But Not Entirely

Impel Down, Level 1 monitoring room.

Four jailers on duty today in the monitoring room were idly playing cards.

"Bad luck, of all days we get stuck in the monitoring room. Everyone else gets to join Director Figo's banquet, except us," a new jailer grumbled gloomily.

The veteran jailer laughed at him: "Don't worry, you don't know the Director yet. He's an incredibly thoughtful man—he won't forget us. Take my word for it, later on, we'll be the ones everyone envies. The Director will definitely treat us to a separate meal!"

"Really?"

"That's great, Director."

"Speaking of which, does this monitoring room even need to exist? The prisoners are all locked up. It's been eight years, and the monitoring Den Den Mushi hasn't caught a single incident."

"Isn't no incidents a good thing?" The veteran jailer tossed out two cards, glanced sideways at the monitor screen, and his face went pale.

"This... how?"

"Big trouble!"

He lunged to the Den Den Mushi: "Director! Warden Kinch! An unexplained prison break on Level 5! Four escapees, heading toward Level 4! Ah, Director Figo has stopped them—no good, hurry, hurry, the Director needs backup! Needs backup!"

As the Den Den Mushi's voice broadcasted, every jailer within range of the Den Den Mushi's connection changed expression. Kinch, who had been lifting stone weights in the Training Area after a meal, slammed the weight to the ground and rushed frantically toward the jailer passageway.

Impel Down, stairway between Level 5 and Level 4.

Four unshackled prisoners were half-circling Figo, killing intent surging in their eyes.

Without a word of nonsense or threats, the four Great Pirates, worried about being surrounded by more jailers, exchanged glances. Their eyes swept over the ring of keys hanging at Figo's waist, and they lunged at him simultaneously!

Cells close together meant similar imprisonment times.

Seven years of confinement hadn't dulled their bloodlust or ferocity. Though they usually looked sickly from hunger, when it came time to erupt, they could still muster strength!

Especially since they'd just eaten a piece of meat.

"Die!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Clang!

Three fists and one drill-like arm struck Figo all at once. But the ferocity on the four pirates' faces instantly faded, replaced by shock and horror.

His entire body was dyed pitch-black, gleaming with a metallic luster, radiating a power that shook the soul! Figo, covered from head to toe in Armament Haki, glanced down at the drill hand—some Devil Fruit ability, no doubt—and smiled cheerfully as his arms swept toward the four escapees!

After a chilling series of bone-grinding sounds and screams, the stairway fell silent again.

"Alert canceled! Alert canceled!"

"The four prisoners were taken down by Director Figo in one exchange! No backup needed!"

Kinch, who hadn't even reached the stairway, heard the Den Den Mushi's voice a dozen seconds later. He skidded to a halt, stood 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 settled instantly. One jailer even pointed at the monitoring Den Den Mushi and laughed: "Idiot! You had us all panicking. Just four prisoners—how could Director Figo possibly need backup?!"

Behind the monitoring Den Den Mushi, the veteran jailer also looked ashamed, shouting into the Den Den Mushi.

"Director Figo is the strongest!"

"Of course he is!" someone replied.

"Director Figo is the strongest!"

Soon, the shouts became a chorus.

Compared to the hyped-up jailers, watching Figo drag two limp prisoners like dead dogs back to the Prison Area—one in each hand—the criminals on Level 5, except for the Nun, looked like they'd lost a family member.

To have hope, then lose it so quickly—better to never have had hope at all.

"Damn it!"

"Four useless pieces of trash!"

All they could do was curse and hurl abuse at the four failed escapees. How many years had it been since the last chance? If it had been this guy, he might have already fought his way to Impel Down's gates by now.

Useless! All useless!

Figo ignored them, locking the four escapees into their cells. The Prison Archives that popped up in his mind filled him with delight.

[Prisoner: Doham]

[Rank: SR3]

[Status: Incarcerated]

[Crime Index: 55]

[Capture Participation: 3%+35%]

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

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

As expected, this works. Even deliberately letting prisoners escape and then recapturing them makes up the Capture Participation, and even the Character Event reward gets supplemented!

But why was the supplement 35%, not the 50% like with the seven Giants?

To make the prisoners' escape more realistic, he had even specially offered up a piece of Sea King meat.

What was missing?

Figo thought of Jellal, who he'd fished out of the sea and also given 35%.

Comparing the two with the Giants, Figo gradually formed some guesses. The Giants had completely escaped back then—if I hadn't caught them, they could go wherever they wanted—so the supplement was half, 50%.

As for Jellal, though he jumped into the sea and could freely commit suicide, it was only relative freedom; he was still bound by chains, still locked in a cell.

The prisoners in Impel Down were the same—even if they broke their chains and ran out, they were still inside that underwater great prison, Impel Down.

Escaped, but not fully?

In that case, it could only be 35%. Figo couldn't let them completely run out of Impel Down.

But it didn't matter.

'If I let them escape a second time and then catch them again, can I get a second supplement? If a second supplement is possible, it would probably be 17.5% participation, right? Third time, 8.75%? If I keep grinding it down like this, sooner or later I can push everyone's Capture Participation past 70%!'

Calculating the numbers in his mind, Figo looked at the four severely wounded men who had been locked back up and temporarily shelved the idea of letting them out again to test it.

Let them out? They couldn't even run anymore.

So...

He turned his head and swept his gaze over the crowd of cursing prisoners, snorting with a laugh. "You think you could escape in their place? Idiots. Give you a key and you actually dare to try breaking out?!"

Clang!

A key was tossed onto the ground in front of him!

"Keys to cells 17 through 20. Come on, let's play a game. I'll wait for you wastes at the stairwell to try escaping! Kill me, and you'll get your freedom back! Do you dare?!" Figo taunted.

The prisoners' noise instantly died again as they stared at Figo. Was this bastard serious?!

"Oh, right." Figo remembered something and looked over at the Nun, who was staring at him longingly from afar. He praised, "Just now, you were the only one who knew how to behave. Well done. As a reward, you're not allowed to eat for a week."

The Nun froze. "...?"

"Hahahaha..." The prisoners immediately burst into loud laughter.

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

"Hmph, serves you right!"

The Nun had thoroughly offended them.

The laughter didn't stop until Figo disappeared from their line of sight. Staring at the key on the ground, the fifth floor fell silent once more.

"Hey, you four. Why did he beat you so quickly?" a prisoner asked.

Mockery aside, they were all Great Pirates of the same level. If four of them working together could be defeated and sent back that fast, and anyone still thought four people could easily kill Figo, they didn't deserve to be called Great Pirates.

Doham, slumped on the ground, opened his mouth.

In that moment, his feelings were complicated.

Should he tell the truth? A monster who could coat his entire body in Armament Haki was rare even in the New World. Without weapons, no combination of four of us could possibly defeat Figo.

Figo was guarding the only stairwell, cutting off any chance of going around. The only alternative was to run the other way toward the Level 6 passage.

But without a key, they couldn't release the guys on Level 6. What was the point of running there?

To let the Level 6 guys see how badly Figo beat us? To let them laugh at us?

"I, we just got careless..."

There was no way out. Might as well be done with it.

If we're going down, we're all going down together...

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