When the screen appeared in the sky, even the monsters on the sixth floor were surprised by the abrupt break in Impel Down's routine. The chains creaked softly as dozens of experienced eyes rose, alert but cold.
Some thought of some unknown Akuma no Mi, others of an experiment by the World Government. No conclusion made sense.
Until Jason appeared.
The moment he declared war on the World Government by executing a Celestial Dragon, the mood changed. Even figures from the old era, such as Redfield and Douglas Bullet, understood that this was not just a spectacle.
No one kills a Celestial Dragon without absolute confidence in their own strength.
And Jason quickly proved it.
He wasn't just absurdly powerful—he was calculating, cold, and strategic. A type of strength that both Redfield and Bullet respected above blind brutality.
Now, with everyone gathered on the sixth floor, a portal opened out of nowhere. Redfield was the first to react. His eyes narrowed as his mind expanded, trying to probe every consciousness present.
All of them yielded.
Except one.
The strongest presence there was simply... impenetrable.
When he realized it was Jason, Redfield understood the reason for that visit. Still, he had no intention of following him or swearing allegiance right away—even if he was freed.
"Maybe I can negotiate. Or owe him a favor."
The thought was abruptly interrupted.
His eyes widened as he sensed an overwhelming presence descending from the upper floors.
Magellan.
In his demonic form.
'Didn't he deal with him before coming here?'
Facing Magellan in a confined space was practically a death sentence. His poison didn't need contact—it spread through the air.
Douglas Bullet and Patrick knew this better than anyone. In their early days of imprisonment, they had both experienced firsthand what that poison did.
Then, something impossible happened.
Jason unleashed his Haoshoku.
It wasn't explosive.
It wasn't violent.
It was perfectly refined.
The Conqueror's Haki crushed Magellan without Jason even touching him. The demonic form fell apart, the body fell limp, and the poison... simply lost its power.
Absolute silence fell over the sixth floor.
Douglas Bullet recognized that level instantly.
It was the same level as Roger's.
Perhaps... above it.
The demon's heir smiled, feeling his blood boil.
'Finally.'
Not now.
But when he was fully recovered, he would challenge Jason.
Jason's voice echoed, calm and authoritative:
"So here's the deal: a tournament. Everyone against everyone. To the death. When only the best remain alive, you will be set free. And you will owe me some favors."
Douglas Bullet, Redfield, Jinbe, and other monsters listened without being impressed. None of them believed that everyone would be set free.
The real shock came later.
A serene energy enveloped Jason and spread like an invisible tide. It entered the prisoners' bodies, restoring atrophied muscles, healing old wounds, erasing decades of wear and tear.
Jinbe's eyes widened as he felt his recent wounds closing and his strength returning in seconds.
The cell doors blew open.
The prisoners began to slowly emerge, forming silent crowds. Everyone was unharmed. No injuries.
Jinbe then noticed a group trying to unite against Jason.
He sighed.
'Useless.'
People like Jason do nothing without purpose. Strength in numbers meant nothing to someone of that level—unless they were monsters of the caliber of Whitebeard, Garp, or Sengoku.
Jason confirmed his thoughts by moving just one finger.
Heads fell.
No sound.
No reaction.
Not even Redfield, who possessed the most powerful Observation Haki among the prisoners, could sense the cuts.
The vampire's respect for Jason grew silently.
His voice echoed once more, firm and definitive:
"Begin."
==
With Jason's words, Redfield, Douglas Bullet, Jinbe, Crocodile, and the other monsters on the sixth floor reached a tacit understanding.
Eliminate the weak.
The useless.
There was no room for mercy.
The first to move was Douglas Bullet.
His Haoshoku exploded in all directions, a brutal pressure that made the air vibrate. Still, almost no prisoners fell. Some didn't even flinch.
The reason was simple.
That Haoshoku was not refined.
It was not a will that crushed—it only intimidated.
And who would be intimidated when freedom was just a step away?
Everyone on that floor was a monster. Refined by violence, honed by decades of battles, betrayals, and survival. A Conqueror's Haki that only imposed presence would not be enough to make them kneel.
Realizing this, Bullet's face contorted.
Anger.
Humiliation.
Without hesitation, he activated his A-Haki and charged at the nearest group of prisoners.
"Die."
The word came out cold, emotionless.
Bullet brought his Haki-imbued fist down directly onto the head of one of the prisoners. The man tried to defend himself, crossing his arms in a desperate reflex.
It was useless.
Bullet's body was completely recovered. He charged forward with everything he had, coating not only his fists, but his muscles, every fiber of his body with Armament. His strength exploded on impact.
The sound of bones being crushed echoed through the sixth floor.
The prisoner's body was thrown backward like a kite with its string cut, flying through the air before crashing into the cell wall. The impact reduced the man to a shapeless mass.
Blood slowly trickled down the stone wall, forming a pool on the floor.
Douglas Bullet clenched his fist, smelling the blood in the air.
The killing had truly begun.
Redfield was the next to move.
