But Not Quite an Escape

Impel Down, first-floor monitoring room.

Four guards assigned to monitor duty that day were killing time playing cards.

"We're so unlucky. Of all days, we had to be assigned to the monitoring room today. Everyone gets to attend Director Figo's banquet except us," a new guard grumbled.

An older guard laughed. "Don't worry. You don't know the Director. He's an incredibly thoughtful man. He won't forget about us. Think we'll be the ones everyone envies later? The Director will definitely arrange a separate feast for us!"

"Really?"

"That's great, Director!"

"Come to think of it, does this monitoring room really need to exist? The prisoners are all locked in their cells, and it's been eight years, hasn't it? The surveillance Den Den Mushi haven't caught a single accident."

"Isn't it a good thing that nothing's happened?" The older guard laid down two cards, then glanced at the monitor screens. His face suddenly turned pale.

"This... How could this be?"

"Something's happened!"

He lunged for the Den Den Mushi. "Director! Warden Kinch! There's an unexplained escape attempt on Level 5! Four prisoners are heading for Level 4! Ah, Director Figo stopped them! No, quick, quick! The Director needs backup! He needs backup!"

As the Den Den Mushi relayed the message, every guard within its range turned pale. Kinch had just finished eating and was pushing a stone block in the Training Area. He slammed it to the ground and hurried toward the guards' passage at a run.

The stairwell between Levels 5 and 4 of Impel Down.

Four prisoners who had broken free of their shackles surrounded Figo on three sides, murder glinting in all four pairs of eyes.

Without wasting time on threats or empty words, the four Great Pirates exchanged a glance, their eyes sweeping over the ring of keys at Figo's waist. Then they lunged at him all at once, afraid more guards would surround them!

Their cells were close together, and they'd been imprisoned for similar lengths of time.

Seven years in captivity hadn't worn away their ferocity or their bloodlust. Usually, they looked sickly and half-starved, but when they needed to explode into action, they could still summon their strength!

Especially after just eating a piece of meat.

"Die!"

Bam! Bam! Bam! Clang!

Three fists and an arm like a drill struck Figo at once. The ferocity on the pirates' faces vanished in an instant, replaced by shock and terror.

His entire body was coated in black, gleaming like metal and radiating an overwhelming force! Figo, covered head to toe in Armament Haki, glanced down at the drill-like arm, whose Devil Fruit power he couldn't identify, and smiled. He spread both arms toward the four escaped prisoners!

After a series of bone-chilling creaks and screams, silence returned to the stairwell!

"Alert canceled! Alert canceled!"

"All four prisoners were taken down by Director Figo in a single exchange! No backup needed!"

Kinch, who hadn't yet reached the stairwell, heard the message come through the Den Den Mushi just seconds later. He hit the brakes, stood there speechless for a moment, then shook his head and headed back to the Training Area. You've got to be kidding me.

The brief chaos that had stirred in Impel Down instantly subsided. One guard even pointed at the monitoring Den Den Mushi and cursed with a laugh. "Idiot! You got us all worked up! They were only four prisoners. How could Director Figo possibly need backup?!"

Behind the monitoring Den Den Mushi, the older guard looked ashamed too. He shouted into it.

"Director Figo is the strongest!"

"Of course he is!" someone replied.

"Director Figo is the strongest!"

Soon, the shouts joined together in a chorus.

Compared to the guards, who were all fired up, the prisoners on Level 5 looked as if they'd lost their families as they watched Figo drag two limp prisoners in each hand, like dead dogs, back to the Prison Area. The Nun was the only exception.

They'd had hope, only to fall into despair again. It would've been better if they'd never had hope in the first place.

"Damn it!"

"Four useless idiots!"

All they could do was curse and insult the four failed escapees. It was an opportunity that came once in who knew how many years! If it had been this great pirate himself, he might already have fought his way to Impel Down's front gate.

Useless! Every last one of them!

Figo ignored them. After locking the four escapees back in their cells, he felt a surge of joy as the Prison Archives appeared in his mind.

