Sonic didn't know how long he had been unconscious. The only thing he felt when he came to was the intense pain coming from everywhere. It felt like dozens of bones in his body were broken. He slowly opened his eyes and realized that the surroundings were in semi-darkness. Something cold was gripping his neck, and weakness was spreading throughout his body.
After a while, he got used to the situation a little and looked around. He was lying on a stone bed covered with straw, wearing a worn-out black and white striped robe. His body was wrapped in white bandages, and he was in a stone cell. There were cold shackles around his neck. A long chain attached to the ceiling told him that the weakness was not only from his injuries. It was the effect of the sea stone, which suppressed the power of the Devil Fruit.
The Devil Fruit is a chance for humans to "evolve". However, this "unnaturalness" is rejected by the sea, Mother Nature. Therefore, those who eat the Devil Fruit cannot swim and become "landlubbers". The Sea Stone is a rare mineral unique to this world. It is a strange stone that can only be found in certain parts of the sea. It has the same properties as the sea and is considered its solid form.
Scientists have found that the sea stone contains a substance called "Pyrobroin", which releases energy similar to the sea stone. But the effect of the sea stone is stronger. It is able to deprive the strength of everyone who ate the Devil Fruit, regardless of its type. At the same time, the sea stone has great hardness, so it is impossible to break such shackles.
However, the degree of the sea stone's effect depends on the user's physical condition. Some lose strength even at the slightest touch, while others can move despite the shackles.
Seeing all this, Sonic realized his situation. Apparently, he had been defeated by the red-haired Shanks, and the Devil Fruit he was escorting had been lost. The mission had failed, and he had been taken to the Marine prison, wounded.
He rose slowly from the stone bed, despite the pain, and sat up. The chain around his neck jingled. In front of him was a closed iron grate, beyond which he could see a corridor and the dim light of an oil lamp hanging on the stone wall.
"You're finally awake," a familiar voice came from the cell opposite.
"Is that you, Who's who ?" Sonic raised his eyebrows and looked closer. In the dim light of the cell opposite, he saw a man sitting on the ground in the lotus position. His body was wrapped in bandages, and on his neck were the same shackles made of sea stone. A familiar face, pink hair - it was another loser named Who's who .
"Where are we? How long was I unconscious?" Sonic asked, not asking about what had happened on Highwulrpool Island. There was no point. He knew the mission had failed and everyone would be punished. The only difference was his degree.
"We're in the underground prison of the 99th Marine Branch. You've been unconscious for three days," Who's who answered quietly, lowering his head.
- Three days... Well done, red-haired Shanks! Ho-ho-ho-ho! - Sonic covered half of his face with his hand and burst into quiet laughter.
"What are you laughing at?"Who's who asked, looking up in confusion and irritation. He looked at Sonic as if he were crazy. "What's so funny? We're being held in prison! That means the government has already decided to get rid of us! They might even send us both to Impel Down!"
Those who eat a Devil Fruit are not usually executed, no matter how serious their crime was. They are sent to a deep-sea prison. After all, if a person who is capable dies, the power of their fruit returns to the world, becoming a new threat to the government. Therefore, especially dangerous criminals are tried in Ennis Lobby and sent to the deep-sea prison "Impel Down" through the "Gate of Justice", where they remain for the rest of their days.
It may seem possible, but in reality, for pirates yearning for freedom, it is undoubtedly a punishment worse than death.
"Shut up! I know it better than you!" Sonic suddenly raised his head. His face was expressionless, and his cold eyes stared at Sonic . A beast energy gushed out from him, filling the space like an indomitable force, causing the air to tremble, emitting a booming roar.
At this moment, Who's who expression froze and his body seemed to have turned to stone. He felt like a small boat that could be capsized by a storm at any moment, or like a deer that had become a target for a wild animal. Even in his confusion, it seemed as if the figure of the man in front of him and the silhouette of the red-haired Shanks had suddenly merged into one.
Fortunately, this powerful pressure lasted only a second and then disappeared completely. For a moment, Who's who thought it was a hallucination or just blurred vision.
But in other cells that Who's who couldn't see, the prisoners who had been making only feeble noises until then rolled their eyes and collapsed to the floor.
The Marine branch's underground prison was deathly silent. Even the cicadas outside were deafening.
"Phew," only after a moment did Sonic exhale, breaking the silence.
He remained impassive and said slowly, hoarsely: "By the way, what are your plans for the future, Who's who ?"
Who's who, who had recovered from the shock of the King's Breath, shook his head in confusion and quietly replied, "I don't know... In any case, I don't believe that simply losing a Devil Fruit can send two of CP9's best agents to prison!"
"Who knows," Sonic said coldly, making no attempt to console Who's who . But he paused and added in a low voice, "By the way, from the government's violent reaction, you might have guessed that Paramecia Gum Gum Fruit might not be as simple as it seems."
"According to the description in the "Book of Devil Fruits", the Gum Gum Fruit is a normal Paramecia... Wait, are you saying that the government distorted or hid the real name of the [Gum Gum Fruit]? Is there some secret to it?" Who's who expression suddenly changed as he suddenly realized.
As the only CP9 agent in the government, second only to CP0, he was certainly aware of the dark side of power and its methods.
"Ho-ho-ho,"Sonic laughed lowly. "Failure of an agent's mission is certainly punishable, but not to the extent that we'll be sent to prison straight away. Moreover, the [Gum Gum Fruit] was our trophy. Normally, even if it were taken away, given our status and merits, the most we would get would be a reprimand."
- After all, we fought with Redhair Shanks' pirates!