His Observation Haki anticipated every attack before it even began. Bodies fell around him as his vampiric claws pierced chests and throats, ripping out still-beating hearts. From time to time, he lingered a second longer, sucking the life energy from his prisoners, feeling youth slowly return to his body.
Chaos spread like a plague.
Meanwhile, Jason and his troupe remained in a corner of the room. Jason had just finished chaining Magellan with kairouseki handcuffs, thinking about what to do with him.
Luffy and Bentham watched the carnage in silence. Their expressions were serious. They didn't support it, but they understood. Ivankov alternated his gaze between the massacre and Jason, who had just subdued Magellan without killing him. The contrast was uncomfortable.
Jason didn't seem like someone who would hesitate to kill... and yet he had organized a massacre among the prisoners while sparing a defeated enemy.
"He's quite pragmatic," Ivankov commented quietly.
Inazuma remained silent for a long moment, just watching the chaos take over the world's largest prison.
"He doesn't act on impulse, nor because he likes to kill," she said at last. "Magellan has been defeated. There is no value in killing a fallen enemy."
Inazuma frowned slightly, intrigued by Jason's moral code.
Jason then decided to extract Magellan's poisonous power for future use. He didn't need it now, but it would be a great gift to give to someone, right?
Especially if that someone was resistant to poison.
Jason's eyes glowed mysteriously as he looked at Magellan's body, but his gaze was not on his flesh, but rather observing his soul.
'In the world of One Piece, people say that there is a demon inhabiting each Devil Fruit... Well, they call it a demon because they don't understand.'
Jason knew that this "demon" was just a kind of living code that lodged itself in the soul of each user. When Vegapunk copied an Akuma no Mi, he was only copying the genetic pattern that each fruit has, but he forgets that each of them has a will, some even self-aware, and even "alive" so to speak.
Jason reached out his hand.
The air around him grew colder, as if the world knew something was wrong.
Magellan's body began to convulse slightly, but he did not wake up.
The air around Magellan became dense, as if reality had been pulled into an invisible point.
And then... came the shift.
Magellan's body shook violently. His teeth chattered. His heart raced for no physical reason.
His eyes widened and he woke up.
"What... what are you doing to me?!"
But Jason had already finished and closed his fingers.
And Magellan felt it.
He felt as if something ancient, something that had always been there, was being pulled out of him.
Not for the bones, nor for the flesh, but for the soul.
The sensation was not one of tearing, but of uprooting.
Something tried to resist. For an instant, a presence manifested itself.
Jason's shadow spread across the floor like a silent sea.
Magellan screamed, as if something was being stolen from him.
"AAAAH—!"
His body arched, his eyes rolled back, tears streamed down without him noticing.
'Here you are.'
Jason pulled one last time on this presence and it left Magellan's soul completely.
Jason's shadow rippled one last time and closed.
Silence.
Magellan was gasping for breath. Sweat streamed down in rivers. His body was still shaking, but there were no injuries.
"W-what did you take from me?"
Jason didn't answer his question, just looked at him and said:
"Consider it mercy, Magellan."
Jason said as he looked at a Magellan now powerless and free from his daily diarrhea.
Even when doing evil, Jason does good.
Jason then turned his gaze back to Luffy.
The boy kept his fists clenched, his hat covering his eyes, and his jaw tense. He knew he couldn't interfere.
Jason approached slowly, keeping his eyes on the fight.
Bullet crushed prisoners with his fists, smiling like a wild beast. Jinbei demonstrated his mastery of Merman Karate, breaking bones with surgical precision. Crocodile tore bodies apart with his Logia, sucking the moisture out until only dry husks remained. Shiryu wielded an iron bar as if it were a sword. Avalo Pizarro, San Juan Wolf, Catarina Devon, and all the future members of Blackbeard's crew slaughtered prisoners like wild animals.
The floor of Impel Down was slowly being covered by rivers of blood, entrails, and severed limbs.
"What do you think of this, Luffy?" Jason asked.
His voice was calm. Cold.
Bon Clay shuddered slightly when he heard it.
"... I don't like it," Luffy replied after a few seconds. "But... I understand."
Jason nodded.
"If they were strong, they wouldn't have to go through this," he said, finally looking at Luffy. "This could have happened to you too. Or to your companions."
Luffy felt a chill run down his spine. The defeat to Kuma came back to his mind—followed by the still-fresh memory of Magellan.
"This is the real world, kid." Jason continued. "If you want to pursue your dream, you need to stay strong. Not just to protect your own... but to never let anyone else decide for you."
Jason took a few steps forward, leaving Luffy immersed in his own thoughts.
"Enough."
Those two words echoed like a divine decree.
Jason's Conqueror's Haki exploded, striking directly at the souls of everyone present. Bodies froze in midair. Blows stopped inches from killing. Some lives were saved by a hair's breadth.
When the silence finally fell, everyone looked around.
Of the 250 prisoners... only 50 remained.
The most ruthless. The most brutal. The most bloodthirsty.
