Impel Down
The warship slowly docked at the harbor. Pitch-black steel gates—like the fangs of a colossal beast—creaked open amid the cold, damp sea wind.
Gern Reginald Sigmar stood at the bow, the black blade Eight Desolations slung diagonally at his waist. The gray-white bandages wrapped around him fluttered faintly in the heavy, humid air.
Behind him, Barret was bound in Seastone chains. Yet even so, his head remained held high, his expression as defiant and untamed as ever.
Then, from beyond the gates, two figures emerged at a measured pace.
On the left was the towering, demonic-looking man whose presence resembled Satan himself—the current Vice Warden of Impel Down, Magellan, his gaze dark and oppressive.
On the right was a man with a cigar clenched between his teeth, dressed in the white uniform of the Chief Jailer. At his waist hung the famed blade Raiu.Shiryu.
These two were the undisputed twin pillars of Impel Down.
Magellan stepped forward first, giving a slight nod as he spoke in a deep voice."Vice Admiral Gern. You've had a long journey. The Warden has gone to Mary Geoise, so I'm here on his behalf to receive the prisoner."
"I see…" Gern was about to nod in response when Shiryu's voice cut in.
"Well, well, isn't this Vice Admiral Gern—the 'Legendary Marine' himself?" Shiryu exhaled a plume of smoke, a wicked grin spreading across his face as exaggerated admiration dripped from his tone."What an honor, really. To finally see the great man who captured the 'Pirate King' with my own eyes!What a shame—I wasn't around the last time you escorted Roger."
His manner was flamboyant, almost like a street thug playing at etiquette. He even bent forward slightly in a mock bow, though the ridicule curling at the corner of his mouth was anything but concealed.
Gern didn't respond. He simply looked at him coolly.
Seeing he'd been ignored, Shiryu straightened up, blowing out a smoke ring as his gaze shifted toward Barret. His smile slowly twisted into something feral.
"So this is the 'Devil's Heir,' huh?" He clicked his tongue. "Doesn't look like much to me."
Barret's pupils contracted slightly—but a cold, deliberate smile spread across his lips.
Shiryu continued pacing, circling him as he spoke in a flippant tone."I hear you used to be one of Roger's crew?What's the matter—couldn't even protect your own captain, and now you're being dragged here by the Marines like a dog?"
Magellan frowned deeply. "Shiryu. Watch your language."
Shiryu shrugged, feigning innocence. "I'm just telling it like it is, Magellan."
He turned his head toward Gern, his smile darkening."Don't you think so, Vice Admiral Gern?After all, you captured the 'Pirate King' so easily.Trash like this…" He sneered. "Shouldn't even be worth drawing your blade for, right?"
He deliberately emphasized the word easily, as if implying that Gern's greatest achievement had been nothing more than luck.
Gern remained silent, but his fingers began to tap lightly against the guard of Eight Desolations. His eyes grew cold.
Seeing no reaction, Shiryu's grin widened.
"Well, that makes sense! Who would trouble themselves over killing insignificant vermin?"He stepped back in front of Barret, looking down at him from above, deliberately flicking cigar ash to the ground at Barret's feet.
"Hey. I hear you like destruction?" Shiryu narrowed his eyes."What a pity. In here, you can't even crush an ant."
Barret slowly raised his head, the cold smile on his face turning downright vicious.
Unbothered, Shiryu continued his provocation."What? Not convinced?What can you even do with Seastone locking you down?" He patted the hilt of Raiu at his waist, his tone dripping with contempt."Want me to use this blade to teach you what 'rules' mean?"
"Shiryu, don't go too far—Vice Admiral Gern is still here—" Magellan's brow furrowed deeper and deeper, but before he could finish—
Crack.
The sharp sound of metal snapping and hitting the ground rang out without warning.
In that instant, Shiryu's smile froze solid.
Because the Seastone handcuffs on Barret's wrists—somehow—had already been undone.
"What did you just say…" Barret slowly rose to his feet, muscles tightening as Conqueror's Haki surged outward like a tidal wave."…that I can't even crush an ant?"
"When did—?!" Shiryu's pupils shrank violently as he instinctively stepped back. But he'd been standing far too close.
It was already too late.
BOOM!
Barret's fist slammed mercilessly into Shiryu's abdomen. The explosive force sent him flying, smashing straight through the stone wall behind him.
Dust and debris erupted into the air.
"This is bad! Barret broke free!" Magellan's expression changed drastically as venom began to surge from his body, ready to strike.
