Golden Lion Recruits Soldiers! Division! Ochoku's Hesitation!

Impel Down, without a doubt, is the most famous prison in the world.

Located in the Calm Belt, and connected to Marineford Enies Lobby the Triangular Circulation behind the Gate of Justice, it allows for direct prisoner transport and provides constant naval support, making it truly easy to defend and difficult to attack.

With the addition of the formidable jailers stationed there, the legend of Impel Down was thus forged.

Since its construction, no prisoner has ever been able to escape from here, hence it is known as the Impel Down.

However, within that year, Impel Down's status had quietly changed.

After Marineford was destroyed by the pirate alliance, reconstruction work began long ago, but progress has been incredibly slow.

After all, the entire island was lifted up by the Golden Lion and crashed into the Gate of Justice.

The entire island was thus reduced to ruins and completely sunk into the sea; the only way to rebuild it is through land reclamation.

This project is ridiculously large.

Therefore, even though the World Government is making every effort to rebuild Marineford for the safety of Mary Geoise, progress is very slow.

After losing Marineford, the Impel Down was no longer as safe as it used to be.

After all, if something happens, it would be difficult for the navy to come to their aid.

Insecurity is the biggest flaw in a prison.

Therefore, the number of prisoners sent to Impel Down has decreased significantly over the past year.

And facts have proven that this subtle change was correct.

Because.

"Hahahaha!"

Amidst the fluttering golden hair, the Golden Lion, which had traveled a long way, landed on the roof of the first floor of this Impel Down, which overlooked the sea.

His right hand was already on the ground.

Then.

Boom!

Huge ripples spread across the sea, and the buildings beneath our feet began to tremble violently.

Meanwhile, inside the prison.

The violent shaking caused many items to tip over, and even many prisoners and guards tripped and fell to the ground.

The most unfortunate are the prisoners suffering in the Crimson Hell, the first level beneath the sea.

Outside the cells of this prison level was a special forest, with trees that were sword trees with leaves as sharp as blades, and Needle Grass that was needle-like.

The prisoners locked on this floor are forced to run wildly through this hell of swords and blades every day; that's why Impel Down is essentially a giant execution ground.

Just then, a violent tremor struck, catching the pirates running through the forest off guard and causing them to fall to the ground, where they rolled over—

For these weakest prisoners in Impel Down, this is what slow slicing meant.

At the same time, gasps of astonishment rose from inside the prison.

"What happened? Was there an earthquake?"

"The entire Impel Down is shaking violently! Is this an earthquake of this magnitude?"

While the prisoners and guards were bewildered.

The ground floor houses the monitoring room.

"This... this..."

Staring at the monitor screen in front of them, the guards were covered in cold sweat. "It flew... it flew away!!"

Compared to them, the guards patrolling and keeping watch on the port outside the prison gates had a clearer view.

They watched helplessly as the sea receded further and further away from them, the entire Impel Down being forcibly lifted from the seabed by an invisible force!

In the blink of an eye, their perspective had shifted from the sea to the sky!

How could such a thing happen?

What on earth happened?!

Just as the guards were filled with terror...

"Heh heh heh heh! Are you ready to welcome your true master, Impel Down!"

A man as majestic as a lion swaggered down from above and headed toward the tightly closed door.

Upon seeing him, the guards were stunned.

Then, all the doubts were answered in an instant.

"Golden Lion! It's Golden Lion!!"

That's right!

Only Golden Lion possesses such power; only he could casually pull the entire Impel Down from the seabed.

The Golden Lion completely ignored the terrified guards. In that instant, jet-black Inazuma suddenly erupted from his body, refracting in the air and Inazuma into Impel Down.

Impel Down, which had just stabilized, began to shake violently once again.

Inside the prison, guards and prisoners were falling unconscious in droves.

The Golden Lion is here to recruit officers; he's not particularly interested in the underlings, so the selection process has already begun.

As the Golden Lion approached, the prison gates suddenly twisted and cracked open, and he silently flew inside.

The ground floor of Impel Down was Bian, with guards and jailers lying scattered on the floor.

The Golden Lion didn't care and casually activated his ability, causing the earth to twist and surge again, forming a huge hole leading to the underground level in the blink of an eye.

It's a pity that all the prisoners in the first level of the Crimson Hell have been wiped out.

The second level, the Beast Hell, saw complete annihilation.

The third level, the Starvation Hell, is where everyone is wiped out.

Golden Lion reached the fourth level of the Blazing Hell, where at least a few pirates were still conscious.

However, obstacles also arose.

"That's enough, Golden Lion!"

Two men blocked the Golden Lion's path, followed by a few high-ranking jailers and guards.

"Hahaha, finally some interesting fellows have arrived! I was starting to wonder if I'd come to the wrong place!"

The Golden Lion, floating in mid-air, looked down at the crowd below with great interest, especially the two people standing at the very front.

