"It's really a dangerous place," Vegapunk chuckled, speaking lightly.
"Kill him and leave early."
"Yes."
Hearing Vegapunk's words, the two men in black nodded. They, too, sensed the danger of this place. To ensure Vegapunk's safety, leaving as soon as possible was best. Without hesitation, the two men launched their attack directly on the muscular man.
They clenched their fists and punched forward.
A terrifying aura burst forth, accompanied by the sharp whistling of air being torn apart.
Their punches landed directly on the chest of the strong man, striking his heart.
With a powerful explosion of force, blood spurted from the man's mouth. A look of disbelief filled his eyes—he had never expected to die so suddenly, without even the strength to resist or struggle.
As he lay dying, the man glanced toward Mio, as if lamenting that he had never revealed Mio's plan to escape. Pity flickered in his eyes.
Then—
His final breath left his body.
He collapsed as a lifeless corpse.
Magellan immediately stepped forward and removed the shackles from the dead man.
Mio's eyes gleamed with intelligence. From the darkness, his right hand rose subtly, catching a tiny figure that had approached the cell—one sent by Vegapunk—and placed it beneath him.
Due to the sudden surge of violent aura from the infamous pirates in Level Six—especially monsters like the Red Earl and Douglas Bullett—Magellan and the two men in black had turned their attention to monitoring the others. These were veterans of the seas, still incredibly dangerous even while chained.
Because of that, no one noticed what Mio had done.
Perhaps none of them had imagined that Vegapunk's real purpose in visiting Impel Down was to secretly make a deal—with Mio.
The so-called "materials" were just a secondary concern.
Soon enough—
The strong man's body was dragged out of the cell by one of the black-clothed men.
Under the escort of the other agent and Magellan, Vegapunk also left the Infinite Hell.
Moments later, silence returned to Level Six.
Not a single sound was heard.
Only the soft breathing of the prisoners.
After an unknown amount of time, Bullett finally spoke. "The two guys who attacked—World Government?"
"Oh, only people from the World Government would dress like that," the Red Earl sneered. He shifted his gaze toward Mio, eyeing him with interest. "You managed to get people from the World Government to come to Impel Down, and not just anyone—it seems they're quite high-ranking. Now I'm really curious, kid. What exactly did you do to get such treatment?"
"Of course I have a reason. Why else would I come to this hellhole?" Mio said with a casual shrug.
He raised his hand slightly.
A Den Den Mushi appeared in his palm.
It was none other than Millet, the small Den Den Mushi who had eaten the Picture-Picture Fruit.
"Go ahead, little guy," Mio grinned.
"Brue~"
Millet chirped. The two antennae on its head twitched as it turned toward Mio.
"Did the link succeed?" Mio asked.
"Brue~" Millet nodded.
"Good. Then modify the surveillance feed. Make Magellan think everything here is perfectly calm," Mio said, gently tapping Millet on the head.
Millet nodded again and began using its ability.
Although Millet wasn't very intelligent and hadn't fully developed its powers, Mio only needed one simple thing—let Millet project everything it "saw" in Level Six into the surveillance network.
As long as Magellan believed that Level Six was quiet and uneventful, that was enough.
There was no need for complex manipulation.
This was the very reason Mio had sent Hei Yan to capture someone with the Picture-Picture Fruit.
Outside Impel Down, such a fruit had little value. But within the prison—especially in the sixth level—it was extremely powerful.
On this level, there were barely any Marines.
Even Magellan rarely showed up here. Unlike other Warden types, Magellan's Poison-Poison Fruit gave him limited operational time—only four hours per day. The rest of the time, he was either resting or suffering from severe diarrhea.
As Mio finished speaking—
Inside a monitoring room elsewhere in Impel Down, a massive screen displayed live feeds from the surveillance Den Den Mushi scattered across the prison.
Several guards were stationed there, observing the footage.
Without their noticing, the feed shimmered slightly. The images across most levels remained unchanged, but on the sixth level…
The prisoners appeared to be resting in their cells. No movement. No chaos.
Exactly as they had been for years.
The guards, seeing nothing abnormal, quickly lost interest and looked away.
Meanwhile, back in Level Six—
Millet nodded toward Mio, indicating the task was complete.
"Well done," Mio praised, rubbing Millet's head.
Then he slowly looked up, ignoring the suspicious stares of the Red Earl and Bullett. With a single thought, Mio's figure disappeared into thin air, the only trace left behind being the clatter of shackles hitting the ground.
In the next moment—
Mio began flashing throughout the entire sixth level.
Each time he appeared, a surveillance Den Den Mushi embedded in the walls died instantly, and in its place, he left a small signal jammer—devices prepared beforehand.
In the span of a few breaths, nearly every Den Den Mushi in Level Six had been eliminated.
Then, as swiftly as he left, Mio returned to his cell.
"Millet, create fake Den Den Mushi at the locations where the originals died," Mio instructed. "Also, cover up the real situation in my cell."
Millet nodded and activated his ability.
In the places where the real Den Den Mushi had died, illusory versions appeared—identical in every way, quietly resting in their spots.
Inside Mio's cell, a perfect image of himself materialized.
This projected "Mio" lay on the floor, limbs shackled, exactly as the real one had been before.
Only after confirming that Millet had finished did Mio feel truly at ease.
It was then—
The Red Earl's voice rang out again, this time with genuine surprise.
"A Den Den Mushi that ate a Devil Fruit… and your ability… Why aren't you being suppressed by seastone?"