On the way to Impel Down.
Roya sensed the changes in himself after several days of training.
With his own efforts and the boost from automatic training, the Dark-Dark Fruit power he had mastered had now reached the Intermediate level.
The time required to train an ability from Beginner level to Intermediate level was relatively the shortest.
"System, show me the training projects I've established!" Roya asked.
[Host: Roya] [Navy Six Powers (Ability Strength): Top level (Twentyfold Automatic Training in Progress)] [Observation Haki (Ability Strength): Advanced level (Twelvefold Automatic Training in Progress)] [Armament Haki (Ability Strength): Advanced level (Twelvefold Automatic Training in Progress)] [Swordsmanship Power (Ability Strength): Swordmaster Level (Automatic Training in Progress)] [Conqueror's Haki (Ability Strength): Upper Level (Automatic Training in Progress)] [Dark-Dark Fruit Power (Ability Strength): Intermediate Level (Automatic Training in Progress)] ...
Looking again at the training projects he had established, Roya was clearly much calmer now.
"Mm, it's still not enough. I need to become even stronger!" Roya resolved inwardly.
Just then, a Marine came to report, "Rear Admiral Roya, we've passed through the Gates of Justice. We'll be arriving at Impel Down soon!"
After his battle with Blackbeard and the others, Roya's status had skyrocketed. The Marines following him admired him immensely.
Even the tone of the report was filled with respect.
"Alright, I understand," Roya replied.
Walking out of the cabin and standing on the deck, he looked into the distance and saw the majestic structure of Impel Down.
At the same time.
Outside Impel Down's gates, Magellan, the warden, had personally led a large number of prison guards to wait there.
After all, they were about to imprison Fire Fist Ace. Marine Headquarters had long since made arrangements with Magellan. There absolutely could not be any mistakes. Based on Fire Fist Ace's danger and threat level, Marine Headquarters had ordered that he be imprisoned in Infinite Hell on Level 6.
The prisoners held in Infinite Hell on Level 6 were all utterly vicious pirates.
The warship docked, and Magellan came forward to greet them.
"Rear Admiral Roya, I already know why you've come. Leave the prisoner, 'Fire Fist' Ace, to our people," Magellan said coldly.
The guards beside Magellan had also prepared new Seastone shackles.
"Fine." Roya nodded, then signaled for the Marines behind him to escort Fire Fist Ace down.
With Roya and Magellan both present, the entire handover went without the slightest mishap.
Very quickly, the guards escorted Ace toward Impel Down.
"Alright, Rear Admiral Roya. Leave this prisoner to Impel Down. You can return now," Magellan said, waving his hand.
"Wait, Warden Magellan. Under Fleet Admiral Sengoku's orders, I need to go in with you and personally confirm that Fire Fist Ace has been imprisoned before I can return and report to them," Roya said.
"Don't worry. Impel Down is an impenetrable fortress. Once a criminal enters, there is no possibility of escaping."
Magellan said confidently, but he still nodded. "However, since Fleet Admiral Sengoku has requested it, Rear Admiral Roya, come along."
When Roya heard Magellan say that no criminal had ever escaped, he had nearly wanted to bring up that "Golden Lion," Shiki.
But aside from that legendary pirate, no prisoner in Impel Down's history had ever successfully escaped.
The next moment, Roya followed Magellan and the others into Impel Down, while the warship remained temporarily moored at Impel Down's simple dock.
Along the way, Magellan was fairly welcoming as he introduced the layout of each level of Impel Down to Roya. His tone was somewhat cold, though, giving off an air that kept others at a distance.
After entering Impel Down, the first level was the sea-level entrance floor, where prisoners arrived after entering. No prisoners were held on this level. Beyond the gates stood iron bars, and behind them was the place where criminals underwent "baptism" and interrogation before being imprisoned.
They then passed through Level 1's Crimson Hell, Level 2's Wild Beast Hell, Level 3's Starvation Hell, and Level 4's Blazing Hell.
