Impel Down lay in ruins, its once impenetrable defenses shattered. Originally, three marine battleships had been anchored at the infamous prison, but the sheer number of escaping prisoners far exceeded their capacity. Many fish-men took the dangerous route, diving directly into the sea despite the lurking threat of Sea Kings.
However, Byrnndi World made a significant difference, enlarging all three ships to accommodate the influx of prisoners. Despite deep-seated grudges, the prisoners formed a temporary truce, focused solely on escaping the Calm Belt. Later, they would go their separate ways, with some already starting to recruit for their crews.
Attention was drawn to a small group of pirates standing near the entrance of Impel Down, patiently waiting. The group was led by Doflamingo, followed closely by Miyamoto, Wolf, Iceburg, Leo, and Mansherry. They had already transferred Senor and Diamante to a small ship and were standing by their sides. Next to Doflamingo stood the legendary Golden Lion Shiki and the infamous Patrick Redfield, both eager to say their farewells before departing.
Suddenly, a palpable tension filled the air. Everyone felt the presence of someone ascending the main entrance steps from within. As Doflamingo laid eyes on his brother, a wide smile spread across his face. Deep down, this was the version of Ross he had always wanted to see. Even monsters like Shiki and Redfield felt a sense of unease.
Emerging from the depths of the prison was Ross, drenched in crimson blood, as if he had bathed in it. The stench of death clung heavily to the air, permeating the surroundings. The other pirates, initially curious, felt a chill run down their spines and instinctively cleared the area, boarding their ships hastily.
Doflamingo watched intently as his little brother dragged a headless corpse behind him. The corpse, clad in an officer's uniform, was unmistakably that of the chief warden of Impel Down, recognizable by the blood-drenched epaulettes.
Ross's entrance was nothing short of epic. His eyes, fierce and determined, scanned the gathered pirates. His presence exuded an aura of unyielding power, causing even the bravest to avert their gaze. The blood-soaked figure of Ross was a testament to his ruthlessness and resolve.
"Little Brother," Doflamingo greeted, his voice tinged with pride and a hint of amusement. "You've certainly made an impression."
I dropped the headless corpse unceremoniously, the thud echoing ominously. "Impel Down is no longer an impentrable prison," I stated calmly, my voice carrying an unsettling calmness. "The World Government will know the price of underestimating us."
Shiki and Redfield exchanged glances, both recognizing the formidable force standing before them. "Shihahahaha," Shiki laughed, though there was a note of respect in his voice. "You've got quite the guts, Donquixote Brat!."
"Indeed," Redfield added, his eyes gleaming with intrigue. "This new era might be more interesting than I thought."
As the pirates began to disperse, boarding their now enlarged ships, the sense of a new, chaotic era settling over the seas was undeniable. The release of such powerful criminals and the devastation of Impel Down signaled a shift that would be felt across the world. Ross and Doflamingo stood at the precipice of this new dawn, ready to shape it according to their will.
With their farewells exchanged, Shiki and Redfield departed, each promising to bring their own brand of chaos to the seas. The Doflamingo siblings, along with their crew, prepared to return to Dressrosa, the air around them crackling with anticipation and the promise of what was to come.
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A few hours later, the marine battleships led by Zephyr approached Impel Down. They had also recalled the battleships out on patrol in the vicinity, so the initial size of three ships had swelled to more than a dozen marine ships, but as the fleet closed in on Impel Down, the ominous silence of the sea was unnerving. No usual patrols, no radio chatter—just an eerie quiet that set everyone on edge.
Zephyr's thoughts raced. "Could it be a coordinated attack? Pirates? Freedom fighters? Whoever it is, they're bold to attack Impel Down."
The fleet reached the waters surrounding the infamous prison, and the sight that greeted them was shocking. The once formidable fortress was in disarray, with smoke rising from parts of the structure. There were signs of battle, but no immediate sign of the enemy.
"Prepare to dock! We need to secure the area and get inside!" Zephyr ordered. The marines sprang into action, their training taking over as they moved with precision.
As Zephyr and his team made their way into the main entrance of Impel Down, the true extent of the chaos became apparent. The bodies of the prison guards lay littered, and there were signs of a brutal conflict. The most dangerous criminals in the world had been unleashed, and the implications were terrifying.
