San Juan Wolf was a Devil Fruit user, a fact that had already been confirmed by Headquarters.
However, the specific type of his fruit had not yet been figured out, and no record of it could be found in the Devil Fruit encyclopedias.
Intelligence agencies speculated that he likely consumed the Zoan-type Human-Human Fruit: Giant Model.
If a normal person ate this fruit, their height would reach that of a Giant.
And since San Juan Wolf was already a Giant, it would be logical for his maximum size to reach such a terrifying level after eating this fruit…
Should I strip his Devil Fruit ability? Nao mused to himself.
"What's wrong?"
Aokiji, noticing something off, turned his head and asked curiously.
"Nothing," Nao replied with a smile, shaking his head. He withdrew his gaze from the sword at his hip, his expression settling into calm again.
No. Forget it.
This guy was a high-profile prisoner of the World Government. If Nao stripped his ability after a fight, what kind of mess would that cause?
Mary Geoise would definitely launch an investigation—and that was trouble he didn't want to deal with.
Besides, he wasn't particularly interested in the Giant Fruit. The cool-down period for each new fruit was a long three months. It was better to wait. Eventually, a more worthwhile fruit would appear.
—
The next two days of sailing were incredibly smooth. Not a single pirate ship dared to show up. Nao, bored out of his mind, spent his time either training or chatting casually with Aokiji.
The two of them, truth be told, had always been somewhere between acquaintances and real friends.
Especially early on—back then, Aokiji was someone Nao could only look up to. And Aokiji, in turn, had seen him as a promising rookie—but not much more than that.
But as Nao's strength and status had risen steadily, finally reaching a level equal to his own, Aokiji had begun to regard him as a genuine peer.
And after spending the last few days together aboard the ship, he was more and more surprised to find that Nao's personality and temperament suited him perfectly. The conversations between them flowed effortlessly—
No, it was more than that.
No matter what Nao talked about, Aokiji found himself listening with full attention. The guy was one of those natural-born charismatic types—able to draw the spotlight just by opening his mouth.
That kind of trait was rare.
If Sakazuki or Borsalino were the ones telling the same stories, Aokiji would've been yawning and half-asleep in minutes…
So it was no surprise that, during these few days at sea, their relationship had progressed at the speed of a whirlwind romance.
Before arriving at HQ, Nao would still respectfully greet him with a "Kuzan-san." But now? The two were often seen laughing shoulder-to-shoulder, teasing and joking like old friends.
—
Two more days passed.
The Marine battleships finally reached the sea area near Headquarters. The colossal Gates of Justice slowly began to open, allowing Nao, Aokiji, and their crew to pass through unhindered.
Impel Down was located deep within the Calm Belt, and conventional sea routes couldn't reach it.
Its position—along with Marine Headquarters and Enies Lobby—was connected through a massive, distorted oceanic vortex.
Only by passing through the Gates of Justice could one enter the correct sea current and travel directly to the prison at full speed.
"Should be arriving around dawn tomorrow," Aokiji remarked, glancing at the sunset and then at Nao. "You've been bored out of your mind this whole trip. At least once we get to Impel Down, there'll be some excitement."
"Hm? What do you mean?" Nao was still stunned by the sheer scale of the Gates and turned his head at the comment.
"Ah-la-la… the current Chief Warden of Impel Down—Director Pablo. Haven't you heard of him?"
"Actually, no."
Nao shook his head.
He was quite familiar with the high-ranking officials at Headquarters, but his knowledge of other parallel institutions under the World Government was quite limited.
"No wonder... That guy's a serious powerhouse. Even back in the old days, when Garp-san was still active, Pablo was already well-known."
Aokiji chuckled.
"After the Golden Lion broke out of prison a few years back, the former Chief Warden was dismissed. Director Pablo took the position, and in just a few months, he restored Impel Down's fearsome reputation—crushing countless unruly inmates with ruthless methods and turning the place into an impenetrable fortress once more."
"But he also has a very obvious weakness: he's a little too much of a battle maniac."
Aokiji paused, then gave a helpless smile.
