"Let's go!"
After standing in silence for a moment, Kai gestured to the dozen prisoners by his side.
His target was the sixth level of Impel Down.
The men around him exchanged uneasy glances. They had no idea where Kai was leading them.
'Are we making a run for it right now?'
'And more importantly, did he manage to learn Armament Haki after all that fighting?'
That was the question on everyone's mind. Only with Armament Haki would they stand a chance against the warden of Impel Down, Magellan.
As they walked, a prisoner noticed their direction felt wrong. He nervously asked, "Kai, are we going to… Level Six?!"
"No way, we're really going to Level Six?" another prisoner whispered in disbelief.
"The people locked up there are on a whole other level. They're actual demons!"
"Is he planning to let all of them out? To break out of Impel Down together?"
"It's one way to do it, I guess. But the path to Level Six is under constant surveillance. We'll be spotted the second we get close."
"We're already breaking out, who cares if they see us…"
The sixth level of Impel Down was known as the Infinite Hell.
The inmates there were either on death row or serving life sentences. These weren't just ordinary criminals. Their crimes were so monstrous they were considered demons. Many were legendary pirates whose names had been erased from history. The atrocities they committed were so extreme that the World Government had to cover them up, deliberately keeping them out of the newspapers.
A lot of the men in Kai's group wanted no part of this. They didn't want to go to Level Six, and they certainly didn't want to set its prisoners free.
The inmates of Level Six were terrifying. Releasing them would be a disaster for the entire world, a great sin.
Besides, Level Five, the Freezing Hell, was too cold for the surveillance Den Den Mushi to work. But the corridor leading to Level Six was a different story. It was a high-surveillance zone.
The moment they stepped into that corridor, the control room would know.
"Boss Kai, we'll stay on Level Five. When you head into the passage, we'll release the other prisoners here and charge up to Level Four. It'll create a distraction!"
"Yeah, that's a good idea! It'll keep the guards from swarming Level Six and cornering us!"
"We should try to free the prisoners on Level Four and Three too. That'll really spread their forces thin."
Kai didn't object to their suggestions. "Fine. You can do that. Anyone who still wants to come to Level Six can follow me."
These men weren't loyal.
They were all just using each other for one single purpose to escape.
Right away, seven or eight men decided to stay on Level Five to free the other prisoners. A few others volunteered to sneak up to the fourth and third levels to cause more chaos.
Their goal was to throw the entire prison into disarray, to scatter the guards.
Not everyone in the group was a powerful fighter. Even with Kai leading them, if the prison's forces were too concentrated, they could easily be captured.
The more chaotic Impel Down became, the more spread out the guards were, the better their chances of escaping.
And without the Seastone cuffs restraining them, it wasn't impossible for the Devil Fruit users to slip into the upper levels.
"Let's get to it then!"
After a quick discussion, they split up. Some went to the fourth and third levels, while others stayed on the fifth.
The prisoners Kai had killed were only in one section of the Freezing Hell. There were plenty of other inmates still locked up.
Kai himself took five men and headed for Level Six.
His plan was simple. Let the monsters of Level Six out to draw Magellan's attention. It would make his own escape much easier.
'And there's another benefit…' Kai thought. 'Once we're out, compared to the prisoners from Level Six, I'll look harmless.'
The Navy would have to prioritize chasing the legendary criminals from Level Six, not him.
"This is it!"
They stood before a large, sealed gate that led to the corridor between Level Five and Six.
On the other side of that gate was the passage.
And beyond the passage was Level Six, the Infinite Hell.
The corridor was monitored by Den Den Mushi. The moment they stepped inside, the control room would be alerted.
This was the official start of their escape.
BOOM!!
Without any hesitation, Kai swung his sword. A powerful blast of energy shot out, splitting the massive gate in two.
His men followed up with a powerful kick, sending the broken pieces of the gate flying.
Kai was the first one through, leading his five companions into the passage to the Infinite Hell.
At the same time, the prisoners on Level Five made their move. They freed the other inmates, and a massive mob of prisoners charged towards Level Four.
The prisoners who had snuck into the fourth and third levels also began freeing the inmates there.
Level Five had no surveillance, so no one noticed until it was too late.
The sound of hundreds of prisoners charging from Level Five was the signal. The inmates on the upper levels joined the riot.
The entire prison erupted into chaos.
In the control room, alarms blared.
"Prisoners have been released in Section xxx-xxx of Level Four!"
"A large number of prisoners are free on Level Three!"
"Level Five… hundreds of prisoners are charging towards Level Four!"
"Damn it!! There are intruders in the passage between Level Five and Six! They're going to release the prisoners in the Infinite Hell!!!"
The control room was in a state of panic. Seven or eight operators frantically called the warden, the vice-warden, and the head guard, reporting the chaos on every level.