"You two are the warden and Chief Warden of Impel Down, right? This prison is now under my control. How about you two come work for me? Don't worry, your treatment will definitely be better than before."

According to the information he obtained, this floor is where the director's office is located.

"Enough with the nonsense!"

The warden of Impel Down, a white-haired man, angrily launched himself directly at the Golden Lion, shouting, "We are the guardians of Hell! How could we possibly submit to the devil's command!"

"Demon?"

The Golden Lion paused for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter, "Compared to some brat, what kind of demon am I?"

"But,"

His hands were already on the hilt of the sword at his waist. "Since you insist on courting death, then I might as well grant your wish!"

Both of these guys are quite strong, so he should probably take it a little more seriously.

Later.

The Frozen Hell of Impel Down's fifth level.

Blood dripped from the Golden Lion's body onto the snow-covered ground.

Golden Lion's Observation Haki spread wildly, and he finally nodded in satisfaction. There were quite a few creatures still active on this floor.

However, now is not the time to pay attention to them; let's go meet the truly important figures first.

"Did Impel Down actually have a sixth underground level?"

Golden Lion muttered to himself as he activated his ability once more.

This was something he only realized after arriving at Impel Down; the World Government had previously only publicly stated that there were five levels.

If nothing unexpected happens, following the distribution rule that the stronger the criminals become as they go down, the truly most terrifying criminals will be imprisoned in that sixth level that shouldn't exist, right?

However, an unexpected incident occurred on the way to the sixth floor.

There was a hole between the fifth and sixth floors, but it was empty, and the Golden Lion didn't seem to care.

Finally, he landed at the very bottom of a dark Impel Down, a place known as Infinite Hell.

Almost at the moment of his arrival, a voice rang out from the darkness.

"Who! Who's here!"

What on earth is happening outside?!

What was with that Conqueror's Haki just now?

The Golden Lion looked around, a smirk creeping across his face. "Hahahaha, quite a few familiar faces are still imprisoned here! I thought you were all long dead! Looks like I didn't come to the wrong place this time!"

"Wait, that sound!"

"Shiki? Is that Boss Shiki?"

"Golden Lion, what are you doing here?!"

In the dimly lit prison, screams of alarm suddenly rose and fell.

Why am I here?

The Golden Lion chuckled, "Impel Down is mine now! Those who are willing to follow me can live!"

"If you refuse, then die!"

Unrestrained laughter echoed through this Infinite Hell, "What is your answer?"

Almost simultaneously, at Marine Headquarters, New Marineford.

"What? The Golden Lion attacked Impel Down?"

Sengoku looked up in astonishment at the messenger who had rushed over.

"Yes, yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"

The marine, his forehead beaded with sweat, hurriedly replied, "This is an urgent message from Commissioner Anderson. He says the entire Impel Down has been taken by Golden Lion, and he will lead all the surviving forces to confront Golden Lion..."

His pupils trembled during the Sengoku period.

"In that case, Impel Down has probably fallen completely."

On the opposite sofa, Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had come to discuss the next naval strategy with Sengoku, said somewhat helplessly, "The warden Anderson and Chief Warden Shepard of Impel Down are both exceptionally strong, but if the enemy is Golden Lion, they won't stand a chance."

"Prisoner!"

Sengoku waved for the soldiers to leave his office, then the man who commanded millions of naval forces worldwide gritted his teeth and said, "That Golden Lion had almost his entire main force wiped out by Roger last year! Although he's been recruiting all year, the losses to his officers won't be so easily made up!"

"So, he set his sights on the prisoners in Impel Down!"

"Damn it! These bastards are getting more and more outrageous!"

Sengoku lowered his voice, "The Shichibukai plan must indeed be implemented as soon as possible. Madmen like Roa and Golden Lion shouldn't exist on this sea!"

The Shichibukai?

Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed softly.

The official announcement of this plan will likely cause a huge uproar.

No, it's more accurate to say that it has already caused quite a stir.

At the previous high-level naval meeting, Sengoku had just announced the plan, and the radical faction, led by Zephyr, began to oppose it fiercely.

They firmly believe that a pirate is a pirate, and that any talk of "legal pirates" is an insult to the Navy's justice.

Zephyr even got into another heated argument with Sengoku, and if it weren't for her and Garp mediating, the two would almost have come to blows.

In the end, Sengoku's words, "Shut up, Zephyr! I'm the Fleet Admiral!" successfully angered Zephyr, who slammed the door and left, leaving behind only the words, "Sengoku, you'll regret this!"

However, immediately after Zephyr left, a large number of naval officers followed him.

At this point, everyone realized that although they were still fighting for the same justice, their differences in direction had almost torn the Navy's top brass into two parts.

