The position of a prison guard might seem like an easy job, but it's not something just anyone can handle.
At least, after leading the prisoners through their baptism, Vivian felt quite unwell.
Wearing rubber gloves, he ordered the guards to carry the prisoners away one by one. Glancing at their skin, which looked like it had been boiled, and smelling the scent of cooked meat, Vivian's stomach churned. He was secretly glad he hadn't eaten much for lunch, or he might have thrown up.
Impel Down, Level One.
Holding a stack of forms, Vivian stood in front of the prison cells. After the guards threw the baptized prisoners inside, he marked a check next to their names with a pen.
"John Dennis, bounty of 15 million Berries, from the North Blue…"
Muttering to himself, he tossed a custom-made prison uniform to the prisoner, locked the cell door, and then led the guards to the next cell.
The job wasn't complicated. There were only about thirty prisoners to process. After writing and checking for a while, he moved from Level One to Level Four, placing all the prisoners in their cells in less than two hours.
Working only two hours a day might seem easy, but how to fill the rest of the time?
Besides monitoring the surveillance on Level One or patrolling, there wasn't much else to do.
Of course, Vivian had his phone to pass the time. For people like Domino and Hannyabal, who had worked in Impel Down for years, daily life was incredibly dull.
"Looks like I'll need to come up with more entertainment for them…"
Vivian muttered to himself.
He was considering introducing something like a mahjong set to see how it would go when suddenly, options appeared before his eyes.
Option 1: Return to Level One via the stairs. (Reward: Random special item from another world x1)
Option 2: Take the elevator back to Level One. (Reward: Random basic attribute +1)
"Hmm?"
Vivian was puzzled.
Is there a catch?
Could taking the stairs be dangerous?
Various possibilities flashed through his mind.
Although his strength had increased significantly, dealing with side quests was still troublesome.
After the events of Dressrosa and Enies Lobby, Vivian just wanted a break.
Besides…
Special items?
He wasn't that interested unless it was a combat skill.
Thinking this, he turned around and, under the puzzled gazes of the guards, waved his hand, "Let's go to the fourth floor and take the elevator. It's my first day in the prison, and I haven't tried it yet."
…
Meanwhile.
"Boss Buggy, why haven't they come back yet?"
"Yeah, it's been almost two hours."
A group of prisoners sat around Buggy at the cell door, craning their necks to look down the empty corridor, their faces full of confusion.
Up front, gripping the bars with sweaty hands, Buggy felt like he was about to lose it.
Where… where are they?
Why…
Why haven't they come back after so long?
He had seen the guards from a distance earlier, especially the one leading them. Just a glimpse of his back told him it was the new guy in the prison today.
So, while the jailers were escorting prisoners, Buggy timed it perfectly to eat the grilled fish he had prepared a week ago, pretending to have a stomachache to lure the new jailer. He planned to have his fellow prisoners ambush the jailer as soon as he opened the cell door.
But who knew…
Half an hour had passed since he ate it, and the jailers still hadn't come up the stairs.
What was going on?
Could something have delayed them?
Or… was there a traitor among us who exposed my carefully laid plan?
Thinking this, Buggy's stomach hurt even more.
A wave of dizziness hit him, and Buggy reached out towards the cell bars, struggling to call out, "Help… help…"
Sweat poured from his forehead.
His face turned increasingly pale.
Meanwhile, the prisoners watching him started to flatter him.
"Boss Buggy's acting is incredible."
"Yeah, yeah, anyone who didn't know would think Boss Buggy was really about to pass out."
Buggy: "…"
"Help… help!"
"Someone come save me!!"
"Help… save… me…"
His eyes rolled back.
As Buggy collapsed to the ground, he still couldn't understand why things had turned out this way.
…
First floor above the sea, monitoring room.
Vivian, with his legs crossed, a cigar in his mouth, and a glass of red wine in his hand, watched Buggy collapse at the cell door on the screen and couldn't help but shake his head.
"So it was you causing trouble?"
Pretending to be sick to make me let you out?
If Buggy had managed to sneak out, it wouldn't just be a simple demotion for him.
His term at Impel Down would probably be extended by another ten years.
If he wanted to gain freedom early, escaping might be his only option.
"Can I order the prisoners in this cell to be punished with no food for three days?" Vivian pointed at the screen and turned to the jailer in the monitoring room.
"Of course, Chief Vivian. As the chief, you can certainly give such orders."
"Good." Vivian nodded. "No food or water for three days. Let's see if they dare to cause trouble again."
"Yes, Chief Vivian."
With that, the jailer immediately left the monitoring room and ran to the kitchen to give the order.
…
Three days later.
"What is this?"
Fujitora asked, puzzled, as he touched the wooden tiles Vivian handed him.
"This is called Mahjong."
Vivian explained, "It's a game you can play just by feeling, without using your eyes."
"A game?"
"Yes, a gambling game."
"Gambling?"
As expected, Fujitora perked up at the mention of gambling.
While Vivian was explaining the rules of Mahjong to Fujitora, in the office on the fourth underground floor, Magellan was reading the newspaper and suddenly saw a headline:
"Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach replaces Crocodile as the new Warlord of the Sea."