"How's the situation on the sixth floor?" Ron asked calmly, lightly gripping the handle of his knife.
The invisible pressure emanating from his presence made Magellan hesitant to meet his gaze. He couldn't shake the feeling that Vice Admiral Ron's strength exceeded his expectations. The oppressive aura Ron projected was something Magellan had only ever felt from the former director.
Ron observed the guards moving around them, his eyes unperturbed. To him, the criminals on the first five floors were nothing but weaklings. His real target lay on the sixth floor.
Impel Down's sixth floor, known as Eternal Hell, was reserved for the most dangerous individuals—either death row inmates or life-sentenced criminals, all of whom posed a tremendous threat to the World Government. Without Vice Admiral-level combat strength, no one was even qualified to be imprisoned there.
It's no exaggeration to say that if the prisoners on the sixth floor ever escaped, the entire sea would descend into chaos. This was precisely why the World Government had dispatched Marine forces to support Impel Down so urgently.
"One-third of the jailers and wardens have been assigned to rotate at the entrance of the sixth floor," Magellan replied seriously. "In the past three days, more prisoners have attacked the jailers, and many on the fifth floor have tried to break through to free the criminals below. So far, they've all been stopped."
Ron nodded, now grasping the situation within Impel Down. Although the director and deputy director positions were vacant, the remaining high-level wardens were still formidable. Two Vice Admiral-level powerhouses were stationed there, but even then, their strength couldn't compare to the elite forces at Naval Headquarters. Ron himself could handle two of the Impel Down wardens alone.
With this level of combat power, they were barely maintaining order. Should an outside force attack, the situation would likely spiral out of control.
"Magellan Warden! The prisoners on the fifth floor are rioting in large numbers and are trying to breach the defense line of the sixth floor! They're asking for reinforcements!" A panicked jailer ran up, breathless.
"What are you panicking for? Naval Headquarters has already sent support. Tell the wardens to hold the line," Magellan ordered in a composed tone. He wasn't fazed by the situation.
Each level of Impel Down had a warden overseeing it, and while Magellan was stationed on the first floor, the wardens on the lower levels were even stronger. The entrance to the sixth floor was guarded by two wardens and a large number of jailers. As long as the prisoners on the sixth floor didn't get involved, the situation could still be controlled. With Naval Headquarters backing them, they could hold out.
"Let's go check it out," Ron suggested, raising an eyebrow. He hadn't expected to be thrown into a situation like this upon his arrival, but it did highlight just how precarious things were at Impel Down. Such brazen behavior from the prisoners would have been unthinkable if the director and deputy director were still in place. But since they had been dispatched to deal with problems, standing idly by wasn't an option.
Led by Magellan, they descended to the fifth floor of Impel Down.
"Kill the jailers!"
"Break through the guards! Free the criminals on the sixth floor—they'll help us escape!"
"Move quickly! If the jailers alert the Marines, we're dead when the Admirals arrive!"
The fifth floor, known as Freezing Hell, was overrun by fierce prisoners launching a relentless assault on the line of jailers.
"The ones imprisoned on this floor have bounties of over 50 million, some even over 100 million," Magellan explained gravely. "They're all strong and dangerous."
While the prisoners on this level weren't as formidable as those in Eternal Hell, they were still capable of dominating any region in the outside world.
"The conditions on this floor are brutal. The temperature is permanently below freezing, and prisoners are frostbitten until they die. Army wolves are also raised here to hunt them down. As for food? There's none. This is Impel Down, not a place for pleasure. If they want to survive, they have to kill each other or hunt the wolves," Magellan added. The prisoners here, ravaged by frostbite and starvation, were far from their peak strength. Otherwise, the guards wouldn't have lasted this long.
"More jailers have arrived!"
"Capture them and force the others to retreat!"
Spotting Ron and the group approaching, several sharp-eyed criminals shouted out, rallying others to surround them.
"These prisoners are still strong enough to cause trouble? They must be living too comfortably," Sakazuki scoffed as his body turned into molten magma, causing the surrounding temperature to rise.
"Great Eruption!" Magma surged forward, instantly vaporizing several criminals. Though the freezing environment of the fifth floor somewhat suppressed Sakazuki's Devil Fruit abilities, he was still more than capable of dealing with these weakened prisoners.
"Jihe! Draw your sword!" Ron advanced leisurely, barely moving as a dark red flash of light slashed out. The criminals in front of him froze as if time itself had stopped. Blood surged into his blade, deepening the crimson glow.
A dozen shriveled corpses hit the ground.
"What a fast blade!" Magellan gasped, eyes wide with shock. He hadn't even seen Ron draw his sword—it was that fast. He wasn't confident he could have defended against that strike.
Ron continued walking, his steps calm as if crushing ants beneath his feet. He stepped over the bodies and approached the remaining prisoners, his gaze cold and oppressive.
"You are the most vile of criminals," Ron stated. "Attacking jailers and trying to breach the sixth floor. In the name of Impel Down's director, I will execute you on the spot."
With a wave of his sword, the dark red slash tore through the air. In a flash, it reached the prisoners.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Blood splattered, limbs scattered.
It was a bloodbath.
Prisoners were cut down like wheat, leaving only a handful of survivors who had managed to hide behind their comrades.
"Monster!" one prisoner screamed as he turned and ran.
"Break them!" Ron's sword shattered the ground, sending shockwaves through Freezing Hell. The fleeing prisoners were crushed into blood mist.
"Take these bodies and throw them into the sea," Ron ordered calmly. Magellan, suppressing his shock, called for the jailers to clean up the mess.
"Since Naval Headquarters sent me here to support Impel Down, I will enforce my rules. Any prisoners causing trouble will be executed on the spot without question," Ron declared.
During troubled times, heavy-handed measures were necessary. These criminals were among the most dangerous in the world, Ron wasn't about to show mercy to those who had terrorized the seas.
"Sakazuki, you'll oversee the fourth floor. Tsuru, you'll suppress the third floor," Ron continued. "As for the entrance to the sixth floor and Freezing Hell, I will guard them personally."
The strength of three Vice Admirals was more than enough to keep the prisoners in check. Most of the troublemakers on the fifth floor were already dead, leaving only a few stragglers who posed no threat. The real danger lay on the sixth floor.
By standing guard himself, Ron ensured that if anyone tried to escape, they would be defeated. While some of the prisoners on the sixth floor may have had Vice Admiral-level strength or even higher in their prime, years of imprisonment had likely left them with only a fraction of their former power.
Tsuru and Sakazuki didn't argue. With Sakazuki's magma powers, he was a perfect fit for the scorching fourth floor. Tsuru, on the other hand, could easily manage the third floor, where the prisoners were much weaker.
Impel Down was now under their control.
[Power Stones Required]
I hope your like the chapter 😊.