"I want every guard remaining on Level 3 and Level 2 to move to Level 4 right now!" a man screamed through a downed guard's transponder snail.
On the other side of the call, a large man in a black uniform with black horns barked orders at his men.
"How have we not caught him yet? What are we doing? Where are the Demon Guards?"
"Fighting, sir," said a shirtless man wearing a pharaoh hat and small black wings.
"How are they doing?"
"Bad. Really bad, sir."
"How bad exactly?"
"Well, two of them are on the ground, barely alive. The last one can't keep up with him. As a matter of fact, no one seems to be able to."
"Who is that guy? Where did he come from?" asked the large man, his fists clenched.
"He's called Shadow the Hedgehog, sir."
"Never heard of him. How the hell did he end up here?"
"I… I don't know, sir. Reports say he just… appeared here."
"How does someone just appear in Impel Down? That doesn't just happen! He came here under our noses and no one noticed?"
"Well… sir, that's what the reports are saying—"
"Well, they're wrong!" he shouted, punching a wall. "It's impossible to infiltrate this prison without anyone noticing! There has to be a mole in here!"
His belly growled. "I'll do everything in my power to stop this creature. But first, I need to go somewhere."
The man disappeared into a room, and splashing sounds echoed from beyond the door. The pharaoh-hatted warden grimaced at every farting and splattering noise. His expression shifted to a frown as he took a serious tone. He pushed a button on the transponder snail.
"To the guards on every level. Code Black. Keep the minimum number of guards required on your floor. The rest of you, we need reinforcements on Level Four. Top priority right now is to eliminate the threat. Detain if possible but if not, don't hesitate to kill."
The message echoed through the battlefield on Level Four.
This floor was an immense dungeon with pools of boiling blood. The heat alone was enough to make a man think he had descended into hell. The screams of tortured prisoners were another reason.
But this time, the screams filling the place didn't come from prisoners, they came from the guards fighting the ultimate lifeform. The same people who spent their days tormenting inmates were now the victims of their own hell.
Guns had no effect on the creature. He wasn't bulletproof; they simply couldn't hit him. He appeared and vanished, leaving destruction in his wake. No one had seen his face; those who had were no longer alive.
Among the guards, rumors spread that they were fighting the vengeful spirit of all the prisoners they had killed. The orange aura surrounding him made it easy to believe.
Wherever this orange figure went, death followed close behind.
After two hours, Level Four had transformed into a forest with trees made of light spears, with corpses hanging as branches and leaves. The place was haunted, not by spirits or the dead, but by a shadow lurking in silence.
Hundreds of meters from the fight, behind a collapsed wall, a bloodied guard hid while holding a transponder snail. His hands shook as he activated it.
"Si… sir, we're dying out here. We can't win against this guy! What are we supposed to do?"
The man with the pharaoh hat hesitated. He didn't have an answer. The only hope of stopping the creature was currently in the bathroom.
"Try… try to hold out for a few moments. The warden will be there soon."
"Sir, I… I don't think we can! I don't even know what I'm fighting! He's using abilities I've never seen before. It doesn't even look like a Devil Fruit!" Tears streamed down the man's face.
"Sir, I can't die here… I have a son at home. He needs me… I need him. Please tell me you have a plan… please!"
The vice-warden stayed silent. Anything he said would be bad news. He thought about his position being compromised. Then he took a deep breath.
"Guard, I—"
"I'll be coming in a few minutes. In the meantime, stay safe."
The warden hung up the call.
"I've had enough. I can't let him continue this rampage. This chaos ends now. It's my role and responsibility to bring order to this place. I, Magellan, was not named warden for nothing. It's time to prove it."
Shadow knocked out his last opponent. The area was covered in smoke, light spears impaled into the stone floor. He looked around and saw guards fleeing but he didn't bother chasing them. There was no point.
The only thing he wanted was to get out of this place and reunite with his friends. He was worried they might be here too.
A drop of purple liquid fell in the corner of his eye, landing on the ground and dissolving the stone.
Another, larger one nearly hit his head. Then it started raining. He quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the falling drops. The liquid began sliding across the ground, gathering into a mass in front of him. It rose, forming a large silhouette with wings and horns.
"I thought I'd be facing a monster the size of Kaido," the figure said, gaining shape. "But it's you who's been terrorizing my men? Pathetic. You're not even the size of a child. Still, I won't underestimate you, young man."
"Young man?" Shadow said with a small grin.
"You've done too much damage for me to forgive you, Shadow. Your life ends here and now."
"Don't get too full of yourself. The only thing I want is to leave this place. This chaos was started by your men and they chose their fate. If you wish to see tomorrow, I'd advise you to leave me alone and show me the exit."
The warden laughed.
"You really think I'd just let you get away? No one escapes this prison under my watch. I'm ready to die by that rule. I hope you're ready for what comes next."
"Forgive me, Maria."