[Cover Story · Donquixote Arc: "Editor-in-Chief, You May Rest in Peace"]
Deep in the forest after the rain, beside a freshly built grave, the sole survivor of the Natsu Daily, a middle-aged man with a stubbly beard, reverently placed offerings before the tombstone. He poured a cup of sherry, Alena's favorite, in front of the grave, then lit a cigarette, let out a long, melancholy sigh, and limped away into the distance along the mountain path...
...
With Diamante, Pica, and the others all dead, there was no one left on Patton Island who could act as a leader. The place instantly became nothing more than a scattered, broken mess.
Within just two hours, Patton Island's entire underground network was swept away by the Marine, who pounced like ravenous wolves.
After a brief tally of the spoils, Nao wasted no time. He personally led the Thunder Hawk to raid the remaining territories under Doflamingo's control.
They attacked island after island, crushing everything in their path like a rotten log, encountering no substantial resistance.
And so—
In less than two days, the Donquixote Family, which had dominated the North Blue underworld for years, was completely annihilated!
The news spread instantly, shaking the entire North Blue. Some quick-witted underworld bosses, upon learning that the Marine leading the operation was the infamous "White Dragon," were terrified and hastily ordered their subordinates to lay low, fearing they might provoke this god of death.
But most others, blinded by greed, immediately set their sights on the massive prize left behind after the Donquixote Family's fall. They secretly dispatched scouts, hoping to seize the vacant territories and businesses.
Their folly brought them only disaster.
They never imagined that Nao, a candidate for Admiral, would actually spend so much time lingering in the North Blue, launching a sweeping anti-crime campaign.
With the Donquixote Family gone, every nearby crime syndicate, underworld faction, and even the nobles and officials who colluded with them became targets of the second wave of purges—and they suffered just as badly.
The worst of the worst among them met ends even more gruesome than the Donquixote Family's.
It was said Vice Admiral Nao had a peculiar preference: many crime lords and mafia bosses ended up strung from lampposts, left for the public to "admire."
The mere rumor terrified mob leaders so much that even those thousands of miles away had the lampposts in their cities dismantled ahead of time.
The Thunder Hawk prowled the North Blue for a full week. In that time, countless clouds of tyranny and oppression that had long hung over small nations' people were swept clean.
As these reports spread, the entire North Blue was shaken even further. Ordinary citizens rejoiced, clapping in delight, racing through streets and alleys to share the news.
Nao's reputation among the people reached new heights.
But Nao himself remained unaware. By the time wandering bards began reciting tales of his deeds in taverns, he was already aboard the Thunde Hhawk, escorting Doflamingo, quietly beginning the voyage back to Marineford…
...
One Month Later – Impel Down
Bang—
With a heavy rumble, the massive Gates of Justice slowly creaked open.
The Thunder Hawk sailed out of the whirlpool currents, passed through the gates, and docked at the iron-barred platform of Impel Down's first level.
The officers in charge of escorting prisoners from Enies Lobby to this point were Rear Admiral Momonga and Commodore Onigumo.
The two adjutants commanded their marines to escort the tightly bound Doflamingo and his men off the ship. But as soon as they stepped inside the gates, both were stunned by the sight before them.
On both sides of the iron-barred entrance stood a dense crowd of prison guards, shoulder to shoulder, filling the area so thickly that the ones in the back had to tiptoe just to peek over the heads in front. Every face in the crowd was filled with anticipation and excitement.
No way…
Commodre Onigumo's mind stalled. He scratched his head in confusion—sure, Doflamingo's name was huge in the North Blue, but on the Grand Line he wasn't much compared to other infamous pirates.
And these were Impel Down guards! They'd seen all kinds of big shots and legendary pirates hauled in. Why would they put on such a massive turnout just for Doflamingo?
"Idiot," Momonga muttered under his breath, reminding him quietly:
"They saw the figurehead of the Thunder Hawk. They probably think Vice Admiral Nao came in person."
