"Hey!"
A low, hoarse voice suddenly echoed from the cell.
"Kid… let me out. I can help you find what you're looking for."
Yujin froze for a moment, then slowly turned around toward the cell, his expression full of caution.
Inside, the cell was pitch-black.
He could only vaguely make out a thin figure curled up in the corner.
"Who are you?" Yujin whispered, suspicion filling his eyes.
The voice let out a cold laugh.
"Hmph. I've been locked up here far, far too long. I know every corner of Impel Down like the palm of my hand. The antidote you want… I know exactly where it is."
"If you release me, I won't just help you find it. I'll even tell you a huge secret about this world — something that will be very useful for your future adventures."
At those words, Yujin suddenly paused.
How did this man know he was searching for the antidote?
The voice came again.
"I don't just know you want the antidote. I know far more than that. Oh? So Impel Down has a hidden layer like this?"
Reading minds from afar?
The world of pirates held countless Devil Fruits, many still unknown, but such an ability could never belong to the old man before him.
Because his body was chained tightly to the wall of the cell.
Those chains were made from a special kind of sea-stone, harder than diamonds.
If he were a Devil Fruit user, he wouldn't even be able to activate his power.
That left only one possibility.
Observation Haki.
In simple terms, Observation Haki allowed one to sense an opponent's movements moments before they happened.
Some masters had taken this ability to extreme heights.
Charlotte Katakuri, for example, whose Observation Haki could glimpse parts of the future.
Thinking of this, Yujin couldn't help but smile.
He recognized the man inside the cell.
The Red the Aloof.
The Red Count—Patrick Redfield.
He was a pirate of the same era as Roger, Whitebeard, and Golden Lion Shiki—one of the strongest on that level.
But he was also unique.
He was a lone wolf.
With swordsmanship alone, he could stand on equal footing with the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates.
This man was proud and solitary.
Others were dragged into Impel Down.
He came because he found living meaningless.
After seeing Roger's accomplishments, he believed being a pirate had lost its purpose and half-willingly imprisoned himself here.
Years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Now, the Red Count's ambition to become Pirate King was burning once more.
If things followed the original timeline, he would be one of the infamous pirates who escaped during Luffy's riot in Impel Down.
Yujin never expected to encounter such a legendary pirate here.
And if Redfield truly possessed advanced Observation Haki capable of extracting memories, then he might actually know where the antidote of Eternal Hell was—by reading the minds of the jailer beasts.
With this thought in mind, Yujin spoke.
"Where is the key? Where is the antidote? I need the antidote first to save someone. If I can get the key on the way, I will. If not, saving that person comes first."
Redfield, with his mind-reading-like Haki, immediately sensed Yujin's sincerity.
After confirming it, he pointed to Yujin's right.
"The antidote is in the supply room between Levels Six and Five. When you see a very large cell, turn left, then take the right path at the second fork. You'll find the supply room there."
"As for the key, it's not so easy to get. All keys are kept together in the Chief Warden's office in the Crimson Hell. Of course, if you had the strength to break these cell doors and chains, you wouldn't need the key."
He paused, then added calmly.
"But let me warn you first. The supply room is always guarded by jailer beasts. And you… you don't look like someone strong."
The Red Count paused for a moment before continuing, "I suggest you first steal a prison guard's uniform. Find a way to blend in with them, and then—"
Yujin cut him off, "I don't have that much time to linger outside. Thank you for the information. Don't worry—no matter what, even if it means being the core of a prison break, I'll get you out. Wait for me."
The Red Count, who had grown up able to eavesdrop on the thoughts of others and had long been disappointed in the world, rarely showed a look of relief.
Human nature is unpredictable, but this time, he had bet on the right person.
Following the Red Count's route, Yujin dashed down the corridor, no longer hiding his intentions.
He couldn't gamble on whether Inazuma would hold on until the antidote was injected, so he had to bring that time as close as possible.
"Hey! Kid!"
Along the way, he passed by twenty or thirty cells. Any one of them could hold a boss-level enemy from a movie, or a future member of the Blackbeard Pirates.
When Yujin finally reached the massive cell the Red Count had mentioned, he saw a familiar face.
The captain of Ship Seven from the Blackbeard Pirates!
A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user—the Huge-Huge Fruit—Sanjuan Wolf, the Colossal Battleship!
Half asleep, Sanjuan Wolf stirred at the noise in the corridor and opened his eyes.
When he saw Yujin, he was stunned.
"How did you get out?"
"Don't worry. In a little while, you'll be out too!"
Without stopping, Yujin announced the prison break countdown to every prisoner who asked about the situation. His figure gradually disappeared at the end of the corridor.
****
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