Chapter 108

(Watch out for the spoilers in the paragraph comments in the paragraph right below this one!)

Wassup, guys? I'm still on hiatus due to busy schedule, but… wow, chapter 1043 of One Piece bruh. Couldn't conceal my excitement after reading that part. Therefore, I decided to edit this chap that I already had a month ago, and yeah, just post.

Hope you enjoy this chap, and hehe, see you all at May!

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[Impel Down, Level 4: Blazing Hell]

A huge boiling pot of blood. The extreme heat. In terms of appearance, this floor matched the very image of hell.

Standing right in front of the gate to the passage that connects the level 3 and 4, Magellan crossed his arms with a stern expression, as if waiting for something.

"How idiotic." Magellan muttered to himself, "To invade the greatest prison of the world with a mere number of six people and one horse—it is unheard of."

At the current moment, with the surveillance Den Den Mushis having been disabled by Dan, they had no sight within the prison. Regardless of such a fact, Magellan wasn't worried, knowing that the Grimheart pirates are bound to cross the location he was positioned at; there wasn't a place to hide within level 4, with the whole floor concentrated with countless number of jailers awaiting for their arrival.

"Mmmm, if I'd known that a wait would take this long, I would've gone up to level 3 already~" From Magellan's side, a tall woman with long curly blond hair that covered her eyes, the Head Jailer Sadie, commented in a sultry tone.

"Be patient, Sadie-chan."

"It's not me, but them." Sadie smiled as she shifted her gaze to their back, where four jailer beasts were domineeringly standing by, "They are thirsty for blood, mmmm!!"

In front of them, many jailers positioned themselves in a strict manner, ready to confront the infiltrators at any moment.

Turning to the one closest to him, Magellan gazed down and commanded, "Report the current situation."

The jailer opened his mouth in a cold sweat, "With a huge hole that broke through the floor of level 2, it is speculated that the Grimheart pirates have hidden somewhere within level 3! On the other hand, Vice Warden Hannyabal subduing the rampage of the criminals on level 1!"

Nodding seriously, Magellan shifted his eyes back to the gate. The layout of level 3 was too complex and had many openings to corner the Grimheart pirates. However, level 4 was a different story, with there existing only one entrance for each passage that leads to level 3 or level 5.

The plan was already set, with the troop having gathered here at this particular gate to level 3; Magellan firmly believed that a mere crew won't be able to break through him, four jailer beasts, and many other formidable staffs.

"Still, it is quite strange. How is it possible for them to navigate through this huge prison, at this speed? It's as if... they know the ins and outs of this prison just as well as us." Magellan muttered to himself, but dismissed the thought, "Doesn't matter. Soon or later, they are bound to cross this point."

Magellan's eyes locked onto the passage in the front, not letting down his guard for a single moment.

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[Level 3: Starvation Hell]

At one corner of the old and rusty jail, where the slight elevation of ground in front of them allowed them to hide from the numerous guards who were patrolling the area, the Grimheart pirates without Rowan and Carmen, along with Nami, were seen to be crouching down with the map in the middle.

"I'm getting a little thirsty here." Cavendish frowned slightly as he held out his tongue.

Sighing in frustration, Nami pointed her finger at the particular section of the map, "This is where my knowledge ends. There are only two ways into level 4. One is the normal passage through the spiral staircase, and the other passage is... this huge gap in the middle, which lies right above the boiling pot of blood from level 4."

"It's all or nothing now." Dan spoke in a grim tone, "The entrance to level 4 is tightly guarded, and I cannot even guarantee if my attempt to impair the surveillance Den Den Mushis has been successful."

"In the end, a clash is unavoidable." Robin shook her head, "They knew that our goal is to free captain from his jail cell, and blocked the route with sufficient force."

Nami nodded to Robin's words before adding on, "Furthermore, there is the infamous strength of Chief Warden Magellan. He and the Head Jailer Shiryu are the most prominent reasons why this Impel Down is known impossible to escape. The ability to secrete and maneuver poison at his will is very fearsome without a doubt."

With Nami's guide, they were able to sneak their way from level 1 all the way to their current location. However, with the tight security that blocked the only legitimate passage to level 4, as well as the environmental disadvantages that limited the methods for them to rely upon, there was no choice but to expose themselves to pass level 4.

