"Not coming with us?" Teach asked with a grin as Redyat walked over.
"He refused." Redyat shook his head lightly. There was no disappointment in his tone. He had already learned what he wanted to know and understood his father far better now. There was no need to push further.
Besides, he believed in Redfield's strength. Leaving Impel Down alone was not beyond him.
"I figured. That's just like him." Teach wasn't surprised.
Legends never felt distant to him. He had seen Edward Newgate and Gol D. Roger with his own eyes. That peak collision between the strongest, Conqueror's Haki coating crashing against Conqueror's Haki coating, had never left his mind.
He looked at Redyat more closely. His eyes gleamed with interest.
"Looks like you got something good out of that."
The change was subtle, but undeniable. Redyat's aura felt different. Stronger. It was still increasing, slowly but steadily.
Teach could not see the memories Redyat had gained, but he could feel the effect.
"Yeah." Redyat nodded.
The benefits were immense.
Redfield's memories were not simple recollections. They were living experience. Swordsmanship. Haki. Physical combat. Decades of battles and survival.
They were like a vast treasury, still expanding.
Redfield's experience now existed within Redyat's mind. It would take time to digest. But once fully absorbed, once those foundations became truly his own, Redyat's strength would surge dramatically.
Teach did not know the exact details, but he could guess enough.
A father passing on his legacy.
A cheat, in a way only the two of them could manage.
"Come on," Teach said with a smile. "Let's go meet that monster."
He had already sensed it. A powerful aura was approaching.
The Warden of Impel Down.
Acel.
Acel had arrived earlier but had not noticed them. Most people were not particularly sensitive to aura. Observation Haki enhanced the five senses for combat, but it required real talent to develop to that level.
When the trio reached Level Five, the Freezing Hell, they saw another massive hole blown through the ceiling above, connecting to Level Four's Blazing Hell. It mirrored the destruction below, caused by Byrnndi World's earlier rampage.
The faster prisoners had already moved on to Level Three.
On Level Two, powerful fighters were leading the charge upward.
But not everyone made it.
The path ahead was blocked.
A towering figure stood in their way, fists swinging with overwhelming speed and force. Prisoners were sent flying one after another, unable to react.
Acel.
He had arrived late.
Looking at the massive holes above and below, he let out a furious roar. Years of duty, discipline, and faith were collapsing in front of him.
But he was no fool.
The ordinary prisoners were not the real threat. The true danger lay with the monsters from Level Six, some of whom carried names that shook the world.
Magellan would have to deal with them.
Although Magellan's ability gave him an enormous advantage in the narrow corridors of Impel Down, Acel had no confidence that he alone could suppress that many powerhouses.
The upper levels needed reinforcement.
If those criminals escaped into the world, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Seeing Acel block the way, the remaining prisoners scattered. Some eyed the elevator. Others hid, waiting for him to leave.
Once he moved on, the path would reopen.
Acel was preparing to head upward when Teach and his group stepped into view.
Unlike Redfield, who had vanished like smoke, Teach made no attempt to hide.
Acel's warrior instinct locked onto them immediately.
He recognized them at once.
The masterminds.
The ones responsible.
Rage exploded from him like a shockwave. His fists clenched so tightly that his bones cracked audibly.
Teach smiled calmly and said nothing.
He waited.
Finally, Acel could not hold back.
At that moment, he seemed to forget everything else. The upper levels. The escaping criminals. His broader strategy.
Impel Down was his life's work. His faith. His honor.
Teach's existence threatened it all.
"Damn pirate!" Acel roared. "Do you even understand what you've done?!"
He bent his knees and launched forward like a cannonball.
Nelson rubbed his forehead. "What a pain. This won't end easily. That old man is terrifying."
"Hehe." Redyat chuckled. "Let Captain have some fun. Chances to fight monsters before entering the New World are rare."
The next second, both of them vanished.
They had no intention of interfering.
Partly out of confidence in Teach.
Partly because this was inevitable.
Acel appeared in front of Teach almost instantly. His fist, packed with fury, shot forward.
It was fast.
Precise.
Explosive.
White shockwaves gathered around his knuckles.
This was pure physical mastery. Like Charlotte Linlin, who could unleash devastating slashes without even being a swordsman, overwhelming force could break technique.
One force to shatter all methods.
On top of that, Acel possessed the Connect-Connect Fruit.
Injuries, pain, stamina loss, all could be distributed among the prisoners of Impel Down.
A terrifying ability.
Damage inflicted on him would be diluted countless times before reaching his body.
Because of it, Acel fought without restraint.
Though over sixty, he remained near his peak. His stamina might have declined slightly with age, but his Devil Fruit made it irrelevant.
Teach felt the pressure in that punch.
He did not take it lightly.
Darkness condensed before him into a black sphere, expanding instantly into a hemispherical shield.
Dark Jade.
His strongest defensive technique, developed specifically to counter physical monsters.
Boom.
The punch collided with the shield. Shockwaves rippled outward like ocean tides.
They held in stalemate for three full seconds.
Then Teach was pushed back. His boots tore across the frozen ground as he slid nearly a hundred meters.
But he was unharmed.
The Dark Jade had only developed a few cracks.
Acel's expression darkened.
"Hehe. Just making the sea a little more lively," Teach replied casually to the earlier accusation.
That answer only made Acel's rage burn hotter.
His body flushed red, like heated iron.
To Acel, justice was not an empty word. He had been a Marine in his youth before dedicating his life to Impel Down. Guarding this prison was part of his justice.
Teach's actions would plunge the seas into chaos.
More pirates.
More bloodshed.
More civilians suffering.
And his explanation was "lively."
To Acel, that was unforgivable.
Teach, however, saw the world differently.
Chaos already existed. The world was in transition. Pain was inevitable. The World Government ruled the world, yet the Celestial Dragons were an obvious flaw. Reformers and stabilizers struggled in different ways.
The Revolutionary Army sought upheaval.
The Marines sought order within the system.
Different standpoints.
Different visions.
Teach did not expect Acel to understand him.
Between a pirate and the Warden of Impel Down, words were meaningless.
Strength would decide.
"Bastard pirate," Acel growled. "Let me shatter that turtle shell."
"If you can, try." Teach grinned. "I hope you can."
Only one man in the Marines could truly force him to retreat right now.
The Marine Hero.
"Arrogant brat. Do not underestimate justice."
Power accumulated in Acel's body. The frozen ground cracked beneath his feet.
He vanished.
In less than a second, he was upon Teach again.
Teach sneered. Justice. He was tired of hearing it. Conviction and dreams were fine, but they were abstract.
At least Kaido wanted war. Charlotte Linlin wanted Totto Land. Edward Newgate wanted family.
Those were tangible.
Justice was too broad.
Still, it moved millions.
The Dark Jade shield formed again.
Acel's straight punch came forward, sharper than before. Armament Haki wrapped around his fist, reshaping itself like a spinning drill.
Teach's eyes narrowed slightly.
That was new.
He had never trained Haki in that direction. To him, shaping Haki like that felt unnecessary.
But unnecessary did not mean ineffective.