Chapter 64: The Bloodthirsty Chief Jailer, Shiryu of the Rain!
"Did you hear him? Walk carefully," Ian said, though it was Speed who needed to be careful, not him, as he wasn't the one walking. His attention was fully focused on his activated super-vision and hearing.
The room not far from the elevator was the Warden's office! Magellan's office!
The sounds coming from the office at that moment:
Splash... splash...
Gurgle... gurgle...
"Damn it, not again. I just finished flushing!"
"..."
It sounded like Magellan was still locked in his battle with diarrhea and had no time to pay attention to the surveillance monitors.
Surveillance Den Den Mushi were deployed in every area of Impel Down's monitoring room. The footage was fed directly to the Warden's office so he could be the first to know if anything happened anywhere. However, Impel Down was vast, and there were always blind spots...
"This way, please, Major General Ian," Hannyabal said, guiding them. "The circular area ahead is the prison block where the inmates are held. The highest-level prisoners you brought today will be kept here."
The direction Hannyabal was leading was precisely the "interesting place" Ian had come down to find.
"As expected of Impel Down, the prison cells look quite sturdy," Ian remarked, playing along. "The temperature here is noticeably higher than where we entered. After being locked up here for months or years, one would have no energy left to escape. It's just this strong smell of blood... what's going on?"
Ian followed Hannyabal, asking questions as they toured.
"The smell of blood? That's normal," Hannyabal explained. "There's a huge pool of blood in the center, so here—"
Squelch! Squelch!
As Hannyabal spoke, the sound of wet footsteps echoed.
"Huh?" Hannyabal looked down, suspicious.
The lighting in the prison block was dim. Despite the poor visibility, he could still see clearly. The wet liquid under his feet... was blood!
"Blood? So much blood?" Speed stammered, her voice trembling. "What on earth is going on? This place is too terrifying!"
She instinctively backed her hooves away.
"Don't panic, keep moving forward," Ian said calmly, patting her neck. "I'm here, aren't I? You'll be fine."
"Major General Ian, this, this, this... please don't misunderstand!" Hannyabal hurriedly tried to explain, standing stiffly. "There must be some disobedient prisoners being disciplined! This blood... giants! Yes, it must be the blood of giant prisoners. The amount is just a bit exaggerated. Hahaha, don't be alarmed, it must be that..."
In truth, a very bad premonition was already forming in Hannyabal's heart.
"Don't come over here! I've been staying obediently in my cell for the past few months! I didn't do anything, I didn't cause any trouble! Why? Why are you going to kill me? Please, please... Aaaahhh!"
Thud...
Ian's enhanced senses clearly picked up the scene dozens of meters ahead at the corridor entrance. A man in prisoner's garb had just run to the corner when his throat was instantly slit open by a sharp blade of energy. Blood gushed out, and he died on the spot.
"Don't be afraid, little horse. Move forward," Ian ordered, his voice steady and devoid of fear.
Speed trembled all over but gritted her teeth and advanced.
Clip-clop, clip-clop...
Hannyabal saw this and rushed forward to stop them. "Major General Ian, let's first visit another—"
Ian raised his hand and pinched the horse's flank. Speed, feeling the sudden pain, immediately quickened her pace.
Hannyabal's eyes widened. "Eh!!"
Upon reaching the corridor entrance, Speed stopped stiffly. The scene before her was so horrifying that even she, a pirate, felt intensely uncomfortable.
In the dimly lit prisoner corridor, inmates' bodies were strewn across the ground. Dozens... no, perhaps even more! Each prisoner had died a gruesome death, and blood flowed throughout the corridor.
Among the corpses stood a man wearing the uniform of an Impel Down officer. He held a blood-stained sword, a cigar dangling from his mouth. He turned his head, his eyes filled with bloodthirst and greed as he looked at Ian.
"Major General Ian, how could you just arbitrarily—" Hannyabal, having caught up a few steps later, arrived at the scene. When he saw the situation, cold sweat instantly broke out all over his body. "Warden Shiryu! You... you're executing prisoners again without authorization! Warden Magellan will—"
Hannyabal cut himself off, covering his mouth. He had just remembered that Ian was still present! No matter what evils Shiryu committed, they were supposed to be internal secrets of Impel Down!
The blood-soaked scene before him was the "interesting sound" Ian had detected upon arriving at Impel Down.
Impel Down's Chief Jailer, Shiryu of the Rain!
As renowned as Magellan, he was one of the two signature figures of Impel Down! He was strong and tall, even taller than Ian. He wore the uniform symbolizing his rank as Chief Jailer, and the sword in his hand was the renowned blade, Raiu (Thunder Rain). In the near future, he would be sentenced to death for his brutal murders and imprisoned on Level 6. It seemed he was currently in the evil phase where he could not restrain his bloodthirsty urges.
"Hannyabal, you've got some nerve," Shiryu said, his voice calm and composed, as if the carnage around him was utterly mundane. "Daring to bring Marine personnel down to Level 4 without authorization? Do you have a death wish? A Marine visiting Impel Down at this hour... you must be the 'Sea King,' Jock Ian, correct?"
"N-No, no, that's not it... That's not the case, Warden Shiryu!" Hannyabal stammered anxiously, gesturing at the river of blood. "We are... escorting prisoners! Yes, yes, escorting the prisoner to Level 4!"
This matter had to be reported to Magellan immediately!