An Appointment at Impel Down

It was the fourth month after the God Valley Incident.

Ginny slapped a note down on Lin Yuan's desk.

"Ivankov sent another message."

Lin Yuan picked up the note. A line had been scrawled across it: "Where's the booze? —Ivankov"

"How many times has that been?"

"Five." Ginny planted her hands on her hips. "If you don't go soon, he'll probably start drawing circles in his cell to curse you."

Lin Yuan folded the note and slipped it into his pocket.

"All right. I'll go today."

"Who's going with you?"

"Just me. More people would only make things troublesome."

Ginny glanced at him but didn't object.

"Come back early. I've made soup for tonight."

Lin Yuan raised a hand and opened a door beside him. Beyond it lay the waters around Impel Down, the gray sea gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

"I'm off."

Impel Down, Level 5.

Ice and snow stretched everywhere. The wind cut to the bone.

Lin Yuan stepped through the door and landed in the familiar corridor. His feet crunched against the ice. He swept the area with Spatial Perception—two guards were warming themselves by a fire at the end of the corridor, looking away from him. A prisoner was locked in the third cell on the left, his presence faint and close to death. The fifth cell on the right was empty.

Ivankov's cell was still at the very end.

Lin Yuan walked over, opened a door in the cell door, and stepped through.

"Mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm..."

Ivankov sat in a corner, touching up his makeup with a small mirror in hand. His hair was longer than it had been the last time they met, red as a ball of fire. He wore heavy makeup, with blood-red lips and purple eyeshadow.

"You finally came."

"I've been busy." Lin Yuan crouched down, pulled two bottles of liquor from his pocket, and set them on the floor.

Ivankov's eyebrows rose.

"Whiskey?"

"Helped myself to it from a World Government transport ship. I don't know if it's any good."

"Mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm..." Ivankov picked up a bottle, bit off the cap, and took a long swig. "It's good! Ten thousand times better than the swill they serve in Impel Down!"

Lin Yuan picked up the other bottle and took a sip. He didn't drink often, but on an occasion like this, it wouldn't be right not to.

"You've lost weight," Ivankov said.

"No, I haven't."

"You have." Ivankov took another swig and wiped the corner of his mouth. "I heard about God Valley. You snatched the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon, rescued more than four hundred civilians, and escaped right under the noses of Rocks and the Marines. Your bounty went up to 1.5 billion."

"You're well informed."

"The guards told me." Ivankov laughed. "Mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm... Those guards have looser lips than heads."

Lin Yuan leaned against the wall and looked at the ceiling.

"What about you? How have you been?"

"How else? Eating, sleeping, touching up my makeup, waiting to die." Ivankov set the bottle on the floor. "But now that you're here, I don't want to die anymore."

"Last time, you said you'd think about it. Have you made up your mind?"

Ivankov fell silent for a moment.

"Lin Yuan, do you know why I'm locked up here?"

"Because you were part of an anti-government organization."

"That's not all." Ivankov lowered his voice. "It's because I've seen a secret of the Celestial Dragons."

Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes.

"What secret?"

"Mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm... I can't tell you that. If I did, I'd really die here." Ivankov picked up the bottle and took another swig. "But I can tell you something else."

"Go on."

"The World Government is researching something called the 'National Treasure.' They say it can destroy an island." Ivankov's voice was low. "It's not a Devil Fruit or a technological weapon. It's something older. On the level of an Ancient Weapon."

Lin Yuan's fingers paused.

Ancient Weapons. Uranus. Poseidon. Pluton.

"What else?"

"And... the Celestial Dragons are fighting among themselves." Ivankov laughed. "Mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm... Two Celestial Dragons died at God Valley, and the other families have started fighting for power. Some want revenge, some want to put the matter to rest, and some want to take advantage of the chaos. The Five Elders can't keep them in line. They've argued several times."

"What about your organization?"

Ivankov fell silent for a moment.

"When I was outside, I followed a few organizations. None of them lasted long. Some fell apart, and some were arrested." He looked down at his hands. "There are plenty of people in this world who want to resist, but none of them have managed to become a force to be reckoned with."

Lin Yuan said nothing.

"Do you know why?" Ivankov asked.

"Why?"

"Because there's no leader," Ivankov said. "We need someone who can really fight, who can shoulder the burden, and who can earn everyone's respect. Rocks had what it took, but he was a madman. He didn't want to overthrow the World Government. He wanted to become a Celestial Dragon himself."

"So you're locked up here, waiting for that leader to appear?"

"Mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm... Something like that." Ivankov laughed again. "Maybe he won't come in time. But even if I die, it'll have been worth it."

The two fell silent for a while.

Ivankov finished his bottle and tossed it into the corner.

"Lin Yuan."

"Hmm?"

"You asked me if I wanted to get out. My answer is... yes. But not now."

"Why?"

"Because what could I do if I got out now?" Ivankov looked at his hands. "My Hormone-Hormone Fruit can fight on a battlefield, but it can't take on top-tier powerhouses. My Haki isn't strong enough, and my physical skills have gotten rusty. Going out would just be throwing my life away."

"I can help you train."

"You, help me?" Ivankov laughed. "Mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm... A brat in his early twenties is going to help me train?"

"I have five people under me. Kaido, Bullet, Kuma, King, and Moria. None of them were strong when they joined me, but they've all gotten stronger now." Lin Yuan looked at him. "You won't be an exception."

Ivankov stared at him for a long time.

"You really don't mince words."

"Polite words are no use."

"Mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm..." Ivankov laughed again. "All right. I'll give you three years. Come back then. If your forces are big enough by then, I'll go with you."

"Three years is too long."

"Then how long do you think?"

Lin Yuan thought for a moment.

"One year. I'll come get you one year after the God Valley Incident."

Ivankov fell silent for a moment.

"All right. One year."

He held out his hand.

Lin Yuan took it.

"It's a deal."

"It's a deal."

Lin Yuan stood up and dusted off his pants.

"I'm going. I'll bring food next time."

"Bring meat! Bring cake! Bring good liquor!" Ivankov shouted. "You can't even get a decent meal in this hellhole!"

"Got it."

Lin Yuan opened a door and stepped through.

The door closed.

Ivankov sat in his cell, holding the remaining half bottle of liquor, and took a sip.

"Mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm... One year."

He smiled, then let the smile fade and looked at the ceiling.

"The world outside... I wonder what it's become."

No one answered.

In the corridor, the wind howled.

By the time Lin Yuan came out of Impel Down, it was already dark.

He stood on the outlying reefs, watching the warships patrolling the distant sea, and fell silent for a moment. His Spatial Perception was still spreading. Deep in Level 5, there were several powerful presences—stronger than Ivankov, stronger than the members of the Holy Knights.

Who were those people?

He didn't know, but he remembered their locations.

Lin Yuan raised a hand and opened a door.

"I'm off."

Hachinosu.

Ginny was sitting in the hall with a pot of soup in front of her.

"You're back?"

"I'm back."

"What did Ivankov say?"

"I'll go get him out in a year." Lin Yuan sat down at the table and took the bowl Ginny handed him. "He said some other things, too."

"What?"

"The Celestial Dragons are fighting among themselves. The World Government is researching an Ancient Weapon."

Ginny's hand paused.

"An Ancient Weapon?"

"Yeah."

Ginny fell silent for a while.

"Lin Yuan, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Lin Yuan took a sip of soup.

"First, stay alive. Then, change this world."

Ginny looked at him without speaking.

Outside the window, the sea breeze blew, and moonlight spilled across the shimmering water.

(End of Chapter 46)