The jailers and guards quickly withdrew, locking the great gate behind them.
The pirates gathering in the corridor burst into laughter, mistaking the retreat for fear.
"Hahahahaha! An internal rebellion in Impel Down, huh? Even the strongest iron fortress can't survive a blow from the inside!"
"I can't wait to see how the world reacts when the news spreads—Impel Down, thrown into chaos!"
"Relax. You won't get that chance."
Longinus stepped forward, eyes burning with a feverish brilliance—
as if he were gazing at priceless treasure.
"Hey! Even your jailers abandoned you, and you still want to die for them?"
"Don't underestimate him. He's the new Warden—caught plenty of us a few days ago. Cocky little bastard."
"So what? The last warden died in here. We killed him like any other jailer."
They all knew this new Warden was strong.
One-on-one, none of them stood a chance.
But humans were herd animals.
When numbers swelled, so did courage.
This massive "alliance" was the only reason they dared face Longinus head-on.
But Longinus only looked at them as if sizing up prey.
Softly, he said:
"You, prisoners of Blazing Hell—each of your bounties ranges from fifty million to one hundred million."
Hearing this, the pirates puffed up with pride.
On the first half of the Grand Line, that kind of bounty earned the title of "Great Pirate."
"Kid, if you're scared, surrender now. Maybe if we're in a good mood, we'll let you live."
"Hahahaha!"
Longinus ignored them and continued,
"That level of bounty… you barely qualify as oversized minnows."
The laughter stopped.
Faces darkened.
"You brat… do you know what you're saying?!"
"And you've been locked up for a long time.
Day after day of torture, pain, hunger… your minds and bodies ruined.
Tell me—how much strength do you really have left?"
"Bastard, what are you hinting at?! Even if we only have a tenth of our strength—so many of us can still pile on and bury you!"
Longinus smiled lightly.
"Nothing much.
I was simply calculating how long it would take to finish you all."
His gaze sharpened.
"Final answer—
Thirty seconds."
"You little—!"
The enraged pirate never finished his sentence.
Because Longinus vanished.
The next instant—
a tidal wave of pain swallowed him whole,
and then came the eternal dark.
Outside.
A single Rankyaku slash cleaved through the mob.
Pirates who failed to react were bisected at the waist, blood and organs splattering midair.
Longinus reappeared elsewhere in a lightning step.
His fingers shot forward—
Shigan.
Precise.
Unforgiving.
Death landing directly in each target's heart.
Warm blood sprayed across his face.
Only then did the remaining pirates finally understand—
this nightmare was real.
"Run—run! That thing isn't human!"
"N-No way! I blinked for one moment—how did this turn into a slaughterhouse?!"
The pirates imprisoned in Impel Down were already broken.
Few still possessed spirit or courage.
These here were merely frightened animals huddling together for warmth.
The moment they realized numbers meant nothing—
their "grand alliance" shattered instantly.
Longinus surveyed the carnage.
"The traces of battle are sufficient…"
A faint smile curled his lips.
"Now—
time to enjoy the feast."
From between his clenched fingers, the hidden tip of a blade emerged—
the Seven-Star Sword, whispering for souls.
Panicked pirates scrambled toward the gate, but it was sealed, blocking their last hope of escape.
Longinus moved like lightning.
Each flicker of his silhouette claimed another life.
The soul energy fed back into him made him tremble with pleasure.
But he forced himself to remain calm, focused.
Every corpse was tossed into the roaring fire below.
That was precisely why he chose this layer as the battlefield—
the flames were the perfect way to erase the Seven-Star Sword's traces.
The earlier corpses he left behind were intentional.
A perfect arrangement—otherwise dumping every body into the fire would be suspicious.
Now the conditions were perfect.
A flawless hunt.
Meanwhile—
"Say it aloud!
Who granted you freedom?!
Who will lead you out of this prison?!"
Naiozu shouted triumphantly.
He had only planned to risk everything—
but Jin's exposure had forced Magellan to abandon the upper levels,
giving Naiozu a real chance for escape.
"Captain Naiozu!"
"Our savior!"
"We'll follow Captain Naiozu forever!"
Their fanatic cries had nothing to do with charisma—
he had silently implanted mental suggestions into their weakened minds
the moment they were freed.
For Levels 1–3, direct control was possible.
But for the stronger prisoners of Level 4–5, suggestion required leverage—
like the gratitude he'd engineered.
"Hahaha! Excellent!
You saw what happened in the sky—
Yarvis and Magellan rushed to deal with the Infinite Hell uprising!
They can't care about us now—this is our perfect chance!"
"Captain Naiozu, take us to freedom!"
"Charge to the surface! Before Marine HQ reacts, seize a battleship!"
But then—
"Bad news, Captain Naiozu! The lift won't activate—it must have been destroyed!"
"Don't panic.
Move faster.
Even climbing floor by floor is fine."
He led the pirates toward Level 4—Blazing Hell.
Soon the gate opened—
and they stepped into a nightmare.
"What is… this…?"
The entire floor was deserted.
Only a few collapsed bodies remained.
The overwhelming stench of blood and charred flesh hit them like a wave.
"Something's wrong.
Don't stop.
Move to the next lev—"
"Captain Naiozu! The gate to Starvation Hell is locked! Breaking it will take at least three minutes!"
"Then hurry, before—"
CLANG.
The gate behind them slammed shut.
Their faces drained of color.
"That… that was the gate to Frozen Hell!"
And from that gate—
a figure stepped in.
Not a drop of blood stained him.
Longinus smiled warmly, gently—almost tenderly.
"Welcome."
His eyes gleamed.
"Welcome to hell.
The real hell."
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