"How could this happen?" one of the Vice Admirals muttered, shock evident on his face.
Zephyr clenched his fists. "We'll find out soon enough. Right now, we need to reestablish control and contain this disaster."
Just then, one of the rear admirals leading the charge froze in shock. Vice Admiral Momonga, assessing the damage, ran into him, knocking the rear admiral onto his rear. Despite the fall, the marine remained fixated on something ahead, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Get a grip, Rear Admiral," Momonga barked, but his words were lost as he traced the marine's gaze. What he saw made his blood run cold.
At the top of a large mast, likely broken from one of the marine ships, a headless corpse was pinned as a gruesome display. Positioned right at the main entrance of Impel Down, the figure was unmistakable, even without the head. The blood-drenched uniform and the distinct epaulettes identified the body as that of the Chief Warden, an admiral-level figure now displayed as a morbid trophy.
The sight was both chilling and awe-inspiring, a macabre testament to the devastating power and ruthlessness of their unknown adversary. The marines around Momonga began to murmur in fear and anger, the morale of the troops wavering in the face of such a brutal and audacious act.
Momonga clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing with determination. "Everyone, stay focused!" he commanded, his voice cutting through the murmur like a blade. "This is an act of war. We must assess the situation and regroup. Prepare for the worst, but do not let fear control you!"
As he barked out orders, the gravity of the situation weighed heavily on him. Impel Down, the impenetrable fortress of the World Government, had been breached in the most violent and humiliating way. The Chief Warden, a man of immense power and authority, had been reduced to a warning sign, a stark declaration of the attackers' might and their contempt for the World Government.
The Vice Admiral's mind raced, trying to piece together the events that led to this disaster. The coordinated silence from Impel Down, the overwhelming force required to subdue the Chief Warden, and the precision of the attack all pointed to a well-planned and executed operation. But who could have orchestrated such a daring assault? And what were their intentions?
Just then, Zephyr arrived at the scene, his reaction mirroring Momonga's as rage boiled within him, threatening to tear apart whoever was responsible for this atrocity. Assessing the situation at Impel Down was crucial, and he turned to address one of his subordinates, a Rear Admiral.
"Bring the Chief Warden down. He cannot be disrespected like this. Take a team and see if you can find his head. We need to give the man a proper burial," Zephyr commanded. The Rear Admiral immediately moved to bring down the corpse.
Unbeknownst to many, one of the Marines in the back secretly took a picture of the gruesome display. He occasionally sold exclusive photos to Morgans for a hefty sum, and this particular photo was going to earn him a thick wad of cash.
The remaining Marines meticulously began assessing the damage inside Impel Down. Almost the entirety of the prison security forces had been slaughtered. Even the control room for the Gates of Justice had been completely destroyed, likely using a high explosive device to obliterate the massive gears and other mechanisms.
Suddenly, on Level 2, Zephyr, who was scanning the area for any signs of life using his Observation Haki, found a faint trace of vitality beneath a massive pile of rubble. He immediately moved to push aside the molten debris and, beneath it all, found the unconscious and charred form of Vice Warden Magellan, still clinging to life by a thread.
"Quick! Send for the medics, transfer him to the ship!" Zephyr roared. Soon enough, the medics carefully transferred the nearly dead Magellan.
Zephyr then turned to the rest of Level 2, which resembled a battlefield more than a prison. Hundreds of corpses littered the ground, both Impel Down's forces and prisoners among them.
"Admiral, we need to secure Level 6," Momonga stepped up, reminding Zephyr of the most critical location within Impel Down. From the condition of the first two levels, no one held any hope that the carnage hadn't spread to Level 6.
Zephyr, followed by the main force of the marines—the Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals—made their way to Level 6. The rest of the marines spread out to secure the other levels. The great prison, once housing more than a hundred thousand prisoners, now seemed desolate.
Quite a few prisoners had escaped the carnage by hiding themselves and staying inside their cells, but more than half of the inmates had turned into corpses from the chaos. Initial estimates suggested over six thousand Impel Down guards had perished, and close to forty thousand prisoners seemed to have succumbed to the mayhem.
"Splat... Splat..." As Zephyr stepped onto Level 6, his feet immersed themselves in a thick liquid. Zephyr's gaze narrowed as he recognized what it was, but he gritted his teeth and walked deeper into the level, bracing his heart for the worst.
