Prison Archives

Figo, well-versed in web novels, instantly recognized what had appeared in his mind—and beyond the surprise, there wasn't much shock.

A transmigrator always had to have a cheat: a talent cheat, a memory cheat, a knowledge cheat, an encounter cheat, a system cheat...

The next moment, information about the nameless tome was absorbed and comprehended by Figo—it was a 'Prison Archives' belonging to him.

Figo didn't bother considering the origin of the archives at all; he simply took it as a gift from the deity who sent him through worlds.

What he cared about more was how to use this archive:

It was simple: as long as Figo captured criminals and threw them into prison, the archives in his mind would record the prisoner's information and, based on the abilities the prisoner possessed, grant Figo a random boost to one of his own abilities!

The amount of the boost was influenced by three factors.

First, the prisoner's level, i.e., their strength. The Prison Archives divided prisoners into four major tiers: N, R, SR, and SSR. Each major tier was further subdivided into nine minor levels. The higher the prisoner's level, the more Figo gained after imprisonment.

Second, how much Figo participated in capturing the prisoner. The more he participated, the more he gained.

Third, the prisoner's Crime Index, i.e., how much evil they had committed. The more heinous the criminal, the greater Figo's gain after capture!

"So it wants me to personally go catch those vicious pirates and become the bane of evil?"

The scroll in his mind dissipated, and Figo snapped back to reality, shaking his head inwardly—becoming the bane of evil was out of the question, never in this life. That was way too dangerous. At best, he'd find a way to scrape by with some rewards...

The pirate he'd just sent into the prison told Figo that this whole process of escorting and imprisoning was worth a mere 5% participation. Sure, it was a far cry from catching them himself, but wasn't this basically free?

Looking at it that way...

Impel Down wasn't so bad, was it?

Bang!

The sound of an iron door slamming shut came from nearby. Figo turned his head toward Cell No. 2 and saw that two jailers had already sent the Boar Demon inside. He felt a twinge of regret.

If he'd snapped out of it just a bit sooner, he'd have stepped in before the two jailers shoved the Boar Demon into the cell—snatch the kill, land the final blow, and see if that counted as his participation.

Now he'd missed one.

But unexpectedly, at that moment, the archives in his mind surfaced again, flipping open to a blank page that branded itself with an image of the Boar Demon, followed by text.

[Prisoner: Tubos]

[Level: N8]

[Status: Imprisoned]

[Crime Index: 11]

[Capture Participation: 1%]

[Reward: Swimming +1 → 55 (Level 1 Ordinary)]

"That works too? 1% participation?" Figo was stunned, then quickly caught on: "Because they're my subordinates, and escorting prisoners is done on my 'orders'? So that counts as my involvement?"

This time, he reacted fast. Before a jailer could send the third pirate, who had just finished baptism, into the cell, Figo snatched the pirate away: "I'll take it!"

"Uh, Captain?"

Is this okay?

The jailer stood dumbfounded on the side, his head full of question marks. Figo ignored him, completed his test, and the archives surfaced for the third time.

[Prisoner: Nilbaha]

[Level: N7]

[Status: Imprisoned]

[Crime Index: 8]

[Capture Participation: 2%]

[Reward: Navigation +1 → 23 (Level 1 Navigation Apprentice)]

"Only 2% like this?"

Figo quickly analyzed and calculated in his head. It seemed cutting corners wouldn't work. Gritting his teeth, he strode quickly back toward the Baptism Room, saying as he went, "You three stay here and keep an eye on the ones just sent to the cells. No need to come back."

"Yes, Captain!"

Watching Figo walk away, the three jailers exchanged glances, feeling like something was off about their Captain. But they'd only been assembled at Impel Down yesterday, and they were originally ordinary Marine soldiers. They didn't know Figo's personality and didn't dare to ask.

Figo, meanwhile, returned to the Baptism Room at his fastest pace, encountering two more jailers escorting prisoners along the way and giving them the same orders.

