The scene was too cruel; please use your imagination.
The screams echoed persistently, resonating in the quiet Eternal Hell.
As they walked out of the large doors of Eternal Hell, Hannyabal, suppressing the urge to vomit, nervously asked, "Warden, what's next?"
"What happens next is none of your concern. Go write your report, gather materials quickly, and repair Freezing Hell. I seem to have found a clue; I need time to organize it. Don't bother me unless it's necessary. Understood?"
If possible, I wouldn't want to bother you even if there were things to attend to!
Hannyabal nodded with a trembling heart, avoiding direct eye contact with Rowen.
It was the first time he realized that there could be so many ways to torture people.
Impel Down? The six Great Hells?
All nonsense!
Give Rowen a small knife, and he could turn prisoners into works of art!
Literal works of art!
Rowen observed Hannyabal's fear but remained silent.
This was a good thing, wasn't it? At least it ensured that Hannyabal wouldn't dare to go against him.
Whether he was a loyal servant or a treacherous one, caution was necessary.
Back in the office of the Warden of Blazing Hell at LV.4, Hannyabal apologized hastily and ran out, as if there were a ferocious beast behind him.
Rowen evaporated the blood and bodily fluids on his hands with lightning, savoring the feeling from earlier. He took out a piece of paper and began writing slowly.
"Mental and physical pain can be easily overcome. There are many determined individuals in Impel Down. Therefore, using this as an alternative method to manage prisoners is not widely applicable. Experiment suspended."
"The main method, using electric currents to damage brain cells and make the inmates lose consciousness, is feasible. However, making them obedient requires further research and is temporarily not considered."
"The difficulty in the first point lies in the fact that each person's physique is different, and their tolerance to electric currents varies. Therefore, successfully turning them into idiots while ensuring their undying state requires continued experimentation."
"Taking Diez Drake (Zoan-Ancient Zoan-Rampage Dragon Form) as an example, destroying part of the cells in the cerebral cortex did make him slow to respond or even unresponsive to external stimuli. However, the restoration power of Zoan allowed him to regain consciousness in half an hour. To keep him in an Eternal state requires ongoing experimentation. Note: [Cannot rule out the possibility of Zoan not being successful.]"
"In addition..."
Rowen wrote tens of thousands of words, making sure to put down everything he had in mind before he sighed in relief.
Experimentation was not easy for someone whose knowledge was 90% about wilderness survival, training, and combat. But to achieve his goals, this hardship had to be endured.
"I can try it on someone who isn't an Ability user tomorrow. After wasting so much food, I can't just sit idle without making a contribution."
Rowen didn't have much sympathy for the inmates in Impel Down.
They were just a bunch of failures.
And living, they posed a threat.
But he could understand the government's idea of not killing the dangerous Ability users. After all, Devil Fruits.
If it were possible to kill Ability users and prevent the dispersion of Devil Fruits, the government would have done it long ago.
But unfortunately, that wasn't possible.
At the same time, humans were social animals.
Social animals would have a terrifying sense of empathy when they witnessed their kind suffering persecution. This was more effective for deterring criminals with ulterior motives than mere slaughter.
Killing wasn't the goal; it was a necessity.
Maintaining control was an unavoidable prerequisite.
The government was afraid of killing those dangerous Ability users and feared the prisoners rebelling, so they could only maintain the status quo through fear and cruelty.
Did Impel Down really need to be so cruel?
Naturally not, but there was no other way. Under the unshakeable prerequisite of maintaining control, there had to be a place that could instill fear in the criminals— hence the emergence of the six Great Hells in Impel Down.
If he could complete his experiments, it would be a great thing for both Rowen personally and the World Government.
"If Teach can survive until the original timeline and bring people to Eternal Hell, seeing a group of idiots sitting on the ground and playing with mud would be quite amusing!"
Thinking about the possible future scenes, Rowen shook his swollen head and his mouth slightly curled.
...
The night in Impel Down was far from peaceful. The cries and sobs of the prisoners could be heard everywhere. Those who heard the cries shed tears, and those who witnessed the scenes were heartbroken. Any Holy Mother entering could easily write a three-thousand-word human rights thesis.
Unfortunately, there was not a single soft-hearted person among those serving in Impel Down.
Over the centuries, there might have been saints who came to Impel Down, hoping to make efforts for change. However, under the unshakeable prerequisite of "maintaining control," their fate could be easily guessed.