The first two levels held prisoners whose crimes were less severe and whose strength was unremarkable, so Roya was not particularly interested as Magellan introduced them.
As for Level 3 and Level 4, they were somewhat better, especially Level 4's Blazing Hell, but they still held no interest for Roya.
And.
On every corresponding level of hell, the prisoners had already been tortured until they wished they were dead. When they saw Magellan, they did not dare utter a word.
Only when they reached Level 5's Freezing Hell.
The prisoners here were all wanted pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million, at least minor figures in the world of One Piece.
Finally.
They arrived smoothly at Level 6, Infinite Hell!
Those imprisoned in Infinite Hell on this level were no ordinary people. They were either death-row prisoners or sentenced to life imprisonment. The criminals held here were monstrous pirates so vicious that they had been erased from history. The prisoners on this level were near-legendary figures, facing either execution or lifelong imprisonment. Because they had committed countless atrocities and acts beyond cruelty, the government had covered them up, deliberately concealing them even from the newspapers.
After arriving on this level.
Even when these prisoners saw Magellan, they were not as wary of him as the prisoners on the upper levels. Instead, they continued to mock him.
However, many of them cried out in surprise when they saw Fire Fist Ace.
"The criminals on this level are all heinous beyond measure. Especially those held in solitary confinement—back then, they caused enormous upheaval. Some of them have even had every trace of their existence erased!"
Magellan spoke in a deep voice, raising a hand to point at the cells as he introduced them one by one.
"The cell at the end of the corridor holds Douglas Bullet, known as the Son of the Demon! He once nearly caused your Marines' Buster Call operation to fail!"
"The solitary cell on the right contains Redfield, the 'Red Count,' a powerhouse from the same era as your Marine hero Garp! Back then, his infamous reputation nearly rivaled Whitebeard and Golden Lion!"
"The enormous cell at the very back holds only one person—Sanjuan Wolf, the 'Giant Battleship'!"
"..."
These infamous pirates were now known to very few people outside.
Hancock, the "Pirate Empress" who had followed Roya into Impel Down, had heard of these people. Her icy expression gradually changed, and a trace of shock appeared in her beautiful eyes.
Just as the rumors said, the prisoners held in Infinite Hell on Level 6 of Impel Down are all monsters! she thought in shock.
Beside her, Roya, as a transmigrator, naturally knew the names of these great pirates.
But these guys had all become prisoners. What was there to fear?
Still, given how vicious these great pirates were, it was no wonder they did not fear Magellan at all and even dared to challenge him.
"Hey! Magellan, what brings you to this level today?"
"Ooh! You even brought along a pretty little girl!"
"Huh? Isn't that Fire Fist Ace, captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division?"
"How did he get captured too?"
"Hahahahaha, this is great! They actually dared to capture someone from the Whitebeard Pirates, and the captain of the Second Division at that. Whitebeard definitely won't let these Marines off!"
"Maybe if Whitebeard attacks Impel Down, we'll have a chance to escape with him too, brothers!"
The utterly vicious criminals on this level spoke recklessly and burst into laughter.
But Magellan was already used to it and paid them no mind. Instead, he turned to Roya and said, "Rear Admiral Roya, we've arrived. This is Infinite Hell. Sengoku said Ace is to be imprisoned here."
Upon hearing this, the prisoners all turned their eyes toward Roya.
"Why is there a Marine rear admiral tagging along? What, did he subdue Fire Fist Ace?"
"What are you thinking? That's Fire Fist Ace. Without strength, could he have become a captain of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"Exactly. This rear admiral is probably just some errand-running lackey. What can a rear admiral do? Do you think he's strong?"
The prisoners began directing their mocking remarks at Roya.
"These people are too noisy." Roya frowned and looked around at the prisoners.
Suddenly.
Roya struck without warning. With a fierce glare, he directly unleashed his Conqueror's Haki.
Before you continue