Rumble—!!!
The violent tremors shook the entirety of Impel Down.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP—!!!
At the same time, the highest-level alarm blared nonstop throughout the prison.
A guard rushed up to Vice Warden Hannyabal and shouted anxiously, "Vice Warden! A prisoner has escaped from Level 6—please issue orders to capture him immediately!"
"W-What!? Level 6!?"
Hannyabal froze in shock, his voice trembling. "W-Who escaped!?"
"D-Don't know! It's an unidentified prisoner, b-but he has the abilities of the Golden Lion's Float-Float Fruit! He's currently wreaking havoc in Level 6 and is about to reach Level 5!"
The guard was equally panicked.
"The Golden Lion!?"
Hannyabal was completely dumbfounded.
Twenty years ago, when the Golden Lion escaped, he had been the first to discover it.
Back then, he had been knocked unconscious by Shiki's Conqueror's Haki and barely survived. And now this was happening again!?
Warden Magellan was currently at Marine Headquarters, Marineford, escorting the prisoner Portgas D. Ace, and wasn't present.
Hannyabal spun in circles anxiously, utterly at a loss for what to do.
"Let me go."
At that moment, a cold voice came from the adjacent confinement cell.
Hannyabal jumped in fright and stammered:
"Sh-Shiryu!?"
Shiryu of the Rain, who had been imprisoned not long ago for indiscriminately slaughtering inmates, spoke coldly:
"Someone who came out of Level 6 isn't something you can handle. Let me deal with it."
"Th-This… I-I need to inform the Warden first!"
After hesitating for a moment, Hannyabal ultimately didn't release Shiryu immediately. Instead, he took out a Den Den Mushi to report to Magellan before making a decision.
…
…
"Hey! Kid, let me out! I'm a great pirate worth 330 million Berries!"
"The guards have the keys, don't they!? Open this cell—once we're out, all my treasure is yours!"
"Save me! Save me! I'll be your crewmate once we get out!"
In Impel Down Level 6, prison guards lay sprawled at Xia Te's feet.
Meanwhile, the pirates locked in the surrounding cells went completely hysterical upon seeing Xia Te walk free.
One after another, they shouted like madmen.
"Heh."
Xia Te cast a disdainful glance at the rabid crowd.
In the next instant, he flicked Kogarashi in his right hand.
A violent slash of sword energy tore through the prison bars—and the pirates inside—cutting them clean in half.
That single move instantly silenced the entire level.
The remaining pirates were utterly stunned.
They had never expected Xia Te to be this ruthless—killing without a word.
"A bunch of trash abandoned by the times. Begging for help while acting so high and mighty—didn't your parents teach you how to ask properly?"
Xia Te's gaze swept across the prisoners one by one.
At present, Ace hadn't been imprisoned here yet, and Jinbe wasn't either.
But even so, there were still quite a few powerful figures.
That ugly bastard Blackbeard would later rely on recruiting numerous strong fighters from Level 6 of Impel Down to replace Whitebeard and rise as one of the new Four Emperors.
But the Blackbeard Pirates were far from united.
Those truly loyal to Blackbeard probably didn't even make up a third of the crew.
More importantly, the ones he took weren't the strongest of Level 6.
Figures like the "Lone Red" Redfield, the "Demon Heir" Bullet, and the "World Destroyer" Byrnndi World—
These were people Blackbeard couldn't control, so he only selected those within his ability to manage.
"Maybe I should just kill them all… wouldn't want Blackbeard to pick up the leftovers."
The thought surfaced in Xia Te's mind.
Whoosh!
In an instant, a blur shot toward him at extreme speed.
Xia Te raised Oto and blocked the incoming slash of sword light.
Looking up at his opponent, he grinned. "Oh? Chief Guard Shiryu of the Rain, huh?"
In the next second, Xia Te's arm trembled with force, sending Shiryu flying backward. He slid more than ten meters across the ground before finally stopping.
"Even in Level 6, there aren't many who could block that strike just now."
Shiryu frowned slightly. "Who are you? With strength like this, there's no way I wouldn't have heard of you."
"Heh, that doesn't matter."
Xia Te raised his hand in an inviting gesture and smiled.
"Come on, Shiryu. How about joining me and turning this world upside down?"
Xia Te looked down on most of the Blackbeard Pirates.
But Shiryu of the Rain was an exception.
This man was bloodthirsty and murderous by nature—a born executioner.
He had long grown tired of the dull life in Impel Down, craving slaughter in the outside world and willing to follow the strong.
Excluding Jinbe, who hadn't yet been imprisoned, Shiryu was the crewmate Xia Te most wanted to recruit in Impel Down.
Magellan would also be a good choice—but that was practically impossible.
Hearing this sudden invitation, Shiryu's expression shifted. Narrowing his eyes, he sneered:
"You're inviting a prison officer like me to become a pirate?"
"This world has long been in chaos. The World Government and Marines are justice? Pirates are evil? You don't believe that yourself, do you?"
Xia Te said arrogantly:
"Since the world is already a mess, what's wrong with making it a little more chaotic? Don't you want to storm the Holy Land and sit on the couch in the Five Elders' room?"
Shiryu's pupils shrank sharply.
After about half a minute of silence, he suddenly sheathed his sword, Raiu, and curled his lips into a grin.
"Now that's interesting."