They had reached Sea Level One of Impel Down.
This was the prisoners' final transfer point before they were sent to the hells below.
Several burly jailers stepped forward, roughly took the half-dead Crocodile from Smoker, and dragged him toward a steaming pool.
"That is the 'Baptism,'" Hannyabal dutifully explained from the side, a cruel, gloating smile on his face. "Every prisoner entering Impel Down must first be disinfected in boiling water at one hundred degrees Celsius, washing away all the filth they brought from the outside world."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Crocodile was thrown into the scalding pool.
"Aaaaah!"
A piercing scream rang out, nothing like a sound a human could make.
Lin Xuan shrugged indifferently, took the Gourd from his waist, and swallowed a mouthful of fiery liquor. The burning sensation slid down his throat into his stomach, just offsetting the cold, sinister air of this place.
Following Magellan, they passed through several heavy steel gates and boarded an enormous elevator.
As the elevator slowly descended, the light and sound of waves outside were completely cut off. An increasingly cold, sinister presence washed over them, carrying the smells of dampness, blood, and decay.
The air grew heavy, every breath carrying weight.
"Level One, Crimson Hell." Magellan's voice echoed through the enclosed space, devoid of emotion. "Leaves as sharp as blades pursue the prisoners until they shed their last drop of blood."
The elevator did not stop. Through the gaps in the iron bars, Lin Xuan could see a dark-red forest and faintly hear countless soft slicing sounds and barely audible screams.
Smoker held two cigars between his teeth, his brow tightly furrowed.
He was accustomed to pirates, but he had never experienced such pure torment.
This was no longer punishment, but a hell designed specifically