[Prisoner: Doham]

[Rank: SR3]

[Status: In Custody]

[Crime Index: 55]

[Capture Participation: 3%+35%]

[Reward: Observation Haki+63+735→3955 (Level 3, Mid-tier Observation Haki)]

[Character Event Reward: Physique+63+735→13107 (Level 4 Monster)]

So it worked. Even if he deliberately let prisoners escape and then captured them, he could make up for the missing Capture Participation. He could even make up for the Character Event rewards!

But why was the amount added 35% instead of 50%, like it had been for the seven Giants?

To make the prisoners' escape more convincing, he'd even supplied a piece of Sea King meat.

What was the difference?

Figo thought of Jellal. He'd pulled Jellal out of the sea and given him the same 35%.

Comparing the two cases with the Giants, Figo began to form a theory. The Giants had escaped completely. If I didn't catch them, they could go wherever they wanted, so the system made up half of it: 50%.

Jellal, on the other hand, had jumped into the sea and could kill himself freely, but his freedom was only relative. He was still restrained by chains and still confined within the prison.

The prisoners in Impel Down were the same. They'd gotten rid of their chains and escaped their cells, but they were still inside this underwater prison.

They'd escaped, but not completely?

If that was the case, then they could only get 35%. Figo couldn't let them escape Impel Down entirely.

But that was all right.

If I let them escape a second time and then bring them back, could I make up the difference again? If I can do it a second time, would that add around 17.5% participation? Then 8.75% for the third time? If I keep grinding it out like this, sooner or later I can raise everyone's Capture Participation above 70%!

As he calculated the numbers, Figo looked at the four injured men, locked back in their cells, and put aside the idea of letting them out to test it again.

Even if he let them go, they couldn't run anymore.

Then...

He turned and surveyed the prisoners cursing and grumbling around him, then gave a derisive snort. "You think you could've escaped if it were you? Idiots. I give you a key, and you really think you can escape?"

Clang!

He tossed a key onto the floor in front of them!

"Key to cells 17 through 20. Come on, let's play a game. I'll wait for you useless fools at the stairwell! Kill me, and you'll be free! Dare to try?" Figo taunted.

The prisoners fell silent again, staring at Figo. Was this bastard serious?!

"Oh, right." Figo remembered something and looked toward the Nun, who was watching him eagerly from a distance. He praised her. "You were the only one who knew how to behave just now. Well done. As a reward, you're not allowed to eat for a week."

The Nun froze. "...?"

"Hahahaha..." The prisoners all burst into laughter.

"Idiot! Did you think this demon would take care of you just because you behaved?!"

"Hmph. Serves you right!"

The Nun had thoroughly gotten on their bad side.

Their laughter didn't stop until Figo disappeared from view. As they stared at the key on the ground, silence settled over Level 5 once again.

"Hey, you four. How did he beat you so quickly?" one prisoner asked.

Mocking them was one thing. They were all Great Pirates of similar standing. If the four of them had been taken down and sent back so quickly, anyone who still thought four prisoners could easily kill Figo didn't deserve to be called a Great Pirate.

Doham, slumped on the floor, opened his mouth.

In that instant, his feelings were complicated.

Should I tell the truth? There aren't many monsters in the New World who can cover their entire bodies in Armament Haki. Without weapons, no matter which four of us teamed up, we probably couldn't beat Figo.

Figo was guarding the only stairwell, which also cut off any chance of taking another route. Unless we did the opposite and ran toward the passage to Level 6.

But without a key, we couldn't release the prisoners on Level 6. What would be the point of running over there?

Let those Level 6 prisoners see how badly Figo beat us? Let them laugh at us?

"We... We just let our guard down..."

There was no choice. He'd thought himself tired. To hell with it.

If they were going to die, they could all die together...

It was a new week, so the new book ranking had been reset. Please send recommendations and monthly tickets, and please keep reading within 24 hours. Don't let the book die—help this young sprout grow further...