"You are really famous—the descendant of the devil," Mio grinned.
In the cell, Douglas Bullett responded coldly, "Don't talk nonsense. Tell me the news I want."
The Navy would never send newspapers down here intentionally. If anyone wanted to hear news from the outside world, they had to wait until a newcomer arrived.
Mio didn't seem bothered by Bullett's cold attitude. He just smiled lightly and said, "What do you think happened to the Roger Pirates after Roger's death? Those who weren't caught either retired or continued their journey at sea. Shanks, for example, is now a great pirate in the New World."
"Hmph." Bullett snorted and said no more.
Maybe he didn't care that Shanks had become a great pirate. To him, few people in the Roger Pirates were worth paying attention to.
After getting the information he wanted, Bullett fell into silence. The news was within expectations. After all, without Captain Roger, the Roger Pirates had ceased to exist. Some had been captured like himself, some retired like Rayleigh, and others—like Shanks—continued their own voyage.
As Bullett went quiet, the entire Infinite Hell returned to its usual silence.
Mio raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "What? Don't you have anything to ask?"
"Heh, what could I possibly ask?"
"Actually," Mio continued, "I'm more curious about what happened to that guy, the Golden Lion, after he escaped. That man left behind a pair of legs. As expected of Shiki… still has guts."
"Hmph. If I could leave this place, I'd gladly trade a pair of legs too. But I'm not the Float-Float Fruit user, so I can't escape this hellhole. Otherwise, I would've left a long time ago."
"Yeah, I'm jealous of that guy's power. As long as he made it to the first floor, he could use his fruit's ability to fly away—no need for a ship or even to open the Gate of Justice."
Several unknown pirates sighed.
Everyone here wanted to leave Impel Down's Level 6, but it was nothing more than a dream. Getting to the first floor was nearly impossible. Even if they had the strength to escape, Marine reinforcements would likely arrive first.
And then there was the matter of the ship.
Impel Down was deep underwater, surrounded by massive Sea Kings. Without a ship, there was no way to escape by swimming. Even if one was in peak condition, they might barely make it out of the facility itself.
Then there was still the Gate of Justice to worry about.
Suddenly…
From the innermost cell of Infinite Hell, the crisp clinking of shackles echoed.
Everyone opened their eyes and looked toward the source of the sound.
Some even chuckled in surprise. "Is that old guy awake for once?"
"Hehe… or maybe he has something to ask the new kid?"
"Actually, I do have a question," said a slightly aged voice with a curious tone. "Roger is dead. The Golden Lion should've vanished after his escape and that so-called plan of his. But I wonder… is that old guy Sora dead?"
Mio's eyes sparkled with recognition. "Although I expected to see you here, it's still a bit surprising to actually hear your voice, Red Earl."
Baroric Redfield.
The Lonely Red.
A slightly amused voice replied, "What? Are you one of my admirers?"
"Of course not," Mio replied, shaking his head. "It's just that it feels odd seeing a living legend with my own eyes."
"If you're done being sentimental, answer my question."
"If you want to know, I'll tell you." Mio shrugged. "Sora will soon be promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the entire army under the World Government."
"I see…" Redfield let out a soft sigh, then sneered, and returned to silence.
Infinite Hell.
Silence fell once more—complete and absolute.
Even Mio didn't speak. He leaned against the cold stone wall, narrowed his eyes, and settled into stillness.
Who knew how much time had passed when suddenly—
"Hey," Mio called out.
"You're too noisy."
"If you've got something to say, just say it."
"Don't disturb my sleep."
A chorus of irritated voices echoed through the level.
Mio ignored them, his head slightly lowered. Then, in a quiet voice, he said, "Old men, do you want to leave this place?"
Clank.
Chains shook.
Bullett's disdainful voice rang out immediately. "You haven't been here long and already you've gone crazy?"
"Escape? You're not the Golden Lion."
"This is the Undersea Prison, brat. Just because you've made some name for yourself doesn't mean you can ignore the iron walls here."
"Hahaha, if escape were that easy, we'd have done it already. What are you even talking about?"
"Don't think just because the Golden Lion made it out, you can too, rookie."
Mio simply shrugged, his eyes flashing with a cold glint. He grinned. "Whether you believe me or not, just cooperate when the time comes. I think you'll all make the smart choice."
With that, Mio went silent.
Some pirates frowned, unsure what he was getting at. But since he'd stopped talking, they lost interest in engaging with him.
Still, a few pirates glanced toward Mio's cell with complicated expressions—half doubting, half intrigued.
…
Clang.
A harsh metallic sound echoed through Infinite Hell.
Mio looked up.
The door leading to the sixth floor creaked open. Light spilled into the darkness.
Four figures stepped inside.
A man in a white lab coat led the group. On either side of him stood two black-clad CP0 agents. Trailing behind them was none other than Warden Magellan.
When Mio saw the man in the white coat clearly, his lips curled into a grin.
The other prisoners nearby noticed Mio's smile under the pale light.
But soon, he retracted the expression, as if nothing had happened, and waited patiently.
Some pirates lowered their heads, feigning sleep, but their senses were sharp—listening, watching, recalling Mio's earlier statement.
Tap… tap… tap…
Under the protection of the two CP0 agents, Vegapunk descended step by step into Infinite Hell. Magellan followed closely, speaking nervously.
"Sir, the prisoners on Level 6 are all monsters who have been erased from history. Even though they're imprisoned, accidents can still happen. Please stay alert."
He was also curious about the identity of this mysterious scientist.
All he knew was that Fleet Admiral Sora had personally contacted him via Millet, the Den Den Mushi, and ordered him to fully cooperate. Whatever this man needed—prisoners, dead or alive—Magellan had to comply.
With two CP0 agents at his side, it was clear this scientist held a high position within the World Government.
Vegapunk stopped outside a cell.
He glanced at Mio, then looked at the other prisoners, until his gaze landed on a large, burly man in one of the cells.
"Him," Vegapunk said. "He's got good physique and a noteworthy Devil Fruit. From the archive I just reviewed, he'll make a suitable test subject."
"Understood." Magellan didn't hesitate. He moved forward and unlocked the cell.
The two CP0 agents stepped inside, eyes sharp, remaining fully alert.
The burly prisoner wasn't a fool. From Vegapunk's words, he knew what fate awaited him.
He glanced at Mio and grinned wickedly. "I was hoping to escape. Guess I'll just take you all down with me."
But before he could act—
"So noisy…"
A lazy voice echoed from deep within Infinite Hell.
The Red Earl slowly lifted his head. A terrifying aura erupted from him, sweeping across the cell block and crushing down on the burly man.
At the same time—
"Don't interrupt my nap." Bullett opened his eyes. His own monstrous aura joined Redfield's, crashing onto the man like a tidal wave.
"You worthless scum… you're disturbing my peace. You want to die?"
"Kill this idiot already or take him somewhere else!"
"Trash."
More voices followed, each laced with irritation and overwhelming killing intent.
Powerful auras exploded one after another, converging on the doomed man.
From the moment Vegapunk appeared, even if they didn't understand Mio's full plan, the monsters imprisoned on Level 6 understood one thing clearly—
The time for cooperation had come.
If they had a shot at getting out, it didn't matter what Mio wanted.
They would follow.
Anything was better than rotting in this hell.