Three Plans

Laboriously shifting his body, he moved from the center of the inner wall to the corner on the right.

This spot formed a visual blind spot perfectly aligned with the cell across the way to the right. No matter how sharp the Monkey's eyesight was, it was impossible for him to see through the wall to observe this area.

As for the issue of Observation Haki, not every pirate mastered it, and it was impossible to maintain it twenty-four hours a day.

Especially for the prisoners in Hunger Hell, whose bodies were already weak to the extreme, recklessly exerting Observation Haki would only accelerate the depletion of their energy.

Wang Gao himself possessed both Observation Haki and Armament Haki. After all, he had spent six years in the New World following Ochoku and had even become the person in charge of a pirate ship; if he hadn't had the strength, the grass on his grave would have been three meters high by now.

Although Observation Haki varied in strength, it generally had one common effect: when others used it to spy on you, you would have some sort of intuition about it.

In the dozen or so cells around him, there were three people he was certain possessed Observation Haki, such as the crippled Longleg Tribe member across the way, and another one who had been interrogated alongside him by Shiryu of the Rain that day—though that guy had likely died.

The last one was a Sky Person four cells away. This guy had been sent in about three months ago and had released his Observation Haki the moment he arrived.

However, after being starved for over three months, that guy likely didn't have much strength left.

After observing the surrounding environment, Wang Gao began to consider how to get rid of the Seastone Shackles. He said he had at least three plans, and he wasn't joking.

Concentrating his spirit, he slowly permeated the shackles with his Observation Haki, picked up the iron chain connecting them, and gently tapped them against each other a few times.

He tapped them against the rock floor a few more times, and finally, he gently knocked on the shackles with his hand before withdrawing his Observation Haki. The rise and fall of his chest showed that his previous actions had not been easy.

However, the harvest was significant. He had already estimated the approximate vibration frequency range of these Seastone Shackles. As long as he tried a few more times, he could lock onto the precise resonant frequency.

Seastone was indeed very hard, but in this world, there was no such thing as something absolutely indestructible. At the very least, the Seastone Shackles before him were not indestructible, otherwise, there would be no way to process them.

His weak body certainly had no way to break free from the Seastone by brute force.

But as long as he understood the fixed vibration frequency of the Seastone, he could use a very precise resonance effect to cause the Seastone crystals to gradually disintegrate by colliding the two shackles together.

This was the first plan.

The problem was that this plan had two fatal flaws: it would produce a relatively loud noise, and it would completely destroy the Seastone Shackles.

The former would attract the attention of the surrounding prisoners and might even draw the attention of the jailers.

The latter issue meant he would be unable to keep up the pretense, as Impel Down placed great importance on Devil Fruit users like them and conducted inspections once a month.

Once the Seastone Shackles were destroyed, he would either have to break out immediately or be caught and brought back. If the escape failed, he figured both his hands and feet would be cut off.

Wang Gao had evaluated all the current conditions, and his maximum probability of a successful prison break was around 12.7%, and that was only with the help of Golden Lion.

With such a low success rate, he would not choose to break out now unless absolutely necessary.

Therefore, the plan to destroy the Seastone Shackles via resonance was temporarily put on hold.

The next two plans did not require directly destroying the Seastone Shackles, but they would require his body to make certain sacrifices.

The second option is the Hand Bone Displacement Method. It allows him to shift the bones in his palm directly, enabling the shackles to slide off his hand.

However, the side effect is that the process is extremely painful. Even with the astonishing physical recovery rate of humans in this world, he would still need to rest for about a week after resetting the palm bones.

Although he wouldn't have to cut off his hand, a week of being crippled would essentially strip him of his mobility, and his combat effectiveness would descend further.

If he were to encounter a surprise inspection, it would be difficult to put the shackles back on quickly. This was another plan that would lead to certain death if exposed.

The second option: shelved!

As for the final third option, it is the safest and allows him to put the shackles back on at any time.

That is...

Wang Gao stuck his index finger into his mouth and bit down hard, severing the finger directly at the base near the palm.

However, he did not let go. Instead, he kept his mouth over the wound on his palm, sucking up the blood that flowed out. In Hunger Hell, blood cannot be wasted, and the flesh on the index finger cannot be wasted either.

Half a day later, the meat on that index finger had been gnawed clean, just like the braised chicken feet from his memories.

Finally, he picked out the proximal phalanx from the index finger. This is the longest and thickest of the three phalanges, and given his 2.73-meter body size, the length of this bone was sufficient.

Before doing this, Wang Gao had roughly measured the length of his index finger against the depth and width of the shackle's keyhole; the difference between the two was not significant.

For Wang Gao, who possesses Observation Haki, the structure of this old-fashioned shackle's keyhole was already at his fingertips.

However, the freshly made bone key was still a semi-finished product. It needed to be dried for a few days and then ground into the proper shape.

As for why he had to use self-mutilation to obtain a bone, it was mainly because there was nothing else available to use in the cell.

The food was all mushy; there wasn't even a single scrap of bone to be found. If he didn't use his own bone, what else could he use?

Bone dust, quietness, and dry heat are the characteristics that distinguish Hunger Hell from the other levels.

Before he knew it, it was time for the once-every-five-days feeding. It was the same two jailers: One-Eye and the Bearded Man.

A scoop of mush was poured into the feeding trough.

Only after the cart had passed did he crawl over to eat the food inside clean. He then leaned against the bars and silently observed the situation around him for a moment.

He then crawled back to the corner. At this point, the bone key in his hand had already been roughly ground down and could just barely be inserted into the keyhole.

However, he did not act rashly at this moment. Instead, he continued to close his eyes and rest. The surrounding prisoners had just eaten a little food and would have recovered some of their strength; if someone were to suddenly use Observation Haki, they might discover his abnormalities.

To be safe, Wang Gao did not act rashly but continued to lie in wait.

The next day.

The moment he opened his eyes, the surrounding cells had returned to their usual deathly silence. He took out the bone key; it would be more accurate to call it a bone needle than a key.

After inserting the Bone Needle into the keyhole, he gently flicked it six or seven times. The shackles let out a faint click, and the shackle on his Left Hand popped open.

Following the same process, it took less than twenty seconds for the shackle on his right hand to be opened as well.

As the Seastone Shackles fell away from his body, he instantly felt a surge of power emerge—it was his Devil Fruit ability, along with the physical strength that had been suppressed.

Although he had opened the shackles, Wang Gao did not get carried away. He was still inside his cell, and Impel Down was located on the seabed in the Calm Belt. Without the flight ability of someone like Golden Lion, trying to break out of prison was no different from seeking death.

Even though his soul had merged with Wang Gao's, his own will remained dominant. The arrogance, ignorance, and fearlessness typical of pirates found it difficult to influence his resolve.

To leave Impel Down, brute force would not suffice. The brain is a useful tool, but unfortunately, the individual power in this world is so overwhelming that many people have grown unaccustomed to using their heads to get things done.

Relying on his current abilities, as long as he was given some time, escaping from Impel Down without making a sound was entirely achievable.

New book setting sail, investments are welcome (ω｀)