Meeting Ace
Impel Down Level 4, the Blazing Hell!
As the elevator stopped working, Haku led Hancock out first.
"It's so hot here!" Hancock couldn't stand the heat and kept fanning her face with her hands.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Haku's forehead, and he couldn't help but say, "I should have brought Hyōrinmaru with me!"
Magellan, who had rushed out to greet Haku, came over early and said, "Thank you all for your hard work. We'll be leaving here soon!"
"Hurry up, it's really hot here!" Hancock commanded Magellan, adopting the demeanor of Pirate Empress.
"Yes~" Magellan said to Hancock with hearts in his eyes.
"Hey, hey, hey! Warden, what's wrong with you? How come you've fallen for this goddess so quickly?! Where's your dignity as warden?"
"In that case, why not just hand over the warden's position to me?" Hancock said again, his true feelings mixed in.
"What's wrong with you, Vice Warden? Do you really like my position that much?" Magellan deliberately spat poison gas at Hancock.
Haku, sensing danger, pulled Hancock backward, while Domino, standing nearby, produced three gas masks beforehand.
Hand it to them!
"Ah! Warden, you bastard! Don't you know your breath is poisonous?!" Hancock, already affected, clutched his neck and said in pain.
"I know! I did it on purpose!" Magellan said earnestly.
Haku then spoke up, "Alright, alright, that's about enough! Take me to level 6."
Magellan then stopped reprimanding Hancock, while Domino, already used to such situations, ordered his men to find an antidote to treat Hancock!
"No problem, I can take you there right now, but..." Magellan turned his gaze to Hancock.
He said, "When I received the orders from above, headquarters only allowed Haku to contact Fire Fist Ace! If you're also going, then you can't leave my sight!"
"What an unreasonable person! What do you mean by 'cannot leave your sight'? Do I need you to tell me what to do?" Hancock said to Magellan with her unique arrogance.
Magellan explained, "I'm sorry, I'm just following the rules. Without Admiral Haku accompanying you, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to enter level 6."
"Don't be angry." Haku stepped in at the right moment, soothing Hancock's emotions. "Warden Magellan is just following orders. We're in Impel Down now, so it's best to follow his rules. Don't worry, I'll always be by your side and won't let you suffer any injustice."
Although Hancock was still dissatisfied, seeing Haku's consideration for her calmed her anger considerably. She glared at Magellan and then said, "Fine, I'll listen to you, but remember, you owe me an explanation."
Magellan nodded slightly in acceptance. Then, he turned to Domino and instructed, "Domino, take Vice Warden Hancock to receive treatment, and then prepare to head to the ship at Level 6."
"Yes, Warden!" Domino replied respectfully.
Watching Domino and Hancock's departing figures, Magellan turned back to Haku and Hancock and said, "Then, let's head to Level 6 now."
Led by Magellan, Haku and Hancock followed him deep into Impel Down. They traversed the Blazing Hell, passing through various cruel cells and terrifying instruments of torture, feeling the oppressive and heavy atmosphere of the place.
Finally, they arrived at the entrance to Level 6. It was a huge iron gate, covered with various complex chains and mechanisms. Magellan stepped forward and skillfully operated the chains and mechanisms. The iron gate slowly opened, revealing a passage leading to a deeper level.
"The level of protection is decent, but it won't be enough against Devil Fruit User! Unless the entire door is made of Seastone!" Haku commented.
Magellan heard Haku's comment and said, "Impossible, Seastone is far too heavy."
"Okay!" Haku said regretfully.
Haku and Hancock followed Magellan quickly into Level 6. It was darker than the previous floors, and a suffocating sense of oppression filled the air. The surrounding cells held extremely dangerous Criminals, their eyes revealing endless madness and violence.
However, once they realized that the person who came was Haku, these people's madness and violence turned into that of a docile Alaskan Malamute, staying obediently in their cells and not daring to cause any trouble.
Hancock was somewhat surprised by this scene, and she whispered to Haku, "What's going on with them? Why are they so well-behaved around you?"
Haku smiled slightly and said, "Perhaps it's because of the 'good reputation' I left in Impel Down that they were so impressed."
Hancock was speechless after hearing this. She knew that Haku had indeed appeared with a strong presence in Impel Down, and many Criminals were afraid of her. But she didn't expect that this fear would continue to this day.
They continued forward and soon arrived at Fire Fist Ace's cell. It was heavily guarded, with the guards watching them warily, their weapons ready to strike at any moment.
Magellan stepped forward, showed his identification to the guards, and said, "I am the warden of Impel Down, and I have been ordered by Marine Headquarters to send Fleet Admiral Haku to visit Fire Fist Ace!"
Upon hearing this, the guards immediately lowered their weapons and respectfully made way. Haku and Hancock followed closely behind, approaching Ace's cell.
Before the cell door was even opened!
They saw that Ace's hands were tightly bound to the wall with chains, but his eyes had become much calmer, as if he no longer had the spirited look he used to have.
Ace's eyes flashed with surprise when he saw Haku and Hancock arrive, but it was quickly replaced by disdain.
"What? You're still not happy to see your brother? Call him 'brother' obediently, and I might consider letting you go!" Haku said to Ace teasingly after seeing the look in Ace eyes.
When Magellan heard Haku say those words, his heart leaped into his throat.
While it's true that he was able to roam freely in Impel Down thanks to his Devil Fruit ability and the advantage of the terrain, he was indeed able to do as he pleased!
But facing someone as exceptionally strong as Haku, he wasn't sure if he could easily overpower Haku.