Unlike the lower levels, where most prisoners had collapsed under Teach's Conqueror's Haki, Level Five, the Freezing Hell, told a different story.
Nearly a third of the pirates remained standing.
The quality of criminals here was far higher. The environment itself selected for monsters. Freezing Hell was not a place ordinary men could endure. The pirates imprisoned here had only one fate: to freeze slowly to death in endless cold.
Yet that very suffering forged terrifying willpower.
Those who lacked resolve had long since starved, frozen, or taken their own lives. Only the truly stubborn survived.
Jailers rarely entered this level except to deliver food. Even if a prisoner escaped a cage, they would not get far. The Military Wolves roaming the snowfields were more terrifying than wild beasts.
Corpses were produced every day. Most were not even processed. They were dragged into the snow and left as feed for the wolves.
Among the prisoners, there was a demon.
At least, that was how they described him.
For years now, Shiryu had been more terrifying than the pirates themselves.
As Chief Guard, Shiryu was responsible for this level. He represented absolute force, capable of suppressing pirates with bounties over one hundred million Berries. He was also Impel Down's first line of defense against escape.
Unlike previous chief guards who rarely bothered with this frozen wasteland, Shiryu visited frequently.
He possessed full records of every prisoner in Freezing Hell, along with the keys to their cages.
And he enjoyed using them.
Shiryu would open a cage, release a pirate, allow them to taste hope, then crush that hope beneath his blade. He savored combat. He savored slaughter.
More prisoners had died by his hand than by the cold. Likely several times more.
Officially, such actions would merit punishment. In reality, Shiryu acted discreetly. Either no one noticed, or they chose not to. To many jailers, pirates deserved death regardless.
At this moment, Shiryu stood in the snow before a cage. Fresh corpses lay at his feet.
He wore a black prison uniform and a pilot's cap. With calm movements, he wiped blood from his cursed sword, Raiu. The blade seemed almost alive, faintly glowing with a sinister crimson sheen after drinking fresh blood.
A smile rested on his lips.
His aura, however, was bone-chilling. Cold. Bloodthirsty. His killing intent was pure, honed like a blade itself.
Then he felt it.
Teach's Conqueror's Haki.
Shiryu turned his head toward the source.
"Heh… interesting."
The pressure was immense. The owner of that Haki was stronger than he was.
Unlike Magellan, Shiryu understood Impel Down far more intimately. Though he did not roam freely through every level, he had explored enough using his authority.
Freezing Hell had no surveillance Den Den Mushi. Combined with his rank, his movements here went unnoticed.
But elsewhere, Impel Down was tightly monitored. Under the Warden's suppression, Shiryu could not act as freely as he wished.
At first, the pirates here entertained him.
Now they bored him.
They were too weak.
Slaughter without challenge no longer satisfied him. He killed simply to vent the irritation building inside his chest.
Impel Down had become a shackle.
He craved a stage where he could fight without restraint.
And he knew one thing with certainty.
That Conqueror's Haki did not belong to anyone imprisoned here.
The monstrous figures of Infinite Hell had powerful auras, yes. But not like this.
This was an outsider.
An invader.
For reasons he did not fully understand, Shiryu felt exhilarated.
He thought of his former colleague who had left Impel Down and joined the Beasts Pirates, rising to prominence as King.
Shiryu's lips curved slightly.
Perhaps… this was the moment he had been waiting for.
With that thought, he began walking toward the upper levels.
The shockwave of Conqueror's Haki was brief, but its impact echoed throughout Impel Down.
In Level Six, Infinite Hell, prisoners stirred.
They immediately sensed the difference.
Their gazes shifted toward Patrick Redfield's cell.
Most prisoners here were arrogant monsters. They rarely spared attention for others. Combined with the natural darkness of Infinite Hell, the abnormal shadow surrounding Redfield's cage had gone unnoticed at first.
"What was that?"
"Someone came in."
