A warship bearing the emblem of the World Government lay quietly anchored in the sea between the three islands of Baiya, silently watching the eastern island shrouded in snow and wind. From time to time, golden flashes, red fireballs, and purple-black slashes could be seen on the island, accompanied by deafening roars that came in rapid succession.
"It's been five days, hasn't it?" asked a man in white, wearing a white mask, his voice heavy as he stood on the deck. Behind him stood over a dozen CP6 agents in black suits, exuding an elite aura. Upon hearing his question, one of them quickly responded, "Reporting, sir, yes, it has been five days!"
"It seems the outcome will soon be decided. How are the ogre race members locked in the ship's cells? None have died, right?" the man in white continued without turning his head.
"The ship's doctors have treated them, and their natural vitality is stronger than that of ordinary humans, so they are all alive and well. They've been injected with anesthetics and are still unconscious," came the reply.
The man in white nodded in satisfaction. "Good, keep a close eye on them."
"Yes, sir!"
Time continued to pass mercilessly, carried away by the cold wind, and another four hours slipped by in silence. Suddenly, the eastern island of Baiya seemed to grow quiet. The flashes of light, the explosions—everything settled into stillness. The snowstorm that had filled the sky had ceased at some point, leaving only the brilliant sunlight covering everything around, casting the island's numerous craters and slash marks into stark, grotesque relief.
At that moment, the Cipher Pol agents on the warship keenly heard a dull thud. Immediately afterward, a black shadow shot out from within the eastern island at high speed. The shadow crashed heavily onto the ground, rolling over a dozen times before finally lying motionless on the relatively intact beach. Soon after, a golden flash of light coalesced beside the shadow.
It was Borsalino. However, his current appearance was utterly disheveled. He was drenched in sweat, his breathing slightly labored and heavy, and his bright yellow suit was torn to shreds. Only his Justice Coat remained somewhat intact, though its left sleeve had been sliced off at the elbow.
"Whew—what a troublesome guy. That really wore me out," Borsalino muttered, looking down at Gecko Moriah, who lay unconscious with his eyes rolled back. He shook his head wearily. These five days of battle had undoubtedly been the most grueling and prolonged he had experienced since joining the Marines.
Moria's strength was truly impressive. If not for his own Glint-Glint Fruit abilities, Borsalino might very well have let the man escape. After all, if Moriah had first sent his "Shadow Puppeteer" flying out to a great distance and then used his "Shadow Doppelganger" to swap places, his chances of escaping would have been quite high. For some reason, however, Moriah had shown no intention of fleeing alone, rendering Borsalino's vigilance up to this point entirely unnecessary!
Ten minutes later, the World Government's warship approached, and over a hundred CP6 agents in black suits disembarked. They first secured Moriah with Sea Stone Handcuffs and shackles, then six of them worked together to carry him onto the ship and lock him in a solitary cell. In the adjacent cells lay two ogre race crew members of the Gecko Pirates each. Despite their small number—only twenty in total—they were formidable.
Despite their towering height, each standing at an average of six meters, they took up a considerable amount of space.
As a result, out of the twelve cells, only one remained empty.
"Thank you for your hard work, Admiral Kizaru," said a man in white from CP0, speaking solemnly to Borsalino, who had appeared instantly on the deck of the warship.
"Next time, don't come to me for such matters. Also, since I've put in so much effort this time, make sure to discuss the bonus with them when you return~~"
Borsalino pouted and complained.
At the same time, he turned and walked towards the cabin, preparing to lie down in his room for a while.
"I will, but I can't guarantee anything."
Deep beneath the sea, in the scorching hell of the fourth underground level of Impel Down.
Five days had already passed since the 'Light and Shadow War.'
This place was the core of the entire prison.
The warden's office and the granary that supplied everyone in the prison were located here.
It was called the 'Scorching Hell' because the area was filled with seas of fire, and the ground was as hot as a frying pan.
In the center, there was a massive iron pot with a diameter of fifty meters, filled with boiling crimson blood.
Thus, the entire fourth underground level was permeated with a thick, bloody scent.
Two days ago, Gecko Moriah woke up from his coma and immediately experienced the unbearable heat.
As for the bloody smell, it was oddly sweet to him.
However, his mood was extremely foul.
He never expected that just last year, he had set sail from his hometown in the West Sea with great ambition, accompanied by his clansmen.
And now, not long after entering the 'New World,' he had been captured and brought here.
He had originally hoped to become the second Pirate King.
"Finally awake? I've been waiting for you for a long time."
At that moment, an unfamiliar, cold voice came from outside the cell.
Moriah, whose hands and feet were shackled with seastone chains, suddenly looked up, glaring angrily at the white-clad man who had entered.
"Who are you?"
"I am directly subordinate to the World Nobles."
"The Celestial Dragons!"
Gecko Moriah was astonished and asked, "Are the Celestial Dragons targeting me? Why!"
"You could say that. As for the reason, of course, it's because they value you and your Devil Fruit abilities."
The man in white answered patiently, then continued, "Your fellow crew members are still alive."
"What!"
Moriah was overjoyed and quickly asked, "Where are they?"
"Right above you, in the third underground level, the Starvation Hell. Aside from being hungry, they're fine. Their injuries have also been treated by us," the man in white replied.
Hearing this, Moriah breathed a sigh of relief, but then frowned, "You came to see me, saying the Celestial Dragons value my abilities. So, what is your purpose?"
The man in white appreciated Moriah's directness.
After all, the environment in Impel Down was truly dreadful, and he didn't want to stay a day longer than necessary.
"The higher-ups hope you can join the World Government and become a prison guard in this Impel Down. However, you also have the qualifications for normal promotion. It's not impossible for you to become the warden if you have the ability."
"What—!!"
Gecko Moriah's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he stared in shock at the masked face of the man in white, his voice immediately rising, "You captured me just to make me work here?"
"You could say that the higher-ups believe your Devil Fruit ability is perfectly suited for working at 'Impel Down,' so they sent me and Admiral Kizaru to 'invite' you here," the man in white said with a nod.
"You!"
Gecko Moriah was infuriated by the man's use of the word "invite."
A surge of anger welled up from within him, and he immediately stood up, ready to cause a scene.
Standing nearly seven meters tall, he looked quite intimidating.
However, the man in white remained unfazed.
With his hands tucked into the pockets of his pristine white trousers, his attitude remained cold and indifferent.
He didn't pay the slightest attention to the imposing aura emanating from Moriah.
"I've counted. You have twenty crew members of your kind. According to the promise made to you by the higher-ups, as long as you work diligently here, one of them will be released each year to join you as a prison guard."
"Moreover, for every rank you are promoted, an additional person will be released. This means that if you can become the warden, you and your companions could be free in at most fifteen years."
Upon hearing this, Gecko Moriah was stunned.
He remained silent for a full twenty minutes.
During this time, his face flickered with expressions of struggle, conflict, resentment, and hatred.
In the end, it all dissolved into a long sigh: "Haa—, take me to see them first!"
What else could he do?