"If the head-on confrontation is unavoidable, I have a suggestion. Do hear me out, please."

After listening to the conversations within the group, Alfred spoke up with his monocle flashing.

Under everyone's watch, he reached for the inner pocket of his suit and took out three dials that he attained from Skypiea.

"The floor layer that separates one level from the other is quite thick." Alfred explained as he gently tapped his right foot on the floor, "Unless we have an ability to tunnel or continuously blast just like our captain, this is the only way."

Cavendish stared at Alfred's dials in realization, "Reject dials?"

Alfred chuckled as he nodded, "Yes."

Reaching for his inner pocket once more, Alfred took out a peculiar item, before unfolding it into a metal-frame-like object with handles to hold onto.

"Uh, how is your suit able to contain that much?" Dan expressed his confusion as his eyes were locked onto Alfred's suit.

Ignoring Dan's astonishment, Alfred began to explain his idea.

"In exchange for their exploding potency, the reject dials are known to have a detrimental recoil. However, if utilized along with the combination of Armament Haki and this machinery to disperse the recoil," Alfred adjusted his monocle, "there is no problem with the continuous usage of these dials."

Subsequently, Alfred attached the reject dials at the bottom of the metal object, and gently placed the object down so that the reject dials were now in contact with the floor. Afterward, the metal-frame-like object that he was holding turned black, indicating the imbuement of Armament Haki.

"From the levels above, we noticed that the floors within the facility aren't as thick as the outer layer that we barely managed to break through. This means that equipment like this should be sufficient enough to break through the floor." Carina muttered in realization as her eyes flashed dangerously, "A head-on confrontation... but with an element of surprise."

"Force blast while in contact. Internal transmission of force that will utterly destroy the site of impact." Dan muttered with his hand on his chin, before grinning, "This is basically the replica of captain's ability."

As Nami folded back the map while gulping with the realization of what was about to happen now, Carina commanded Alfred,

"Do it."

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[Level 6: Eternal Hell]

*BOOM* *BOOM*

Within the deepest floor of Impel Down, the loud booming noises were continuously heard from two notable individuals from separate cells, Rowan and Bullet.

Somehow, even though they were under the effects of Seastone, they were able to muster enough physical strength to continuously blast the variant of Shigan on one another. Such a scene baffled the other conscious prisoners, for the Seastone's effect on a devil fruit user is supposed to be absolute.

"Those maniacs..." From the side, one prisoner muttered to himself in a cold sweat, unable to believe that such feats were possible.

Similarly, some other prisoners, who were able to keep themselves conscious during the previous clash of Haki between Rowan and Bullet, nervously gazed at the non-stop bombardment that Rowan and Bullet continued on one another.

However, there also existed many other prisoners who watched the scene with interest and excitement.

"Murunfufufufu, what an entertainment. It would've been perfect if I had a glass of wine as well." One ferocious-looking woman with a long nose, Catarina Devon, chuckled as her eyes were locked onto Rowan, "How amusing. Does he think that a futile feud with Bullet will get him out of here?"

On the other hand, Bullet's expression now exhibited that of boredom, as he finally ceased his attack and lowered his hand.

"This damned cell. If I was able to break out of this despicable thing, I would've killed you ages ago." Bullet commented with irritation before spitting on the nearby floor and turning back.

Under Rowan's watch, Bullet faded into the shrouded section of his prison, ending their short-lived interaction.

Shrugging, Rowan too lowered his hand and sat back down. He seemed to be impassive on the outside, however, in all truth, he was quite amazed.

Staring at his hands, Rowan couldn't help but think of just how strong he has become in contrast to him four years ago. He surely did come a long way, all the way from barely defeating Arlong to facing off against Bullet.

*Plop*

A small sound of a water drop plopping onto the wet ground was heard by Rowan. Lowering his gaze, Rowan was met with a vague reflection of his visage, staring back at him with confidence and underlying pride.

'My eyes.' Rowan felt a smile forming on his face once again, 'They are back to black.'

This was new. After his 'internal conflict' was resolved, the ocular abilities were in complete control. Now, he could activate and silence them at his will.

It seemed that the blindfold was no longer necessary. How convenient.

On the cell adjacent to Rowan's, Jinbe looked grim with his eyes glaring at the floor.