Ah… so that's it!
Onigumo turned to glance at the proud eagle-shaped prow of the Thunder Hawk and suddenly understood. Looking back at the eager faces of the guards, he could only shake his head in pity.
What a waste of excitement…
Vice Admiral Nao had finished his part of the mission long ago and gone straight back to Marine Headquarters—to his warm home and family—leaving all the dirty, tedious work to his adjutants. Onigumo and Momonga had been running back and forth between Enies Lobby and Headquarters like overworked mules, slogging it out until today.
The guards' expectations were bound to be disappointed.
"Hey…"
Onigumo suddenly noticed a few particularly tall figures standing inside the gate. He froze for a moment, then leaned over to whisper to Momonga:
"Those two… that's Warden Pablo and Vice Warden Magellan, isn't it? Even they came out personally to greet us?"
"They probably also got the wrong message and thought Vice Admiral Nao was on board," Momonga shrugged. "It's no surprise. Don't forget, when the Golden Lion invaded Impel Down, they fought shoulder to shoulder with him. That time, Vice Admiral Nao practically saved the entire prison. His prestige here isn't something most of the top brass at Headquarters could ever match."
He glanced around, lowering his voice even more:
"I've heard that in Impel Down, Nao's word carries more weight than even Fleet Admiral Kong's. Remember, Impel Down isn't part of our Marine structure. Many of these guards spend their entire lives here, some don't even know the current Admirals' names—but every single one of them knows all about Mr. Nao. To many of them, he's an idol, revered beyond belief."
"So exaggerated?"
Onigumo clicked his tongue, half envious, half impressed.
"As expected of Vice Admiral Nao… sigh, if someday we could achieve even half—no, even just a third of what he has, I'd die content."
"Don't worry. That day will come."
Momonga patted his shoulder.
"Doflamingo's already been taken inside. Stop spacing out. We need to go in too and finish the handover."
Onigumo nodded.
The two entered side by side. Meanwhile, the gathered guards outside quickly realized that Nao hadn't come with the ship. One by one, their faces fell with bitter disappointment, and they left muttering unhappily.
A few of the old-timers even shot Onigumo nasty glares, as if blaming him for their wasted excitement, leaving Onigumo baffled and confused
As per protocol, he and Momonga bowed respectfully to Warden Pablo to hand over custody of the prisoners.
But the old man only gave them a sidelong glance, grunted, and walked away with his cane without a word.
"My apologies, gentlemen," Vice Warden Magellan said, all politeness as he stepped forward.
"The warden's getting on in years. He just passed his seventieth birthday and is mostly semi-retired, rarely involving himself in affairs. If not for the rumor that Vice Admiral Nao was coming, he wouldn't have bothered to…"
"It's fine, we understand." Momonga quickly shook his head.
He and Onigumo exchanged a look, both letting out helpless wry smiles. Sigh, the difference in treatment really is worlds apart…
…
With Magellan's cooperation, the transfer went smoothly.
In less than ten minutes, Doflamingo, along with several other bounty criminals brought along, had all been handed over to the prison guards.
Normally, according to procedure, they should have boarded their warship and taken their leave by now.
But as they watched the massive elevator slowly opening, both men found their curiosity hard to suppress.
Since Magellan seemed approachable enough, Momonga took the initiative to ask if the two of them could accompany the transfer all the way down, escorting Doflamingo to his cell—just for a chance to glimpse the true interior of this mysterious and legendary undersea prison.
"You want to go down and take a look?"
Magellan was stunned for a moment, then after a bit of hesitation, he smiled and nodded:
"No problem. Normally I wouldn't allow it, but since you two are Vice Admiral Nao's adjutants, I can make an exception this once, on his account."
"Much appreciated."
Momonga was overjoyed, and with the equally thrilled Onigumo at his side, followed Magellan toward the lift.
However—
Just as they were about to step into the elevator, a tall figure suddenly appeared in the doorway, stretching out an arm to block their path.
