At the port of Impel Down, Finn laughed warmly and embraced Mescas with genuine camaraderie.
The two men had developed an excellent relationship over the past few years. Finn was constantly "borrowing" prisoners from Impel Down for his labor reform programs at G-7.
According to their original agreement, payment was rendered per person.
Mescas was essentially "embezzling on orders," earning a substantial sum for his retirement fund every single month. By now, he'd already begun planning to purchase a private island after retirement, construct a large manor, live out his golden years in comfort.
"It's been quite a while since I last saw you, Vice Admiral Finn," Mescas said with a broad smile.
"You're really too busy. Has Doberman caused you any trouble?" Finn asked with friendly concern. "If he's done anything wrong, tell me directly and I'll deal with him when I return to G-7!"
Most operational matters at Impel Down involving Finn's prisoners were handled through Doberman. Finn himself hadn't visited personally in quite some time, except for occasionally using the Tarai Current passage.
Mescas shook his head quickly. "Rear Admiral Doberman is excellent. No trouble whatsoever."
After the two exchanged pleasantries for several minutes, Finn gestured toward Olvia, who remained silent behind him, her expression hollow. "This woman is officially dead, Warden. You understand what I mean?"
Mescas glanced at Olvia, raised his eyebrows knowingly, and nodded. "Of course I understand. Besides, our Impel Down is essentially a place where the dead reside anyway."
"She doesn't need to be registered in your official records. Or you can simply fabricate an identity for her, whatever works best," Finn said casually. "Regardless, I need you to keep close watch on this woman. Don't let her cause any trouble. She may prove useful in the future."
"Don't worry, Vice Admiral Finn," Mescas replied, patting his chest confidently. "We at Impel Down may lack other skills, but security is our specialty. This prison has stood here for eight hundred years without a single major incident or successful escape."
"Then I feel completely reassured," Finn nodded with satisfaction.
But just as he finished speaking, Impel Down's alarm system suddenly wailed to life, sharp and urgent. The sound echoed across the port, and everyone present froze momentarily in confusion.
Mescas stood completely dumbfounded.
I just patted my chest and guaranteed perfect security. Before even a full minute passed, something's already gone wrong?
How am I supposed to save face as the Warden after this?
Mescas's expression transformed instantly, shifting from confident to mortified. He turned sharply toward Magellan standing behind him. "Go! Quickly eliminate whoever's causing trouble, immediately!"
"Yes, Warden," Magellan responded with crisp efficiency, then turned and sprinted back toward Impel Down's interior.
After the young Deputy Warden departed, Mescas smiled awkwardly at Finn, his embarrassment palpable. "Don't worry, this kind of thing happens occasionally. There are always some prisoners who refuse to accept reality, who think they can escape from this iron fortress. But no one will succeed. I promise you that!"
Finn nodded but said nothing.
However, internally, an uncomfortable feeling was growing. Calculating the timeline carefully, could this possibly be Shiki attempting his escape right now?
But soon, a smile crept across Finn's face. If he'd truly encountered Shiki escaping from prison, then it would be Shiki's catastrophic bad luck. Today, Finn just happened to be at Impel Down delivering a prisoner.
If Shiki dares show his face, I'll beat him right back into his cell!
Seeing that Finn remained silent, Mescas assumed the Vice Admiral was displeased. This man might become his future superior, after all.
Mescas quickly added reassurances. "Generally speaking, we experience incidents like this several times each year. However, our defensive systems at Impel Down are extraordinarily rigorous. We conduct anti-escape drills monthly. Coordination between all departments is excellent. Magellan is also tremendously powerful. Within Impel Down, we possess complete home-field advantage. Typically, situations are suppressed within approximately fifteen minutes. Since you happened to be visiting today, you can witness firsthand the effectiveness of this mature security system."
Finn finally smiled and nodded. "Of course, of course. I have complete confidence in Impel Down!"
Afterward, Finn continued chatting with Mescas as though he didn't care about the alarm at all, the conversation flowing easily between them.
"Amazon Lily," Finn suddenly asked. "Do you know much about them?"
"Quite familiar, actually," Mescas replied without hesitation. "They're also residents of the southern Calm Belt, not too distant from our Impel Down. But we've always maintained peaceful coexistence."
"What's the current situation in that country?" Finn pressed.
Mescas didn't question why Finn wanted this information. After all, it had nothing to do with him personally.
After considering for a moment, he explained, "Because they're trapped within the Calm Belt, Amazon Lily's national strength is actually quite poor. Communication with the outside world has always been extremely difficult. Combined with the Calm Belt's inherent dangers, Amazon Lily has essentially become a warrior nation. Of course, they're most famous for being an all-female country. The entire population consists exclusively of women."
He paused, gathering his thoughts. "Because of their fierce culture, poverty, and lack of trade routes, this nation has gradually declined over the past few centuries into a pirate nation that relies on plundering for survival. The Empress of each generation of Amazon Lily becomes the captain of the Kuja Pirates. The Kuja Pirates are an extremely famous pirate group that's been passed down through generations. Operating in the first half of the Grand Line, virtually everyone in their crew possesses Haki. They're essentially invincible against other pirates, rival nations, and military forces in that region..."
After hearing this explanation, Finn's understanding deepened considerably.
Simply put, Amazon Lily possessed formidable combat capabilities, but being trapped in the Calm Belt left them desperately short of supplies. They couldn't effectively contact or trade with the rest of the world.
Therefore, due to various factors including their warrior culture, this nation had gradually transformed into a pirate nation relying on plundering for survival.
And because of their overwhelming strength, they had virtually no rivals throughout the first half of the Grand Line.
As for the Kuja Pirates, they were a legendary pirate group passed down through Amazon Lily's generations.