But a pale slash of blade light cut across the scene.
The venom was torn apart mid-air by the shockwave.
Gern hadn't even drawn his blade. Eight Desolations remained sheathed, its tip angled toward the ground as he spoke coldly:
"Vice Warden Magellan. This is between them."
"Vice Admiral Gern—did you release him?!" Magellan stared at him in disbelief.
"Careful with your words." Gern's tone was calm. "That kind of accusation carries weight."
"You—!" Magellan clenched his teeth, but the oppressive pressure from Gern's earlier strike flashed through his mind.His expression darkened like still water, and he didn't dare move rashly.
At the same time, Barret's figure flickered through the smoke like a phantom.
He seized Shiryu by the throat mid-air and slammed him back down into the ground.
BOOM!
The floor cracked apart as Shiryu's back was driven deep into the stone, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.
True fear finally surfaced in Shiryu's eyes—but Barret gave him no chance to recover.
His fist rose again, Armament Haki wrapping around it as it came crashing down toward Shiryu's face.
"Now…" Barret grinned savagely."…who's the 'ant'?"
Shiryu's throat bobbed, but no sound came out.
"Barret," Gern's voice came calmly from behind them. "That's enough."
Barret's punch halted an inch from Shiryu's nose. The force of the wind alone blew Shiryu's hat clean off.
Cold sweat streamed down Shiryu's forehead as he gasped for breath.
Gern slowly withdrew his hand from his sword, his gaze sweeping over Shiryu. His voice was even—but carried undeniable pressure.
"Chief Jailer Shiryu. If this is the extent of your 'welcome ceremony'…then I'm very disappointed."
Shiryu's face turned ashen. He couldn't even muster a word of rebuttal.
Barret snorted, releasing Shiryu's throat and flinging him aside like a piece of trash.
Then he casually rolled his wrists. Fragments of shattered Seastone chains trickled down between his fingers.
"Impel Down?" He scoffed, his gaze sweeping over the guards who stood on edge all around them, before finally settling on the disheveled Shiryu struggling to stand."Heh. That's all?"
With that, he walked straight past Gern and Tesoro and stopped in front of Lipo.
The five-meter-tall giant bent slightly before the small Mink girl, calmly raising his thick wrists to indicate that she should put the Seastone cuffs back on.
"Little rabbit," his voice was still low and hoarse, but the earlier savagery was gone."It's time to go back."
Lipo blinked, her fluffy ears twitching softly.
She glanced at Gern. After receiving his silent approval, she carefully reattached the handcuffs to Barret's wrists.
"I'll come get you soon," she whispered, the carrot-shaped hairpin bobbing as she moved.
When the lock snapped shut with a click, the corner of Barret's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Nearby, Magellan—who had been braced for Barret to go on a rampage—stared rigidly at the scene before him.
The "Devil's Heir," who had just blown Shiryu away with a single punch and could have easily escaped…was now voluntarily offering his hands to a small rabbit Mink girl, asking to be restrained again.
Magellan even clearly saw that when Lipo couldn't quite reach the lock, Barret subtly adjusted the angle of his wrist—without a word.
Shiryu staggered up from the rubble, blood still at the corner of his mouth.
His eyes were wide, his cigar lying forgotten on the ground.
"What kind of joke is this…" he rasped, his hand unconsciously drifting toward Raiu at his waist.
Leaning against the wall, Tesoro watched the scene unfold, the corner of his mouth lifting into an amused smile."When Lipo steps in, she's worth two of us."
The sincerity and purity of the Mink tribe were unstoppable—that was exactly why Gern had let Lipo interact with Barret throughout the journey.
After all, Barret had been betrayed by people too many times.And as a Mink, Lipo wouldn't trigger his instinctive defenses.
Put more bluntly—
Barret didn't even subconsciously see Lipo as "human."
"Bastard…" Shiryu's face turned livid. He suddenly drew his blade, Raiu gleaming coldly under the dim lights."Magellan! You're just going to stand there and let a prisoner—"
"That's enough!" Magellan roared, venom pooling at his feet into a dangerous vortex that blocked Shiryu's path."Shiryu, go to the medical ward. I'll escort them to Level Six."
At those words, Shiryu's eyes slowly filled with malice.
He wiped the blood from his mouth unwillingly and muttered,"You'll regret this…"
Gern cast him a calm glance."Next time we meet, I hope you'll have learned what it means to 'read the situation.'"
With that, he stepped forward.
And behind him, Barret followed—swaggering as if this were nothing more than a casual stroll.