The elevator groaned as it sank deeper into the abyss. The heavy chains rattled against stone walls, the dim light flickering with every passing second.
Vice Admiral Yamakaji stood with his arms folded, cigar glowing faintly in the gloom. The further they descended, the more suffocating the atmosphere became. Sweat dampened his brow, though the prison air was as cold as the depths of the sea.
Magellan, unflinching, continued his grim explanations as the levels passed one by one. Hannibal followed along, nodding furiously as though rehearsing his own authority.
"This is Beast Hell," Magellan's voice rumbled, low and steady. "The criminals here already know their fate. They will eventually be food for the beasts that stalk the shadows. Their fear has been ground down to nothing."
The elevator shuddered, descending again.
"Next is Starvation Hell. Every prisoner here has a bounty exceeding fifty million Berries. The heat from the Blazing Hell below rises constantly, baking this floor. With no food, no water, and only fire beneath them, most here waste away in silence—neither alive nor dead."
Yamakaji inhaled slowly, the smoke of his cigar curling around his stern face. Even he, hardened by years of Marine service, felt his heart tighten at the thought of such torment.
Layer by layer, Magellan's explanations grew darker, and Yamakaji's unease only deepened. He stubbed his cigar out against the cold iron wall, his jaw clenched.
At last, the elevator groaned to a halt. The iron doors creaked open.
They had arrived.
Level Six—Infinite Hell.
Even Magellan's composure shifted. His massive frame straightened, his eyes hard as steel. Hannibal swallowed audibly, his earlier bravado fading in the heavy silence that greeted them.
"This," Magellan declared, his tone grave, "is Level Six. The Infinite Hell."
He stepped forward, the echo of his boots sharp against the stone floor.
"Those imprisoned here are beyond redemption—monsters sentenced to death or life, pirates so vicious the World Government erased them from history itself. Events tied to these criminals are covered up, hidden in archives, and struck from the newspapers. Even their names are forbidden to speak outside these walls."
The air here was unnaturally still. Unlike the cries and wails of the upper levels, Level Six was cloaked in silence. The dim torches along the corridor flickered weakly, casting long shadows across the endless row of cells.
Yamakaji scanned the darkness, his chest heavy with unease. Every instinct told him this place was alive, watching.
Magellan glanced back. "Stay close. They cannot escape, not here. But don't be careless."
Ashveil's eyes gleamed faintly in the gloom. His expression remained calm, but within, his interest stirred. So this is where Ace is being held. We've finally arrived.
Their footsteps echoed in unison, breaking the eternal quiet. The first cell they approached was larger than most, its interior swallowed by darkness.
Magellan slowed his stride. "Here is Crocodile. Former Warlord of the Sea, who once attempted to overthrow Alabasta's kingdom. Defeated by Straw Hat Luffy."
From the shadows came the clang of chains against stone. Then, a voice—low, mocking, familiar.
"Magellan… shouldn't you be in your office? What business brings you here?"
Crocodile stepped into the torchlight, slicked-back hair gleaming faintly. His sharp eyes flicked to the young man chained between Marines.
"…A new face. Hmph. I've never seen one so young brought here before."
Curiosity glinted in his gaze as it lingered on Ashveil, though his lips curled in disdain.
Magellan ignored him and pressed on.
The next cell was enormous. A hulking silhouette loomed inside. "This is Sanjuan Wolf," Magellan announced. "A giant of history, his crimes so grotesque they were erased completely."
Wolf's monstrous form shifted in the dark, his heavy breathing like a drum.
One by one, Magellan introduced the others.
"This is Catarina Devon, the Crescent Moon Hunter—known as the most dangerous female pirate in history."
"This is Vasco Shot, the Heavy Drinker, whose cruelty knew no limits."
"And there," he pointed, "is Avalo Pizarro, the Corrupt King."
Each of the criminals stirred at their approach, their gazes narrowing at the sight of Ashveil.
A boy? their expressions seemed to say. To be brought here, escorted by Magellan himself and a Vice Admiral, this prisoner could only be something extraordinary.
Their laughter and whispers dripped with mockery. For the Marines to treat a "child" as a monster meant their strength must be waning.
Magellan ignored them all and stopped at a cell shrouded in deeper shadow.
"This is Portgas D. Ace," he said.
Inside, Ace was bound in massive Sea Stone shackles. His body slumped against the wall, exhausted, yet his eyes still burned with defiance.
Ace looked up, his gaze brushing over Magellan, then pausing briefly on Ashveil. But recognition never came. When Ashveil had secluded himself, Ace had already been captured. To Ace, this stranger was just another Marine weapon.
"Tch. What a waste of time," Ace muttered, voice hoarse. He turned away and fell silent again.
The group moved further down the corridor.
"This is Shiryu of the Rain," Magellan announced, stopping before a man seated calmly in a cell. "Once Head Jailer of Impel Down itself, now stripped of position for his crimes."
Shiryu's eyes gleamed dangerously as he met Ashveil's gaze. A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
The next cell held a frozen figure. "This is Byrnndi World, the so-called World Destroyer," Magellan said coldly.
And beyond him, another.
"This one is Douglas Bullet, once of the Roger Pirates. A man called the Demon Heir."
Bullet's head lifted. His stare burned into Ashveil, contempt clear in every line of his face.
"So this is what the Marines fear now? A brat? Hah!" His laughter rang through the hall. "Magellan, are you so desperate you throw children into our cage?!"
His muscles flexed as he stood, veins bulging, the hunger for battle in his eyes. "Let me out, Warden. Let me test this so-called monster myself!"
"Silence, Bullet!" Magellan snapped, his voice a thunderclap in the stone corridors. "You and the rest of these animals will only leave this place to meet the executioner's blade!"
Bullet only laughed louder, his voice echoing down the long corridor.
Ashveil, shackled and silent, only smirked faintly. His eyes held no fear. Instead, they burned with something far more dangerous.
For him, Infinite Hell was not a prison.
---