After getting fully accustomed to the system, Shin Kawa rose and carefully surveyed his surroundings.
He was locked in a cell: iron walls on three sides, cold iron railings on the fourth. Even here, in the lower levels of the Red Lotus Prison, the air reeked of blood and fear.
Shin Kawa recalled from the memories of this life the brutal fate awaiting him—a life-and-death battle that would come sooner than expected.
Years after Roger's execution, the pirate world had gone insane. Pirates from every corner of the globe poured into the seas, and the city's prisons swelled with criminals.
Due to its unique geography, Advance City Prison couldn't expand. Cells overflowed with inmates, and the warden, Satie, took delight in cruelty. She proposed a grim solution: forced duels.
Every floor had regular life-and-death fights. Names were replaced with numbers, and daily, two prisoners were drawn to face off.
Win, and you survived… at least for the moment. Lose, and you died.
But victory didn't guarantee safety. The next day, guards would draw again, and you could be forced to fight once more. A single floor could quickly reduce its population by half—or more.
Even Magellan had agreed to the plan after a high-level meeting. Most prisoners were irredeemable criminals anyway; the warden felt no real remorse for their lives. But he drew the line at the sixth floor—home to the most notorious convicts in history.
Advance City's six floors were a nightmare of escalating terror. The lower the floor, the more monstrous the criminals. Life imprisonment or death row, every inmate was a near-legend in their own right, erased from public history.
Shiki "Golden Lion" had once escaped from the sixth floor. Later, members of the Blackbeard Pirates who had defied the heavens were imprisoned there. Even Shiryu of the Rain, the former warden of Advance City, languished in those cells.
Magellan didn't dare let these monsters duel. They were too dangerous.
And so, today's unlucky number was 55—Shin Kawa. The jailers had drawn him for the first duel.
To "enhance" the spectacle, guards provided the dueling prisoners a full meal beforehand, ensuring they fought with maximum strength. Shin Kawa glanced at the bland, gray "broken head rice" on his tray and snorted.
"Even if I starve, I won't eat this garbage," he muttered.
Minutes later, a jailer returned, waving impatiently.
"Hey, have you eaten yet? Half an hour left—hurry up!"
"Almost done," Shin Kawa replied, finishing a piece of fresh meat.
Time passed, and finally, his stomach full, he prepared for battle. It wasn't wise to fight on an empty stomach, even in a prison built for slaughter.
When the appointed hour arrived, two guards unlocked his cell and fastened shackles around his wrists and ankles.
As Shin Kawa walked across the narrow stone corridor, the chains clinked sharply against the floor—a sound that echoed like a death knell.
Cells lined the hallway on both sides. Prisoners pressed against the railings, eager to watch the day's "lucky victim."
"Oh, buddy… you're toast. Your opponent is Number 38, five kills in a row!" one shouted, head popping from a nearby cell.
"Shut it, or you'll fight instead!" a guard barked, and the prisoner went quiet, still grinning like a predator.
Everyone assumed Shin Kawa was doomed.
Eventually, he was led to a circular arena at the center of the first floor. Jailers ringed the perimeter, ready to observe.
Above the arena, several figures watched from high balconies.
One was a short, burly man with a double-horned helmet and a trident-like weapon. Shin Kawa instantly recognized him: Saru Daisi, commander of Advance City Prison and the feared "Blue Gorilla" in charge of the first-floor guards.
Another figure was already in the ring. Though wearing a prison uniform, he was muscular, with a deep, jagged scar running across his face. A palpable aura of murder radiated from him.
Shin Kawa studied him silently.
No wonder he's killed five in a row. The sheer killing intent on this guy… it's terrifying.
"Step forward!" the jailer barked, shoving Shin Kawa into the center of the arena.