"Maybe it's because he's been stuck underwater for too long… That kind of life isn't so different from being a prisoner yourself."
"Anyway, since a few years ago, every time we escort prisoners to Impel Down, he always insists on sparring with the Vice Admiral in charge. And he doesn't let you leave until he's had his fun…"
"…Seriously?" Nao blinked. "So that means this time…"
"No doubt about it. There's no escaping it."
Aokiji shrugged.
"You, my friend, are one of the most high-profile rookies in recent years. Your name is making waves even in the deepest parts of the ocean. Director Pablo definitely won't pass up a chance like this."
"As for me…" Aokiji's face twitched, his expression a little odd.
"I'll probably attract a lot more hatred than you…"
"…Why's that?"
"Simple. Director Pablo is a Paramecia-type user of the Cold-Cold Fruit."
Aokiji gazed at the sunset at a poetic 45-degree angle and let out a long, melancholy sigh.
"There's been rumors for years that my Ice-Ice Fruit is the superior version of his. A perfect counter. So obviously, hearing that kind of talk wouldn't sit well with the old guy…"
Nao shot him a sympathetic look.
Collateral damage, huh? Getting blamed just because someone said you were stronger… Poor bastard.
At least for Nao, things didn't seem too serious.
But for Aokiji? Yeah, Pablo would probably beat him into the ground just to reclaim his pride…
"Anyway, don't overdo it in training tonight," Aokiji said, standing on his toes to pat Nao's shoulder. "Save your strength. That fight's definitely coming."
Then he yawned and went back to his room to sleep.
Nao just curled his lip and ignored the advice—heading straight into the training room for a full-blown hellish overnight session.
—
Early the next morning.
Nao finished breakfast and came up to the deck full of energy. Aokiji, on the other hand, looked like a panda with black bags under his eyes.
The two of them stood side by side, watching as the sea currents flowed into the vortex. Up ahead, the Gates of Justice slowly opened.
There, at the edge of the whirlpool—stood the tip of the infamous underwater prison.
The massive iron gate of Impel Down loomed silently, waiting for their arrival.
...
"Time to go, big guy."
As the ship docked, Nao gave San Juan Wolf a kick in the ass and muttered irritably.
The giant had been sleeping for days. Now, finally half-awake and yawning, he was dragged off the ship by the Marines and handed over to the prison guards—squeezing through the doors of the prison stooped over.
Nao and Aokiji, meanwhile, were escorted to the VIP lounge.
As per standard procedure, Warden Pablo was supposed to personally meet them for the handover—and to issue his signature challenge.
But they waited and waited—and still, there was no sign of the legendary Chief Warden.
By the time they'd downed several cups of tea, the door finally opened.
A tall figure in a black uniform walked in, clutching his stomach, limping like a dying man.
"Agh… so sorry to keep you waiting…"
The man's face was twisted in misery, his voice weak, like someone completely drained.
"Originally, Warden Pablo was supposed to come himself, but…"
"Last night, he received a direct order from Mary Geoise to attend an emergency meeting at Enies Lobby. He won't be back until tomorrow morning at the earliest. So I've been asked—me, a lowly nobody—to fill in on his behalf…"
Oh?
That's some good news. Aokiji's eyes lit up instantly. He could skip the fight after all!
It wasn't that he was afraid—but seriously, the last thing he wanted was to beat up some old war hero and spark unnecessary drama.
Nao, however, had noticed something entirely different.
"'A lowly nobody'?" he repeated, tilting his head as he looked at the black-uniformed man with horns growing from his head. "Aren't you being too modest, Magellan-san? You're barely in your twenties and already the Deputy Director of Impel Down. Your future's incredibly bright—what part of that qualifies as 'nobody'?"
Aokiji glanced sideways at Nao, surprised.
You've never even heard of Warden Pablo, and yet you're this familiar with a young, relatively unknown deputy?
"You've heard of me, Vice Admiral Nao?" Magellan blinked, surprised as well. Then his face lit up with joy—blushing slightly from excitement.
"Wow, I really didn't expect that! I thought only the prisoners here knew my name! I never imagined someone of your stature would recognize me…"
…Wait, I'm already 'someone of stature' in your eyes?
