"Honored Saint Nerona, I am Stussy of CP9. I'll be serving as your personal bodyguard for the foreseeable future."
After Stussy introduced herself, Gion quickly followed suit, stating her own name and position. At the same time, Imu began sizing up the two women.
His first impression wasn't about their beauty—
What caught his attention more was the striking difference in their heights. Gion appeared to be close to 3 meters tall, while Stussy stood around 1.8 meters. When standing side by side, Stussy's head barely reached Gion's waist.
Still, both women had excellent proportions and distinct charm: one in a black dress with golden hair, exuding Western allure and sensuality; the other in pink attire with black hair and soft features, radiating the gentle grace of an Eastern woman.
As for himself, he stood around 2 meters tall—a height he was quite satisfied with.
So, between the two beauties, Imu personally found Stussy more to his liking—at least he didn't have to look up when talking to her.
"Do either of you play tennis?"
After the brief introductions, Imu walked over to the racket stand, casually browsing through them as he asked the question.
Since he was currently using his secondary identity, his demeanor wasn't as cold and ruthless—there was a touch more softness to it. Still, he gave off a naturally aloof and proud aura.
"I don't," Gion replied with a shake of her head.
"I learned a little, but it's been a long time since I last played," Stussy said with a faint smile.
"Is that so? Then let's play a few rounds together. Rear Admiral Gion, you can watch from the sidelines for now. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it soon enough."
Imu selected a racket and stepped onto the court, casually plucking a tennis ball from the basket.
Truth be told, he didn't have much experience himself—but with his enhanced memory and perfect control over his body, he figured he'd pick it up quickly.
"Alright~"
Stussy didn't seem bothered by Saint Nerona's commanding tone. In her eyes, that was just how Celestial Dragons behaved—or rather, this attitude was already better than most.
But Gion had something to say. "Lord Nerona, didn't you summon guards because you were planning to travel?"
She felt like she wasn't here just to entertain him. Wouldn't her time be better spent refining her swordsmanship?
"The transport for the trip isn't ready yet. In the meantime, we'll get acquainted—and keep me company on the tennis court. That is your assignment."
Imu paid no mind to Gion's reluctance. If she really insisted on refusing, he could just order the Five Elders to send someone else. If she couldn't even handle something like this, what was the point of keeping her?
As he spoke, he walked to one end of the court and gently bounced a tennis ball on the grass. His eyes shifted toward Stussy, who had picked up a racket and was preparing herself on the opposite side.
To be honest, playing tennis with a beautiful agent in a black miniskirt and stockings was kind of appealing. After being bored for so long, Imu actually felt a bit excited.
Finally, something fun!
The next moment, Imu slowly raised his right hand and tossed the tennis ball into the air.
His serve was fluid and seamless—one continuous motion. You'd never guess he was just an amateur. Still, since it was his first shot, he deliberately held back most of his strength.
[Whoosh—]
Yet even so, the racket created an afterimage as it swung, followed by a thunderous boom. The tennis ball shot across the net like a golden beam of light, with visible shockwaves trailing its path.
[Bang!!]
Stussy didn't even have time to react. The glowing ball slammed into the ground nearby, sending chunks of turf flying as golden hair whipped wildly in the wind.
The scene left Gion speechless—her question caught in her throat as she stared dumbfounded at the yellow ball nestled in the smoldering crater.
"So powerful…"
Both she and Stussy were stunned by that single shot. They hadn't expected a Celestial Dragon—someone they were supposed to protect—to possess such strength.
"Looks like I'll have to ease up a little more…"
Standing on the other side of the court, Imu frowned slightly. He had still used too much power. What he wanted was a real match with Stussy.
"I'll serve a few more—see which ones you can return."
"Uh… okay!"
Brushing aside the bangs blown loose by the wind, Stussy now took the match seriously. As she adjusted her stance, her thoughts churned.
The next second, Imu served again—but this time at a 'normal' speed. While still comparable to a lightning strike, it was just slow enough for Stussy to reach the drop point and barely return the ball.
Shaking her tingling palm from the impact, she let out a soft, playful complaint.
"Lord Nerona, please go a little easier~~ I can't take it~~"
...
Although the latest issue of the major newspapers had yet to be published, the news of the 'Slave King' being captured was already beginning to ferment among the upper echelons of the various South Blue nations. Under the surface, currents of unrest surged back and forth through Den-Den Mushi communications.
After all, when it came to the flourishing of the slave trade, the South Blue was undoubtedly the most prominent among the Four Seas!
Of course, this was inseparable from the decades of painstaking effort by King Taklama, who had laid deep foundations here and made outstanding contributions to the development of the slave industry.
...
"Are we almost there?"
Dragon stepped out through the cabin door and asked Rear Admiral Ivan, who was standing on the deck gazing out at the sea.
At that moment, the five Marine Headquarters-level warships under Dragon's command had already returned from the South Blue to the first half of the Grand Line. Judging by the time, they should be arriving soon.
"Rear Admiral Dragon, you're still badly injured. You should rest more. Let me handle the handover with Impel Down," Rear Admiral Ivan said with a smile.
"No. I told you before—I want to personally send the Slave King inside."
Dragon walked over to Ivan's side and looked toward the distant Gate of Justice. "This means a lot to me."
