A short while earlier.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Inside Sengoku's office.
Sengoku leisurely sipped his tea and said casually:
"Tsuru, that fellow Kuzan must have reached Impel Down and suppressed those criminals who started the riot by now."
As he spoke, he shook his head with a chuckle.
"You really do get all sorts these days."
"If he actually escaped, wouldn't that make our Marines look incompetent?"
"With Kuzan's current strength, the riot in Impel Down must have been settled long ago."
Staff Officer Tsuru pondered for a moment before saying gravely:
"Although we don't know why a mass breakout occurred in Impel Down, with Magellan's strength,
"combined with all the jailers and Kuzan, who has already headed over, even one of the Four Emperors would struggle to face them head-on."
"By now, they should have reached Impel Down and suppressed the riot."
Despite her words, a trace of worry still flashed through Staff Officer Tsuru's aged, piercing eyes.
Ever since the Golden Lion's escape, Impel Down's myth of being able to "hold every criminal" had been utterly shattered.
Back then, countless people had mocked the Marines for a long time.
Even the World Government had voiced its displeasure.
After all, the escape of a legendary pirate like the Golden Lion would be a disaster for the world.
Precisely for that reason, Impel Down's defenses had been greatly strengthened after the Golden Lion incident.
Inside were Magellan and the jailers, whose combined strength rivaled a top division under one of the Four Emperors.
Outside, a warship and eight thousand Marines took turns standing guard.
With such fighting strength, nothing should have gone wrong at Impel Down.
So why had she felt uneasy ever since the riot broke out there?
Seeing that Staff Officer Tsuru's thoughts largely matched his own, Sengoku smiled smugly.
"Haha, looks like you and I think alike, Tsuru."
Staff Officer Tsuru frowned without answering.
Sengoku thought nothing of it. Still smiling, he immediately took out the Den Den Mushi reserved for contacting Admirals and dialed.
"Haha, let's ask Kuzan how he dealt with that criminal, then ask him about the real cause of the riot in Impel Down."
Ring, ring!
The Den Den Mushi kept ringing.
He had already pictured Kuzan suppressing the criminal.
He had even begun considering what sort of merit to record for Kuzan.
"That's Kuzan for you. The Marine Admiral I chose really is impressive, far better than that inflexible bastard Sakazuki."
"He's so efficient. Once I retire, should I recommend Kuzan to the Five Elders as my successor as Fleet Admiral?"
While Sengoku happily made his plans, the Den Den Mushi kept ringing, but no one answered.
He muttered, "That brat Kuzan probably finished the fight and went off to slack again."
How outrageous!
Staff Officer Tsuru remained solemn and silent.
The two continued waiting.
But three seconds passed, then four... until seven seconds had gone by, and the Den Den Mushi still went unanswered.
A hint of confusion appeared on Sengoku's face, along with a hint of unease.
"No, absolutely not. With Kuzan's strength, a mere nameless criminal...
"He's probably been held up by something and simply hasn't had time to answer!"
He even reassured himself that Kuzan was strong enough to contend with the Four Emperors.
A mere criminal in Impel Down was nothing worth mentioning.
Yet Staff Officer Tsuru's sense of foreboding only grew stronger.
Had something really gone wrong?
As the two waited, a full thirty seconds passed before the Den Den Mushi finally connected.
They both breathed a sigh of relief.
Since he had answered, it must have been settled.
Sengoku spoke with anticipation:
"Kuzan, have you learned to keep people guessing too? Do you know how agonizing it is to wait for someone to reply?"
"Do you know how worrying it is? It's like waiting for your girlfriend to reply, only for her to keep you waiting!"
Sengoku kept rambling, oblivious to anything unusual on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, and continued:
"Ahem, Kuzan, you did well with Impel Down. That fellow has been dealt with, hasn't he?"
"Don't worry, I'll record a major merit for you. It'll be a brilliant achievement on your record when you take over as Fleet Admiral in the future."
Yet after he finished, there was still no response from the other end.
That left him even more puzzled.
"Hello? Kuzan, answer me if you can hear me."
"Have you gotten too pleased with yourself? That won't do!"
Staff Officer Tsuru hesitated to speak.
Looking at Sengoku, whose expression mingled happiness, anticipation, confusion, and all sorts of other emotions, she did not know what to say for a moment.
Surely anyone could tell something was wrong by now!
Meanwhile.
Elsewhere, in Impel Down.
Crimson Hell... no, it should have been called Ice Hell now.
Listening to Fleet Admiral Sengoku ramble on through the Den Den Mushi, delighted on his behalf, Kuzan's mouth twitched.
Even his face grew a little red.
Seriously, what was he supposed to say now?
Celebrating before the match was over?
He had even prepared the credit for him!
But now the criminal had escaped, the jailers were dead, and Magellan was gravely injured.