When discussing pirate heritage, Amazon Lily's lineage far exceeded anything other pirate crews could claim. For example, the Whitebeard Pirates, currently the most powerful pirate group, had only existed for about twenty years.
But if you traced the Kuja Pirates' origins, you could uncover hundreds of years of continuous history.
They could legitimately claim to be the pirate group with the longest heritage in the entire industry!
Therefore, the Kuja Pirates enjoyed tremendous fame throughout the world.
"Come to think of it," Finn said with a slight frown, "I'm stationed at G-7, which shouldn't be too far from Amazon Lily, correct? But over the past two years, I haven't heard anything about the Kuja Pirates' activities. What's going on?"
"Speaking of that situation..." Mescas's expression turned thoughtful. "We need to discuss their Empress. The current generation's ruler of Amazon Lily is named Shakuyaku. Many years ago, she was an extremely powerful pirate as well. But about seven years ago, she essentially ceased all external activities. Rumors say she contracted a serious illness."
He hesitated, then continued. "She might even be dead by now. If she died, the Kuja Pirates would temporarily become dormant. They'd need to wait for a new Empress to assume the throne before they could lead expeditions to sea again."
After explaining, Mescas glanced back toward Impel Down with growing concern. So much time had passed already. Why wasn't the situation resolved yet?
Finn nodded with understanding. "I see. Then, Warden, do you think there's any possibility that Amazon Lily could be recruited by the Marines?"
"Huh?" Mescas looked genuinely startled. After a moment's hesitation, he said uncertainly, "Probably not? After all, this country has been operating as pirates for hundreds of years. If you suddenly wanted them to join the Marines..."
"Hahaha, fair point," Finn laughed, letting the matter drop without pressing further.
He didn't continue discussing this with Mescas, but thinking it through carefully, Amazon Lily might genuinely be possible to recruit under the right circumstances.
After waiting at the port for several more minutes, the alarm levels continued escalating higher and higher. Sweat began beading on Mescas's forehead. Is something seriously wrong?
But simultaneously, he felt slightly fortunate. Thank goodness Vice Admiral Finn came today. With his strength, he should be able to handle whatever situation might spiral out of control.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, a jailer came sprinting over in absolute panic. He skidded to a stop beside Mescas and gasped out, "Grand Warden! It's been confirmed! The prison escapee is from the sixth floor, Infinite Hell! It's the Flying Pirate, Golden Lion Shiki!"
"WHAT?!" Mescas's voice cracked with shock.
Then he asked with complete disbelief, "How did he escape from Infinite Hell?"
"He... he cut off his own legs," the jailer said, his voice trembling with horror.
"Where's Magellan? What's the current situation?" Mescas demanded.
"The Deputy Warden intercepted Shiki on the third floor, but Shiki is extremely agile. He bypassed the Deputy Warden's defenses. He's advanced to the second floor now. Currently, Lord Hannibal is leading the resistance effort..."
"Hannibal? He can't handle Shiki!" Mescas's panic was rising. "Go tell Magellan to defend the first floor immediately! We absolutely cannot let that bastard Shiki break through to the surface! Otherwise, Impel Down's reputation and honor will be destroyed on our watch!"
But at that precise moment, Impel Down's main gate exploded outward with devastating force.
The massive doors slammed into two full teams of prison guards attempting to block the entrance, sending bodies flying in all directions.
Then Hannibal's unfortunate form came sailing through the destroyed entrance, his body ragdoll-limp. He crashed to the ground and lay motionless, clearly unconscious.
The voice arrived before the man himself.
"JIHAHAHAHAHAHA! What magnificent free air! Impel Down is nothing but this!"
Finn recognized that wild, arrogant laughter immediately. A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he watched the figure that slowly emerged from Impel Down's shattered entrance.
Shiki wore the standard black-and-white prisoner uniform. His entire body floated twenty to thirty centimeters above the ground, suspended by his Devil Fruit's power.
He gripped a famous sword in each hand: Oto and Kogarashi.
His legs, from the ankles downward, were completely gone. The stumps were extraordinarily bloody, still dripping fresh crimson onto the ground, as though he'd severed them with his own hands mere minutes ago.
"SHIKI! I WILL NEVER LET YOU ESCAPE!" Magellan's figure, covered in deadly purple venom, came charging through the destroyed entrance in pursuit.
Shiki threw his head back and laughed with absolute conviction. "MY FATE IS IN MY OWN HANDS!"
The moment he broke through that final door, Shiki felt both physically and mentally liberated, lighter than he'd been in months.
Because he understood that once he'd broken free from the cage, leaving this place would be simple!
However, just before his triumphant laughter could fade, that arrogant expression suddenly froze on his face.
Because he saw an extremely familiar figure standing at the port.
Finn also wore a smile now. He waved at Shiki with theatrical cheerfulness. "My fate is in my own hands? How arrogant. It's been quite a while since we last met, Shiki!"
"FINN!" Shiki's eyes flashed with murderous rage. He roared the name like a curse.
"Come to think of it, I'd almost forgotten you possessed two good swords," Finn observed casually, slowly drawing the broken blade hanging at his waist.
Shiki's swords, Oto and Kogarashi, are not officially listed among the graded Meitō. However, they have been honed through countless battles, and their strength is unquestionable.
"What fortunate timing that you arrived today. They'll barely suffice for my temporary use..." The moment he finished speaking, Finn's feet struck the ground with explosive force. He launched himself toward Shiki like a hunting tiger!
Solemnity flashed through Shiki's eyes. His two famous swords formed a defensive pattern, flower-like, and he raised both blades to meet Finn's charge with twin slashing strikes!
Lion and tiger collided in thunderous impact!
The sound of clashing metal rang across the port like a bell, sparks flying where Finn's broken blade met Shiki's dual swords.
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