"How could this happen?! Why wasn't I informed before things escalated?!"
No sooner had Magellan returned to the scorching heat of Level 4 than he erupted in fury, berating his subordinates. In the short time he'd been away, multiple prisoners had escaped, and they still hadn't been recaptured.
"Maybe if you weren't so busy ogling Hancock and ignoring reports, this wouldn't have happened! The blame lies entirely with you—why don't you just step down and let someone competent take over as warden?!"
What started as a muttered complaint quickly spiraled into an unfiltered outburst. The moment the words left his mouth, Hannyabal froze, realizing what he'd just said. He swallowed hard, nervously glancing at Magellan.
"Oh? So this is my fault?"
Without giving Hannyabal a chance to explain, Magellan drove a fist straight into his skull.
"Listen up! Sadi, take the guards and block the passage to Level 5! Hannyabal, you lead the rest and secure the path to Level 3!"
"This time, we must trap Straw Hat and his allies on this level!"
"YES, WARDEN!"
Just as everyone turned to carry out their orders, Hannyabal hesitated, then spoke up again.
"Warden, the guards on Level 1 reported something else. Aside from Buggy the Clown, another prisoner named Kidd escaped. But unlike the others, he didn't flee upward—instead, he went deeper, down to Level 2. The strange thing is, he wasn't with Straw Hat, and there's no record of him ever interacting with Ace. Even weirder, he was wearing a guard's uniform. Right now, we have no idea where he is."
"One more thing—the report specifically noted that this Kidd knows Moon Walk, one of the Rokushiki techniques."
Hannyabal dumped every detail about Kidd in one breath.
"A Level 1 prisoner knows Rokushiki?!"
"What kind of background check did you idiots run before locking him up?! A prisoner like that should've been thrown straight into Level 3!"
Faced with Magellan's wrath, only Hannyabal dared to respond.
"W-Warden, it's not their fault! It was an intel failure. Kidd's bounty was only 1,000,000 Beri, barely meeting Impel Down's minimum threshold. Who knew he was hiding this much power until now?"
Hannyabal's words cooled Magellan's rage—but only slightly. The unknown was always the most dangerous. Unlike Straw Hat's reckless chaos, Kidd was cautious, patient... like a venomous snake lurking in the grass, unseen but deadly.
"Tell Saldeath to search for Kidd while suppressing the Level 2 riot. The moment he's found, notify me immediately."
"I'll personally send him to hell."
"YES, SIR!"
Even the dimmest guard could sense the killing intent radiating from Magellan. No one dared slack off now.
Achoo! Achoo!
"Ugh, who's talking crap about me behind my back?"
The oppressive heat of Level 3 was unbearable, but Kidd couldn't leave yet—not when his most crucial objective remained unfulfilled.
Half an hour ago, he'd slipped unnoticed from Level 2 (the Beast Hell) down to Level 3 (the Starvation Hell), narrowly avoiding Saldeath's sweep. But even after scouring both levels, he hadn't gained as much as he'd hoped—only three marginally useful skills:
Swordsmanship Proficiency Lv. 3
Combat Proficiency Lv. 5
Sword Skill: Aurora Slash Lv. 7
Admittedly, these were significant upgrades. Before, Kidd had been a complete amateur with a sword. Now, at least, he could wield one convincingly.
But in the grand scheme of the Marineford War, this was still barely above cannon-fodder level. He couldn't influence the battle's outcome, let alone complete the system's mission.
Right now, his biggest weakness was physical endurance. The Novice-Level Physique Lv. 9 he'd gained from the Blue Gorillas was barely enough to sustain prolonged combat. Using Moon Walk to descend from Level 1 had nearly wrecked him—his body simply couldn't keep up.
To fix this, Kidd had set his sights on one of Impel Down's most notorious creatures—the Zoan Awakened Jailer Beasts. According to former Warlord Crocodile, these half-human, half-beast monstrosities possessed insane physical resilience. If Kidd could match their durability, his biggest flaw would vanish.
And by sheer luck, one of them—Minotaurus—was currently lying unconscious on Level 3, courtesy of Luffy's earlier rampage.
This was his chance.
Following the trail of destruction, Kidd finally reached the massive ventilation shaft where Luffy and Buggy had descended. The area was littered with battle scars.
And there, in the distance, lay his target—a bull-headed, human-bodied Jailer Beast, sprawled motionless in the rubble.
As Kidd approached, his heart pounded. He prayed he wouldn't extract some useless ability.
[Ding!]
"Congratulations, Host. Acquired: Earth-Class Physique Lv. 5."
Never before had a robotic voice sounded so beautiful.
Earth-Class.
It skipped the intermediate Yellow-Class entirely, jumping straight from Novice to a higher tier.
A surge of heat flooded Kidd's body—several times more intense than before. His muscles tightened, his bones reinforced. Clenching his fist, he felt raw power coursing through him. It was as if he could punch through a mountain.
Crack.
A faint sound snapped Kidd's attention back to Minotaurus.
Though he hadn't awakened Observation Haki, his instincts screamed danger.
The beast's life force was stirring.
And it was pissed.
"So much for a clean getaway."
Kidd's calm gaze sharpened into a battle-ready glare. Aside from his brief scuffle with the Blue Gorillas, he'd never been in a real fight.
But the war ahead would be brutal.
If this overgrown bull wanted a fight?
Fine.
He'd use it as practice.
"MOOOO!!"
With a deafening roar, Minotaurus lurched upright, its bloodshot eyes locking onto Kidd with murderous intent.