Grand Line first half, Calm Belt, Impel Down.
A thin layer of water vapor condenses on the wall, and a kerosene lamp and Surveillance Den Den Mushi are hung every few meters.
The flame of the kerosene lamp burned in the closed space, casting circles of dim yellow light.
Vice Warden Ono Goro's right arm turned into a giant stainless steel ax as tall as a man, and he walked slowly at the front of the inspection team. Even at his age, his back was still straight, like an iron stake stuck in the ground.
The old scar on the left side of the face from the brow bone to the chin glowed with waxy white reflection in the light of the kerosene lamp, like a centipede crawling on the face.
He came to Level 4 "Blazing Hell" through the large elevator of Sea Floor 1.
The moment the elevator opened, a hot breath hit my face, as if someone had lit a furnace at the door.
The air was distorted by the heat, and the ground beneath my feet was slightly hot from the steam. You could feel the burning sensation rising from the soles of your feet through the soles of your boots.
"Ono Vice Warden. Thank you for your hard work."
A stereotypical salute sounded. Chief Jailer Misell stood in front of the director's office, tall and straight, exuding the iron-blooded aura of a soldier.
His uniform is buttoned to the top, the copper buttons on his cuffs are so polished that they can reflect the silhouette of a person, and his posture is so standard that it could be written into the naval drill code.
Not far behind him, four Jailer Beastss of different shapes were crouching quietly on the ground, each wearing a weapon.
They are all the products of Zoan Devil Fruit Awakening's failure. They have low IQs and look stupid all day long, but their physical strength and recovery ability are extremely terrifying.
Honor said hoarsely, "Yeah". The blade of the giant ax lightly scraped the ground, leaving a shallow and thin scratch on the iron plate, making a sharp metal friction sound.
"Come on. Come with me to see what's going on up there."
"Okay."
Misell put his heels together and followed him half a step behind.
Level 2 Beast Hell.
Behind the iron bars on both sides of the corridor, a pair of green eyes flickered in the darkness.
Beast Tamer Olegory Das was standing in front of a cell, scolding the prisoners inside.
His whole body is muscular, his face is covered with a beard that almost covers half of his face, his eyebrows are high, and his arms are thicker than ordinary people's legs. From a distance, he looks like an upright black Masira.
Every time he said a word, the uniform buttons on his chest would pop out a little, as if they were about to be ejected in the next second.
"Be patient! If you don't act calmly, I will open the door."
"You know your mistake! We won't dare to do it again!"
The two prisoners who had a conflict knelt on the ground and kowtowed. Their foreheads hit the cold and wet stone slab with a dull sound, and blood marks appeared after a few hits.
They were afraid that the cell door would be opened. On this level, the cell door was not so much about preventing them from escaping as it was about protecting them from becoming prey to predators.
Most of the prisoners on this floor have relatively minor charges, but if they fall into the mouths of those beasts locked in the cells next door, there is no difference in the severity of their charges.
Oregoridas nodded with satisfaction, and his beard twitched as he moved. When he saw Honor and Misell walking over, he touched the back of his head and took the initiative to greet them.
"Vice Warden! Chief Jailer! I just finished a routine inspection and cleaned up two thorns. There is nothing abnormal in this layer."
He clapped his chest and laughed, the buttons of his uniform on his chest became tight, and the black hair all over his body swayed with his movements, Masira looked even better.
Misell said nothing. He looked over Olegori's shoulder and glanced at the dark cells at the end of the corridor, as if confirming something.
Honor nodded lightly:
"Good job. Come with us to check out the remaining floors."
Just when Olegori was about to agree, the tips of their noses suddenly smelled the strong smell of blood.
The sound of shuffling footsteps came from the end of the corridor. Shiryu was walking slowly, wearing a white coat and holding a cigar in his mouth.
His right hand was pressed on the handle of the knife, and blood was still dripping from the tip of the knife. Every drop of blood falling on the ground would splash a small dark red flower on the iron plate. Several jailers followed behind him dragging the bodies of several prisoners. There were neat slash marks on the neck. The prisoner's eyes were still wide open, and the expression on his face was frozen in horror.
"Shiryu Chief Warden."
Misell was the first to stand at attention and salute, his tone was smooth, his heels were together, his back was straight, and his salute movements were impeccable.
"According to Impel Down regulations, you have no right to execute prisoners at will."
Honor stared at the corpses, with deep anger in his eyes.
A few years ago, he was Chief Warden here. Until Shiryu came by air. After a duel in which he defeated his superiors, he was forced to retreat to the deputy position. The scars on his face were from that time.
Since then, he has resented the lawless guy in front of him.
Resentment turned into resentment. Year after year, the sharpness he had had in the past was almost worn away, and he did not dare to take revenge blatantly.
Shiryu glanced at his defeated general and exhaled a dragon-like smoke.
"A few scum tried to steal the jailer's key to escape. I took care of it."
He took a few steps forward. The end of the scabbard lightly hit Honor's giant axe-shaped arm, making a crisp metal collision sound.
"Hono, if you are not convinced, you can fight me again. If you win, the position of Chief Warden will be returned to you. Only then will you be qualified to give orders to me. Otherwise..."
He took the cigar from the corner of his mouth and stubbed it out on Honor's ax blade. The ash fell on the iron plate.
"Let's call Magellan."
Honor's face was ashen. The scene of the tragic defeat was still vivid in his mind.
With his current aging body, fighting again would only bring humiliation to himself.
He snorted coldly, turned away, and said no more words.
Shiryu sneered, wiped his shoulder and walked away, leaving a trail of blood that had not yet dried up.
Olegori shrank his neck and pressed himself against the wall, trying to reduce his presence, fearing that this murderous madman would suddenly turn around.
At this time, a burst of heavy and dragging footsteps came from far away. Deputy Director Hannyabal, naked to the waist, with a round belly, holding a triangular fork, walked over slowly. The key chain around his waist jingled with his steps.
"What are you all doing here? Don't you have to work?"
He glanced at the blood stains on the ground, then looked at the direction Shiryu left, and curled his lips.
"Here we go again. Really. That guy Magellan just squats in the toilet every day and doesn't care about Shiryu. It's better to abdicate early. Impel Down has this director to worry about inside and outside... Ah, I'm sorry, my ambition is exposed."
Misell stared at the wall expressionlessly, Olegori picked his ears and pretended to look at Blugori in the distance.
Honor said calmly:
"Deputy Director, be careful. Promotion requires approval from above."
Hannyabal snorted and wanted to say a few more words to show his status. Den Den Mushi in his trouser pocket suddenly rang. He quickly picked it up.
The weak and dull voice of Magellan came from the receiver, accompanied by the faint sound of water flowing.
"Hannyabal... don't wander around... Also, tell Shiryu... restrain yourself... kill too many people, it's hard to explain..."
"Yes! Director!"
Hannyabal touched his heels and the flesh on his belly swayed.
"You can rest in peace! I have everything here! I will definitely protect my Impel Down!"
TO BE CONTINUED
(PS: Ono Goro's name is homophonic to Japanese axe, and Misell is homophonic to Japanese missile.
In the original work, the name of the prison captain Saludes is homophonic to "I am a monkey", and Luffy ridiculed him for not looking like a monkey at all. From this point of view, the name of the prison captain made up in this book, Olegridas, is a homonym of "I am a gorilla".)