"Hey!! Shiryu, have you betrayed us!?"
"This brat took down Magellan? You've got to be kidding me!"
"To possess such terrifying Conqueror's Haki… there's no way he's just some kid!"
"Oi! Let me out of here!"
"Yo-ho! Who's that gorgeous woman? The Pirate Empress herself? Come here, baby, let me take a good look!"
"Hehehe, it's been ages since I've seen a beauty. I'm gonna die a happy man today!"
"Hey kid, what's your name? How high's your bounty?"
Inside Infinite Hell, the great pirates imprisoned there vented their loneliness — some in confusion, some in anger, others with filthy words and laughter.
"Disgusting trash!"
"Slave Arrow!"
Upon hearing the crude taunts, the Pirate Empress's eyes flashed with fury. She raised her hand, unleashing a flurry of petrifying arrows that streaked through the prison. In an instant, the vulgar men were turned into stone statues.
"These brainless fools aren't qualified to join the Dragon's Wrath Crew."
"Ninety Million Volts — Ground Thunder Serpents!"
Enel slammed his golden staff into the floor. Bolts of blinding electricity snaked across the prison, flooding the noisy cells. Dozens of infamous pirates screamed as they collapsed, their bodies twitching violently under the surge of lightning.
"Aaaah!! That's the power of the legendary Rumble-Rumble Fruit!"
"These guys… they're all under that young man's command!?"
Those shackled in seastone cuffs were scorched until smoke rose from their bodies.
"Ehehehe! Don't kill them — their shadows are still useful!"
Moria cackled as he reached into one of the cells. With a flick of his giant scissors, he cut free the shadow of an electrocuted prisoner, playing with it like a toy.
"Moria!? Even he's serving someone now!?"
"Who the hell is that guy — the one commanding monsters like this, even Shiryu of the Rain has joined him!?"
The imprisoned pirates finally began to grasp the terrifying reality before them.
"When the time comes, revive them. We can draw their blood for Blood Crystal Dandelions."
Trafalgar Law spoke coldly, his surgical eyes devoid of emotion. Perhaps even Dr. Vegapunk could make use of such powerful death-row specimens.
Bang!
"Filth like you doesn't deserve to live."
With a gunshot, Jewelry Bonney executed a petrified prisoner on the spot, shattering him into fragments of stone.
Meanwhile, Bartholomew Kuma didn't descend to the sixth level. Under Souta Kiryuu's orders, he remained on the fifth level — the Frozen Hell — waiting for Ivankov and Inazuma to arrive of their own accord.
"Oi, oi! Have you really taken over Impel Down? Magellan's fallen?"
"These guys don't mess around!"
"Hey! Let me out! I'll join you!"
One by one, powerful prisoners struck by Enel's lightning began to stir again, eyes gleaming with desperate hope.
This was their one chance at freedom — they couldn't afford to waste it.
"Silence, insects! This god demands quiet!"
Enel picked at his ear, crackling lightning dancing across his body as his impatient roar echoed through the prison.
"Oi, you scum! Any Devil Fruit users, step up to the bars and tell us your abilities!"
Hovering in midair, Ghost Princess Perona shouted with a notebook in hand, jotting down names and powers as she surveyed the cells.
"Ooh, pink-haired beauty, come closer, let me get a better look!"
One pirate, starved of women for years, grinned lecherously at her.
"Negative Hollows!"
"Law! Turn these bastards into eunuchs — drain a pound of their blood every day!"
Furious, Perona unleashed a swarm of ghostly spirits. The depraved pirates instantly collapsed, sobbing uncontrollably and begging for forgiveness.
At her threat, the rest of the inmates immediately quieted down and retreated to the corners of their cells.
None of them wanted to lose their manhood — that was a fate worse than death.
"Another ability user, huh? Looks like none of these guys are ordinary."
The prisoners eyed the floating Perona warily. A woman who could control ghosts was no simple opponent.
"Oi oi, got any booze? Give me some! I'm the user of the Booze-Booze Fruit! Let me out and I'll be yours — I, Big Barrel Basque Jote, swear it!"
The grotesque man with a red face and bulbous nose clung to the iron bars, his eyes wild with thirst.
For a man whose very soul revolved around alcohol, being locked away in the barren depths of Infinite Hell — without drink or food — was unbearable torment.
Just one drink… just one bottle… and he'd lick their boots if he had to.
He'd had enough of this hellish existence — any longer, and he'd go insane.
"Lalala, the Booze-Booze Fruit? Paramecia or Logia type?"
Perona floated up to his cell, scribbling his name and ability.
"Paramecia! Now hurry and give me a drink!"
He panted like a dog, drooling as he sniffed the faint scent of liquor on someone nearby.
"Lalala, just wait right there~"
Perona smirked mischievously before continuing her survey through the prison.
At that moment, Souta Kiryuu and Shiryu had reached the deepest section of Infinite Hell.
Inside one of the cells stood a massive block of ice — and within it, a colossal man was frozen solid.
In the cells nearby, two other figures radiated oppressive auras.
To the right, a muscular man glared coldly at Souta Kiryuu, his eyes filled with defiance.
"Douglas Bullet — the Demon Heir!"
Souta Kiryuu said calmly, recognizing the infamous pirate. After being imprisoned in Impel Down, Bullet had endured decades of confinement, training his mind and body relentlessly.
Through pure focus and control, he had mastered every fiber of his being, pushing his body to the absolute limit. His control over life energy surpassed even the Rokushiki secret art — Life Return.
After escaping, he spent two years restoring his "Demon Body" to its peak and even transcending it — infusing every cell with Armament Haki.
His mastery of external Armament was comparable to Conqueror's Haki itself, capable of enveloping an entire island. His Conqueror's Haki wasn't far behind either, and his Paramecia-type Fusion-Fusion Fruit had fully awakened.
In raw combat ability, Bullet stood on par with the Four Emperors.
"You're a pirate?"
Bullet's voice was low and cold. The aura of Conqueror's Haki radiating from Souta Kiryuu's body wasn't something a Marine could ever possess.
"I'm not."
Souta replied casually — and with a single motion, his Haki-wrapped fist shattered the iron bars of Byrnndi World's cell before turning toward the massive block of ice.
"Conqueror's Coating!"
Bullet's eyes narrowed in surprise. His heart trembled slightly.
At the age of thirteen, he had eaten the Fusion-Fusion Fruit. By fourteen, he had destroyed his own army and nation, wandering the seas in search of strength.
At fifteen, he challenged Gol D. Roger again and again — and lost every time. To become stronger, he joined Roger's crew.
By seventeen, he earned the title Demon Heir, his battles with Rayleigh shaking the seas. Many believed him to be Roger's successor — the heir of the Devil himself.
But Bullet knew the truth — that red-haired kid wearing Roger's straw hat was the one Roger truly believed in.
At eighteen, when Bullet learned Roger was dying, he challenged him one final time. After that defeat, he left the ship — and walked his own solitary path once more.