"How could this happen?"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku stared at the report in his hand, veins standing out faintly on his forehead.
"All the criminals in Impel Down escaped? How does something like this even happen?"
Around him, the Marine admirals present in the conference room fell silent. A few of them shifted in their seats. Others stared at the Den Den Mushi on the table as if it might suddenly explain everything.
So many high-level criminals had escaped at once.
And Marine Headquarters had known nothing until it was over.
On the other end of the call, Borsalino spoke in his usual calm tone.
"An external force invaded Impel Down and released the prisoners from Level 6, the Infinite Hell. The prison's structure has been severely damaged. Vice-Warden Magellan is critically wounded and near death. Warden Acel suffered a penetrating chest injury and is currently in a coma."
He paused briefly.
"Their injuries are too severe to handle on-site. We're transporting them to headquarters for treatment. We'll know more once they regain consciousness."
Sengoku pressed his fingers against his temple.
"And the Conqueror's Haki?" he asked.
Borsalino's expression grew slightly more serious.
"It blanketed the entire prison. Over ninety percent of the inmates fainted. More than half of the jailers collapsed. Even the Den Den Mushi were knocked unconscious."
The room fell completely still.
A Conqueror's Haki blast powerful enough to silence all communication.
Sengoku closed his eyes for a moment.
"Report in detail when you return," he said at last. "We'll discuss this then."
Before hanging up, he couldn't help adding, "Can you guess who did it?"
The other admirals instinctively avoided eye contact.
Guess?
That was his job.
Even Sengoku realized he had asked a pointless question. The available information was too limited. Borsalino had not voiced any suspicions either.
"There aren't many people capable of this."
A calm voice cut through the tension.
The image of Tsuru appeared through the Den Den Mushi. She was attending remotely while en route to North Blue.
Her words sharpened Sengoku's thoughts instantly.
Few people in this world could invade Impel Down, defeat Magellan and Acel, release Infinite Hell, and unleash Conqueror's Haki on that scale.
Names flickered through his mind.
After eliminating impossibilities, one remained most prominently.
Marshall D. Teach.
Infiltration required special abilities. Overpowering Acel required raw strength. The combination narrowed the list drastically.
Still, it was only a deduction.
"There's also motive," Tsuru added calmly. "Redyat is Redfield's son. If Redfield was imprisoned in Level 6, that's reason enough."
Sengoku's gaze darkened.
And releasing all of Infinite Hell?
That matched Teach's personality perfectly.
Cause chaos. Strike the Marines. Shake the balance of the world.
It was almost too fitting.
"Contact Morgans," Tsuru said. "He'll know something."
Sengoku immediately placed the call.
At the headquarters of the World Economic Journal, the Den Den Mushi rang.
"President, Marine Headquarters is calling."
Morgans flapped a wing dismissively.
"Tell Sengoku I'm not here. I won't be answering any Marine calls for the next few days."
His subordinate blinked, then picked up the receiver.
"Mor—" Sengoku began.
"Our President isn't here," came the reply. "And he won't be taking Marine calls for the next few days."
Click.
Back in Marine Headquarters, silence fell.
Even Sengoku looked stunned.
Tsuru broke the quiet first.
"Then we capture some of the escapees," she said smoothly. "They'll know what happened."
Sengoku nodded. Orders were issued immediately.
Right now, their only solid leads were Magellan and Acel. According to medical reports, both had suffered catastrophic blood loss. If treatment had been delayed any longer, they would have died.
The scale of the battle inside Impel Down was difficult to imagine.
Morgans, meanwhile, moved with astonishing efficiency.
Teach had invaded during the night and left by dawn.
By midday, printing presses roared.
By afternoon, countless News Coos filled the skies, delivering fresh papers to every corner of the world.
Restaurants broadcasting the Emperor War suddenly found their customers distracted. Image Den Den Mushi screens flickered as Morgans sent out alerts of "super explosive news."
He did not abuse that privilege.
Only earth-shaking events warranted it.
This qualified.
The new edition of the World Economic Journal was vibrant, fully updated with color images and improved layouts. Compared to older black-and-white prints, it felt alive.
The front-page headline screamed:
The World's First Prison Breached. Infinite Hell Prisoners Escape.
Below it, detailed accounts.
Teach. Redyat. Nelson.
Three men.
They had invaded Impel Down.
They had defeated Warden Acel.
Magellan lay near death.
Even more shocking, Head Jailer Shiryu of the Rain had defected and joined the Nightfall Pirates.
Photographs showed him clearly, wearing a black Impel Down uniform, following behind Teach with a faint smile.
Then came the parade of monsters.
Byrnndi World
Patrick Redfield.
And others long erased from public memory.
Each entry listed name, title, age, bounty, crimes, affiliations.
It read like a catalogue of nightmares.
Further back, one line drew attention.
"Man-Manipulator" Geldzak: Deceased. Killed by Teach.
For many in the underworld, that single sentence was a relief.
At the very end of the paper were three striking images.
Two were familiar. The skies above the battlefields of Big Mom versus Wang Zhi, and Kaido versus Silver Axe. Each sky split cleanly in half by clashing Conqueror's Haki.
The third showed the sky above Impel Down.
Also torn.
But this time, by a single individual.
Most readers needed no explanation.
Teach.
Beneath the images were portraits of Teach, Big Mom, and Kaido.
The bold caption read:
The Third and Fourth Emperors Are About to Be Born. The Fifth Emperor's Throne Has Already Been Reserved.
The implication was clear.
The World Economic Journal had effectively acknowledged Big Mom and Kaido as inevitable victors.
And Teach?
Already on the threshold.
Across the seas, reactions erupted.
In West Blue, within the Kingdom of Tirisfal, King Kateroj Mainz lowered the newspaper slowly.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"Brother," he murmured, "it seems you've succeeded."
In another palace, Princess Isabella stared at Redyat's image until tears blurred the page.
High above the clouds, in his floating stronghold, Shiki burst into laughter.
"That brat did something incredible," he admitted.
Even he could not have pulled this off.
On the ship of the Whitebeard Pirates, an old crew member suddenly froze.
"Shi… he's alive?"
The name spread quickly.
Some younger pirates were confused. Others went pale.
Then a massive figure stepped forward.
Edward Newgate took the newspaper with trembling hands.
He stared at the image.
Short golden hair.
Golden wings.
Older. Hardened.
Alive.
Joy flashed first.
Then fury.
A severed right leg.
A decade imprisoned.
Without his knowledge.
"Gurararara…" Whitebeard laughed, but the air grew heavy.
"If it weren't for Teach, I might never have known."
His fist tightened.
"You dared imprison my family?"
He slammed his bisento against the deck. The ship shook violently.
Then he punched the air.
Cracks spiderwebbed outward as space fractured under the power of the Gura Gura no Mi.
Conqueror's Haki erupted uncontrollably.
The sea roared. Waves surged. Clouds split apart.
The Strongest Man in the World was furious.
Some crew members collapsed under the pressure before Whitebeard restrained himself.
Family was sacred.
And the Marines had hidden one of his sons for years.
On another battlefield island, the Beasts Pirates pressed their advantage against the remnants of Silver Axe's forces.
King the Conflagration stood apart, newspaper in hand.
His eyes rested on Shiryu's image beside Teach.
"So you left," he muttered softly.
He folded the paper once.
"You and I are the same. We never belonged there."
Above the battlefield, thunderclouds gathered.
The world was shifting.
And the aftershock of Impel Down had only just begun.