Chapter 37: Descent Into The Abyss
The pronouncements echoed through the cavernous entrance hall of Impel Down, each one a nail in a coffin.
"Eustass 'Captain' Kid! Crime: Mass murder, extreme cruelty, assault on World Government personnel, potential wielder of Conqueror's Haki! Detention Level: LV6, Eternal Hell!"
Kid's lips pulled back in a snarl, but a cold dread settled in his gut. LV6. The legendary pit where legends were erased.
"Trafalgar D. Water Law! Crime: Piracy, assault on a World Noble, wielder of the Op-Op Fruit! Detention Level: LV6, Eternal Hell!"
Law's golden eyes narrowed. His bounty wasn't the highest, but his Devil Fruit had drawn the wrong kind of attention. He was now a specimen to be studied in the dark.
The other Supernovas—Zoro, Killer, Hawkins, Drake, and the rest—were assigned to Level 5, the Freezing Hell. It was a death sentence of a different, slower kind. But for Kid and Law, the destination was the bottom, the place reserved for the world's most dangerous ghosts.
The logic was cold and bureaucratic. Kid's higher bounty and viciousness, coupled with his display of Conqueror's Haki on Sabaody, marked him as a special threat. He needed to be broken, his spirit crushed among monsters. Law' "value" as a unique Devil Fruit user made him a candidate for… extraction. LV6 was where such extractions could be quietly managed.
For Luffy, Ace, and Rayleigh, there was never any question. Their names, their bloodlines, their legacies, all demanded the deepest circle.
BOOM!
The massive, reinforced gate behind them slammed shut with a finality that vibrated through the bones. The sound echoed down the metallic corridors, a permanent period at the end of their sentence. Several of the Supernovas couldn't help but glance back at the sliver of fading outside light. That door was the boundary between the world and oblivion.
Far below, in that oblivion, the denizens of Level 6 were still stirring.
"That was Conqueror's Haki," a gravelly voice stated in the dark.
"Probably. But it felt… off. Cold," another responded.
"Whatever it was, it was monstrous. Who's arrived? Did they finally bag Whitebeard?"
"No," Avalo Pizarro, the "Corrupt King," said with certainty from his cell. "Not the old quake-man's flavor. This was something else."
"A new prisoner with that kind of spirit? That would be a diversion."
"I've never felt Haki like that. I'd like to see the monster that comes with it."
For the jaded, broken legends of Eternal Hell to unanimously label something "unprecedented" was a testament to the alien, crushing weight of Levi's Reiatsu that had bled down to them.
"So this is Impel Down," Gion murmured, her voice barely above a whisper as they followed Magellan's hulking, toxic form deeper inside. The air was thick with the smell of rust, antiseptic, and a deeper, fouler scent of despair. Muffled screams and metallic clangs formed a constant, horrific symphony. A palpable, soul-crushing heaviness pressed on everyone, even the veteran Marines.
Vice Admiral Doberman walked stiffly, his face a mask. This was a necessary evil, but no sane person would choose to linger.
"You've never been here before?" Levi asked Gion, his tone casual, almost conversational, as if they were strolling through a park.
Gion shot him a disbelieving look. "Why would I come here for no reason? Prisoner transport is handled by specialized ships. Even in special cases, we hand them off at the gate. I don't understand why you and Sakazuki both agreed to Magellan's invitation to come inside."
"Well, we're here now," Levi said with a shrug. "Seems a waste not to take a look."
"You think this is a tourist attraction?" Gion hissed, appalled.
"Isn't it?" Levi replied, his gaze drifting over the grim architecture.
The surrounding Marines and guards could only stare. This new Admiral's nonchalance was either supreme confidence or profound madness.
Levi wasn't just being glib. His mind was elsewhere, alight with a quiet triumph.
*Ding! Sign-in at Impel Down successful. Reward: 2,000 Attribute Points.*
The system's prompt was music to his ears. Without a moment's hesitation, he allocated every single point to his Reiatsu.
Reiatsu: 5,500 → 7,500.
A surge of power, invisible to everyone else, coursed through him. The spiritual pressure within him deepened, grew denser, more potent. The world around him seemed to sharpen, the "souls" of the prisoners in their cells flickering at the edge of his perception like guttering candles.
Ding! Reiatsu threshold (7,500) reached. New ability unlocked: Reiatsu Analysis.
Effects enhanced: Soul Deterrence, Soul Strike, Perception.
The new ability hovered in his consciousness—a tool to dissect, understand, and potentially exploit the spiritual composition of others. He would need to explore it later. But this was a significant leap. The clash with Akainu would have been even more one-sided with this increase.
Only 2,500 points to Advanced level, he thought, a fierce anticipation kindling within him. True, overwhelming invincibility was within reach. A place like Mary Geoise, the Holy Land… that would surely yield a massive bounty.
He savored the feeling of growing strength, but a thread of cold caution wove through his excitement. In a one-on-one fight, I may have little to fear now. But two Admirals? Whitebeard's world-breaking power? Garp's legendary, unknown peak? Overconfidence is a quick path to a grave. Power was a shield, but it wasn't absolute immunity in a world of bizarre abilities.
Magellan's voice boomed ahead, interrupting his thoughts. "The prison baptistery is ahead. All prisoners must undergo high-temperature sterilization before assignment. Consider it… a welcoming ritual."
Domino, the deputy warden with the charmingly tilted hat, walked beside the group, her voice cool and professional. "It signifies the beginning of their new life here. Of our recent… guests, only Sir Crocodile was silent during the baptism. Most scream. It is quite effective."
The group approached a massive, ominous chamber. Blast doors stood open, revealing a room lined with jet nozzles. The air wavered with residual heat. This was where the world was scrubbed away, where identities were burned down to raw, painful existence.
Levi watched, his newly enhanced senses taking in the scene, his mind already calculating the next sign-in location, the next boost to his power. The hell they were walking others into was, for him, just another stepping stone.
(End of Chapter)
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