Early the next morning, Rowen learned from the guards that Jailer Chief Sadi-chan had done something significant the previous night. A group of prisoners who knew Rowen had planned to seek revenge when they saw him enter Impel Down during the day.
The tragic part, however, was that they were minor characters confined to Crimson Hell and Wild Beast Hell. If they wanted to confront Rowen, they had to voluntarily descend to the fourth level, Blazing Hell.
This unfortunate situation made many reconsider, and in the end, only a few decided to charge downward, willing to face death.
Fortunately or unfortunately, just as they reached Starvation Hell, they encountered Sadi-chan, who was interrogating prisoners in the middle of the night, walking out of the interrogation room.
This was much more terrifying than encountering Jailer Beasts!
As a result, today, there were several corpses hanging in Crimson Hell and Wild Beast Hell, dried in the air as a deterrent to the remaining prisoners.
Rowen didn't care at all about these people wanting to kill him. On the contrary, he felt it was only natural.
The strong make the rules, and the weak adapt to them.
If they can't adapt, rebellion is the only course of action.
Those who kill will inevitably be killed. Rowen never harbored any illusions about this.
After exposing the conspirators who were with him last night and roasting them into ashes in front of everyone, Rowen returned to Eternal Hell, ready for the second day of experiments.
"Gourd Gonk, the infamous cannibal leader, captured by the Marines for raising humans for consumption, possesses a wicked and robust physique... Excellent material."
Looking at the thin, black, wire-like figure tied to the chair with metal strips, Rowen sneered, put down the documents, and picked up a skull-opening drill.
"%*%%... (*&&+—&#@#@!"
Seeing the wicked monster in front of him picking up a weapon he hadn't seen yesterday, Gourd Gonk, who was said to have grown up eating human flesh, finally burst into excited curses.
Unfortunately, he was speaking the tribal language of the cannibal community. After the Marines completely wiped out the tribe, no one understood what he was saying.
At this point, seemingly realizing that it was useless, Gonk struggled and roared, "No! You have no right to do this. I am a prisoner of Impel Down! You can't kill me!"
The tone was quite strange, but at least it was understandable.
"Since when do prisoners of Impel Down have human rights?"
Rowen chuckled, injecting a syringe of concentrated sedative into Gonk's neck. It was something used by Impel Down defense forces to deal with Sea Kings that could knock one out.
Then he placed the drill against Gonk's skull, grinned at the terrified eyes of Gourd Gonk, and said, "Welcome to Hell, you scum!"
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"So, as I mentioned before, sending Momousagi over would be better than sending Rowen!"
Sengoku, looking constipated, complained while glancing at the information in his hands.
"Momoa... no, let Chaton go for the shift change!"
Tsuru decisively supported Chaton, making Chaton, who was not far away, roll her eyes with a cigarette between her teeth.
"In fact, I don't think what Rowen is doing is a bad thing. If he succeeds, Impel Down won't have to worry about prisoner riots in the future."
There were not many participants in today's meeting, and their purpose was just routine reporting. Rowen's actions in Impel Down were considered a minor matter and were brought up for discussion after the meeting ended.
Kizaru was quite optimistic about Rowen's plan, but he still clicked his tongue, saying, "The methods are a bit cruel!"
"Do you know? In Hannyabal's report on applying for the second-phase funds last time, he vaguely mentioned a resignation request because he felt his mental state was on the verge of collapse!"
Not sure what he remembered, Kizaru puckered his mouth lasciviously and said with a smile, "Letting Rowen manage Impel Down is really a genius idea!"
"You also voted in favor, Kizaru!"
Sengoku detected the mockery in Kizaru's tone and, with a displeased expression, rolled his eyes.
"Never mind him. As long as he doesn't kill Ability users... Some time ago, the South Blue Independent Commission Against Corruption where Onigumo was stationed was attacked by the Revolutionary Army. Onigumo mobilized almost the entire force for revenge! Akainu, inform him, and don't forget our main quest for sending him to the South Blue!"
"Maintaining justice is our quest!"
Akainu frowned, dissatisfied, but under Sengoku's gaze, he eventually nodded.
"I understand."
Nowhere in the seas was calm. Levely had set a plan to suppress the Revolutionary Army, but predictably, like the plans against pirates in the past, it only resulted in greater resistance.
"What a troublesome season!"
Sengoku leaned back in his chair, rubbing his forehead.
(End of this chapter)
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