"News?"
Mio smiled. Honestly, there wasn't much out there that could catch his attention. The only things that truly mattered to him were his companions.
Still, since Doflamingo brought it up, he decided to ask a few questions anyway.
"Where is Crocodile now?"
"The natural fruit ability user?" Doflamingo furrowed his brows slightly at the question, then answered. "He's in the New World."
"I see…"
Since Crocodile was still in the New World, then once Mio left Impel Down and returned to the Grand Line, he could go find that man. After all, he was determined to get the ancient weapon Pluto from Alabasta.
Mio nodded and continued. "Where is the explorer Tiger from Fishman Island?"
"In the Holy Land, Marijoa." Doflamingo chuckled, not sure why Mio asked about this person but still answering. "Heh, I'll have someone capture him and send him there."
"Haha, then I don't have anything else to ask." Mio grinned.
Tiger's capture was unexpected, but not surprising when you thought about it. As for who captured him, that didn't matter. The only thing worth knowing was that Tiger had been caught. That meant the next time Mio saw him, it could be during a major uproar in Marijoa.
"In that case, I'll be leaving." Doflamingo smirked, casting a deep glance at Mio before shifting his eyes to the prisoners in nearby cells. Then, guided by two guards, he left the sixth floor of Impel Down.
A few months passed after Doflamingo's visit.
During that time, Marine Headquarters officially announced the formation of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, though the actual candidates were still under review and selection.
(Author's Note: The current Shichibukai are not the same as the ones from the original timeline. Many of them are essentially cannon fodder. After all, Boa Hancock was still a child at this point, so it's clear that the original seven only came together after several replacements due to deaths and changes.)
At the same time, up in Sky Island, Bika—
Even without the Thunder Fruit, due to Mio's influence, Enel was training relentlessly and had become decently strong.
"You'll all follow me from now on." In Bika, Enel stared at a group of local thugs—people like him—and said coldly, "Once I grow stronger, you'll have whatever you want."
Just like that, Enel began forming a small force of his own in Bika.
Whether he'd eventually reach Upper Yard as in the original story—no one knew yet.
—
Time passed.
Under Mio's relentless training…
Five months flew by.
It had now been exactly one year since Mio entered Impel Down.
That day.
In the sixth level of Impel Down, the Infinite Hell—
Bang!
Inside Barrett's cell—
Mio's upper body was completely coated in jet-black Armament Haki as he exchanged blows with Douglas Barrett. Both of them had hardened their bodies with Haki, punching and dodging, fists clashing in rapid succession.
Bang!
One of Mio's punches struck Barrett in the abdomen, causing the man to frown in pain.
Barrett retaliated immediately, driving a fist into Mio's gut. The sheer force made Mio grit his teeth, enduring the pain.
They continued like this for a long while before finally stopping.
Mio sat down in front of Barrett, breathing steadily. He tapped the ground lightly with his index finger, lips moving slightly as though he was calculating something.
Barrett closed his eyes and began restoring his stamina.
In the depth of another cell—
Red the Earl slowly opened his eyes, a glint flashing within them. His calm voice echoed in the silence. "Boy… it's been one year."
As those words dropped—
All around the level, pairs of eyes began to open and fixate on Mio.
Click.
Mio's tapping finger came to a halt, and the corners of his lips slowly curled into a smile.
"Ah, exactly one year."
He stood up and scanned the surrounding cells. Most of the inmates here were Devil Fruit users—but sadly, very few among them were of real value.
Someone like Barrett—
He couldn't be killed.
No, Mio wasn't strong enough to kill him yet.
Barrett had already regained free use of his arms. Though he couldn't activate his Devil Fruit ability, his terrifying Haki alone made him nearly unkillable. If Mio really wanted to finish him off, it would take days of nonstop fighting.
Even though Barrett always used a lot of energy during their training, he made sure to never expend all of it—keeping just enough in reserve to survive.
He was no fool.
Besides, Mio couldn't afford to kill too many people on this floor. They were, after all, his main force for the coming escape.
What chaos they would unleash upon the world after being freed—Mio didn't care.
And luckily, there was still one person here whose abilities were valuable, and more importantly—
Killable.
With that thought—
Mio vanished from Barrett's cell.
At the same time, Barrett's eyes suddenly opened, a flicker of surprise flashing through them.
Because Mio had reappeared in the cell of Bondi Wald—who had remained frozen the entire time. Mio had never released this man before.
Now, he stood beside the frozen criminal.
Without hesitation, he clenched his fist, coated in dark Armament Haki, while a blaze of fire surged across his arm.
Mio smirked. "Time to take this guy's head."
And with that—
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
One punch after another.
Mio's fists rained down on Bondi Wald's forehead.
The first strike shattered the ice completely. Bondi Wald, barely thawed, hadn't even opened his eyes before Mio's relentless blows slammed down without mercy.
He didn't hold back.
Every strike was at maximum strength.
BOOM!
One more punch smashed down—
Blood spilled from all of Bondi Wald's orifices.
And finally, Mio gritted his teeth and delivered a final blow.
BOOM!
Warm blood splattered onto Mio's face.
A familiar sound echoed in his mind.
[Gene Collected: Pirate (Momo Momo Fruit)]
Maybe because Wald had been frozen for ten years, the blood on Mio's cheek felt chillingly cold.
Taking a step forward, Mio reappeared outside the cell—right in the center of the sixth floor.
Surrounded by dozens of cells, he raised his eyes and grinned. He wiped the blood from his face, then raised his hands and laughed aloud.
"Everyone… are you ready?"
His voice echoed like thunder.
Immediately, a series of violent, frenzied voices answered back—
"Hey, brat! Stop yapping and unlock this cage! I'm getting… a little impatient."
"Hahahaha! Blood! I can smell it! This scent makes me wanna kill again! And lucky me—there are plenty of guards in Impel Down!"
"Hehehehe… Soon… I'll return to the sea once more…"
Even Red the Earl's eyes lit up with excitement, flickering with anticipation.