The prisoners of Impel Down began to move.
Most rushed toward the official exit, charging for the only conventional path out.
But there were always those who chose a different road.
"Momo Fifty-Fold Cannon!"
"Momo Fifty-Fold Speed!"
A deep voice rang out.
The speaker wore Viking-like armor, a horned helmet perched on his head, one horn broken. His presence alone drew stunned stares.
Many had not even realized he was imprisoned here.
This was Byrnndi World, captain of the World Pirates, known as the "World Destroyer." A man once feared by both the Marines and the World Government. Like Edward Newgate and Gol D. Roger, he had stood among the era's most terrifying figures.
He possessed the Moa Moa Fruit.
And he had once declared his ambition to destroy the world.
Teach watched with interest. Ice shards still clung to World's clothing. He had clearly just broken free from long-term cryogenic imprisonment.
World lifted a massive rock with one arm and hurled it upward.
The rock shot into the air.
Under the amplification of the Moa Moa Fruit, its size increased fiftyfold.
Its speed increased fiftyfold.
The destructive force was staggering.
Boom.
The ceiling between Level Five and Level Six erupted. The hardened stone barrier was blown apart, a massive crater torn open in the structure of Impel Down.
The prison trembled.
Byrnndi World leapt lightly, using Geppo to propel himself upward through the hole and into Freezing Hell.
This was how true powerhouses escaped.
They did not follow paths.
They created them.
His move greatly benefited the others.
For seasoned fighters, Geppo and the Rokushiki were not particularly difficult techniques. With sufficient physical strength and training, they were within reach.
Soon, chaos erupted.
Some used Geppo.
Some used Devil Fruit abilities.
The newly opened route became the primary escape path.
World's attack had achieved more than just destruction. It had drawn attention.
"Damn it!"
Acel, who had already reached Freezing Hell, heard the explosion and clenched his fists.
He did not yet know who had caused it.
But he knew the worst had happened.
After sensing with his ability, his face darkened.
Almost all the prisoners had escaped.
Some of them were individuals even he could not take lightly.
This was the largest prison break in Impel Down's history.
"Don't let me find out who started this," Acel growled, fury boiling inside him.
He immediately changed direction and rushed toward the source of the disturbance. There was no point descending further. The prisoners were no longer contained.
His ability allowed him to sense them clearly. In his mind, their locations appeared like markers on a map.
Hiding was pointless.
They could not escape his awareness.
As criminals ascended one after another, Teach remained where he was.
He was waiting.
Redyat had not yet emerged.
Inside the shadowed cell, Redyat stood face to face with Redfield.
They did not speak.
They did not need to.
In Redyat's pupils, dark purple light flickered.
In Redfield's, a deep crimson glow shone.
This was communication beyond language.
Both possessed near-omniscient Observation Haki, capable of reading minds.
Words were inefficient.
Time was limited.
So they opened their memories.
Not entirely. Only what each allowed the other to see.
Both knew how to guard their minds.
An invisible aura spread around them, gradually becoming tangible.
The air trembled.
The ground vibrated faintly.
Within the confined space, two bursts of Conqueror's Haki erupted simultaneously.
Even with deliberate control, even under the cover of shadow, Teach could see the clash.
Dark purple and crimson collided.
Redyat's Conqueror's Haki roared like a dragon, oppressive and domineering.
Redfield's was no weaker.
Behind him, the spiritual world seemed drenched in blood-red light.
Their spirits connected.
Within that mental space, battle erupted.
Redyat manifested in a dragon-human form, clashing violently with Redfield's peak-state projection.
This was not a symbolic exchange.
It was brutal.
Redyat was at a disadvantage.
In this realm, Redfield was in his prime.
His spirit had not aged.
All three forms of Haki.
Swordsmanship.
Hand-to-hand combat.
Experience accumulated across decades.
Complete suppression.
If someone surpassed you in one area, you could adapt.
If they surpassed you in every area, the difference became absolute.
Redfield did not hold back.
But this was not merely combat.
It was exchange.
Redfield gained parts of Redyat's memories.
Redyat gained the experiences he sought.
The truth about his father.
Watching memories was like living them.
The "Red the Aloof," wandering alone across the seas, had always been elusive. Public information barely scratched the surface.
Now Redyat saw everything.
After some time, the aura gradually faded.
They returned to reality.
Memories required digestion.
They stood silently.
Then Redyat straightened.
"Father."
The word carried years of longing.
Before him stood the man he had searched for across the sea.
Redfield's calm heart trembled.
"I truly did not expect this," he said softly.
Patrick Redfield, the legendary "Red-Haired Baron," felt something rare.
Emotion.
Blood was blood.
Even a man who trusted only himself could not deny that pull.
Before meeting Redyat, he had never imagined he would have a son.
This was a gift.
A gift that returned him twenty years to the past.
When footage of the battle at Urso Island had spread across the seas, he had sensed it.
When Redyat bore the surname Patrick and spoke his name publicly, Redfield had known.
He would come.
"Redyat," he murmured internally. "A good name."
"You will go see Mother and my brother, won't you?" Redyat asked.
He already knew much from those memories.
But he wanted to hear it directly.
"Yes."
Redfield nodded.
He had another son.
Mainz.
Redyat's twin.
They did not resemble each other. Redyat had inherited his features. Mainz resembled his mother, Isabella.
Isabella.
Even Redfield, already infamous at the time, had been captivated by her.
In a life spent witnessing the ugliness of humanity, she had been his sole exception.
He would see them.
Redyat had gone to sea.
Mainz remained in the Tirisfal Kingdom and had become its king.
A smile appeared on Redyat's face.
That was the answer he wanted.
"Then let's go. We'll take you out."
That had been their purpose from the beginning.
Breaking into Impel Down was no small risk.
They had offended the World Government directly.
If Marine Headquarters launched a full siege before they reached the New World, the consequences would be severe.
Once inside the New World, however, the situation would change.
Its depths were vast.
The hands of the World Government did not stretch easily there.
Especially not into the Sargasso Sea, the region Teach had already set his sights on.
But Redfield shook his head.
"No need. I will leave on my own."
Redyat was not surprised.
He had seen the memories.
Redfield trusted no one but himself.
He had once rivaled the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates through sheer individual strength.
If he required rescue from juniors to leave Impel Down, it would wound his pride.
Even now, Redyat was not certain he could defeat him.
He did not stop him.
The shadows receded into Redyat's feet.
Redfield stepped out of the cage where he had spent years.
He walked toward Teach.
When the shadows vanished, Teach had already sensed it.
Nelson instinctively stepped back and teleported farther away.
He understood his place.
Redfield approached calmly.
There was no killing intent.
No probing.
Just measured steps.
He stopped before Teach.
Despite five years of imprisonment, his aura remained immense.
The wounds at his wrists and ankles had mostly healed.
Life Return preserved his combat state.
What he lacked was stamina, not strength.
With proper nourishment, he would recover quickly.
Redfield smiled faintly.
"Thank you for taking care of Redyat."
"Hahaha," Teach laughed, tilting his head back. "Redyat doesn't need my care."
Redfield chuckled softly.
Then he walked past.
The remaining prisoners quickly made way.
None dared block him.
Reaching the base of the massive breach, he did not look back.
With a light leap, he rose upward.
In a single bound, Patrick Redfield left Level Six and entered Freezing Hell.