"Well, since you insist... Alright. I'll escort Captains Hansa and Will to stand trial at Enies Lobby. After that, let's meet up again in Marineford and grab a drink—what do you say?"
After the battle in the Kingdom of Thutmose, Ivan had grown far more respectful and in awe of Dragon. On one hand, Dragon's strength had completely won him over. On the other, it was almost certain he'd be promoted to Vice Admiral after this.
"Sounds good," Dragon replied without objection. In fact, he was rather fond of drinking.
Just then, the white-robed, masked man quietly emerged from the cabin and stood silently in a corner of the deck.
Rear Admiral Ivan glanced at him and asked in a low voice, "How long are these CIPHER POL agents going to be sticking around?"
He knew that on a nearby warship, another masked agent in white was also keeping a close eye on Dragon—from afar and up close, he was being watched from both directions.
"Ignore them. When it's time for them to vanish, they'll vanish on their own."
Dragon didn't even spare them a glance. He had already let go of any thoughts of defecting from the Marines. For now, he wanted to observe how the World Government and the Navy would evolve going forward.
To be honest, this mission had allowed him to fight freely and to his heart's content—and even sparked a glimmer of hope in him.
Half an hour later, the Gate of Justice slowly opened. The five warships split off in different directions. Dragon led one vessel through the left ocean current toward Impel Down, while Rear Admiral Ivan took the remaining four ships through the right current toward Enies Lobby, and from there they would return to Marineford.
Dragon's ship arrived at the entrance to Impel Down in less than ten minutes.
Shortly afterward, two Marine Headquarters majors in coats of justice brought King Taklama out of the cabin's holding cell and escorted him onto the deck.
The former Slave King of the underworld had both hands bound by Sea Stone cuffs. His steps looked feeble—understandable, as his injuries hadn't fully healed. Worse still, his mood was even darker.
"I told you—justice will triumph over evil. And I would personally deliver you to Impel Down. Now, it's all come true." Dragon spoke calmly, locking eyes with King Taklama despite the latter's vicious glare.
"..."
King Taklama clenched his teeth, but he couldn't say a word. His emotions were an absolute mess. He wanted to say something—but didn't know how to begin.
If one had to summarize it plainly, it would probably be:
He wanted to roar at Dragon, "You're freaking cheating!!"
But now, utterly frustrated—so frustrated it felt like his lungs might burst—the Slave King could only pant heavily in silence. As for cursing out loud, he had already exhausted himself with that during the voyage.
He was simply too tired to swear anymore.
The entire handover process went very smoothly. Because the identity of this prisoner was particularly significant, Warden Columbus personally came out to receive him. Among the guards behind him, the towering figure of Gecko Moria was also visible—his size made him impossible to miss.
This time, the reason he'd come along was because the so-called Slave King—King Taklama—was going to be imprisoned in Level 6, Eternal Hell.
Naturally, Moria had been tasked with snipping his shadow on the way.
Once the prisoner was handed over to Impel Down, Dragon turned around and headed for Marineford to report in.
King Taklama, meanwhile, was thrown into a vat of boiling water heated to 100 °C for disinfection—a so-called 'baptism'.
Given his strength, he just grit his teeth and bore it.
He was then dressed in the standard black-and-white striped uniform and fitted with a Sea Stone shackle on his leg.
When Moria walked over with his oversized scissors and cut off his shadow, the intake procedure was essentially complete.
After that, they escorted him via internal elevator to the deepest level: Eternal Hell.
Under the watchful gaze of Warden Columbus and several guards, he slowly stepped into the cell that would become his new home.
At that moment, Warden Columbus raised a hand, gesturing for the guards to leave.
Then he stepped into the cell himself.
"You?" Taklama turned to face him, instantly on guard.
Columbus chuckled. "Relax. I just want to talk for a bit."
"Talk about what? I don't recall us ever meeting," Taklama replied warily.
The Warden grinned. "Tell me—don't you think there's something missing from the prisoners here?"
Taklama blinked, frowning. His voice lowered with suspicion. "What exactly are you getting at?"
Inside the dimly lit cell, the Slave King and the Warden of Impel Down stood opposite each other.
The air between them grew strangely tense.
"I'll give you two options," Columbus said.
"One, stay here and remain a prisoner.
Two, come out with me and work as a guard.
Not exactly a hard choice, wouldn't you say?"
"…What?!"
Taklama froze. In that moment, he finally understood what Columbus had meant about something missing from the prisoners.
"You're after my Pet-Pet Fruit powers. You want me to put control collars on the inmates!"
Columbus nodded. "Exactly. So—what's your decision?"
"That really is an easy choice." Taklama smiled. Compared to sitting in a cell reading newspapers all day, walking freely through the corridors was definitely more appealing.
"I'll do it. But shouldn't I get my shadow back first?"
Something about not having a shadow didn't sit right with him.
He doubted Impel Down cut shadows just for fun—there had to be a purpose.
Columbus glanced at the bare floor beneath Taklama's feet and smiled. "You'll have to talk to your colleague, Gecko Moria, about that. He's the one with the Shadow-Shadow Fruit."
"…Gecko Moria."
The Slave King recalled the massive figure who had snipped his shadow out at sea.
It seemed he'd have to find an opportunity to ask him about it.
From then on, the intake process for high-profile prisoners at Impel Down would include three new steps:
Baptism. Shadow Extraction. Collar Installation.