with his horns, rose from his office chair.
Although theoretically their positions were of equal rank, Magellan had been exceptionally promoted while Raleigh was on the verge of becoming an Admiral.
Naturally, Magellan didn't dare act arrogantly before Raleigh.
"Warden Magellan, during my walk through the prison, I observed that the internal management is highly standardized. You've done well, living up to Fleet Admiral Kong's exceptional promotion."
Raleigh began praising Magellan's work the moment they met, making Magellan's face flush red.
He felt pleased inside.
Being complimented on his work by Vice-Admiral Raleigh satisfied his vanity.
Everyone enjoys being praised, especially when the praise comes from someone of status, making it more valuable.
"It's... it's nothing special. I merely follow Fleet Admiral Kong's orders and the prison regulations," Magellan explained, rubbing the back of his neck.
Raleigh detected his honest nature and continued praising him. "Magellan, there's no need for modesty. Achieving such excellent work is something to be proud of. When I return to Marineford, I'll definitely mention your name to Fleet Admiral Kong."
"Really?" Magellan's eyes widened. It was like a blessing falling from the heavens. "Lord Raleigh, please, have a seat quickly."
Magellan carefully placed his treasured tea leaves before Raleigh.
"Lord Raleigh, these are among the few tea leaves in my collection that haven't been contaminated by poison gas."
As he said this, Magellan appeared uneasy.
His Devil Fruit was powerful enough, but the side effects were evident. He simply couldn't control the emission of poison gas.
Even for simple tasks like eating or drinking, the poison gas in his breath would contaminate the food, making him frequently rush to the restroom.
Raleigh was aware of Magellan's issue, but he had no better solution.
From what he recalled, even after Magellan's Devil Fruit awakened, he still couldn't control the poison gas properly.
"Magellan, why don't you open the windows?" Raleigh asked, looking at the windows tightly covered with thick black curtains.
Magellan replied with some unease, "I've thought about opening the windows to disperse the poison gas before, but the guards in the prison are too physically weak. Even a small amount of poison gas over time becomes unbearable for them, so I've grown accustomed to keeping the windows closed."
Raleigh clicked his tongue but said nothing.
"Lord Raleigh, perhaps I could take you for a tour of the prison? It would also be a good opportunity for you to provide some guidance on our work."
Magellan clearly wasn't aware of some unspoken rules—no one would voluntarily invite others to visit a prison.
But given his personality, he likely genuinely intended to invite Raleigh to offer guidance.
As it happened, Raleigh also found the office a bit dull, so a walk and a tour sounded agreeable.
His impression of Impel Down from his past life wasn't very clear, and he could treat it as a novel experience.
"This level is the Blazing Hell, with extremely high temperatures."
"All prisoners sent to Impel Down are first brought to this level for what's called 'blazing disinfection,' then assigned to different levels based on their sentences and danger levels."
Magellan didn't linger on Level 4 and quickly led Raleigh to the next one: Level 5, the Freezing Hell.
As soon as they entered the Freezing Hell, Raleigh was greeted by a landscape of ice sculptures. He couldn't help but marvel at the sight.
This place was the complete opposite of the Blazing Hell.
The moment one entered, they would feel a bone-chilling cold, as if stepping into a freezer at minus forty or fifty degrees Celsius.
The frozen forest here was home to many powerful military wolves, which served as the guards of this level.
Additionally, due to the extreme cold, Den Den Mushi couldn't survive here, so there was no surveillance on this level.
Magellan finally seemed more comfortable upon reaching this cold environment.
"Lord Raleigh, the prisoners here are all serious offenders with no chance of release. They may lack top-tier strength, but each has committed grave crimes, which is why they're imprisoned on this level."
Raleigh activated his Observation Haki and sensed several pirates struggling desperately in the icy wilderness.
But he paid it no mind—he had lost count of how many pirates like these he had killed.
"Warden Magellan, your work is commendable. These prisoners deserve to suffer such hardships to atone for their sins."
Magellan, praised once again by Raleigh, grew excited.
He took out his keys, ready to open the heavy gates to the sixth level.
"Wait, Magellan. Is this in accordance with the regulations?"
Magellan turned back and smiled at Raleigh. "Don't worry, Lord Raleigh, I'm the Warden here. What I say goes."
Despite Magellan's enthusiasm, the gates to the sixth level of hell were ultimately opened.
It was rumored throughout the world that the sixth level imprisoned countless great pirates with bounties of hundreds of millions, and even some whose traces had been erased from history, leaving only fragmented mentions in written records.
All these people were imprisoned on this level.
In the pitch-black environment, most prisoners were fast asleep, as sleeping could reduce physical consumption.
The sixth level only provided minimal food supplies, intended to deplete their physical strength.
As the heavy sound of the iron door opening echoed, most prisoners woke from their slumber.
"Hey... is it mealtime again?"
"Damn, I remember the last meal was two months ago."
"You are completely disoriented from sleep—that was three months ago!"
"Hey, give me an extra meal and I'll tell you the location of a treasure! How about a hundred million Berries for one meal?!"
Most of these prisoners had been arrogant figures before being incarcerated, inherently rough in temperament.
After being locked up in the sixth level—where release was nearly impossible—their tempers had worsened further.
However, none of them recognized Raleigh.
The prisoners here had all been imprisoned years ago.
In recent years, all the famous figures in the world had been directly eliminated by Raleigh.
Redfield, brought in today, was the only survivor from Raleigh's purges.
So, when they saw Raleigh's youthful face standing beside Magellan, their voices grew louder.
"Hey, pretty boy over there! Get the hell over here and release me now!"
"Isn't that Magellan? You dare to come down here too, you freak."
Magellan's face darkened as a stream of purple venom shot from his hand into the offending prisoner's cell.
"Ahhhhh! Magellan, just kill me if you have the guts!"
"That's not enough, that's not enough! Have you not eaten or something?!"
The prisoners in the jail continued to taunt the Warden, undeterred by the pain.
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