The Ark Maxim sped through the skies, rushing back toward the Grand Line at incredible speed. There was no time to even receive the latest newspapers.
If Enel knew that his bounty hadn't been raised, he'd probably explode with rage right there on the spot.
Had he known that killing a Celestial Dragon made the bounty skyrocket so quickly, he would've never wasted time dueling with Saint Prazes in the first place!
At that moment, the Ark Maxim had already reentered the Grand Line, crossing into the Calm Belt and heading straight toward the legendary underwater prison—Impel Down.
Before the Auron Pirates had destroyed Enies Lobby, they'd found among their spoils a permanent Log Pose pointing straight to Impel Down.
And even if they hadn't, Souta Kiryuu would've forced that traitor Spandam to deliver both a map and a permanent pointer to the prison himself.
"The Navy's main forces are all deployed in the middle section of the New World. They pose no threat for now," Souta said with a grin. "The ones who might cause trouble are Akainu back in Marineford, and the Five Elders stationed at Mary Geoise. So this battle must end quickly. No hesitation!"
A feral smile tugged at Souta's lips as he barked his orders. With the ability to fly, the so-called natural barrier of the Calm Belt and its monstrous Sea Kings had become nothing but a joke.
Steel walls? Impenetrable defenses? Those no longer existed in his eyes.
Even Impel Down's strongest wardens—Magellan and Shiryu—wouldn't be able to stand against the power of the Auron Pirates now.
Besides, Shiryu might not even still be free. For all Souta knew, the man had already been sentenced to death for slaughtering prisoners for amusement—perhaps imprisoned deep within Level 6, Infinite Hell.
But Souta doubted Magellan would ever truly kill such a powerful subordinate. A death sentence with suspension—likely just a warning to force Shiryu to restrain himself.
Not that it worked. Shiryu never cared about duty or justice. All he lived for was the thrill of killing.
If he ever got the chance, he'd betray Impel Down in a heartbeat, cutting down even his own comrades just for the ecstasy of bloodshed.
As the Ark Maxim closed in on Impel Down, Souta's grin widened. Even if some powerful pirates refused to join him, their Devil Fruits, bloodline factors, and genetic potential were all resources that could still be exploited—and enhanced through modification if necessary.
"Even if Shiryu isn't imprisoned yet… it won't change Impel Down's fate."
Souta clenched his fists, eyes gleaming with ambition as he declared their arrival.
"Boss God!! Are we starting?!"
High above the massive prison, Enel licked his lips, electricity crackling along his body as he spoke, battle lust surging in his eyes. He was eager to see if this legendary prison housed anyone worthy of challenging him.
"Prepare the antidotes developed by Vegapunk. Make sure you've got your Blood Crystal Dandelions and gas masks ready."
"Let's begin!"
Souta's voice rang out across the Ark. On his signal, Enel activated the thunder cage that jammed all Den Den Mushi signals in the area.
A surge of lightning engulfed the Ark Maxim's systems as Enel unleashed his power. A massive thunder dome descended, enveloping the entire first floor of Impel Down in a shimmering electric field.
"Move out!!"
Souta was the first to leap. His body morphed midair, transforming into a crimson dragon, his conqueror's Haki exploding outward in an overwhelming wave that crashed down upon the prison.
Within seconds, the majority of the guards and jailers on the first level collapsed, unconscious beneath his sheer willpower.
"W–Who's there?!"
A trembling jailer shouted, clutching his weapon. But before he could blink, a shirtless man with long earlobes appeared before him, cold, dead-fish eyes staring straight into his soul.
"R–Raijin… En… Enel!"
The jailer barely managed to stammer the name before a bolt of lightning obliterated him. In an instant, countless arcs of electricity slithered across the corridors, electrocuting every conscious guard still standing.
Meanwhile, in the boiling pools below—where prisoners were "cleansed" before imprisonment—those knocked unconscious by Souta's Haki twitched and writhed under the scalding water, instinctively trying to rise for air.
Enel and Gecko Moria watched them coldly, while Lafitte chuckled, his eerie smile spreading wide.
Only Bartholomew Kuma moved, fishing the unconscious prisoners from the boiling water and tossing them aside without a word.
"Heh-heh… Just the entry 'baptism' alone boils them alive at a hundred degrees. Impel Down makes the prisons of the West Blue look like daycare."
Lafitte laughed softly. This kind of cruelty was exactly his style—no sympathy, no mercy.
"There's a large elevator here," Souta noted. "It leads straight down to Level 4—the Blazing Hell—and connects to the Chief Warden's office."
"Bege, you take the three Seraphim units and the Pacifistas. Lafitte and Akino, you'll assist him. Sweep through from Level 1 down to Level 4—kill every guard, every beast, every warden."
"The rest of you, with me. We'll handle Magellan—the poison-wielding monster himself."
"Understood!!"
The Auron Pirates split into two strike teams, each moving with lethal precision.
As Capone Bege and his squad stormed the Crimson Hell of Level 1, their presence was immediately detected by the surveillance Den Den Mushi. Sirens blared throughout the prison as warning buzzers echoed from the fourth level control room.
"Ahahaha! The prisoners here all have bounties starting at ten million Berries!" Bege roared, cigar clamped between his teeth. "But you weaklings aren't even fit to be grunts in the Auron Pirates!"
Invading Impel Down—something he'd never even dreamed of doing—was now reality. And the most shocking part? It was absurdly easy. The so-called iron fortress of the sea was crumbling before them.
"Who are you?! Free us!"
"Please, I'll serve you forever if you let me out!"
The Crimson Hell erupted in chaos. The inmates screamed, pounding on their cells as the invasion threw the level into total pandemonium.
Their cries drew the attention of the Blue Gorillas, Poison Spiders, and squads of armed guards.
"Ahahaha! Kill them all!!"
Bege's voice roared over the chaos. His mafia troops, ten Pacifistas, and three Seraphim unleashed hell.
Gunfire thundered. Explosions tore through the crimson walls. Guards were shredded by machine-gun fire and annihilated by the laser cannons of the Pacifistas.
Souta's Deva Path slashed down with the black blade Shusui, his punch rippling with a violet aura that crushed Blue Gorillas and Poison Spiders flat into the floor.
His Human Path floated overhead, drawing both Enma and Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, unleashing twin arcs of sword energy that carved through everything in sight.
Meanwhile, his Asura Path wielded the cursed blade Sandai Kitetsu in one hand and a roaring submachine gun in the other, mowing down anything that moved.
"So strong…"
"M–Monsters…"
The prisoners cowered in their cells, horrified by the sheer scale of destruction.
"Heh-heh-heh… All right, anyone with a Devil Fruit power—step forward," Lafitte said, twirling his cane-sword elegantly as he strolled through the corridor like an actor on stage. "Perhaps you'll earn a place in our supreme Auron Pirates."
"And anyone brave enough to curse the Celestial Dragons aloud… you're also welcome to our consideration."