After a week of sailing through rough seas, the warship finally docked. The massive, submerged gates of Impel Down groaned open. Doberman left the ship first, not even sparing a glance back at the "trash" he had collected.
Darius was dragged down the gangplank by two Marine soldiers. He kept his right hand pressed against his bandaged stump.
"Aah... this still hurts even after a week," he hissed through his teeth.
He looked up at the cold, damp walls of the Great Underwater Prison. "So this is Impel Down. My final stop. Other pirates dream of Laugh Tale... mine is this Hell Tale."
He looked at a guard nearby. "Hey... please, don't throw me inside Level 2 to 6. Please!"
"Shut up!" the soldier barked, shoving him forward. "That decision was made by the Rear Admiral himself. You're going straight to Level 2."
Darius's eyes widened. "What?! I didn't even do that much! Why Level 2? That's for pirates with 15 million bounties! There are too many wild beasts down there... I'll just be one-armed food!"
The soldiers ignored his pleas. They led him through the humid, buzzing halls of the Beast Hell. Finally, they reached a cell and threw him inside. The heavy iron door slammed shut with a finality that made his stomach drop.
"Hey! At least listen to me! I didn't do anything!" Darius shouted, gripping the bars with his one remaining hand.
"Hey, calm down."
A raspy voice came from the corner of the cell. Darius turned and saw a man who looked like a walking skeleton. He was pale, covered in dirt, and looked like he was on the verge of death.
"Nothing will happen by shouting," the man said weakly. "You are stuck here until you die of old age, or until the wild animals roaming the corridors decide it's your turn to be lunch."
"What? Who are you?" Darius asked.
"Just a no-named pirate," the man replied. "Just sit down and wait for your turn to die." He began to laugh—a dry, hollow sound.
What is wrong with this Laughing Corpse? Darius thought. He stood tall, despite the pain. "I am not dying here. I will break out of this prison. No one can stop me."
The man laughed harder. "What can you do with one arm? You don't even look strong."
Darius looked down at himself. He was skinny, bleeding, and missing a limb. God, I'm sure you're cooking something legendary for me, he thought, but I'm on a death timer—just send the half-cooked version already.
He sighed and sat down on the cold floor. He needed information. "Hey, Mr. No-name... has Gold D. Roger already become the King of the Pirates?"
The man tilted his head. "King of the Pirates? What are you talking about? There is no such thing."
Darius blinked. Wait... what? "Okay, my bad. Then who is the current Fleet Admiral and the Admirals?"
The man looked at him like he was crazy. "Are you even from this world? Everyone knows Fleet Admiral Kong is in charge. The Admirals are Sengoku, Noctis, and a few others they are trying to recruit."
Darius froze. Kong? Sengoku is still an Admiral? And who the hell is Noctis? I must be in a different timeline than I thought.
Well, whatever, Darius thought. I'll find out if I escape alive. I need to plan. I need to train.
He leaned his head against the stone wall. The pain in his left arm was still pulsing. I should learn Armament Haki first. But what should my style be? Should I be a brawler or a swordsman? I don't have a Devil Fruit... I should probably be a swordsman. I already lost one arm. If something happens to my other hand, I'll have to become a motivational speaker for pirates. Life is tough for a one-armed pirate—unless you're Shanks and can make Admirals twerk with wifi Haki.
As he was deep in thought, the old pirate suddenly stood up. "Hey. Hey!"
Darius looked up. "What happened?"
"Let's go," the man said, heading toward the cell door which was being opened by a remote switch.
"Where?" Darius asked, confused.
The man grinned, showing missing teeth. "The marathon."
"Marathon?" Darius repeated, his eyes widening as he heard a roar from the hallway.
The man grinned. "Yes, a marathon. The one who runs the fastest avoids becoming lunch for the monsters."
"Monsters?" Darius echoed.
Before he could ask more, the cell door clicked open. A massive Manticore—a lion with a human face—roamed past, its tail snapping. Darius peeked his head out into the corridor and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
The floor was a chaotic nightmare. He saw a giant chicken-snake hybrid, a massive Sphinx, and several other beasts chasing hundreds of prisoners down the long hall. Screams filled the air as the slower men were torn apart.
"Ho lee sheet! We need to run!" Darius turned to the old pirate, but to his surprise, the cell was empty. "That skeleton is already gone! He's fast!"
Darius burst out of the cell and started sprinting. His boots pounded against the stone, each step sending a jolt of agony to his severed arm. Blood began to seep through the bandages, dripping onto the floor.
"Huff... huff... this life is too hard!" he roared in pain.
Suddenly, a Manticore hissed from a ledge above and lunged. It pinned Darius to the ground, its human-like face twisting into a hungry snarl.
"Oh no, I'm done! I don't have my gun or my grenades!" Darius scrambled back, his one hand clawing at the dirt.
As the beast opened its maw to bite his head off, Darius felt something hard pressed against his thigh. He looked down—his Kukri knife! The Marines had taken his gun and grenade, but they must have missed the blade strapped to his lower leg in the confusion.
Darius gripped the handle and swung with everything he had. The heavy blade buried itself deep into the Manticore's skull. Blood erupted, soaking Darius's face.
"Die, you ugly monster!" he screamed, twisting the blade until the monster went limp.
He kicked the carcass off and tried to stand, but the shadows behind him shifted. A Basilisk—the giant snake-bird—swung its massive wing like a club. The blow caught Darius in the ribs, sending him flying across the corridor.
He hit the stone wall with a sickening thud. He slumped to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of dark blood. His vision began to swim.
This time... I'm really dead, he thought.
But as his eyes started to close, a flicker of cold, blue light appeared in the corner of his vision. It wasn't the lantern. It was coming from his own chest.
"Is this it?" Darius whispered. "My moment... are the heavens finally calling me?"