"I am curious!"
Before Enel could regain his bearings, a figure materialized before him, speaking with effortless calm.
"You, who have always deemed yourself an invincible god, believing yourself divine and immortal—how did you end up as Shiki's pawn and march to Marineford to die?"
"Hmm?"
Staring at the sudden figure before him, Enel's pupils contracted once more.
Despite his Mantra, which allowed him to clearly perceive the thoughts of others, he hadn't sensed Orion's approach at all.
"Aren't you the one who calls himself a god?"
Observing Enel's reaction, Orion flashed a warm smile, his tone as calm as ever.
"Since you're a god, you should have some understanding of me. Tell me, what do you know about me and the Grand Line?"
"What do you mean?"
Seeing that Orion had no intention of pressing his advantage, Enel steadied himself and slowly stood up, his voice cold.
"Even gods can be careless. Don't think just because you landed one strike, you can defeat—"
Bzzzt—
Before Enel could finish, the air around him began to vibrate at a low frequency.
Immediately after, a visible surge of black-and-red Conqueror's Haki erupted from Orion's body, enveloping Enel, who had just risen to his feet.
"Gah—!"
The overwhelming pressure of the supreme Conqueror's Haki forced an involuntary scream from Enel.
It felt as if an entire mountain were crushing him, suffocating him with despair.
His pupils dilated, and his body trembled faintly.
"Did I permit you to stand?"
Orion took a deliberate step forward, his Conqueror's Haki continuing to suppress Enel.
Thud!
The gravitational force pressing down on Enel intensified abruptly.
Without giving Enel a chance to react, Orion pointed to the ground before him and commanded.
"On your knees!"
Before the words even faded, Enel's legs buckled uncontrollably, his knees slamming into the ground with enough force to crater it.
Bzzzt—bzzzt—bzzzt—
As soon as Enel knelt, the low-frequency vibrations in the air intensified in waves.
The invisible, crushing pressure formed a gravitational force he couldn't resist, bending his spine and pride bit by bit.
Finally, Enel could endure no longer. With a thud, he collapsed face-first onto the ground, prostrating completely.
"Fleet Admiral, I'm here!"
Morgans rushed over, clutching a set of seastone handcuffs and shackles, swiftly fastening them onto Enel.
The moment the restraints were secured, Morgans backhanded Enel across the face, snarling furiously.
"Who the hell do you think you are, causing trouble at Marine Headquarters?! Though, I suppose you should be honored—getting personally suppressed by the Fleet Admiral himself!"
"You—!"
Enel lifted his head in rage.
Slap! Slap!
Morgans didn't give him a chance to retort, striking him twice more.
"You what? This is Marine Headquarters. Whether you're a god or whatever, you'll stay down like a good little prisoner!"
Then, Morgans immediately looked up at Orion, his demeanor shifting from tyrannical to cheerful.
"Fleet Admiral, what should we do with him?"
"Toss him to the Science Unit and hand him over to Vegapunk. If the Pacifistas can already fire lasers, integrating the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's abilities shouldn't be too difficult. And while he's at it, have him whip up a Seraphim electric brat."
"What are you planning to do to me?! A god cannot be humiliated!"
Weak and powerless under the seastone restraints, Enel didn't fully grasp Orion's words, but he sensed something terrible was coming.
Especially now—despite being a god, the moment the cuffs were on, not only could he no longer use his powers, but his entire body felt drained, as if hollowed out!
"Relax, I won't kill you."
Orion glanced at the barely coherent Enel and said coolly.
"Cooperate with the scientists at Marine Headquarters, and I might just send you to the Endless Vearth."
"Hmm?"
Enel's pupils contracted slightly, "You know about the Endless Earth?"
Orion smiled faintly, then raised his hand to point at the moon hanging high in the sky as the sun set in the west.
"Far yet near—right before your eyes!"
*****
Meanwhile.
