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After familiarizing himself with the system, Alex finally stood up again to survey his surroundings.
He found himself locked inside a cell with three iron walls and a barred front.
Even in the uppermost level of Impel Down, the Crimson Hell, the thick stench of blood permeated the air at all times.
From the memories of this body, Alex already knew that he would soon be facing a deadly battle.
This was a result of the chaos left in the wake of Roger's execution.
After the Pirate King's final words ignited the ambitions of countless pirates, more and more of them had set sail onto the Grand Line, leading to a surge in prisoners being thrown into Impel Down.
Due to its unique geographical location, there was only one Impel Down in the entire world, with no possibility of expansion. Eventually, the cells became severely overcrowded.
While Magellan and the other prison officials struggled with this issue, the sadistic Chief Guard, Sadie, proposed a brutal solution—forcing prisoners to fight to the death.
Under her plan, each level's inmates would be assigned numbers, and every day, two numbers would be drawn at random for a deadly duel.
The only way to survive was to kill the opponent.
But it didn't end there—if a prisoner won today, they could still be selected again the next day for another fight.
Theoretically, this process would significantly reduce the prison population over time. After much deliberation, Magellan approved Sadie's proposal.
After all, most prisoners in Impel Down were notorious criminals. He had no sympathy for them.
However, Magellan made one crucial restriction: inmates in Level Six, the Eternal Hell, were strictly forbidden from participating.
Even he was deeply wary of those locked away in that abyss.
Impel Down had six levels, and Level Six was the most terrifying of them all.
This was where monsters of the pirate world were imprisoned—criminals so infamous that the World Government had erased their existence from history.
Many of them were either sentenced to death or locked away for eternity.
Among them was the legendary "Golden Lion" Shiki, the only person to have ever successfully escaped from Level Six.
Later in the story, Blackbeard would recruit his most terrifying crew members from this very level.
Even the former Head Jailer, Shiryu of the Rain, was imprisoned here.
Magellan dared not let these monsters loose.
With his approval, Sadie and the prison staff quickly set up the so-called Deathmatch Arena.
Today, Alex, designated as prisoner No. 55, was unlucky enough to be selected.
To make the fights more entertaining, the guards would always allow the combatants one final meal before sending them to their potential deaths.
Staring at the so-called "last meal" on the ground, Alex scoffed, "I'd rather starve than eat this garbage!"
About ten minutes later, the same guard returned to his cell.
"Hey, have you finished eating? You've got thirty minutes left—hurry up!"
"Almost done!" Alex replied, shoving a chunk of meat into his mouth.
…
Half an hour passed, and Alex had finally finished his meal.
After all, no one fights on an empty stomach.
When the time was up, two guards arrived, unlocking his cell and dragging him out, shackles clanking as he moved.
The cold stone floor echoed with the eerie sound of his chains scraping against it.
Lining the narrow corridor were countless prison cells, their iron bars filled with grinning, mocking inmates.
"Hey, buddy, you're dead meat this time! Your opponent is No. 38—he's already killed five people in a row!"
A prisoner suddenly poked his head out and jeered at Alex.
"Shut up! Keep running your mouth, and I'll throw you into the fight instead!" The guard snapped, silencing him immediately.
The prisoner backed away, but the look in his eyes said it all—he was watching a dead man walk.
To everyone here, Alex's fate was already sealed.
A short while later, Alex was led to the center of Level One—a circular, makeshift battle arena.
Dozens of prison guards had gathered around, eager to watch the bloodshed.
In the best seats stood several high-ranking figures.
One of them was a peculiar man with a short, stocky frame, a trident in hand, and two horns protruding from his hat.
Alex instantly recognized him—Saldeath, the chief warden of Impel Down's Blugori unit.
The Blugori were the monstrous blue gorillas responsible for guarding the first level of the prison.
At the center of the arena, a lone figure already stood waiting.
Despite wearing a prison uniform, his imposing frame and deep scar across his face exuded a chilling aura.
The moment his eyes met Alex's, they radiated pure killing intent.
"No wonder he's already killed five people. This guy is a born killer," Alex thought grimly.
"Get up there!" The guard behind him shoved him forward.