I almost thought he was one of your men

At that moment, Hannyabal felt excited yet nervous, thrilled yet afraid.

He had never felt so powerful. Strength kept surging outward from deep within his body.

The rumors were true. Admiral River possessed godlike abilities, and he could even help others.

"Make all the arrangements. Just leave the rest to me."

River's voice reached him, and Hannyabal immediately nodded.

"I'll get right on it!"

Then Hannyabal ran off.

That afternoon, River received word to go and transfer Crocodile.

A little over seven minutes later, he had reached Level Six.

River glanced around. The guards who had previously been stationed on Level Six were now nowhere to be seen.

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

Crisp footsteps rang out. He was alone in the entire Level Six corridor.

Before long, he arrived outside Crocodile's cell.

"River!"

A low, hoarse voice sounded. Crocodile slowly rose and looked at him through the gaps in the bars, his expression complicated.

"Don't say a word on the way. Just follow me."

River spoke quietly.

Then he silently opened the cell door and handed him a hooded cloak and a demon mask.

Crocodile nodded, put on the cloak, and donned the mask.

With his entire body concealed beneath the cloak, his identity was now difficult to discern.

The two silently left, one following the other.

There was not a sound in the dark Infinite Hell on Level Six. Only a few barely discernible gazes rested on them.

A moment later, their figures disappeared.

"How interesting!"

A soft voice drifted out, echoed through the air, then quickly faded away.

River now stood beside Crocodile, dressed in a loose black robe with a sword at his waist, his expression calm.

He neither spoke nor interacted with the man beside him.

Soon, they reached the fourth floor. This floor was called Blazing Hell, and Impel Down's warden, Magellan, also had his office here.

The number of guards along the way had clearly been reduced to a minimum. With Hannyabal's authority, reassigning guards was not difficult.

Those who remained were all under Magellan's command, beyond Hannyabal's authority to move.

But now that they had reached this point, that no longer mattered.

River walked ahead, with Crocodile following behind, completely wrapped in his cloak. Neither said a word.

As they passed the first guard checkpoint, the Chief Warden in charge paused slightly.

"Admiral River!"

"Another prisoner transfer?"

With a cigar hanging from his mouth and a smile on his face, Shiryu of the Rain repeatedly swept his gaze over the prisoner concealed beneath the black cloak.

"Shiryu, are you in charge of this floor today?"

River asked with a faint smile.

He could clearly feel the man beside him tense up all over.

"As you know, our warden often feels unwell because of his Devil Fruit ability."

Shiryu of the Rain narrowed his eyes slightly, studying the black-cloaked man before him.

He was no weakling, and he too had noticed something strange about this fellow. A chilling killing intent was actually emanating from him.

That was not something an ordinary criminal would dare display.

And why such a strange outfit? What kind of criminal needed to dress like this?

Clearly, this prisoner had secrets, and so did Admiral River.

"Indeed. Magellan's stomach..."

River chuckled and reached out to clap Crocodile on the shoulder. Crocodile jolted, and the faint aura around him immediately vanished.

"Then I won't disturb your duties. I still have things to do."

With that, River continued forward.

Shiryu of the Rain paused, a thoughtful look flashing across his face. Then he stepped aside. "Then please go ahead, Admiral River!"

The two quickly passed him, while the jailers watched with curiosity.

"Don't be nervous, and don't show your vicious side here."

River quietly directed his voice to him.

Crocodile stiffened, then responded with a barely perceptible nod.

He had to admit that he was truly nervous. After all, this was the world's greatest prison, heavily guarded. Getting out of here was anything but easy.

No one in history had ever escaped.

The Golden Lion was an exception, of course. The Navy had suppressed all information concerning him.

The two calmly made their way toward the fourth-floor elevator.

They encountered three more groups of jailers along the way. Seeing River leading the way, they all let them pass respectfully without stopping them.

Crocodile breathed a sigh of relief. Once they boarded the elevator, they would go straight to the first floor, greatly increasing their chances of getting out.

Just then, the door of a nearby building suddenly opened, and a tall figure stepped out.

River looked up. At the sight of him, his eyes narrowed slightly.

"Admiral River, what are you doing here?"

"And who is this fellow?"

The newcomer clutched his stomach and ran over, bent at the waist, asking with a puzzled look. It was none other than the prison warden, Magellan.

"Just a prisoner who needs to be transferred."

"Do you need the bathroom?"

River asked with a faint smile.

Having learned his lesson, Crocodile stood quietly without showing anything unusual.

"Have him take off his cloak."

Magellan said.

River's narrowed gaze sharpened. "You don't seem to trust me?"

Magellan's expression turned serious as well. "It's my duty, Admiral River. Please don't be angry. After all, if something happened at Impel Down, I couldn't bear the responsibility."

River fell silent. This seemed to be a problem with no solution.

To get out, they had to get past Magellan. Unfortunately, this man took his work extremely seriously.

In that respect, he was completely different from Hannyabal, rigid and unyielding.

"Take off your hood."

After a moment, River spoke.

Watching this, Magellan pressed his hand harder against his stomach and bent even lower.

Gurgle, gurgle!

The sounds coming from his abdomen were now clearly audible.

Crocodile did not move until River patted him. Only then did he slowly raise his hands and pull down the hood covering his head.

Beneath it was a hideous demon mask.

Magellan froze, then abruptly looked up at River. "Admiral River!"

"You've seen him. Can we go now?"

River grinned, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

Yet his demeanor remained calm and relaxed, without a trace of nervousness.

Gurgle, gurgle!

Magellan's expression changed drastically, and the sounds from his abdomen grew louder. He opened his mouth but said nothing, then spun around and dashed toward the bathroom.

In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

Crocodile stared blankly at the scene, took a deep breath, and pulled his hood back over his head.

"Let's go!"

River said with a faint smile.

A pungent stench seemed to linger in the air.

Only after they entered the elevator did Crocodile lower his voice.

"I almost thought even this warden was one of your men!"

River smiled and shrugged.

"Who knows?"