No one could really say anything, since almost all of those who followed Zephyr were high-ranking officers who had held high positions before the Great Conscription. Not only were they all veterans who had fought for the Navy for many years, but they also shared another characteristic: almost all of them had family members who had perished in the incident that destroyed Marineford.

They have the right and the grounds to be hostile to all pirates, especially those like Ochoku who were involved in that incident.

Fortunately, one thing is beyond doubt.

Regardless of which side they are on, they still take upholding justice as their mission, will still fight the pirates with all their might, and will still be comrades who can be trusted to fight.

Meanwhile, in the New World, on Beehive Island.

Inside the Skull Tower.

Ochoku looked at the man in the white suit with some surprise. "You've got some nerve, daring to strut right up to me like this, and even introducing yourself. CP0, are you tired of living?"

"Mr. Ochoku, if you want me dead, of course I can't even resist."

Dressed in all white, CP0 didn't seem to care about Ochoku's cold attitude; he even wore a friendly smile. "But before you send me to my death, could you allow me to finish what I have to say?"

"Tell me, what message did the government send you with them?"

Ochoku yawned. "Then I'll decide how you die based on how funny the content is."

CP0 remained all smiles, even bowing slightly to Ochoku, "Mr. Ochoku, I've come to rescue you."

"I've changed my mind!"

Ochoku's eyes suddenly sharpened, and with a surge of Haki, his signature jet-black hand suddenly materialized, grabbing the CP0 member and squeezing him so hard that the CP0 member's entire body creaked.

"Now you can just die!"

Aren't you scared?

As expected of an elite agent, even when he was being squeezed to the point of excrement, the man in the white suit remained unfazed. "Mr. Ochoku, aren't you afraid of Roa and the Golden Lion?"

Ochoku paused for a moment.

"You should know this, right? Roa is a madman; he craves chaos and disorder! Sooner or later, he'll start expanding again, and when that happens, you, whose territory borders his, will naturally be the first to suffer!"

That's what CP0 said.

Ochoku had no rebuttal.

There is no doubt that Roa is a madman.

Moreover, it is a fact that his territory is right next to Roa's.

Despite the seemingly close relationship he showed when he helped Roa fight the Whitebeard Pirates, Ochoku knew very well that if he ever got in Roa's way, he would not hesitate to take action.

Or rather, no matter who it is, even if Captain Rocks were to be resurrected, if anyone gets in Roa's way, that brat will not hesitate to take action.

"You should know how terrifying Roa is right now,"

CP0 continued, "Besides Golden Lion and Whitebeard, there's probably no other pirate in the world who can rival him, and you certainly wouldn't be his match."

Ochoku frowned, then angrily threw the CP0 on the ground and playfully bounced it twice.

"It seems you understand."

Instead of getting angry, CP0 chuckled, lightly brushing the dust off his clothes as he stood up. "Then there's Golden Lion. Although he's not as insane as Roa, his arrogance is in no way Roa. Latest news: Golden Lion attacked Impel Down, and we should receive a batch of reinforcements soon."

"What?"

Ochoku was genuinely startled, "Impel Down?"

That's right.

CP0 nodded slightly. "Once Golden Lion recovers his strength, given his arrogant personality, do you think the Flying Pirates' expansion will stop?"

Ochoku's expression turned even uglier.

The other side of the Golden Lion's territory is the Red Line, so if they want to expand, they can only go towards that side.

Wasn't this precisely why he had painstakingly plotted against Golden Lion?

"And,"

CP0 gave a strange smile. "Mr. Ochoku, you probably don't want Golden Lion to know that your meddling played a significant role in his complete defeat by Roger last year—uh!"

Ochoku gripped CP0's neck, his eyes cold and sharp. "What do you know?"

"Hmm..."

CP0 simply emitted meaningless sounds to let Ochoku know that he couldn't speak while his neck was being choked.

Ochoku then released his grip.

"Call--"

Catching his breath, CP0's smile remained undiminished. "Anything that a second person knows won't be a secret, especially considering the amount of manpower and resources you mobilized to confirm the Roger Pirates' location, Mr. Ochoku."

Ochoku gritted his teeth inwardly.

At the time, I was only focused on scheming against the Golden Lion!

Forgot about the World Government, which has always been eyeing the New World!

Now they've got a handle on us!

Once the Golden Lion finds out about this, war will break out in an instant!

It's highly unlikely that Roa wouldn't take advantage of someone's misfortune!

How could he possibly withstand the combined might of Roa and the Golden Lion? Even with Silver Axe and John added to the mix, it wouldn't be enough.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Ochoku, we certainly did not leak this information to Golden Lion."

CP0 said, "After all, we came here very sincerely to seek cooperation."

Ochoku gave this guy a deep look, "What exactly do you mean by this so-called cooperation?"

"You helped the government eliminate madmen like Roa and Golden Lion, and in return, the government will classify you as legal pirates and recognize your control over the New World. How about that?"