Chapter 72: Taking the Blame?

"Again?"

Another random skill maxed out…

Well, coming to Impel Down has certainly accelerated my progress in various skills.

Is this laying the groundwork for my future retirement?

"They seem to be heading to the second floor via the stairs."

"What should we do? Should we inform Warden Magellan?"

The guard in charge of surveillance asked.

Before he could finish, Domino tensed up, her hands clenched tightly, clearly frightened.

If this gets reported to Magellan, her punishment would be inevitable!

Seeing this, Vivian quickly stopped the guard from dialing the Den Den Mushi. "For something this minor, let's not bother Warden Magellan."

"Yes, yes." Domino nodded in agreement, wiping the sweat from her face. "I'll go catch them right away."

"I'll go with you."

Vivian added, "You know, the prisoners on Level Three are all dangerous criminals with bounties around 50 million Berries. Even though they're often starved, dealing with over a dozen of them at once might be tough."

"Just the two of you? Shouldn't you take more people?" Sadi-chan asked.

"No need, two people are enough." Vivian shook his head, smiling. "After all, the best solution is to return these guys without disturbing anyone else, right?"

The others exchanged glances.

Hannyabal, hearing this, didn't object either.

He knew why Vivian suggested this, but Domino wasn't Magellan, and her mistakes wouldn't affect his promotion. So, why should he care?

However…

"I'll go too." Hannyabal raised his weapon. "I won't allow any criminals to escape from the prison I guard!"

…

Level Three, the Starvation Hell.

Though not as hot as Level Four, as soon as they entered, Vivian instinctively took off his uniform jacket and tossed it on the steps by the door.

"It's really hot."

Vivian turned to the heavily dressed Domino. "Aren't you hot?"

"No…" Domino shook her head.

They were here to catch escapees, no time to worry about the heat.

Meanwhile…

Brrr, brrr, brrr~~!

The Den Den Mushi rang, and Hannyabal answered, "Hello?"

"Deputy Warden, those guys have reached the front part of Level Three, near the cells in the west section."

"Got it." Hannyabal nodded.

Vivian turned to Domino. "You only lost the cell keys, right?"

"Yes. Keys for cells 134 and 135."

"That's fine. Since they still have their Seastone shackles on, it should be easy to catch them." Vivian said calmly.

"Easy?" Hannyabal glanced at Vivian, wondering: Is this guy confident or just arrogant?

If it's the latter, I'll have to stay sharp. I don't want another competitor for the warden's position.

The three of them quickly headed towards the west cells.

Before long, as soon as the prisoners appeared in sight, Hannyabal, without saying a word, grabbed his trident and sprinted forward.

Vivian and Domino were momentarily stunned but quickly followed. However, before they could reach the scene, Hannyabal had already knocked out two prisoners with bounties of 50 million Berries each.

It must be said, Hannyabal's strength was undeniable, being the deputy warden under Magellan. Despite not having eaten a Devil Fruit, his skills with the trident and sword were exceptional.

"Get back to your cells, you damn pirates!"

"As long as I, Hannyabal, Impel Down's guard, no prisoner will escape!"

He roared, his actions merciless. But just as he pierced another prisoner's abdomen with his trident, he turned to see that Vivian had already taken down three prisoners with ease.

This made Hannyabal frown instinctively, feeling a sense of crisis.

"Domino, someone is escaping over there. Go catch them."

With a sweep of his lightning-encased blood demon, Vivian electrocuted two more prisoners. Glancing at the distant corner, he shouted to Domino.

Domino nodded immediately.

She finally realized how strong this Navy Officer transferred from headquarters was.

Previously, judging by his appearance, she thought Vivian was a delicate guy. After all, although she had never been to headquarters, she had heard that many Navy Officers there worked in "desk jobs." Especially after Vivian invented Mahjong and Monopoly, she was even more convinced.

But now…

"His strength might be much greater than Deputy Warden Hannyabal's," Domino thought.

Seeing his strength far exceeded her expectations, Domino didn't hesitate and immediately chased after the escaping prisoner.

She was extremely anxious because the longer it took, the more likely Magellan would find out about the prisoners escaping due to her negligence.

"Blazing Hell Car!"

"Thunder Breathing, Fourth Form: Distant Thunder!"

The two used their techniques almost as if competing. Hannyabal, in his attack, showed no mercy, almost losing himself in the fight. When he finally pulled back his trident, one of the weaker prisoners lay on the ground, pierced through the abdomen, eyes blank.

Vivian sheathed his sword and exhaled deeply, glancing at the corpse on the ground.

Hannyabal, realizing what he had done, dropped his weapon and knelt in panic.

"It's over!"

"What's over?" Vivian asked.

"Killing prisoners at will will get you punished like Shiryu!"

Interrogation was allowed, but killing was not.

This rule had been in place since Impel Down was established.

Killing a prisoner would result in salary cuts, demotion, or even dismissal.

Of course, Shiryu's case, where he was demoted from Chief Jailer to a death row inmate, was the only one in nearly a century.

After all, besides torturing prisoners, he also killed his colleagues.

"Just bury the body. If you don't tell, I don't tell, no one will know," Vivian said, spreading his hands. "Do you think Warden Magellan counts the prisoners regularly?"

"Uh…" Hannyabal scratched his head, feeling that this might indeed be the case.

Just then, a prompt appeared:

[Task: Help Domino catch the escaped prisoners. (Completed)]

[Next Task: Take the blame for Domino's negligence in letting the prisoners escape. (Current Step 2)]

Vivian: ???