"This man is…" Smoker hesitated.
Magellan lowered his gaze and spoke slowly.
"He was once the Chief Jailer of Impel Down. However, due to his cruel nature and bloodlust, he took pleasure in killing prisoners without justification."
"I warned him many times to stop, but it was useless. In the end, I personally sent him to Eternal Hell, sentenced to death—with the execution suspended."
Karl stepped closer to the cell. In the silence of Level Six, the sound of his footsteps echoed unnaturally clear.
Unlike the other inmates, Shiryu was still wearing the uniform of a jailer. His face was rugged, his jaw broad, his eyes calm and indifferent. A sinister smile curled at the corner of his lips.
Shiryu lifted his gaze and looked at the pretty-faced Marine outside the cell—more specifically, at the two swords hanging from Karl's waist. Disdain flashed across his expression.
"Fine blades," Shiryu sneered.
"But can a pretty boy like you even swing them?"
Karl smiled faintly, glanced down at Shusui and Raven, and replied casually:
"They're more than enough to kill you."
A red glint flashed through Shiryu's eyes as he let out a low, chilling laugh.
"Just you?"
Smoker burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Karl, this guy sure is arrogant. Doesn't he know you nearly defeated the World's Greatest Swordsman, Mihawk?"
Shiryu's expression changed instantly.
Hawk-Eyes Mihawk.
The man who stood at the pinnacle of all swordsmen.
Nearly defeated him?
Impossible.
"I don't believe it," Shiryu growled, staring at Magellan.
"Let me out. Give me my sword. I want to see just how much this brat is really worth!"
Magellan snorted coldly.
"Don't dream, Shiryu. You think you're still the Chief Jailer?"
"You are a criminal now."
"You have no right to make demands of me."
He then turned to Karl. Even confined within Impel Down, Magellan had long heard of Mihawk's reputation. And if Karl had truly only narrowly lost to him, then his swordsmanship was undoubtedly terrifying.
Magellan rubbed his warm, comfortable stomach, a thought forming in his mind.
"Major General Karl," he said,
"Shiryu is also a swordsman, and his weapon is a named blade as well."
"To thank you for relieving my… condition earlier, how about I give you his sword—Raiu?"
Karl froze.
Wait—there's a bonus reward?!
But honestly speaking, he already had two swords: one ability weapon, one black blade. Raiu… wasn't exactly tempting.
"It was nothing, Warden Magellan. You don't need to trouble yourself."
Magellan shook his head firmly. He hated owing favors. The more Karl declined, the more determined he became.
He immediately pulled out a Den Den Mushi fitted with a gas mask.
"This is the Warden. Retrieve former Chief Jailer Shiryu's sword and place it on Level One. Hand it over to Major General Karl later."
"Yes, sir!"
After hanging up, Magellan looked back at Karl.
"He has no use for it anymore. Leaving it here would just be a waste. It's better placed in the hands of a powerful swordsman like you."
"Magellan—you dare?!"
Shiryu roared, slamming himself against the bars.
"By what right do you give my sword to someone else?!"
"Fuu—"
Magellan calmly exhaled a cloud of poison directly at him.
Shiryu inhaled it in full. His body stiffened instantly as he collapsed to the ground, letting out agonized screams.
Magellan didn't even spare him another glance.
"Shall we continue?"
Karl looked at the twitching Shiryu one last time, then nodded. The three moved on.
"This one is…" Karl paused, pointing at a strange cell.
Cold air leaked continuously from within. Inside, a prisoner was frozen solid—entombed in ice from head to toe.
"World DestroyerByrnndi World," Magellan said.
"When I first began working at Impel Down, he was already sealed like this."
Karl rubbed his temple. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite recall the details.
Twenty years in this world… forgetting a minor character or two is normal.
"He's a pirate from a very long time ago," Magellan added.
"It's only natural if you haven't heard of him."
Smoker casually glanced sideways—and suddenly stiffened.
"H-HEY…!"
"Is that… the Lonely Red?!"
From the adjacent cell, a white-haired old man smiled faintly.
"So… my name has not yet been forgotten," he said calmly.
Karl turned toward Smoker, puzzled.
"You know him?"
Smoker shook his head.
"No. I've only heard of him. Long ago, he was a pirate who stood alongside Roger and Whitebeard."
"And most importantly—he was alone."
The old man slowly shook his head.
"Young Marine… I was never as strong as you imagine."
He let out a quiet sigh.
"Do you know why I am here?"
Smoker remained silent.
"Because after witnessing the power of Roger and Newgate with my own eyes,"
"I lost heart."
"I abandoned my dream of becoming Pirate King… and allowed myself to be defeated by the Marines."
"And so, I came here—to spend the rest of my life in Impel Down."
Karl and Smoker exchanged a look, shock clear in both their eyes.
This was a man from the same era as Garp, Sengoku, and Shiki—and even he had been overwhelmed by Roger and Whitebeard.
Just how monstrous were those two at their peak?
Redfield gave a faint smile.
"How strong were Roger and Whitebeard?"
"Their strength was despair itself."
"You two… wouldn't last even a single move."
Karl froze.
That's exactly what I was thinking.
"How—"
"No need to be surprised," Redfield said calmly.
"My Observation Haki can peer into the human heart."
From childhood, Ballyd World Redfield possessed extraordinary Observation Haki. With age, it grew so powerful that he could see into others' hearts.
But because of this, he came to despise humanity—having witnessed too much ugliness.
He rejected alliances. He embraced solitude.
And thus, the world named him—
The Lonely Red.
"If you wish to understand Roger's true strength," Redfield continued, raising a finger,
"that man knows it best."
Karl followed his gesture.
In the next cell stood a towering, powerfully built man with crimson skin and razor-sharp eyes. Violent, feral aura poured off him like a storm.
"Roger?" the man sneered.
"A coward."
Silence followed.
Magellan inhaled deeply, fear flickering in his eyes.
"That prisoner is Douglas Bullet," he said gravely.
"Known as the Devil's Heir. He was once a member of the Roger Pirates."
"After Roger's execution, he went on a rampage across the seas."
"In the end, the Marines launched a Buster Call to stop him."
"He was defeated… and imprisoned here."
"At the time, I was still Vice-Warden."
Karl stared at Bullet without saying a word.
This floor is full of monsters.
If even one of them escaped, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Damn it… I really want to kill them all.
At the very least, shouldn't the ones without Devil Fruit abilities be dealt with for good?
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