Time slipped by in silence.For three full days, an unseen game of negotiation and calculation played out between Marine Headquarters and Mary Geoise.
In the end, a transfer order bearing the Fleet Admiral's seal and a special authorization mark of the World Government was placed before Gern Reginald Sigmar.
"Gern—this is the 'compensation' you asked for."
Sengoku looked even more exhausted than he had three days earlier.
He pushed the document across the desk, his expression grave, his voice heavy—each word seeming to weigh a thousand jin.
"Although the World Government has… in principle approved it,I must warn you again—Douglas Bullet is an existence of extreme danger. His destructive power and uncontrollability far exceed what you imagine."
"If he causes any incident once he is released—if he triggers even the slightest chaos that spirals beyond containment—"
"You, Gern Reginald Sigmar, will bear full responsibility for it!"
"The Marines and the World Government will not shoulder any of the consequences on your behalf!"
In other words, every ounce of risk and accountability had been completely stripped away from the system and placed squarely on Gern alone.
"This is what I'm owed."
Gern picked up the transfer order, his gaze sweeping over the harsh clauses and the final authorization stamped upon it. A satisfied smile appeared on his face.
As for Sengoku's severe warning, he made no attempt to promise anything—nor did he refute it. He simply maintained that unfathomable smile,
as if he had already cast aside all possible consequences…or perhaps possessed absolute confidence that everything lay firmly within his control.
Yet it was precisely this calm silence that unsettled Sengoku even more.
But at this point, the matter was settled. The arrow had already left the bow.
Without lingering any longer, Gern folded the document away and turned to leave the Fleet Admiral's office.
Then—
"Gern."
Sengoku called out to him.
Gern stopped, but did not turn around.
"Fleet Admiral Kong's era is over," Sengoku said slowly. "I am the Fleet Admiral now. I hope you understand that."
"Heh."
Gern let out a soft chuckle and stepped out without another word.
All that remained was Sengoku sitting helplessly in the Fleet Admiral's seat—and the small goat beside him letting out a quiet, plaintive "Maaah."
...
On the other side, after leaving the Fleet Admiral's office, Gern went straight to the Marineford naval port and boarded a specially prepared warship.
Its destination pointed unerringly toward—
The world's greatest underwater prison.Impel Down.
The warship cut through the waves in silence.
Gern stood at the bow, the sea wind whipping the coat behind him, the massive white cloak emblazoned with the word "Justice" snapping loudly in the air.
In his hand was the transfer order.
His gaze was deep and unreadable as he looked toward the distant horizon, where the silhouette of a structure—twisted, monstrous, like a deep-sea leviathan—slowly emerged.
Impel Down.
They had arrived.
The warship eased into the heavily guarded, suffocating harbor.
Having received advance notice, the current Chief Warden, Magellan, was already waiting at the dock with a contingent of jailers. Every face was tense, as though bracing for an enemy invasion.
(The former warden had been dismissed following the escape incident involving Golden Lion Shiki.)
The order they had received was of the highest level—they were to fully cooperate with a Marine Vice Admiral who had come to extract a prisoner from Level 6: Eternal Hell.
Such an event was extraordinarily rare in Impel Down's history.
Extraction usually meant execution.
But this time…
"Vice Admiral Gern."
Magellan stepped forward, his voice cold and rigid with the unique tone of a prison warden.
"Everything is prepared. Please follow me."
"Long time no see, Magellan."
Gern nodded at him, then asked with a hint of curiosity,
"By the way—where's Shiryu?"
At Gern's casual greeting, Magellan pressed his lips together and frowned.
"Ever since being gravely injured by Golden Lion, Shiryu's temperament worsened even further.He began killing prisoners on his own authority… and eventually even attacked jailers."
"So—"Before Magellan could finish, Gern calmly continued,
"So you beat him down and locked him up?"
"…That's right."
Magellan paused, then nodded.
"He lost his professional restraint and became no different from a pirate. I did it for his own good."
Gern nodded in response and said nothing further, simply signaling for Magellan to lead the way.
Before long, the two descended by elevator, then passed through layer after layer of grim, nightmarish prison corridors.
Along the way, the air was filled with the insane howls and venomous curses of inmates.The deeper they went, the heavier the air became—thick, congealed, crushing. The atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive.
At last, they reached the very bottom of the great underwater prison—
Impel Down Level 6: Eternal Hell.
The silence here was more terrifying than any scream.
Every being imprisoned in this place had once shaken the seas—or committed crimes so heinous they defied counting.
"This is it."
Magellan soon stopped in front of a specially reinforced cell door—unusually massive, crisscrossed with thick bands of Seastone.
For a moment, the sound of breathing stood out starkly in the dead corridor.
Even Magellan himself had unconsciously adopted a guarded stance—that was how oppressive the presence sealed behind this door was.
The jailers beside him fared even worse. Their faces were pale, knuckles white as they gripped their weapons.
Magellan glanced at Gern's calm profile, then at the door separating nightmare from reality. The turmoil in his heart reached its peak.
It was this very man who, years ago, had personally escorted the raging "devil" Douglas Bullet into this prison.
The memory was still vivid—Bullet's terrifying power, and Gern's overwhelming dominance as he crushed and subdued him.
At the time, Magellan had even thought that perhaps only someone like Gern could truly put an end to such a threat.
Yet he never imagined that barely two years later, it would be the same man—transfer order in hand—coming to release that "devil" back into the sea.
"Vice Admiral Gern…"
Magellan couldn't help speaking again. His voice was dry, carrying a trace of doubt he could scarcely suppress.
"A criminal of this level… can he really be… released once more?This… this is far too dangerous."
He couldn't comprehend how the upper echelons had weighed this decision.
Letting a monster capable of facing a Buster Call alone regain his freedom—the consequences were chilling just to imagine.
It ran violently counter to everything he believed in: Impel Down's mission to permanently isolate the most extreme evils of the world.
"It's fine. I'll take responsibility."
Gern replied calmly.
"You just need to carry out the order."
"…Very well."
Magellan's voice was hoarse as he called out,
"Douglas Bullet."
Gern's gaze turned toward the boundless darkness beyond the cell door.
With Observation Haki, he could clearly sense it—
that presence inside, like a dormant volcano: suppressed, terrifying to the extreme…and boiling with pure, violent battle intent.
A smile surfaced once more on Gern's face.
He stepped forward, took the keys directly from Magellan's hand, and unlocked the door himself.
Click.
The heavy mechanisms began to grind and turn, their echoes rolling through Eternal Hell.
The door that had sealed the "devil" away from the world—
was slowly opening once again.