Chapter 99: Level 7? Fusion Slot Unlocked!
In Eternal Hell, the prisoners had fallen silent.
They said nothing, simply watching the figure patrolling with Magellan.
Especially the "legends" in the solitary cells. They stared at Roy, as if trying to pierce through him with their gaze.
But Roy wasn't interested in their stares.
Because...
[Devil Fruit Analyzed: Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Nine-Tailed Fox LV1; Clank-Clank Fruit LV1; Island-Island Fruit LV1...]
The constant notifications from the Fruit Encyclopedia kept him preoccupied.
Yes.
Roy knew that besides God Valley over thirty years ago, the highest concentration of high-quality Devil Fruits in the world was probably Level 6 of Impel Down.
Not just rare Mythical Zoans, but also several Paramecia fruits with exaggerated effects.
This satisfied Roy immensely. In fact, these fruits were his core objective for this trip.
But just then...
"Over there..."
Roy stopped, his pupils constricting slightly.
He and Magellan had reached the deepest part of Level 6.
There were no more prisoners here.
Before them was a massive, dark... void.
"..."
Roy frowned.
As mentioned, Impel Down was an underwater prison, and Level 6, Eternal Hell, was already at the seabed.
But beneath the seabed... why was there such a huge void?
He was certain this didn't exist in the original story.
Furthermore, on the edge of the void, Roy could faintly see the symbol of a cross within a circle—the mark of the World Government.
"Vice Admiral Roy."
Magellan spoke up. "The tour ends here. We cannot go further."
"Cannot go further?"
Hearing this, Roy's confusion grew.
"Warden Magellan, what is this void..."
Adhering to the principle of "ask if you don't know," Roy inquired softly.
Beside them, Vice Admiral Viroth laughed. "Roy, kid—I asked the same question back in the day. But the Warden at the time told me I didn't have the clearance..."
He stopped mid-sentence, his expression freezing as he realized something.
Sure enough, Magellan answered, "Vice Admiral Roy, you have sufficient clearance. According to regulations, I can tell you about it."
"However..."
Magellan looked pointedly at Viroth.
The message was clear.
Viroth: "..."
The old man was speechless for a moment, then huffed, blowing his mustache. "Fine! I won't listen! Happy now!?"
He walked away in a huff.
Seeing this, Roy understood.
Just knowing about this void required "Admiral" level clearance—even Viroth, who managed the Detention Unit for years and treated Impel Down like a second home, wasn't qualified.
But Roy was different. Although he was a newly promoted Admiral Candidate, inheriting Zephyr's authority gave him the clearance.
After Viroth walked away, Magellan lowered his voice. "Below this void is Impel Down Level 7."
"What!?"
Roy doubted his ears. "Level 7!?"
Since when did Impel Down have a Level 7?
But he didn't dwell on it, asking the logical question, "Which prisoners are kept in Level 7?"
Names of legendary figures flashed through his mind.
But...
"No..."
To Roy's surprise, Magellan shook his head and gave an unexpected answer. "There are no prisoners in Level 7."
He looked at Roy. "Inside is only a massive 'Mechanism'."
"It was built over thirty years ago. I was only a Vice Warden then, so I don't know the specific reason for its construction. I only know that only the Warden of Impel Down is permitted to enter for inspection."
Hearing this, Roy frowned deeper.
No prisoners?
A massive void containing only a mechanism of unknown purpose?
It sounded incredibly ominous.
But then, he caught another key point.
"If only the Warden of Impel Down is permitted to enter, why do I have clearance to know about it?"
Roy asked softly.
This was illogical. According to Magellan, Level 7 was an absolute secret even within Impel Down.
It was an internal affair.
Although Impel Down, as one of the three symbols of the World Government, was closely linked to the Marines, it was essentially independent and directly managed by the World Government.
Internal affairs of Impel Down shouldn't be known to Marine Admirals or the Fleet Admiral.
But Magellan shook his head.
"Marine Admirals have the right to know because... there is more than one such mechanism."
He held up a finger, emphasizing each word. "Besides Impel Down, there is a similar mechanism at Marineford and Enies Lobby."
"And we at Impel Down, you Marines, and the guardians of Enies Lobby... are each responsible for guarding them!"
Hearing this, Roy was stunned.
His brain went into overdrive, processing the intel.
Marineford, Impel Down, Enies Lobby—the three symbols of the World Government connected by the Tarai Current—all housed a massive mechanical device.
Judging from the situation at Impel Down...
Within the Marines, likely only the Admirals and Fleet Admiral knew the location of the one at Marineford. The one at Enies Lobby was probably known only to its highest brass.
So the question was...
"What do these three mechanisms exist for?"
Roy pondered.
But obviously, he couldn't come up with an answer.
"Vice Admiral Roy, shall we proceed to Level 5?"
"Mm."
Hearing Magellan's question, Roy suppressed his doubts.
He had more important things to do.
[Fruit Encyclopedia]
[Owner: Roy Amos]
[Current Encyclopedia Fruit Types: 59]
[Fruit Slot Count: 4]
"Just one more to unlock the slot."
Yes.
Since arriving at Impel Down, Roy had acquired over ten fruits.
He was now only one fruit away from unlocking the fifth slot, the "Fusion Slot"!
Roy was certain there were other ability users in Impel Down.
But just as the three arrived at Level 5: Freezing Hell...
GURGLE...
With a sound like war drums, Magellan's face turned blue.
"Ugh... that..."
He clutched his stomach painfully. "I... I have something to attend to... Please wait a moment."