Nao chuckled wryly.
The Magellan standing before him was nothing like the fearsome powerhouse who, twenty years later, would obliterate Blackbeard's entire crew in seconds.
Not even close.
"—Tss!"
Suddenly, Magellan sucked in a sharp breath. Sweat beaded down his temples.
As both Nao and Aokiji looked on in confusion, his mind began spinning at high speed—
Wait a second… I was only on the toilet for half an hour last night… Why do I feel it coming again already?!
This shouldn't be diarrhea again… Right? Magellan tried to analyze it rationally.
Probably just a fart.
But he didn't dare gamble.
He couldn't take the risk.
In the end, he sheepishly opened his mouth:
"Pardon me, gentlemen… I'll leave you here to wait for the Warden. I need to take care of a certain… biological issue."
Goddammit! Nao groaned internally.
Just now he'd been thinking how different Magellan was from his future self—but the one thing that hadn't changed?
His chronic diarrhea—from constantly poisoning himself with his own Devil Fruit.
That problem went back TWENTY YEARS?!
"Wait!"
As Magellan kicked open the door and bolted out, Nao jumped to his feet and shouted:
"You said we should wait for the Warden—but isn't he not coming back until tomorrow morning?!"
"You heard me…" Magellan's voice called back weakly, "Even if the handover is complete, you two are not allowed to leave until the Warden returns…"
"That's an order… personally left by the Warden… before he left…"
BOOOOOOOOOM!!
A thunderous fart echoed through the corridor—and Magellan's voice cut off mid-sentence.
Seconds later, he returned, eyes vacant, face pale, and muttered in a mosquito-whisper:
"…I… I'm going back to my room to change. Please make yourselves comfortable. I'll… I'll take you to the dining hall at lunch…"
"…"
Neither Nao nor Aokiji spoke.
They simply watched the poor man walk away, faces full of sympathy.
Once the VIP room was quiet again, Aokiji sipped his tea and gave a bitter smile.
"Thought I'd dodged the bullet… Turns out the old man's obsession with us runs deeper than I thought."
"So… should we leave?" Nao's gaze was still on Magellan's fading figure. "If you don't want to stir up controversy—"
"No point," Aokiji shook his head.
"He's seventy. Might as well humor him a little. Besides—if we both went all-out, I'm not even sure we'd win."
Nao nodded in agreement.
Impel Down was one of the most crucial facilities in the world. Its Chief Warden was never a lightweight.
"Sucks that we'll have to waste a whole day waiting, though. So damn boring…"
Nao sighed.
Then, as if remembering something, he suddenly turned and locked eyes on Aokiji.
"…W-what are you doing?" Aokiji narrowed his eyes, suddenly uneasy.
He had a very bad feeling.
"Well," Nao grinned slowly, "since we're not doing anything anyway… Why not help me out with a little something?"
—
A few minutes later.
"Oi, oi, oi! THIS is the little favor you were talking about?!"
In the vast underground training area of Level 1, ice spread rapidly across the floor. Aokiji was zipping through the wild shockwaves, dodging and weaving with practiced ease.
In just a blink, he'd evaded dozens of flying sword slashes.
Across from him, Nao stood grinning.
Seeing that standard attacks had no effect, he wasn't surprised—he just laughed.
"Think of it as a warm-up for tomorrow's fight! Besides, we've known each other for so long and never sparred properly. This is a rare opportunity, no?"
"Who the hell wants to fight a monster like you?!"
Aokiji growled.
He summoned a thick wall of ice to block the incoming slashes—but the residual shockwaves still forced him to skid backwards several steps.
Stomping down to stabilize himself, he gave Nao a sidelong glare.
"Anyone who can go a month or two without sleeping is a damn freak! By the time we're done fighting, Borsalino's probably already promoted to Fleet Admiral!"
"And if you really wanted to fight—couldn't you have picked somewhere else?! Fighting inside the prison, with all these bored guards watching?! If I lose, my pride's gonna be shattered!"
"Hahaha, then you can't blame me. The outside is all whirlpools and currents!"