In a secluded office on Level One of Impel Down...
Hannyabal abruptly grabbed the whip that Sadi-chan had just lashed at him.
He said in a low, serious tone,
"Something's really not right."
"First there was that massive tremor, and now those nonstop beastly howls…"
"Something's happening on the lower levels!"
Sadi-chan yanked the whip free from his grasp and snapped it again—this time across his backside.
Giggling, she said,
"So what if something's going on? Let that filthy Magellan deal with it."
"And don't you dare block my whip again… or else."
She cracked it repeatedly on Hannyabal's back, loud smack after smack echoing through the room.
Hannyabal trembled all over—whether in agony or delight, it was hard to tell—and let out an odd, almost howling cry.
As for the chaos shaking the prison below, he'd already pushed it from his mind.
Just like Sadi-chan said: if trouble was brewing, let Magellan handle it.
Honestly, if Magellan didn't screw up somehow, how would he, Hannyabal, ever get promoted from vice-warden to chief?
---
Meanwhile, on Level Two...
All the prisoners had already been freed.
Many had seized keys from guards and rushed up to Level One, where they began unlocking even more cells to free the inmates above.
After being imprisoned in the depths of the sea for so long, most of them had stopped dreaming of freedom altogether.
Now, with their shackles removed, many stood around in a daze, unsure what to do next.
"Captain Buggy is truly a man of honor—we owe our escape to him! Why don't we all follow him?"
"Yeah, makes sense! Between us and the guys on Level One, we've got five or six hundred strong. That's enough for a serious pirate crew!"
"Under Captain Buggy's command, I bet we could conquer the Grand Line!"
Suddenly, a cold scoff silenced their chatter.
"You fools," someone sneered. "Have you not realized? Buggy's just tagging along behind someone far more powerful!"
"No, that's wrong. He's not even tagging along. That guy doesn't even see him."
Another voice growled, "I know you—you're Galdino! Mr. 3 from Baroque Works!"
"You just want to trick us into helping you rescue your old buddy down below!"
Galdino adjusted his waxy number-three hair curl and gave a smug smirk.
"Idiots. Utter idiots. That young man who came in with Boa Hancock? He's the real ringleader behind this entire prison invasion."
"Follow him to the lower levels. Swear loyalty to him. That's your only shot at a future."
"Buggy? He's just a clown. Always has been."
His words rang out with conviction. The others looked around in silence, unable to come up with a good rebuttal.
Without saying more, Galdino stretched out his long-unused limbs and sprinted down toward Level Three.
Eventually, the rest followed.
---
Back in the warden's office, Magellan's brow furrowed.
He barked,
"Send word to all remaining defense forces—abandon Levels Four and Five. Assemble everything we've got on Level Six!"
From inside the washroom, Domino peeked her masked face around the corner.
"What's happening, Warden Magellan?!"
Magellan said grimly,
"Saldeath has been defeated. The enemy's already breached Level Four."
Domino's heart clenched, but she quickly understood Magellan's decision to give up two whole levels and regroup on Six.
One reason, of course, was to trade space for time and form a proper defense.
But more importantly—Level Six held someone very dangerous.
Someone she used to serve directly.
Her former superior: the infamous Rain Shiryu.
Sure enough, Magellan continued,
"The enemy's too powerful. We'll have to temporarily release our old friend Shiryu."
"If he proves himself useful, a full reinstatement might not be out of the question."
With that, Magellan turned and marched out of the office without another word.
Domino hesitated for just a moment before yanking off her face cover and hurrying after him.
---
On the massive stone bridge spanning Level Four...
Roya continued his steady stride, Boa Hancock beside him.
Below the bridge, the immense Blood Pool boiled and churned endlessly, sending up waves of red steam.
Hancock peeked over the edge and recoiled in horror.
"So much heat... Just to disinfect prisoners? How many people have been boiled alive in there...?"
Roya answered coldly,
"The blood-red color? That's real blood."
Hancock yanked on Saldeath's leash—he was now roped like a monkey, dragged along by her snake Salome.
She snapped, "Hey! How do we shut down this hellish furnace?"
Saldeath, voice full of venom, hissed back,
"Give it up! Warden Magellan is stationed right here on this level. You'll all be poisoned to death in an instant!"
Roya chuckled lightly.
"We've been walking around for quite a while and haven't seen a single guard."
"Don't you get it yet? Magellan's already abandoned this floor."
Saldeath froze. Then he furiously clawed at the rope around his neck—
but it held firm.
All he could do was lie there, slumped, dragged along the ground like a sack of rice.
Soon, the group reached the stairs leading to Level Five.
Without turning back, Roya said simply,
"Squard. Do it."
Then he descended the stairs without pause.
Squard acknowledged with a nod and stepped up to the blood pool,
its molten surface still being scorched by countless burning coals.
Hancock stopped and turned back, confused.
"Lord Roya… What exactly is he doing?"
Roya smiled.
"Level Four is the Blazing Hell. Level Five is the Freezing Hell. So…"
"What happens if we connect them?"
Hancock was stunned.
Before she could even react, a rumbling crash sounded behind her—
followed by the hiss of something superheated plunging into icy depths.
A thick white mist surged up the stairwell.
Blinding, choking steam billowed upward.
Hancock's heart suddenly clenched.
A terrifying thought rose in her mind—
"Roya doesn't just want to recruit a few powerful inmates…
He actually intends to destroy the entire prison…!"
Roya continued walking forward calmly, unaffected by the rising steam.
And then, just ten meters ahead of him—
the boiling vapor hit an invisible wall of freezing air.
In a flash, the steam condensed into droplets,
dripping down harmlessly to the ground, flowing back toward the lower floor like a gentle stream.
Hancock stood there in awe, feeling as though a veil had just been lifted from her eyes.
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