It's likely that every level of Impel Down is an absolute hell for prisoners. Watching the cruel torture inflicted daily is something ordinary people could never endure. This might explain why the guards at Impel Down are all strange, non-human creatures.
Most of the beasts that serve as guards take pleasure in tormenting the prisoners. Even the Navy personnel stationed at Impel Down generally avoid entering the levels where prisoners are held—they're afraid of having nightmares.
Because of this, the Navy stationed at Impel Down tends to keep their distance from the prison's management staff. They believe that anyone who can control those vicious guard beasts must be even more ruthless.
Though the Navy doesn't like entering the prison, sometimes they have no choice. With so many pirates locked up, there are daily executions, and when that time comes, no matter how reluctant they are, they must witness the true hell of Impel Down.
In the past, when a pirate was due for execution, the job of retrieving the prisoner from Impel Down was something everyone tried to avoid. But since Wood started working at Impel Down, they no longer had to draw lots for the task.
When Wood first arrived, everyone assumed he was just a greenhorn fresh out of the Navy Academy, especially considering how young he looked.
However, the veterans were shocked when Wood, on his first trip into Impel Down to retrieve a pirate for execution, showed no signs of psychological distress. In fact, he even started getting chummy with the monstrous guard beasts!
Seeing that the rookie was more capable than expected, the job of retrieving prisoners from Impel Down quickly became Wood's responsibility.
Wood tried to resist, but it was no use. He had hoped that as a Seaman Third Class in this desolate place, he might at least become a squad leader.
But as it turned out, the Navy detachment stationed at Impel Down consisted of only ten people, most of whom were Petty Officers or Sergeants, with even a Lieutenant among them.
In terms of experience and seniority, Wood was the most junior, having just graduated from the Navy Academy. In terms of rank, as a Seaman Third Class, he was firmly at the bottom of the hierarchy.
The task was presented as a way to "promote good relations between the Navy and Impel Down," but in reality, it was just a way for the others to dump the least desirable work onto Wood.
The squad leader wasn't heartless, though. He outright told Wood that since he had "volunteered" for such an important task, he wouldn't have to worry about any desk jobs from now on.
He even promised to write a letter at the end of the year to commend Wood's outstanding performance.
With things laid out like that, what could Wood do?
Besides, compared to the monotonous work of processing pirate files in a small office, Wood found that he actually preferred the atmosphere at Impel Down.
The guard beasts might be ferocious, but as long as you could prove your strength, you could get them to follow you like loyal underlings.
Thanks to his earlier friendly interactions with Saldeath and his prior knowledge of Impel Down's layout from watching the anime, Wood found that he could navigate the prison quite easily.
He quickly got on good terms with several of the prison's management staff by learning about their personalities and preferences.
At this point in time, the current Chief Warden of Impel Down was not yet Magellan; Magellan was still the Vice Warden. Wood had encountered him a couple of times, but their rank difference was too great for them to strike up a conversation.
As for Shiryu of the Rain, who would later be imprisoned in Level 6, he was still the Head Jailer of Impel Down.
It must be said that there was good reason for the Navy to avoid interacting with the management staff of Impel Down—they were a strange bunch, to say the least.
Shiryu, for instance, had a notorious reputation for his brutal methods. Most people knew that his tendency to kill prisoners indiscriminately was what eventually got him locked up in Level 6.
It's important to note that Shiryu was imprisoned for killing prisoners. Simply torturing them for fun, however, was something that Impel Down actually allowed.
After all, to the outside world, everyone locked up in Impel Down was considered a villain and a scoundrel. As long as they weren't killed, torturing them was fair game.
A prime example of someone who took pleasure in torturing prisoners was Sadie, the Chief Jailer.
Despite her appearance as a beautiful woman with curly blonde hair, a fringe that covers her eyes, white candle-shaped earrings, a tight pink leather suit, and spiked high heels, Sadie was actually the commander of the four guard beasts in Level 4—Blazing Hell. She had authority on par with the Warden.
Sadie's personality, however, was terrible. She was a sadist through and through, taking great pleasure in hearing others' cries of pain.
And the four guard beasts under her command—Minotaurus, Mino Koala, Mino Rhinoceros, and Mino Zebra—were all exceptionally violent and ruthless.
Neither Saldeath, the head warden, nor Sadie had changed much from what Wood remembered from the show.
Their devilish appearances made Wood wonder if they were actually demons in disguise; otherwise, it was hard to explain why their looks hadn't changed at all over the years.
At present, Wood had managed to build good relationships with Saldeath and Sadie. As for Magellan and the others, either their rank was too high, or their personalities were too different, making it hard for Wood to connect with them.
Unlike Sadie, who was cruel only to prisoners, Shiryu's cruelty was a fundamental part of his nature, making him dangerous to anyone, not just prisoners. Shiryu simply enjoyed killing.
Wood still vividly remembered the first time he met Shiryu. The way Shiryu looked at him was something Wood would never forget.
It was the kind of gaze one would have when spotting an interesting prey. Compared to the helpless prisoners, Wood, with his swordsman aura, was far more intriguing to Shiryu.
Luckily, Shiryu hadn't yet become the unrestrained killer he would be in the future. Upon realizing that Wood was wearing a Navy uniform, Shiryu had left with a look of disappointment.