How was he supposed to explain?
Was he supposed to say outright that he had been careless and let the criminal escape?
At that thought, Kuzan sighed helplessly.
Forget it. He might as well come clean!
"Well... Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the situation at Impel Down has indeed been resolved."
Sengoku brightened, looking as though everything had gone just as he expected.
"Haha, Kuzan, I knew you could handle it."
"I'm just curious. Why did it take you so long to speak?"
Staff Officer Tsuru looked puzzled.
Had she really been overthinking things?
Had Kuzan really resolved the problem at Impel Down?
But just then, Kuzan's somewhat embarrassed voice came through.
"Well, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, there was just one slight complication."
Sengoku thought little of it, not believing it was anything serious, and said casually:
"Kuzan, you've learned to keep people guessing too. As long as it's resolved, that's what matters. Whatever it is, just tell me!"
Beside him, Staff Officer Tsuru's unease surged again at those words.
Just then, Kuzan's voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
"Ahem, well... Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I defeated the criminal Roy, but he escaped."
"As long as you defeated him..."
Sengoku did not register it at first, but once he understood, he froze in utter disbelief.
"Wait, you're saying the one who led the criminals' breakout on Level 1 was that criminal named Roy?"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Sengoku took a deep breath and asked again, unwilling to accept it. "And you're saying that after you defeated him, he escaped?"
Kuzan sounded a little embarrassed. "That's right, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Then...
Sengoku immediately started swearing. "Kuzan, I... this is what you call resolved?"
"Fuck..."
A moment later, Sengoku's eyes were bloodshot and he was panting like a bull. "Kuzan, explain everything, and don't leave out a single detail!"
Even through the Den Den Mushi, Kuzan could feel Sengoku's fury.
A short while later, he carefully told Sengoku everything.
Before Sengoku had called, he had already thawed out the frozen jailers and criminals and questioned them about what had happened.
Then he reported all the information he had obtained to Sengoku.
That included how Roy had opened the cells, launched the breakout, killed Shiryu, defeated Magellan, and so on.
He even described Roy's strength and techniques, one by one.
Silence settled over them.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, what should we do next?"
Hearing no response from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Kuzan scratched his head and asked quietly.
He really wasn't to blame.
Who could have imagined Roy would lack even the bearing of a powerful fighter?
He had actually just run away.
As expected, Sengoku roared through the Den Den Mushi.
"What should we do? What the fuck else can we do... fuck, I'm absolutely furious!"
"Check Magellan's injuries. I'm bringing people over right now!"
"Fuck! That goddamn Roy! It's him or me!"
"Haha, Sengoku, what happened? Why do you look like you're about to die of anger?"
"Garp, you bastard! Be ready to leave for Impel Down with me within half an hour. If you don't go, just wait for your punishment!"
"Huh..."
"What do you mean, 'huh'? Get moving!"
Beep, beep!
Then the Den Den Mushi was abruptly hung up.
Kuzan looked even more embarrassed.
This mess had even gotten Mr. Garp yelled at.
It seemed Fleet Admiral Sengoku really had been infuriated half to death.
In fact, that was exactly the case. Sengoku had indeed nearly died of anger.
He had been so happy, fully trusting Kuzan to resolve everything.
He had prepared the merits, the words of praise, and even the arrangements afterward.
Then he had asked, full of anticipation, only for the sky to come crashing down.
More than half of Impel Down's jailers and beasts had been slaughtered, and even a powerful fighter like Shiryu had died.
Magellan had suffered grave injuries as well.
Yet even after all that, Roy had still escaped from Kuzan.
How could he not be furious?
Now, he was even preparing to head to Impel Down himself to inspect the situation.
Looking at the devastation across Level 1 of Impel Down, Kuzan sighed.
"Damn you, Roy. If it weren't for you, things wouldn't have turned out like this."
"One day, I'll make you pay!"
"But for now, I should check Magellan's injuries first, then have the jailers put the criminals back in their cells."
Soon, Kuzan got moving too.
Under his intimidating presence, the surviving jailers returned the frozen prisoners to their cells one by one.
Only then did they begin tallying the casualties.
According to the grim casualty report, all the jailers from the nine levels who had come to provide support had died horribly, with Shiryu and the others being no exception.
The only good news was that, although Magellan's injuries were severe, they were not fatal.
Hannyabal and Vice Warden Domino had also been gravely injured, but neither had died.
That, at least, was a blessing amid the misfortune.
While Kuzan and the others tallied the casualties, inside an extremely well-hidden tunnel on Level 1 of Impel Down,
a battered figure covered in injuries stood facing a figure with yellow-and-white, cloudlike hair.
Despite his sorry state, the aura surrounding him remained utterly wild and arrogant.
Clearly, he was not someone an ordinary person could afford to provoke.
Before you continue