Year 1510, Sea Circle Calendar — Impel Down, Beast Hell.
Sadie's voice cut through the chaos like a whip.
"You worms... I should have peeled the flesh from your bones when I had the chance! And now you dare... revolt?"
Her scream echoed through the shattered halls, drowning the prisoners in dread.
Even the bravest froze when her shadow stretched over the carnage.
But Ryoku Vale walked forward through the blood-slicked stones.
Silent. Hollow-eyed.
The crowd parted without a word.
He didn't shout.
He didn't taunt.
When he finally spoke, his voice was as cold as the steel at his wrists.
"If your beasts and petty warden are still breathing, you should go check on them after this."
Sadie's sneer faltered.
Her grip tightened on the trident.
She understood now—this wasn't a prisoner.
This was a predator loose in her den.
But she couldn't show fear.
She lunged.
Ryoku's body blurred.
Leaf Instant Body.
Pain ripped through his muscles as he appeared behind her.
His fist crashed into her jaw before she could react.
"Bang."
Her body flew like a rag doll, slamming into the stone walls, crumbling them under the force.
The prisoners gasped.
The guards screamed.
Sadie... didn't rise.
Ryoku stood over her broken form, the seal still burning behind his eyes.
Every breath hurt.
Every second the seal stayed open drained him.
But he didn't flinch.
He stared into the eye of the Den Den Mushi mounted on the wall, his expression hollow.
"Magellan," his voice rasped, "you see me now, don't you?"
"If you force my hand, I'll drown this prison in its own blood."
His words weren't threats.
They were facts.
He dropped Sadie's battered form onto the stone.
The prisoners cheered wildly.
But Ryoku's face never changed.
He wasn't here for them.
Inside the surveillance room, Magellan stood, lips pressed tight.
Even Hannibal—the simpering, scheming deputy—fell silent.
They had all seen it.
Sadie, crushed in a single blow.
No tricks.
No theatrics.
Just ruthless efficiency.
"He's not bluffing," Magellan muttered.
Hannibal fumbled for excuses, his tone dripping with fake cheer.
"Well, Warden, I... guess you're finally in trouble. If you fall, maybe I can finally—ah, ahaha, just kidding, Warden, of course."
Magellan's glare cut him off.
"Enough, Hannibal," he snapped. "Gather the main force. Meet them at Level Three. I'll tolerate no delays."
Hannibal paled, but obeyed, waddling from the room.
Only Domino remained.
Her expression was stone.
"Orders, Warden?"
Magellan's gaze lingered on the monitor.
"If I fall..." he said quietly, "...release Shiliew."
Domino stiffened.
"Release... Shiliew of the Rain?"
Her voice cracked, the weight of those words sinking in.
Magellan's tone never changed.
"This isn't a rebellion. This is a war. And to win, we'll need every blade... even his."
He turned away from the screens.
"Prepare the locks. If I fall... he becomes our final weapon."