"This is... a bone fragment?" Kuzan squinted his eyes and carefully examined the object held between Sakazuki's fingers.
"I suppose this isn't a part of Shiki's body, is it?" Magellan, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. He gestured at the shape of the fragment with his thick fingers.
Sakazuki shook his head. "It's definitely not. The knee, as the connecting point between the thigh and the lower leg, doesn't have such sharp bone structures."
He raised his head and handed the fragment to Borsalino, who had used the "Yata Mirror" light-speed movement technique to arrive. "Can you determine what kind of animal this bone belongs to?"
"Hey, hey~ that's asking too much of me. I can't say for sure which sea beast it comes from, but this piece of bone, about two fingers thick, is undoubtedly a fragment of a sea beast's spine, roughly ground into a blade!" Borsalino held the fragment, pinching it between his thumb and index finger, inspecting it closely as he turned his gaze toward Hannyabal.
"Sea beast bones!? Could it be... that the Blue Gorillas hunted those Sea Kings?"
"Blue Gorillas? Who are they?" Kuzan, slightly confused by Hannyabal's words, asked curiously.
Magellan stepped in to explain. "The Blue Gorillas, or rather, the jailers of the Crimson Hell on Level 1 of Impel Down, are what we commonly refer to as the Blue Orangutans.
Besides maintaining order on the first level, they are extremely adept at holding their breath and swimming underwater. The prison assigns them the task of hunting sea beasts in the ocean to supplement food supplies."
Many people lump Sea Kings and sea beasts together, but there are significant differences between the two. The Sea King nests, located in the Calm Belt or the deep-sea abysses, house the gigantic and terrifying Sea Kings that are truly fearsome creatures.
Sea beasts, on the other hand, are more common creatures in the vast ocean. Their forms vary greatly, though most have beast-like heads and fish-like bodies.
Encounters with sea beasts, rather than Sea Kings, are more frequent for pirate ships, merchant vessels, and naval warships. These enormous but less ferocious creatures are often sent flying by strong individuals and, within the confines of this deep-sea prison, are regarded as an excellent food source.
The Blue Gorillas wield massive double-bladed axes to dismember these sea beasts or even Sea Kings in the water. They carry back food nearly equal to their own body weight to the prison and store the meat in cold rooms as rations for the prisoners.
During this process, it's inevitable that some chunks of meat, with bones included, get chopped off and frozen in the cold storage, eventually ending up on the prisoners' plates.
Kuzan scratched his curly hair, still somewhat puzzled. "Ah la la, while the tools may have been found, it's unlikely that these crude fragments could be sharp enough to sever leg bones. Especially considering the powerful body of someone like Golden Lion Shiki."
Sakazuki picked up a severed, hairy leg and displayed the cross-section for everyone to see. "This is where it gets terrifying. Look closely: the skin and muscle at the connection point between the lower leg and thigh were sliced open cleanly, and the four ligaments within the knee joint structure show signs of being worn down by repeated cuts."
"Oh! You're right! The ligaments weren't severed in one strike," Hannyabal said as he leaned in, his eyes wide, observing the blood-stained yet still discernible marks.
"The meniscus, which acts as a cushion to absorb shocks and prevent direct contact between the lower end of the femur and the upper end of the tibia, was completely sliced through. He even avoided cutting through the front kneecap." The Vice Admiral, wearing his military cap, spoke, feeling a chill run down his spine as he explained.
Kuzan finally understood what Golden Lion had done. "That bastard really went all out! Even under the restraint of Seastone, he was still able to use Haki. He wrapped his Armament Haki around a crudely ground bone shard and performed a precise surgical operation on himself, didn't he?!"
"That... lunatic!!" Borsalino sighed softly. "Without any anesthesia, fully conscious, using this kind of crude surgical tool... He endured multiple cuts to that part of his body despite the excruciating pain?"
"!!"
"..."
Perhaps they hadn't fully realized the extent of what Shiki had done earlier, but with Sakazuki's explanation and the group's deductions, the blurred case gradually became clearer and more horrifying.
That lunatic!!!
It was the shared thought of everyone present. As an enemy, they couldn't help but admit—and even feel some respect—for the escaped pirate. His actions, combined with his terrifying willpower, left a lasting impression.
Legendary pirates like him are not just powerful because of their destructive Devil Fruit abilities, high-level mastery of both types of Haki, and superhuman physiques. They also possess extraordinary, indomitable willpower.
Even without the one-in-a-million Conqueror's Haki, such individuals would still rise to prominence as formidable figures. However, the unfortunate reality is that people with such unyielding willpower often also possess the "kingly disposition" that aligns with Conqueror's Haki.
It's hard to imagine what such a tenacious lunatic would do after escaping from prison at such a heavy cost.
Borsalino glanced at his watch. "Now that we've figured out the cause, shall we prepare to report to Commander Kong, Sakazuki?"
The composed Vice Admiral surveyed the group. "Does anyone have anything else to add or corroborate?"
"No..."
"...I... I want to be the Warden!"
"...Shut up, Hannyabal."
Seeing no objections, Sakazuki pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket.
"Commander Kong, these are the results of our investigation." Even though he was speaking through the Den Den Mushi and not face-to-face, Sakazuki still saluted.
"...I see. Golden Lion Shiki... What extraordinary resolve. Such a terrifying opponent, now at large, truly makes one uneasy."
"Return to Headquarters and await orders," Kong concluded. The Den Den Mushi's expression mirrored Kong's furrowed brow and solemn demeanor. "I'll propose corrective measures to the Gorosei."
With the conversation over, Magellan turned his attention to the leading officer. "Are you all ready to return? Is there any message you'd like me to pass on to the Warden?"
"Vice Warden Magellan, we deeply appreciate your cooperation and support, which allowed this case to be resolved quickly. I'll provide the full details of this operation to the Fleet Admiral and the Admirals." Sakazuki turned and headed toward the elevator.
"As for sending any message to the Warden, I don't believe that's necessary. After such a blunder, does he really expect to avoid accountability?"