The lighting was dim, and the figure wore a wide-brimmed hat, turned slightly to the side, puffing on a cigar. For the moment, his face wasn't clear.
"And this is…?"
The two officers were baffled. Momonga looked at Magellan in confusion.
"What are you doing?" Magellan frowned as well, then turned apologetically toward the pair.
"Sorry. Let me introduce him—this is our newly appointed Head Jailer, Shiryu…"
"No need for introductions, Magellan."
The cigar smoke drifted away, and the tall figure finally turned his face toward them—naturally shadowed, with a cold, brooding air. He grinned:
"There's no need for formalities. After all… we're old acquaintances, aren't we?"
"…It's you???"
Seeing that all-too-familiar face, Momonga and Onigumo froze for a moment—then both gasped in shock.
—Wasn't this the same troublemaking recruit they'd first met years ago, when visiting Zephyr-sensei's training camp? How on earth was he here now, suddenly reborn as Impel Down's Head Jailer?!
"See? Recognized me at a glance."
Shiryu grinned, then turned his gaze toward the slightly bewildered Magellan.
"You're going to break the rules and let these two go down?"
"Yes. After all, they're both Vice Admiral Nao's adjutants."
Magellan gave a slight nod, though inwardly he was puzzled. Wasn't Shiryu supposed to be one of Nao's closest friends? By that logic, he should've had a decent relationship with Nao's subordinates as well.
So why was he acting like there was some unresolved grudge here?
"Well… I'll explain that to you another time."
Shiryu exhaled a puff of smoke, glanced sidelong at the two, then pointed at Momonga.
"You—can go in."
Then he pointed at Onigumo, the corner of his mouth twisting into a mocking smile.
"You—cannot."
Different treatment? But why?
Magellan grew more and more confused. Momonga's eyes flickered, but he said nothing—though he did give Onigumo a meaningful glance. Onigumo, however, was momentarily stunned, then flew into a rage:
"Oi! Brat, all these years and you're still hung up about that day, huh? It was nothing but a trivial matter… what, you want another fight? You think you'll only calm down after I thrash you again?"
"Trivial?" Shiryu crushed his cigar underfoot, tossed it aside, and looked down at Onigumo with a feral grin.
"Sorry—I've always been the vengeful type. I don't see it that way… As for another fight? That suits me just fine."
"This isn't good, Shiryu."
Magellan frowned, trying to reason with him.
"At the end of the day, we're comrades on the same side. If you two clash and things get out of hand—"
"Relax."
Shiryu waved off his words with a laugh, then raised a finger to point at the still-idle lift.
"If you beat me, I'll let you go down. If you lose, then you'll crawl back onto your warship and wait. Once Rear Admiral Momonga finishes his little tour, you'll obediently leave Impel Down with him. How's that sound?"
"..."
Onigumo's temple veins bulged. Ignoring Momonga's frantic warning look, he burst out laughing in fury:
"Such arrogance! This time, I won't hold back like I did back then just because you were a new recruit. When you're beaten so badly you can't even crawl off the ground, don't blame me for going too hard!"
"Don't worry."
Shiryu lit another cigar, smiling with narrowed eyes.
"I'll hold back for you."
— — —
Ten minutes later.
On the vast open training ground of the prison's uppermost floor—the very place where Nao and Aokiji had once sparred through an entire night—Shiryu and Onigumo faced each other from a hundred meters apart.
"Go ahead."
Shiryu flicked away the end of his cigar, then drew a gleaming, brand-new longsword of fiery red-gold. His tone was calm, almost casual:
"Consider yourself lucky. Ever since this blade came into my possession, this will be its first time in real combat. You should feel honored—to be its very first defeated opponent."
"Arrogant brat!"
Onigumo roared, instantly drawing his sword. In the same breath, he launched Soru, flickering in an instant to appear behind Shiryu, slashing down hard toward his shoulder!