The baptism torture was still ongoing.

Figo didn't look at it. He gave instructions: "The five of them will patrol the Prison Area. The remaining sixteen of us—no more than four people should leave the Baptism Room at the same time to escort prisoners. Keep at least twelve people in the Baptism Room at all times!"

As he spoke, Figo grabbed another pirate who had undergone baptism, lifting him by the collar, and looked up: "Take turns escorting. Avoid any slip-ups that these scumbags could exploit. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Yes (Understood), Captain!"

Captain Figo seemed pretty strict and hard to get along with, huh. The jailers exchanged looks with their eyes.

But what happened next left them increasingly bewildered. Figo told them to take turns, but he himself showed no sign of doing so!

His order was that no more than four people should leave the Baptism Room at once, but every time those four included Captain Figo himself!

Back and forth between the Level 0 platform—the only one above sea level at Impel Down—housing the Baptism Room, and Level 1's Prison Area. One trip, two trips... seven trips, eight trips... The jailers, who at most made two trips, watched as Figo's breathing grew heavier and heavier. They wanted to persuade him to rest, but Figo refused with an unwavering shake of his head. They couldn't help whispering among themselves, gradually showing signs of being moved.

What is this called? Leading by example! The jailers naturally didn't know this idiom, but it didn't stop them from recognizing Figo as their new warden!

It seems Captain Figo is a hardworking warden who's cold on the outside but warm on the inside...

Figo had no mind to care about what these jailers were imagining. At first, he was testing the effect of the Prison Archives; later, he simply saw the gains and couldn't stop.

Up and down the stairs, with a single load exceeding 500 jin, he made nine trips total. Even with his current physique, it was exhausting, but all that fatigue was filled with a sense of satisfaction!

[Swordsmanship +2 → 83 (Level 1 Swordsman Apprentice)]

[Theft +1 → 1 (Level 0 Clumsy Thief)]

[Cannon Operation +3 → 23 (Level 1 Apprentice Cannoneer)]

[Cooking +2 → 9 (Level 0 Poison Chef)]

[Physique +2 → 100 (Level 2 Sturdy)]

This batch of pirates totaled 30 men, and Figo's Prison Archives appeared 30 times. Among them, nine had 5% participation, seven had 2% participation, and fourteen had 1% participation. The gains covered over a dozen different abilities, giving Figo a comprehensive boost!

At the same time, Figo also figured out some hidden rules of the Prison Archives, such as...

"Each ability from 0 to 9 is Level 0, 10 to 99 is Level 1, and 100 and above is Level 2? With this progression, does that mean 1000+ is Level 3?"

He flexed his arm again, feeling his biceps, which seemed noticeably tighter by a notch, and felt like he could now kill an ox with one punch!

If 100 Physique was like this...

What would 1000 Physique be? Flying to the heavens?!

But even after freeloading off 30 prisoners' Physique, he only gained a total of 6 points. Impel Down probably only sends batches like this once every week or two. To raise it to 1000, even with his own training, it would take many years.

But... Impel Down isn't just one level.

In Figo's memory, for the newly built Impel Down, Marine Headquarters had, from a month ago, intentionally started imprisoning pirates who should have been executed directly, stockpiling them to send over.

There's another ship of Level 2 prisoners this afternoon.

A Level 1 Captain has no authority over Level 2.

But if I go help out, lend a hand, the Level 2 Captain probably wouldn't refuse, right?

And Level 3, Level 4...

R, SR, SSR...

It seems I might have a chance to freeload from all of them?

Hmm, Impel Down really is a great place!

PS: (New book on the road, a rookie writing a One Piece fanfic for the first time begging for support, begging for votes!)

This book's initial inspiration came from my <Thirty Years of Demon Exorcism in the Demon Execution Bureau>. If there are similarities, it's not a coincidence. Of course, there are definitely no similarities in the plot!