"Hm? This brat… he's learning a little fast?"
"That Haki just now… he's already touched the threshold?"
"He's grasping Conqueror's Haki this quickly?"
Three days later, doubt turned into shock.
Golden Lion stared wide-eyed at the slash Leno unleashed—one infused with a tearing will.
"…He's already mastered it? And without even using a sword?!"
Bullet felt Leno's Conqueror's Haki—still faint, yet carrying an overwhelming pressure.
He shut his mouth.
Redfield watched as Leno closed his eyes, calmly evading his attacks without the slightest change in expression.
The corners of his mouth twitched.
Feeling their pride wounded, the three increased the intensity of their instruction.
A few days later—
They were numb.
Not just them—even the pirates in neighboring cells were numb.
Whatever they taught, Leno would comprehend, absorb, and even extrapolate from at astonishing speed!
The characteristics of his "Chop-Chop" ability seemed to merge perfectly with his Conqueror's Haki.
It gave his Haki a unique sharpness—an edge that felt capable of tearing through anything!
In just one week, Leno underwent a complete transformation.
His Conqueror's Haki was now under full control—freely unleashed or withdrawn at will.
He still needed real combat to refine Conqueror's coating, but the foundation had been laid with extreme solidity.
His Observation Haki's range and precision had also improved drastically.
No matter how they racked their brains—
Had the Navy shoved their heads into some mysterious giant's cave?
How else could they make such a disastrously stupid decision?
Aside from training,
Leno also extracted various odd bits of information from them—locations of rare Devil Fruits, hidden treasure troves, secret routes.
As for the demon statues in his mind, he had figured them out as well.
The Devil Fruits manifested by those statues had no side effects.
Their abilities were stronger than ordinary Devil Fruits.
But there was one catch—
Upon awakening, the statue would transform into a true demon.
If Leno won, his strength would skyrocket, and the demon's ability would greatly strengthen.
If he lost—
Simple.
He would die.
That gave him a sense of urgency.
As for how to unlock the other statues—
It seemed tied to pushing certain emotions to their absolute peak.
How many statues were there in total?
He didn't know.
But that didn't matter right now.
What mattered most—
was leaving Impel Down.
Returning his focus to reality, Leno stretched his limbs.
Then he shouted to the entirety of Eternal Hell:
"In a moment, I'll release you. As for who escapes—that depends on your own ability!"
The pirates erupted in excitement. No one wanted to remain in this hellhole!
For an entire week, Den Den Mushi had fainted intermittently.
Magellan would likely notice something soon.
But it didn't matter.
Leno's goal had already been achieved.
As for the pirates of Eternal Hell—
If this had happened before, the instant they were freed, they would have united to tear Leno apart.
But after witnessing his terrifying learning ability over the past week—
They didn't dare.
No one was confident they could kill this monster.
And if he escaped and survived?
Being hunted by someone like him later would be far worse.
Deep down, they even felt a strange anticipation—
Imagining this Navy traitor rising to the throne of great pirates and making the Navy regret everything!
Leno stepped before the iron bars of his cell.
His five fingers curved like claws, and he tore violently at the thick Seastone bars blocking the entrance.
A screeching metallic groan rang out.
The Seastone bars that had confined countless top-tier powerhouses—
were ripped and twisted apart like fragile paper under an invisible force.
A path to freedom opened.
Then he clenched his hand toward the empty air ahead.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A series of crisp, glass-like shattering sounds rang out!
The Seastone shackles on every prisoner's wrists and ankles snapped instantly, clattering to the ground.
Seeing the torn Seastone bars—
Feeling the lightness return to their bodies—
The pirates' excitement was matched only by deep fear and caution toward Leno.
This display was even more outrageous than Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
That was Seastone—
The hardest material in the world, highly resistant to Devil Fruit powers!
And he crushed and tore it apart so casually?
If that ability were used on a person…
Leno did not rush forward as the spearhead.
Instead, he raised his arm and shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos:
"Freedom is right in front of you! Charge!"
Nothing ignited the madness of prisoners more than the word "freedom."
"Freedom! I'm finally free!"
"Charge! Break out!"
"Hahaha! Navy scum, your grandpa's coming out!"
Douglas Bullet was the most excited, smashing his fists together with a thunderous boom.
"Hahahahaha! Finally, I can have a real fight!"
They surged forward in a roaring flood, rushing toward the exit of Level 6 like an unstoppable tide.
In contrast, Shiki the Golden Lion merely grinned—excited, but composed.
This was his second prison break.
He wouldn't charge recklessly like hotheaded rookies.
Patrick Redfield remained calm, quietly adjusting his state.
He knew that truly escaping Impel Down would not be decided at this moment.
Leno, meanwhile, retreated to the very back of the rioting crowd, watching coldly as they cleared the path for him.
—
Elsewhere in Impel Down.
A fully armed marine rushed anxiously to the restroom door, behind which Magellan was suffering from violent diarrhea.
"Warden! Massive riot in Eternal Hell! Prisoners are breaking through! Requesting you to immediately… resolve the issue and suppress them!"
From inside came Magellan's pained and shocked shout:
"Nani?! A riot?!"
Suppressing his discomfort, he roared:
"H-have Hannyabal hold them off first! I—I'll be there once I'm done!"
The marine, long accustomed to this routine, turned expressionlessly and hurried away.
Behind him, Magellan's muffled groan drifted out:
"…Leno… you bastard… don't make this difficult for me…"
—
Elsewhere, Vice Warden Hannyabal was already sweating profusely.
Yet he forced himself to appear calm, waving his weapon while shouting orders:
"Quick! Quick! Block them!"
"Those monsters from Eternal Hell must not break through! For my future as warden—ah no! For justice! Stop them!"
Countless Jailer Beasts and marines crowded the entrance to Level 5, the Freezing Hell, bracing for impact.
What began as a Level 6 riot had escalated—
Even the vicious criminals of Level 5 had joined the chaos, amplifying the turmoil.
These were hardened monsters.
Of course they were terrified.
Especially those from Eternal Hell—
Those were true demons of the seas.
The violent tremors even reached Level 5.5, the hidden Newkama Land—
though its residents did not emerge to participate.
—
At the rear of the riotous crowd,
Leno noticed Shiki the Golden Lion and Patrick Redfield walking unhurriedly beside him.
He frowned.
"Why are you following me?"
"Go charge. Don't you want freedom?"
"You're in your prime. You should be rushing forward. Isn't freedom appealing?"