The sky, already torn apart by thunder and lightning, split even further under the force of the clash.
It was only a single slash, simple and direct, yet it felt like the moment heaven and earth were first divided.
Both the battlefield and the countless viewers watching across the world fell into stunned silence.
This was the power of a top-tier Great Swordsman.
The overwhelming slash surged forward without hesitation. Whitebeard's eyes narrowed sharply. His massive frame expanded as his muscles tightened, veins bulging along his arms. Two dazzling white pressure domes formed around his fists, radiating a force that felt capable of lifting mountains and swallowing seas, shaking the very heavens.
Crack.
Spiderweb-like fractures spread across space itself. In the next instant, a world-shattering wave of destruction exploded outward.
The blinding light turned night into day.
When the dust finally settled, Whitebeard and Mihawk stood facing one another from afar, silently locking eyes.
Whitebeard remained on the Moby Dick, his coat billowing violently in the wind, his stance unchanged from before.
"It seems… there is still quite a gap."
Blood trickled from Mihawk's lips as he slowly sheathed the Black Blade Yoru. His face was pale.
He had lost.
Across the world, the outcome was clear to all who watched. In the clash between the World's Strongest Swordsman and the World's Strongest Man, the swordsman had been forced back.
Buruburu.
The Den Den Mushi at Sengoku's side suddenly rang. He picked it up and listened in silence. Within seconds, his expressionless face turned ashen.
Impel Down had been breached.
The one responsible was Blackbeard.
Using his authority as a Shichibukai, Marshall D. Teach had entered Impel Down without resistance and released countless criminals. The world's most secure prison had fallen into complete chaos.
For Sengoku, it was a blow piled on top of catastrophe.
Thirty minutes earlier.
Impel Down, the world's most notorious prison, had long been known as an impregnable fortress. Once a prisoner entered, escape was considered impossible.
That belief, however, had already been shattered once.
There had been a single man who successfully escaped from this hell, a legendary pirate whose whereabouts were now unknown, a figure spoken of with awe and fear.
Golden Lion Shiki.
The man who once dared to challenge the Pirate King himself.
Because of him, Impel Down's legend had cracked, and its security had only grown more extreme.
Even now, many questioned why the Marines did not simply execute captured pirates instead of spending unimaginable resources maintaining such a prison.
The answer lay in Impel Down's unique purpose.
First was deterrence. Imprisonment here was often more terrifying than death. Endless darkness, eternal isolation, and inescapable torture broke even the strongest wills. From the moment one entered Impel Down, they were sentenced to a slow death by despair. For pirates across the seas, it stood as a warning brighter than any execution.
Second was containment. Many prisoners were Devil Fruit users. Executing them would only allow their abilities to return to the world. By imprisoning them instead, the rebirth of Devil Fruits could be delayed or prevented, reducing the number of ability users over time.
Third was research. Every criminal sent to Impel Down was a valuable subject. Rather than waste them through execution, the World Government used them to advance its understanding of power and humanity.
For these reasons, Impel Down existed, and for years, it worked.
Until today.
Marshall D. Teach used his Shichibukai status to enter freely, marching straight to the fifth and sixth levels and unleashing every monster imprisoned there.
Alarms screamed throughout the prison. Jailers and guards rushed through the corridors as chaos spread uncontrollably.
"Quick, quick! The fifth and sixth levels have fallen!"
"The culprit is the Shichibukai Blackbeard!"
"Haha! Kill them! Brothers, we're breaking out!"
"What? The fifth and sixth levels are both gone?"
"Where is Warden Magellan?"
"Oh no, the warden is in the restroom!"
"All units, reinforce the fourth level immediately! The prisoners are advancing upward! Repeat, the intruder is the Shichibukai Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach!"
Inside the monitoring room, observers stared at the Den Den Mushi feeds with pale faces, their blood running cold.
Armed guard squads rushed toward the fourth level at full speed.
As the alarms echoed endlessly, prisoners in other levels began to riot, their eyes burning with long-suppressed hope.
The fifth level, Extreme Cold Hell, was an endless frozen wasteland. Bone-piercing cold gnawed at the body without mercy.
Yet now, its prisoners were free.
"Freedom!"
"Charge out!"
"Damn these jailers!"
The riot surged like an avalanche. The fourth level was on the verge of collapse.
"Boss, take us with you!"
"I'm a pirate worth 300 million Berries!"
"I'll join you!"
The criminals of Blazing Hell roared in unison.
"Zehahaha…"
Blackbeard now stood surrounded by far more than just Lafitte and his original crew. Several legendary criminals from the sixth level had joined him.
Evil King Avalo Pizarro.
The Crescent Moon Hunter.
Big Barrel.
And even Shiliew of the Rain, the former head jailer.
Teach's goal was clear. Once he reached Marineford and claimed Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he would rise instantly to the level of the Four Emperors. From there, he would expand his power and seize the world itself.
Because of Blackbeard, the long-forgotten legends of Impel Down's sixth level had returned to the light. The seas would never be calm again.
These were monsters even Blackbeard treated with caution.
Blazing Hell, the fourth level.
The temperature was unbearable, like standing inside a massive iron cauldron filled with boiling blood and seas of fire. The environment itself was a punishment.
Banging echoed nonstop as prisoners slammed against doors, shaking the entire structure.
"Warden! Warden! It's bad! The prisoners from the sixth and fifth levels have escaped! Blazing Hell can't hold much longer!"
Gulp. Gulp.
Magellan, currently crouched in the restroom, froze mid-suffering, his expression indescribable.
"What did you say?"
"It's true! They've reached the fourth level! The upper levels have fallen!"
The reporting guard was panting heavily.
The door burst open. Magellan emerged, hurriedly pulling up his pants, his face dark with rage.
"Activate Level One emergency status immediately! Stop them! Not a single prisoner is allowed to escape!"
"Yes, sir!"
The guard fled instantly, eager to escape the poisonous fumes lingering behind him.
"Wait. Why did the fifth and sixth levels fall so fast? Who did this?"
"It was the Shichibukai Blackbeard. He released everyone from both levels. It all happened too suddenly…"
"I understand. Go prepare."
Magellan's expression was grim. A deep sense of unease settled in his chest.
The monsters of the sixth level had been unleashed.
Trouble had truly arrived.
Clutching his stomach, Magellan turned back toward the restroom with a curse.
"To think this happens at a time like this…"
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