Roy, Viroth: "..."
Soon, Magellan rushed off to solve his physiological problem, forcing Roy and Viroth to pause their tour.
They waited at the entrance of the Freezing Hell.
"Old man, are you really retiring? Not considering staying on as an advisor or something?"
Sitting on a snow-covered brick, Roy looked at Viroth.
"Advisor? That job doesn't suit me."
Viroth shook his head. "Besides, you're as cunning as a monkey. What advice do you need from me?"
He continued before Roy could retort. "I've decided. I'll go back and train my grandson properly... He'll definitely be a good Marine!"
"..."
I remember your grandson is less than six months old, right?
Roy muttered internally.
But before he could speak, Viroth continued, "However, Roy, kid."
He looked at Roy seriously. "I know you're strong now, but don't be too arrogant. The chaos of this era is intensifying... Your reckless personality will cost you sooner or later."
Says the guy trying to train a baby? Can you really call me reckless?
Roy continued his internal roast.
And...
"Chaos is intensifying?"
Roy asked softly, guessing Viroth's meaning.
Sure enough...
"The Zodiac."
Viroth said the name heavily.
"I'm retiring, so I probably won't cross paths with them."
"But you're different—with your strength and age, barring accidents, you'll eventually fight them to the death."
His voice held worry.
Roy felt warmth in his heart.
Although he knew he would never have a "fight to the death" with The Zodiac, he comforted Viroth. "Don't worry, old man. I'm strong..."
But Viroth glared, blowing his mustache. "That attitude again! That's why I say you're too reckless!"
To remind Roy of the danger, he continued, "You probably heard about Yuji, Ryuji, and Nezumi."
"But about the new member of The Zodiac... you were busy with the Tri-Force Demonstration, so you probably don't know yet, right?"
Roy: "..."
Seeing Roy's silence, Viroth immediately shared the intel he knew—including Garp's encounter with Inoshishi in the East Blue and Inoshishi's abilities.
Roy remained expressionless—tell me something I don't know.
But Viroth's next words made him raise an eyebrow.
"Also, according to recent intel... the Revolutionary Army might have a connection with The Zodiac."
"...How so?"
Roy asked proactively for once.
"It's a guess from the Criminal Investigation Bureau's Intelligence Division—Inoshishi appeared in the East Blue just before the Tri-Force Demonstration."
"Intel says the Revolutionary Army's East Army had massive movements around the same time, seemingly transporting supplies, including the nineteen metals collected by 'Nezumi'..."
With his seniority, Viroth knew a lot.
Listening, Roy recovered from his brief surprise.
He knew the cause and effect—such a large-scale transfer of personnel and materials by the Revolutionary Army was hard to hide completely.
But he didn't care.
Discovery or not—no matter how the World Government searched, they would never find the so-called "base" of The Zodiac.
But just then...
[Devil Fruit User 'Inazuma' discovered]
[Confirmed Devil Fruit: 'Paramecia · Snip-Snip Fruit' (Choki Choki no Mi). Analyzing and saving to 'Fruit Encyclopedia'.]
[Fruit Ability: Can transform parts of the body into scissors.]
[Effects by Level]
[LV3: Gain full fruit effect. Can turn any body part into scissors to cut and reshape objects freely without destroying their inherent properties. Can only cut solid matter. Cannot cut living beings directly; only deals slash damage.]
[LV4: Fruit Deep-Dive Development. Greatly enhances cutting power and speed. Requires 1.3 Billion Berries for Permanent Unlock.]
[LV5: Fruit Awakening · Air Snip. Assimilate the environment into scissors. Can cut non-solid matter. Requires 5.2 Billion Berries for Permanent Unlock.]
[Analysis Progress: 0%]
The Encyclopedia notification made Roy's expression shift.
"Inazuma?"
He knew this person—a Revolutionary from the South Blue.
He scanned the surroundings discreetly but didn't see anyone.
He understood.
Inazuma was probably attracted by Viroth mentioning the "Revolutionary Army."
And it was true.
Nearby, under a massive rock.
"..."
Holding a glass of red wine, wearing dual-colored sunglasses, with hair and clothes half-orange and half-white, Inazuma looked serious.
"I didn't expect... to hear such intel here."
Beside him lay a considerable amount of food and rare alcohol.
Inazuma hadn't expected this.
He had just used his ability to steal food from Level 4 as usual.
On his way back, he encountered two Marines discussing the "Revolutionary Army."
Since he and Emporio Ivankov were captured, their contact with the outside world had been minimal.
Especially news about the Revolutionary Army.
"The Zodiac is cooperating with us?"
Hearing such shocking news, he had to stop and listen.
Though isolated, he had heard of "The Zodiac"—every new prisoner knew about them.
So Inazuma realized immediately...
"I must tell Iva-san... If the news is true, I remember there's a trainee member of The Zodiac in Level 5?"
He pondered.
Meanwhile, Roy, unaware of Inazuma's thoughts, had no intention of exposing him.
On the contrary...
"Old man, I really didn't know that intel. Tell me more about Inoshishi?"
"I told you, there's plenty you don't know..."
With Roy's intentional prompting, Viroth talked more enthusiastically.
Just as the old Vice Admiral boldly guessed that "Dragon might be a member of The Zodiac too"...
['Snip-Snip Fruit' Analysis Complete]
Roy finally heard the notification he was waiting for.
[Fruit Types Reached: 60]
[Special Fruit Slot 'Fusion Slot'... Unlocked!]
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