Jason collected his Haoshoku—but left something behind. An invisible mark, planted deep in the hearts of those survivors.
"Congratulations to the fifty who remain," he said calmly. "You are just a few steps away from true freedom. Now... let's get to the conditions."
The survivors advanced slowly. Their feet stuck to the soggy ground, producing wet, unpleasant sounds.
Some expected years of servitude. Others, impossible demands.
"The conditions are simple," Jason continued. "After we leave here, we will all go to Marineford. You will fight against the Navy and the World Government. If you survive... you will be free."
"..."
The silence was absolute.
Not even Jason's allies reacted immediately.
That's it?
No oaths? No servitude? No obligations?
"That's it?" Douglas Bullet was the first to speak. "No catch? Just fight at Marineford... and we can leave?"
Neither Redfield nor Crocodile could believe it.
"That's all," Jason confirmed. "You are already enemies of the World Government. They won't leave you free for long. But if you perform well in the war... the hunt will be postponed."
A collective sigh of relief swept through the fifty.
Jason didn't want soldiers. Or slaves. Or a gang.
"Ah... one more thing," he added casually. "I planted a Haoshoku bomb in the heart of each of you."
The air was sucked out of the room.
Hearts raced. Some even felt pain in their chests, believing the bomb had activated.
"It explodes the moment you kill or massacre civilians."
Bullet slowly clenched his fists, grinding his teeth. A crooked smile appeared on his face.
He could feel it.
Jason wasn't lying.
Redfield analyzed Jason with respectful caution, using his Haki to the fullest, unable to identify exactly what to look for. He was only sure of one thing:
Jason wasn't bluffing.
The other ruthless assassins and pirates fell into despair. They swallowed hard and looked away.
Plans for pillaging, rape, and massacre evaporated in an instant. The leash was there.
Some thought of protesting... but remembered the heads that rolled when Jason moved just one finger.
"Only barbarians massacre civilians," Jason said. "And we are not that."
His voice was not provocative. Nor was it moralistic.
It was a fact.
"Conduct defines a man."
Jason made it clear what he was talking about.
"We may be monsters... but if we act like animals, we will die."
"Since I am not cruel, I will give you a way out," Jason continued.
Everyone fell completely silent.
"Do you want to get rid of the bomb? Simple." A slight smile appeared on his face. "Raise your Haoshoku until it can communicate with mine. Only then will you be truly free."
Jason opened his arms, as if offering a gift.
"See how kind I am. Not only am I freeing you... I've also given you a reason to become stronger."
He smiled serenely.
Like someone who had just done a good deed.
And not someone who had just put an invisible leash around the necks of fifty monsters.
"Did anyone leave anything behind here in Impel Down?" Jason asked, scanning the survivors with his gaze. "If not, let's head to Marineford."
He deliberately ignored the fact that, among all those prisoners, only two possessed Haoshoku. As for the others? They would either learn to live with that invisible bomb in their chests... or abandon piracy for good.
Shiryu was the first to speak up.
"My katana is stored here."
Jason didn't even respond.
His eyes flashed for an instant, and a small portal opened right under the blade. The katana fell through the distorted space and landed perfectly in Shiryu's hand.
The former jailer smiled slightly, feeling the familiar weight of the weapon.
It was then that Jason noticed Jinbei walking toward him, alongside Luffy. The merman stared intently at the straw hat on the boy's head.
"You're Monkey D. Luffy, correct?" Jinbei asked.
"Yes, I am," Luffy replied. "Do you know me?"
"Not personally," Jinbei said. "But Ace talked a lot about you. About his little brother."
Luffy's eyes widened.
"You know Ace?!"
"Yes. We're old friends." Jinbei held his gaze, seeing something deep in the boy. "We shared the same cell. I'm here because I refused to fight against the Whitebeard Pirates."
Jason knew this story well, and for that very reason, he chose not to interfere. There was still room for Jinbei and Luffy to build that bond on their own.
Jinbei took a deep breath.
"Actually... Ace is badly injured." His voice grew heavier. "Because of the man who escorted him to Marineford."
Luffy stiffened.
"Who?"
"I don't know his name," Jinbei continued. "But his Akuma no Mi has seriously injured us. Thorns all over our bodies, constant pain."
Luffy's jaw clenched tightly.
"If it weren't for Jason-san healing me, I'd still be in that state." Jinbei bowed his head slightly in gratitude. "But Ace didn't receive the same treatment. We need to be quick if we want to save him."
Anger bubbled up in Luffy's chest.
He then looked at Jason.
He said nothing.
But the request was clear in his eyes.
Jason held that gaze for a few seconds.
There was nothing left to resolve in Impel Down.
"Get ready," Jason ordered.
The space in front of them shattered like glass.
A colossal portal opened, revealing the stormy sky and rough seas of Marineford.
"Where the world will witness..." Jason said, stepping forward.
"...the beginning of one of the greatest wars in history."
And without hesitation, they stepped through the portal.