Moria and Shiryu's Changes!

Impel Down, Fourth Underground Level, Blazing Hell.

The environment here was still as scorching and dry as the depths of the earth, with nauseating blood stench permeating the air.

Prisoners in zebra-striped uniforms carried bundles of dry firewood toward the boiling pools of blood, enduring the searing pain beneath their feet under the shouts and lashes of vicious Prison Guards. They then lined up and tossed the wood into the sea of flames beneath the massive cauldrons.

At that moment, the newly appointed lowly Prison Guard, Gecko Moria, was moving in and out of the Cells with a two-meter-long pair of scissors in hand.

Just then, after walking out of one Cell, he opened the next. Under the terrified gaze of the prisoner inside, he grabbed the man's upper body with his left hand as easily as snatching a chick, then snip—cut away the shadow beneath him. He casually flung the prisoner against the wall, then tossed the struggling shadow in his hand into the Shadow Box he carried with him as though it were trash.

This Shadow Box had actually been molded from his own shadow—Doppelman. Since, aside from the body itself, only a box made of shadow could preserve a shadow.

Compared to the former, however, the latter could store an almost unlimited number of shadows. After all, shadows had no real substance; they could simply be kneaded up and stuffed into the Shadow Box.

He had prepared four such Shadow Boxes, each intended to store the prisoner shadows from Blazing Hell, Starvation Hell, Wild Beast Hell, and Crimson Lotus Hell.

Warden Columbus had stipulated that he could only move between these four levels.

That was because the prisoners held in the Fifth Underground Level, Extreme Cold Hell, were all great pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million. As for the prisoners in the Sixth Underground Level, Level 6 Infinite Hell, every one of them was extraordinary—a monster-class pirate erased from history for being too vicious.

Moria did not care. The prisoners on these four levels alone would take him years to cut through. Having two fewer levels was not bad either; at least on the surface, he appeared very obedient.

Moreover, he found Impel Down's environment quite suitable for him. A place where the sun never showed itself was comfortable for an Oni Tribe member, though it made it difficult to continue holding his Light Burial performances.

Just as Moria walked out of a Cell with a cold expression, preparing to head to the next one, two colleagues in Prison Guard uniforms, carrying Muskets, chatted as they patrolled.

Though they had lowered their voices somewhat, they were still fairly distinct in this environment.

"Chief Warden Shiryu is actually being transferred out!"

"That's great. Once that killing star is gone, lowly Prison Guards like us won't have to worry about dying under one of our own people's blades someday."

"Isn't that right? Still, the happiest ones should be those prisoners. Over the years, if not a thousand, then at least hundreds—no, several hundred—must have died at Chief Warden Shiryu's hands, right?"

Hearing this, Moria did not care in the slightest, because he truly did not know any Shiryu. Vice Warden Magellan, on the other hand, had left a deep impression on him. The way poisonous gas emanated from his entire body was quite frightening.

Warden Columbus's aura was even more unfathomable. In any case, he was not someone Moria could deal with at his current strength!

Still, there was one question: how was he supposed to get promoted in a place like this?

By earning merit? But where was he supposed to find any merit?

At that thought, Moria stopped in his tracks and froze. Oh no. Looking at it this way, as long as the World Government wants it, I might never get promoted for the rest of my life. Could I really end up staying here for a full twenty years?

For some reason, his thoughts began to wander, and he inexplicably imagined the future. If he was still a Prison Guard ten or so years from now...

What would that make him? The strongest Prison Guard in Impel Down's history?

Inside the distant Warden's office, Shiryu of the Rain had already completed his departure procedures with the Warden. He emerged carrying a paper bag filled with various documents.

But the moment he stepped out, he saw a Black-Clad Man standing there, nearly five meters tall, dressed in a devilish style, with long curved horns on his head and demonic bat wings on his back.

"Yo, Vice Warden Magellan. I didn't expect you to come see me off. Looks like you don't hate me all that much after all," Shiryu teased.

"No, I hate you very much."

Magellan showed no mercy to this former colleague who was about to leave. With a cold expression, he said, "I'm only here to watch you get the hell out of Impel Down with my own eyes, so I can be sure I'll never see you again."

"My, how heartless."

Shiryu was not angry. He merely grinned, pulled an expensive cigar from his coat pocket, placed it between his lips, lit it with a lighter, and took a deep drag.

He surveyed Blazing Hell's harsh environment and let out a sigh as he exhaled thick smoke. "I actually quite like this place. Once I get to the Marines, I wonder whether I'll still be able to feed Raiu properly."

With that, he brushed past Magellan and headed toward the elevator leading to the first floor above sea level.

Watching the other man's retreating figure, Magellan shook his head and sighed.

"I don't know what madness has gotten into the Marines. They actually took that bastard. I just hope someone over there can keep him in check, or there really will be rivers of blood."

But looking at it another way, it truly was a great thing for Impel Down.

Shiryu, carrying a heart full of regret and nostalgia, took the elevator up to the first floor above sea level.

The place was as lively as ever. Newly captured prisoners stood in line, awaiting their stripping and cleansing.

Yes, a full-body cleansing with boiling water at one hundred degrees. Definitely stimulating.

Then they changed into brand-new black-and-white striped prison uniforms and underwent a second disinfection in Blazing Hell on the fourth underground level, using scorching high temperatures.

Finally, once they were half dead, they were thrown into different Hells according to their bounties.

When the Prison Guards and other staff supervising the prisoners saw Shiryu, not one of them dared to come forward and greet him.

At most, they saw him off with fearful or relieved looks.

Shiryu did not care about that either.

In his eyes, they were all weaklings.

And weaklings were simply unworthy of his concern.

They were only fit for passing the time and letting Raiu drink blood.

After passing through the iron bars, he saw the gate leading outside.

It was a gate embedded in a high wall, forged entirely from solid steel.

What came next was simple.

He smoothly boarded the Marine Warship that had come to pick him up and slowly sailed away from the undersea prison where he had spent so many years.

Strangely enough, although he had looked so nostalgic just moments ago—

Shiryu did not even turn around for one last look.

Instead, his eyes were filled with anticipation for the future.

No matter what, getting out of there was equivalent to gaining freedom!

If things did not go well in the Marines, he could leave whenever he wanted, right?

As a result, Shiryu was in an exceptionally good mood.

Good enough that, as he looked at the Marines around him, his eyes faintly reddened and his hands suddenly began to itch.

But after the Warship passed through the first Gates of Justice, he sensed that something was wrong.

Because the ship did not follow the Triangle Current toward the next Gates of Justice.

"Aren't we going to Marineford to report in?"

Shiryu asked the Major directing the ship ahead, while a hint of vigilance rose in his heart.

"That was the original plan, but because you've been assigned as Vice Admiral Akainu's adjutant, and Vice Admiral Akainu has just received a mission, he informed us to take you directly there. Once this mission is complete, you'll return to Marineford together."

Since Shiryu had been appointed a Marine Headquarters colonel, the Major naturally answered him respectfully.

"Vice Admiral Akainu?"

Shiryu's expression froze. Though he had worked at Impel Down, he was not completely ignorant of the outside world.

The World Economic Journal arrived on time every issue, and given the dreadful environment inside, reading the newspaper had become the primary form of entertainment.

Thus, he knew about the three newly promoted candidates for Admiral in the Marines.

"Sakazuki, the user of the top-tier Logia-type Magma-Magma Fruit?!"

"Yes."

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