Reaching the core of Level 6, Zephyr froze, taking in the horrific sight before him. A grotesque pyramid, constructed meticulously from severed heads, rose ominously from the blood-soaked ground. Hundreds, maybe close to a thousand, heads were stacked in a gruesome testament to the carnage, each one a silent scream frozen in time.
At the very top, in a morbid display of supremacy, sat the head of the Chief Warden of Impel Down, a crown of death that embodied the utter annihilation and cold, calculated brutality of the assailant. The macabre monument was a chilling, awe-inspiring spectacle, a symbol of unyielding power, and an unspoken declaration of war against the World Government.
"It's him. There can be no one else. It must be him. There is no one else who could have done this, and I have seen this before. It's that monster, the Sword Demon, Rosinante," Momonga said, stepping next to Zephyr, his hands unconsciously clutching his sword for courage. The display was bone-chilling, and he would bet his life that Rosinante was responsible for this gruesome act.
"Are you sure, Vice Admiral?" Zephyr's tone was neutral, but there was an underlying steel in his voice.
Momonga looked at the pool of blood they stood in and stepped closer to the pyramid of heads. "Zephyr-san, as much as I would like to deny it, I cannot think of anyone else who would have the audacity to pull this off. Garp-san truly raised a monster, and what we did in Marineford unleashed that chained beast."
Even a veteran Vice Admiral like Momonga felt weak in his knees at the display. This was a statement, a clear display of power, and a reminder of what would happen if they crossed the monster known as Donquixote Rosinante.
Zephyr's fists clenched, and his rage barely contained. "This... this is a declaration of war. We must respond with all our might. The World Government and the Marines will not stand for this."
The marines around them steeled themselves, their fear transforming into a burning resolve. The sight of their fallen leader galvanized them into action, each one determined to honor his sacrifice by fighting with every ounce of their strength.
As they stood amidst the carnage, the reality of their situation settled over them like a heavy fog. This was not just a simple prison break; it was the beginning of a new era of piracy and rebellion, one that threatened to upend the entire world order.
Zephyr turned to his officers. "We need to secure what's left of Impel Down and gather all available intelligence. Alert Marine Headquarters and request immediate reinforcements. We cannot allow these criminals to escape unchecked. We need to capture them all before they unleash chaos on the seas. We will need to restore order, no matter the cost!"
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"Heavenly Fire!!!" Big Mom roared, unleashing a searing blast of flames with the aid of Prometheus aimed at a Marine battleship.
"Ten Thousand Hands!!!" Sengoku, in his towering golden Buddha form, countered with a barrage of shockwaves. The clash reverberated across the tumultuous sea, where Whitebeard's fleet relentlessly battered the remaining Marine warships. What started as over thirty vessels had dwindled to just a dozen in the fierce onslaught orchestrated by the combined forces of Wano and Whitebeard.
"L-Linlin, are you so intent on opposing the Marines? Why aid Wano? You have no stake in this matter!" Sengoku's voice boomed across the chaotic battlefield. The Big Mom Pirates, unexpectedly joining the fray, closed off any escape route for the high-end Marine forces.
"Mamamama!!!, Sengoku, when did I ever claim to support Wano? I'm here to remind you Marines that the New World isn't your playground. This sea belongs to the pirates; you have no jurisdiction here," Big Mom retorted defiantly before launching another devastating attack, which Sengoku promptly countered with a determined resolve.
Meanwhile, on the shores of Wano, the clash between Whitebeard and the God's Knight had escalated into a brutal spectacle. Moby Dick, the legendary ship, lay splintered amidst the chaotic waters, its crew safely evacuated to shore. Whitebeard, undeterred by the ship's fate, focused solely on his opponent, the God's Knight.
Hours had passed since their battle began, each moment adding to the celestial dragon's mounting desperation. Though he was confident about triumphing over even veteran admirals like Sengoku and Zephyr, he found himself outmatched by Whitebeard's relentless onslaught.
With one of his wings torn away and his right leg maimed, he struggled to stand, his vision blurred with exhaustion. Yet, fueled by the pride of a celestial dragon and bound by duty to Imu-sama, he refused to yield, even as defeat loomed ever closer.
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