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"You're so naive, Ace."
"Do you think you'll be the only one to be executed?"
Ikki shook his head and looked at Ace with regret.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Listening to Ikki's words, Ace, who had been laughing moments before, immediately frowned.
"Ikki, let's end the conversation here."
"It's not convenient to discuss what happens next in this place."
Magellan stepped forward and positioned himself between Ikki and Ace.
"Got it."
Ikki nodded slightly and continued walking forward.
But while walking, he seemed to be talking to himself:
"Speaking of which, Blackbeard Teach really is an ambitious man."
"He lurked in the Whitebeard Pirates for so many years, all for the Yami Yami no Mi."
"Now that he's become a Warlord, Magellan, do you think he has other goals?"
Hearing this, Magellan frowned.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm just sharing my thoughts. Don't get angry if I'm wrong, Magellan."
Ikki shrugged and said:
"I've had contact with that man, and he's definitely ambitious."
"This ambition isn't just about becoming a powerful pirate crew, and it won't stop at being a Warlord."
"That man dared to abandon the Whitebeard Pirates."
"I think he might want to become one of the new Yonko himself... No, taking it further, he might even want to become the Pirate King."
"You know there's going to be a massive war that will shake the world."
"What role will Blackbeard play in this?"
"Will he participate in the war directly? Or will he use the chaos to his advantage and go somewhere else to steal benefits for himself?"
Magellan followed Ikki, his frown deepening.
"Ikki, what exactly are you trying to say?"
Ikki smiled and glanced at the imprisoned pirates around them.
"Magellan, when I first met Blackbeard Teach."
"He wanted to invite me to be his partner and follow him to the seas to cause havoc."
"And now, that guy has killed almost all of my crewmates."
"He's quite short on partners right now."
"Tell me, when the Marines are unable to take action, will that man take this opportunity to come to Impel Down and invite these imprisoned powerful pirates to become his partners?"
Ikki knew he had a grudge against Blackbeard, and of course he didn't want him to recruit partners in Impel Down like in the original timeline.
However, Ikki didn't plan to wait for Blackbeard's arrival at Impel Down.
After all, there was still some time before the war between the Whitebeard Pirates and Marine Headquarters.
And he had no good reason to stay here for such a long period.
At the same time, to avoid saying too much and attracting unwanted attention from the Marines and World Government, he could only hint at his concerns to Magellan and the others indirectly.
"Mr. Ikki is really amusing. How could Blackbeard possibly come to Impel Down?"
"Even Warlords aren't allowed to come here without permission."
"Even if he does come, the forces here and Director Magellan will stop him."
Sadi-chan raised the corners of her mouth and spoke with a smile.
"Haha, I'm just making a bold guess."
"Whether that will happen or not, who knows?"
"I just think that if this really happens, Director Magellan must make sure that guy is either executed or captured."
Ikki looked back at Magellan, who wore a serious expression, and then stopped in front of a particular cell.
Magellan, Sadi-chan, and the others stopped as well.
"Hey, are you here to find me?"
"Are you going to release me, Magellan?"
From within the cell, a deep voice emerged.
The figure was wearing a uniform, and even in the darkness of the cell, it was impossible to hide the intense murderous aura surrounding him.
He turned around, and a pair of slightly blood-red eyes glanced at familiar figures like Magellan and Hannyabal.
Finally, his gaze fixed on Ikki, who was holding the famous sword Raiu.
"You must be the one who was discussing things with Magellan just now."
"Your Conqueror's Haki is impressive, and your swordsman's aura is quite strong too."
"It's just... why are you holding my sword?"
At this point, Ikki could clearly feel a powerful aura emanating from Shiryu, pressing directly toward him.
The originally stagnant air around them became fluid under Shiryu's unique presence.
Magellan frowned and was about to speak when Ikki raised his hand to stop him.
"Hey there, Shiryu."
"My name is Ikki, and I'm a hunter who collects famous swords."
"Well, I made a deal with the Marines. They gave me your sword, and I taught some Marines in return."
"But I this sword belongs to you, after all."
"So I'm asking Director Magellan to let you have a fight with me."
"After I defeat you, I'll properly claim this sword and take it away."
Hearing this, Shiryu immediately frowned.
"Marines! How dare they trade my sword with others! Magellan, you need to give me an explanation!"
"Shiryu, you're a death row prisoner. Technically speaking, this sword no longer belongs to you. If Ikki hadn't asked to see you, you wouldn't have even known that this sword had fallen into someone else's hands."
"Heh, so I'm supposed to thank this brat?"
Shiryu laughed bitterly and glared at Ikki.
And Ikki continued to face him with a smile.
"Shiryu, what do you think? Want to have a fight with me?"
"Although I can't promise that if you defeat me, Director Magellan will let you go or anything like that."
"But you can at least enjoy the thrill of battle."
"I've heard that you're a great swordsman who's very passionate about executions."
"If you can defeat me, you can execute me."
Having said that, Ikki wore an extremely confident smile on his face.
Based on his current experience fighting Rayleigh, he wasn't afraid of a man who had been locked in a cage under extremely poor living conditions for so long.