"Whitebeard-san surely will come to save Ace-san. If so, a war of the unimaginable scale will occur...!"

Watching Jinbe's distress, Rowan spoke up, "Do you believe that Whitebeard will win?"

Rowan found himself interested in the fact that one man is able to raise a sufficient amount of force to match the marines. Ever since his arrival in Impel Down, Rowan's most prominent thought was the following: what will he and his crew do after entering the New World?

The main reason why he desired to reach the New World in the first place, ignoring the secret behind his heritage, was to escape from the Marine's and the World Government's heavy influences. However, he realized that ultimately, the experiences in the New World will be of no difference to the Paradise, except for the fact that the influences will stem from the Four Emperors instead of the Marine.

If so, in order to gain a stable founding free from any powerhouses, what should he be doing? Rowan had one conclusion regarding this matter: defeat one of the Four Emperors and showcase his strength to the world. Therefore, as a first step to achieving such means, Rowan wanted to assess the strengths of those Four Emperors.

Hearing Rowan, Jinbe gritted his teeth in frustration, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Garp the Hero, along with three Admirals, Seven Warlords, and over one hundred thousand marine soldiers... against Whitebeard-san, his division commanders, crew members, and the subordinate crews... I am not sure."

"Toputoputopu!"

Suddenly, a weird laugh boomed out from a cell at some distance away, gaining Rowan and Jinbe's attention.

"So that old Whitebeard is finally going to die! How delightful!" One man, with a humongous nose, revealed his face from behind the bars.

"Vasco Shot!! Don't speak nonsense!!!" Jinbe growled in a low tone as he glared at the man.

"Toputopu! If I had booze with me, I would've celebrated this occasion. Aw man, how come there's none for me-"

*BOOM*

"E-eh?" Vasco Shot exclaimed as his forehead was found to be bleeding all of a sudden, before lowering his gaze to sight Rowan's finger outstretched towards him, which was smoking due to the use of the Tobu Shigan.

"Shut up."

Vasco Shot powerlessly fell with a thud, having been knocked out.

Nothing but silence remained in level 6, except for the occasional sounds of some prisoners gulping in fear.

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[Impel Down, Gate of Justice]

"W-what are we supposed to do about that?!" One jailer cried in helplessness as he stared above at Prominence, with his hands covering his eyes from the intense wind generated by the jet dials underneath the ship.

"This is ridiculous. Our guns won't even reach there." Another jailer said in a cold sweat. "Besides, the one atop of that ship is 'Flame Empress.' Common folks like us can't even dare to fight back."

"Y-y-y-y-you guys!!!!" The third jailer, who was gazing in the other direction with a binocular, shouted in a complete chock, "Come look at this!! What are they doing here, on the marine ships?!!"

Two jailers turned their heads to the guided direction and had their eyes widened,

""B-Blackbeard?!""

From the hazy mists that covered the view to some extent, numerous marine ships emerged and surrounded the Impel Down. However, instead of the marines, they were greeted with the Blackbeard pirates.

"But he's one of the Seven Warlords... what is he doing here?!!"

There was one thought that entered their mind: was Blackbeard their ally or foe?

Carmen too watched the scene from high above and frowned.

"P-please wait!!" One jailer stated in a nervous manner as he stepped up, "We didn't ask for reinforcements! We are waiting to hear from the headquarter now, so-"

Ignoring the marine's words, Teach stepped out of the marine ship and onto the platform that leads straight into the Impel Down.

"I don't care. We are on the same team, aren't we?"

Teach grinned ferociously as he and his crew bypassed the jailers, who were nervously gazing back and forth, not knowing what to do. They felt that something was wrong here.

"B-but the pirates aren't allowed to enter the prison..."

At the next moment, as the Blackbeard pirates passed by under the jailers' conflicted eyes, the darkness suddenly expanded from Teach's feet, before engulfing the whole area.

In an instant moment, the blockage to the entrance of Impel Down broke, and the jailers powerlessly fell within the pit of darkness.

"Zehahaha!!!" Teach laughed boisterously as he momentarily gazed at Carmen in interest, as well as the large hole that lied on the ceiling of the facility, before lowering his eyes and entering the Impel Down,

"Grimheart... he's here as well, huh?"

'You guys...' Carmen pursed her lips in worry, 'Whatever is going on right now, we don't have much time. Hurry up.'