Impel Down—this was Ortoren's first time setting foot here in nearly ten years since joining the Marines. The entire Impel Down Grand Prison was a colossal tower-like structure, its base sunk deep into the ocean floor. Each level rose upward in stacked tiers, and the fortress that jutted above the sea was actually the smallest of them all. Even so, the portion visible above the surface was the size of a small island.
A thick ring of outer walls encircled the fortress, and beyond those walls, a powerful Marine fleet kept constant watch. The surrounding waters were home to countless massive Sea Kings. Combined with Impel Down's position in the Calm Belt, it was nearly impossible for any ship to reach the prison unless it was carried by the currents generated by the Gate of Justice.
Together with the Never-Sleeping Island, Judicial Island, and Marine Headquarters, Marineford, it formed a triad of defenses. For this reason, the great prison was known as the "impregnable fortress."
In the original story, Shiki cutting off his own legs to escape was hailed as Impel Down's first failure in eight hundred years. But the truth was different. Long before Shiki, Morley of the Revolutionary Army—also a Giant—had already accomplished the same feat. At the time, no one knew how he vanished, so he was simply declared missing.
Only after he resurfaced as a Revolutionary Army member did his escape become undeniable. But by then, hardly anyone cared about the details of Morley's disappearance, and neither Impel Down nor the World Government wanted to embarrass themselves by digging into it. The incident was quietly buried, known only to a few.
...
After Ortoren disembarked at the outer military port, the massive gate set into the outer wall slowly opened. From within emerged Magellan, tall and imposing in his Chief Warden's uniform, wearing a broad, earnest grin as he led a large group of Impel Down's senior staff to greet him.
"Hahaha! Vice Admiral Benn, welcome to your inspection of Impel Down!"
Magellan called out with a booming laugh even before he got close.
Magellan had been promoted to Chief Warden about two years ago, in 1502. He was extremely young for the position—just twenty-nine when he took over the Grand Prison. Now at thirty-one, he wasn't much older than Ortoren-sama.
But as Magellan laughed, Ortoren felt a faint yet unmistakable sense of danger. Although it wasn't obvious at a glance, a closer look revealed that everything Magellan did—every breath, every movement—released a nearly invisible layer of poison into the air. The air stirred by his breathing, the faint steam rising from his sweat, even the tiny flakes of skin drifting from him—everything was toxic.
Fortunately, Magellan kept himself tightly covered. Only his head was exposed; the rest of his body was sealed inside his specially designed warden's coat, gloves, and gear. This was the power of Magellan's Devil Fruit—the Paramecia-type Doku Doku no Mi.
Anyone who knew Magellan understood one rule: if you became his enemy, never fight him at close range. The moment you got near him, you were guaranteed to be poisoned. Once poisoned, your condition would rapidly deteriorate, and the tides of battle would inevitably turn.
His toxins couldn't be cured by ordinary means. Aside from his own specially made antidotes, nothing could neutralize them—unless one relied on special abilities beyond conventional methods. His poison wasn't just potent; it was abundant. When he went all out, the sheer volume and force of his toxins could temporarily rival the explosive power of Logia abilities—truly terrifying.
This was why Magellan favored enclosed, confined environments. In such spaces, he was virtually unbeatable. At full power, he could flood the entire Impel Down with toxic mist and venom, and he also held the authority to purge the entire facility if necessary.
Ortoren possessed exceptional physical prowess, yet he had no desire to test himself against Magellan's toxins. Magellan's poison wasn't just a physical attack—if one had to categorize it, it was closer to a magical assault. His so-called steel body might not help at all; at best it would only give him slightly higher resistance after being poisoned.
Though these thoughts swirled in his mind, Ortoren's expression didn't reveal a thing. He laughed warmly and said,
"Director Magellan, you're being far too formal. We've been partners for so long—just call me Ortoren. Besides, I'm not here on an inspection. Just passing through..."
As he spoke, Ortoren made no attempt to hide his intentions. He spread his arms wide, intending to give the towering Magellan a hug. Even with his own height of over three meters, he could only reach Magellan's chest...
But the moment Ortoren moved, a man who looked like a little demon imp darted between them, holding out a gas mask. He offered a friendly warning:
"Vice Admiral Benn, our Director is covered in toxins. While you're immensely powerful, we'd advise you to take precautions..."
Magellan seemed to suddenly recall the problem. He stopped in his tracks and gave an embarrassed smile.
"Completely forgot about that. My apologies."
Ortoren accepted the gas mask without hesitation, smiling as he took it from the demon-like man.
"Hannibal, right? Thanks."
Indeed, this little demon was Hannibal. Hearing Ortoren's thanks, he asked in surprise,
"Vice Admiral Benn, you know me?"
"Admiral Sengoku told me. He said you were the kindest, bravest soul in Impel Down." Ortoren praised him sincerely.
Hannibal almost burst into tears with joy after hearing that even an Admiral spoke so highly of him, and his admiration for Ortoren grew instantly.
After putting on the gas mask, Ortoren walked alongside Magellan. Chatting and laughing, they stepped through the gates of Impel Down together.
"How's it going? Managing the pressure around here lately?" Ortoren asked casually.
"That's all thanks to your G-5 team's help. You just missed it today—this morning six warships came in, packed to the brim. Overloaded, really. Nearly fifteen thousand pirates captured in the recent sweep were brought in. On a normal month we're lucky to get one shipment like that, but on bad months we've had as many as four... At this scale, even Impel Down's capacity won't hold for long." Magellan sighed.
And that was only the consolidated shipments. There were also scattered deliveries throughout the week that Magellan didn't even bother mentioning.
Hearing this, Ortoren felt a bit envious. What was a burden here would be excellent manpower back at G-5.
"Director Magellan..." Ortoren began.
"We're friends now," Magellan cut in. "Just call me Magellan, Ortoren."
Seeing this, Ortoren didn't hold back. He laughed heartily.
"Magellan, let me tell you—don't ever feel burdened. If you run out of space, just say so. At G-5, more is always welcome. Whatever you send, we can handle it!"
"With that promise, I won't hold back," Magellan said happily.
The sea-level floor of the Grand Prison wasn't a cell block but rather the prison's administrative area, recreation zone, and storage sector. On regular days, the guards relaxed here after their shifts.
Magellan's warden's office, however, wasn't on this floor. It was located on Level Four—the Blazing Hell. That placement allowed Magellan to reach any level of the prison quickly.
Normally, everyone entering Impel Down had to undergo strict inspections. But Ortoren obviously didn't need them. Magellan didn't even bring it up, leading him straight into the prison fortress.
They also declined any accompanying staff. The Impel Down personnel who had come to welcome Ortoren were dismissed and sent back to their duties. Magellan personally led Ortoren into a dedicated elevator, descending toward the area where his office was located.
Standing inside the elevator, Ortoren looked up at the four surveillance Den Den Mushi mounted above.
Magellan noticed and smiled.
"Throughout Impel Down, only my office has no surveillance Den Den Mushi. If you want to talk, we can speak there."
"That was precisely my intention..." Ortoren replied with a smile.
...
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