"Did someone come to rescue Redfield?"
The realization spread quickly.
Excitement flickered in their eyes.
Hope.
A rare and dangerous thing.
Two figures stepped out from the shadow-shrouded cell.
The darkness behind them did not vanish. That meant there were at least three intruders.
The leading man wore a black pirate coat with gold trim. A faint smile curved his lips. His aura was overwhelming.
Marshall D. Teach surveyed the prisoners calmly.
Their strength was formidable. Released upon the seas, they would cause chaos across entire regions.
Yet among them, several auras made him cautious.
They were weakened.
But once, they had been Admiral-level monsters.
Over the decades, countless powerful pirates had risen, wielding bizarre abilities and terrifying combat prowess. Some had been so dangerous that even Monkey D. Garp and Sengoku had personally intervened to capture them after bitter struggles.
Many were not executed after capture.
Their Devil Fruits were too rare. Too dangerous.
If they died, their abilities would reincarnate somewhere in the world. The Marines preferred them locked away.
Alive, they were contained.
Dead, they were unpredictable.
And their minds held secrets. Hidden treasures. Forbidden knowledge.
Teach's gaze stopped on a towering figure five meters tall.
"Werewolf" Mutou.
A Mythical Zoan user of the Wolf-Wolf Fruit, Model: Werewolf.
His savage aura remained palpable despite years of confinement. Thick fur covered his body, giving him the appearance of a beast more than a man.
Mutou was over one hundred and thirty years old.
Teach knew that much.
The Werewolf model, like the Vampire model, could be categorized as a rare branch within Mythical Zoans. Long-lived types. As long as vitality remained, they could maintain peak condition.
The Vampire model absorbed vitality through blood. Mutou's method differed, but the result was similar.
As long as he could activate his ability, he could return to his prime.
He had been personally defeated and imprisoned by Garp more than a decade ago. One of Garp's earliest legends.
Rumors said Mutou had trespassed into a forbidden domain of the gods. In his former territory, strange creatures had appeared, later destroyed by the World Government.
Teach suspected lineage factor experimentation.
Mutou had ruled an island once known as Sirius Island, now called Thriller Bark under Gecko Moria.
Now, without access to his power, Mutou's vitality was dwindling. His human lifespan had long expired. Only the fruit had sustained him.
Ordinary food meant nothing to him.
Teach had not expected to find him alive.
And then...
Teach froze.
A familiar face.
Short golden hair. Handsome features. Scars covering his body.
Shi.
He had sailed with Edward Newgate since the days of the Rocks Pirates.
After Rocks disbanded, Shi followed Whitebeard as a core member of the Whitebeard Pirates.
A Mythical Zoan user of the Gryphon model, capable of manipulating wind.
Fourteen years ago, he had been ambushed. Marines besieged him. Rival pirates added to the assault.
Gravely wounded, he fell into the sea and vanished.
Presumed dead.
Whitebeard's fury had been catastrophic.
Pirate crews involved were annihilated. Their captains personally crushed.
Two Marine Vice Admirals died. Three Marine strongholds in the New World were destroyed.
Whitebeard searched for Shi's body but never found it.
On the black market, the Gryphon fruit carried a massive bounty from the Whitebeard Pirates. Even years later, they sought it as a memento.
Yet here he was.
Alive.
Imprisoned for over a decade.
His body bore heavy scars. His right leg and left hand were severed.
Tortured.
Broken.
He had likely been kept alive deliberately.
A bargaining chip against Whitebeard.
Teach sensed it immediately.
Shi had already lost the will to live.
He would not last many more years.
Teach felt no personal attachment.
But he understood one thing clearly.
If Whitebeard learned of this…
Teach almost laughed.
At his peak, Whitebeard was acknowledged as the strongest man in the world.
Not Garp.
Not Sengoku.
No one could easily withstand the wrath of Edward Newgate at full strength.
The chaos that would follow…
Teach could already see it unfolding.