Chapter 93: The Horrified Viewers

Those who were willing to return home were sent back by Luo Ning's men. For those who chose to remain, they were offered positions as jailers in Impel Down.

Some of these new jailers harbored resentment towards their position. Luo Ning understood their frustration, but reminded them that they weren't responsible for the imprisonments - those were decisions made by the Marines at Enies Lobby. The jailers' duty was simply to receive prisoners, not judge their guilt or innocence. Therefore, Luo Ning held no initial animosity towards them.

To be clear, Luo Ning wasn't seeking indiscriminate revenge like Arlong. He understood that these people weren't the true culprits.

To address the current situation, Luo Ning planned to recruit Violet from Dressrosa later. Her Glance-Glance Fruit would be invaluable in this scenario. He wouldn't need to involve himself directly. While his fantasy power could be used to grant others mind-reading abilities, it would require constant maintenance. Recruiting Violet was the more efficient solution.

The Celestial Dragons were now being brought, one by one, to the baptism site. The sight of the boiling water sent chills down their spines. Entering wouldn't result in instant death, but the lingering pain would be excruciating.

This mirrored Luo Ning's own experience. While he survived the baptism, the aftermath proved to be the most agonizing part.

The scalding sensation from the boiling water was utterly excruciating for the Celestial Dragons.

"You... what are you doing?! We are Celestial Dragons, World Nobles! You can't do this! The Marine Admirals won't forgive you!" a group of them roared in terror.

"Gag them! I'm tired of hearing the same threats!" Domino barked, and her men swiftly complied. Silence descended upon the scene. The audience watching the live broadcast was taken aback. This beautiful young woman with a gentle demeanor seemed far more ruthless than her appearance suggested.

Indeed, within the harsh environment of a large prison, no one remained entirely innocent. Even ordinary jailers, constantly exposed to the suffering of prisoners, gradually hardened their hearts. Numbness to such tragedies became a means of self-preservation. The resilience of those who worked in Impel Down was undeniable.

With their mouths gagged, the Celestial Dragons were shoved one by one into the boiling water. Muffled screams echoed through the air, a testament to their agony.

"Horrifying, but well-deserved! Those damned Celestial Dragons took my daughter!" a man from Sabaody Archipelago, an island frequently plagued by arrogant Celestial Dragons, shouted in response to the broadcast. Many on the island had suffered at their hands, some even losing family members to Celestial slavery. The resentment towards them ran deep.

Thankfully, the world lacked the existence of vengeful spirits. Otherwise, the seas would teem with the ghosts of countless victims, and Mariejois itself might become a haunted city.

The "baptism" left the Celestial Dragons sprawled on the ground, their bodies a grotesque mess.

After arriving in this world, Luo Ning also underwent a grueling training regimen. Unlike the Celestial Dragons who spent their days swaddled in bizarre garments, his body was honed through hardship.

The Celestial Dragons' extreme fragility made the boiling water torture excruciating. Several were on the brink of death, but a few exhibited a remarkable ability to recover quickly, albeit not fully. They remained critically injured.

"What's happening? Those guys were moments from death, now they're screaming again!" Marco, watching the live broadcast from his island, was perplexed. This situation mirrored his own Phoenix fruit's power – rapid regeneration from injuries. He'd witnessed the Celestial Dragons near death, only to inexplicably revive with renewed screams.

Domino's voice returned over the broadcast. "To prevent these Celestial Dragons from succumbing prematurely, Mr. Luo Ning implanted something within them. This ensures they revive from near death to a state of critical injury, but no further."

Domino spoke with a detached smile, seemingly unaffected by the Celestial Dragons' plight. However, many viewers, unaccustomed to such brutality, found it unsettling.

"This is horrific! Imagine the torture endured by actual prisoners! What horrors await them next? I'm afraid to watch!" some viewers expressed, a mix of disgust and morbid curiosity keeping them glued to the screen. After all, this was the fate of the Celestial Dragons.

The Celestial Dragons' torture captivated even the Four Emperors, not to mention ordinary citizens. For Whitebeard and his sons, such brutality was a spectacle unseen in ages. They couldn't resist witnessing it firsthand.

Following the torture, Domino directed her men to escort the Celestial Dragons to the first floor of Crimson Hell. Imprisonment was bypassed in favor of the horrors of the Sword Forest.

"Each floor will hold them captive for 763 days. This live broadcast will continue for several days. Upon reaching the sixth floor, they will be granted a few days of reprieve before being cycled back to the first floor!"

Even Domino felt a pang of sympathy for these wretched souls. In Impel Down's history, only the merman Arlong had the dubious privilege of enduring this cyclical torment between the first and sixth floors.

The rationale behind the sixth-floor respite was to prevent complete mental breakdown. While temporary, it was preferable to immediate collapse. Upon reaching the sixth floor, Luo Ning would even provide them with food and drink for recuperation. This might appear merciful, but was it truly so?

The stark contrast between their suffering and the brief moment of reprieve was a cruel joke. Providing sustenance didn't signify future freedom; it merely marked the grim opening of the next torture cycle.

The horrors of the Sword Forest were unveiled to the world as broadcasts showcased prisoners being tormented within its confines. Many young pirates, once naive about the consequences of capture, were left pale and shaken. Previously, they harbored the misconception that mere survival was all that mattered. Now, they understood that fate could be far worse than death.