Above the deep-sea prison located in the Calm Belt, Shiki, who had urged Enel to head to Marineford, arrived at the entrance of Impel Down first thanks to his Float-Float Fruit ability.
Looking down at the entrance of Impel Down from his high vantage point, Shiki didn't immediately charge down.
Instead, he quickly scanned his surroundings before turning his gaze towards Marineford.
"What's going on?"
Seeing that Marineford wasn't engulfed in the earth-shattering battle he had imagined, and that no dazzling lightning streaked across the sky, Shiki frowned slightly.
"Could Enel have been instantly defeated by Orion?"
The thought sent a chill down his spine as he recalled how he had nearly been killed by Orion with just a bamboo skewer despite being thousands of meters in the air.
Although Enel was one of the strongest Logia users with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he hadn't fully mastered its potential yet.
Combined with Enel's arrogance and overconfidence, Shiki was certain Enel was no match for the Fleet Admiral.
Still, even if Enel couldn't defeat Orion, he shouldn't have been instantly obliterated!
After all, he was a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user!
Just as Shiki pondered whether to wait for chaos to erupt in Marineford before making his move, the entrance to Impel Down slowly began to open.
Soon after, a group of prison guards filed out in an orderly manner.
Leading them was a slender, elegant young woman with a hat covering her right eye.
Under her command, the guards quickly formed ranks on either side, all turning their attention to the sea ahead.
In the distance, a prison ship transporting over a dozen criminals sailed steadily into the Calm Belt, heading straight for Impel Down.
Before long, the ship docked at the entrance.
Noticing this, the young woman swiftly stepped forward with graceful poise.
After saluting the Marine officer in charge, she spoke softly.
"Rear Admiral Noah, when will Fleet Admiral Orion come to inspect Impel Down? Everyone here is eager to pledge their loyalty to him!"
"Why would the Fleet Admiral come to Impel Down for no reason?"
Noah handed her a list of the transported prisoners before chuckling.
"If the Fleet Admiral visited Impel Down frequently, Warden Magellan would be on pins and needles! The reason he hasn't inspected Impel Down yet is precisely because he trusts Warden Magellan completely—and Deputy Chief Domino as well!"
"Huh?"
Before Noah could finish, his pupils suddenly dilated as he jerked his head upward.
Whoosh—!
At that moment, a figure descended from the sky, flashing past Noah and Domino in an instant before barging through Impel Down's gates.
"Jiahahaha, much obliged!"
Before Noah could react, an ominous laugh echoed from inside the prison.
"Damn it—someone's broken into Impel Down!"
The prison guards standing neatly on either side of Impel Down's entrance belatedly gasped in shock before swarming in pursuit.
"Heh—"
Watching the guards chase into Impel Down, Noah didn't follow them in for the kill.
Instead, he grinned and said, "They're choosing the path to heaven when none exists, barging through hell's gate when it stands wide open!"
****
Meanwhile.
Impel Down, Warden's Office.
Borsalino, who had been stationed at Impel Down under Orion's orders long ago, sat idly at the warden's desk.
He lounged lazily while watching the wall covered in surveillance screens across from him.
"Whoooosh—"
Suddenly, the sound of a flushing toilet came from the adjacent bathroom.
Borsalino's brow furrowed slightly.
He checked the time, his facial muscles twitching as he muttered to himself.
"How terrifying... he's been squatting in there for three whole hours!"
Before he could finish speaking, the office door burst open as a frantic guard rushed in, shouting at Borsalino.
"Admiral Kizaru! Where's Warden Magellan?"
Borsalino pointed toward the neighboring bathroom.
Without wasting words, the guard hastily reported, "Someone took advantage of Rear Admiral Noah's prisoner transfer to break into Impel Down!"
Fearing the warden—who'd been in the toilet for three hours—might suddenly emerge, the guard quickly donned the gas mask he'd brought along.
"So they've finally arrived?"
Borsalino glanced up at the surveillance screens, spotting a figure intruding in one of the feeds.
He rose to his feet decisively.
"Time to close the net."