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Late the next night.
"Puff, click, uh..."
Several scalp-numbing sounds echoed through the silent Impel Down.
Along with the stifled screams, the strong smell of blood suddenly filled the air.
Rayleigh opened his eyes from his sleep, instinctively following the scent.
With just one glance, his pupils widened in shock.
He stood up uncontrollably, rushing to the cage and exclaiming, "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"
"Shihahaha, Rayleigh. Want to escape with me?"
There was a loud bang.
The iron cage was blown to pieces, and Shiki's figure emerged from the dim light.
He was floating in the air, his face pale but his energy surprisingly strong.
Looking down, his two legs were gone.
Despite having temporarily stopped the bleeding, blood still dripped from his trousers.
A flash of light gleamed behind Rayleigh's glasses.
And it wasn't just him.
All the notorious pirates in Eternal Hell were now awake.
A new day had begun.
In the Fleet Admiral's office.
Akira handed a stamped document to the officer before him.
"The remaining sea territories in the second half are now in your hands."
Akira looked at the two towering Admirals before him, a smile on his face.
"Though I've never set foot there myself, I know how dangerous it is."
"I'm granting you the authority to act at your own discretion."
"If you encounter any major incidents, you can make decisions based on your judgment and submit a report afterward."
Hearing Akira's words, Sakazuki and Kuzan's eyes gleamed simultaneously.
This kind of authority is what every Admiral stationed abroad dreams of.
The two quickly accepted the documents without a word.
"Yes!"
"Thank you, Fleet Admiral."
"Alright, get to it." Akira waved them off.
Sakazuki and Kuzan nodded, turning to walk toward the door.
Meanwhile, the square was bustling with activity.
Most of the Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals had gathered, each accompanied by soldiers from their respective fleets.
The numbers were vast.
Everyone was silently awaiting Sakazuki and Kuzan's appearance, ready to follow their orders at any moment.
Today marked the day when Marine Headquarters would begin its full-scale offensive on the second half of the Grand Line, as planned.
Next, they would follow the strategy laid out by the staff and start establishing their presence in the New World like nails driven into wood.
They would bring the light of justice to that territory.
This was no small matter for the Marine forces.
Therefore, Marine Fleet Admiral Akira needed to personally oversee the operation.
Standing by the window, Akira watched the departing warships, silently seeing them off.
However, his expression didn't reveal much worry.
At this point, the seas were much less dangerous than they had been before.
Compared to the era under Kong, the situation wasn't much different as the Pirate Age was nearing its end.
Additionally, the officers and Admirals had plenty of reinforcements. As long as they acted cautiously and didn't charge recklessly when encountering enemies, there shouldn't be any major issues.
Now, in the New World, after dealing with a large number of clones and wiping out many threats, only a handful of notorious pirates remain.
With Sakazuki and Kuzan leading the charge, there's little to worry about.
And, of course, Marine hero Garp is present.
If any crisis arises, Garp's immense combat power can be called upon swiftly.
Therefore, it can be said without a doubt—
The Marine Headquarters' mission in the New World will easily achieve its strategic objectives.
"Once these matters are handled, I should focus on recharging Stone Gate," Akira thought as he returned to his seat and sat down. He glanced at the pile of documents next to him, letting out a long sigh.
These were all left behind by his clone when he was stationed at Impel Down a while ago.
All sorts of mundane issues needed to be decided by Akira himself, along with some vital information that his clone had flagged for his attention.
At this stage, Akira's main focus was on recharging Stone Gate and enhancing his own strength. He had no interest in being bogged down with more administrative tasks.
That's why he had specifically granted Sakazuki and Kuzan the authority to act independently.
Akira loosened his collar, lit a cigar, and began reviewing the paperwork.
Time slipped by like grains of sand in an hourglass.
The sun outside the window had already reached its zenith.
Suddenly—
Pere~Pere~Pere~Pere~.
The Den Den Mushi on the table rang.
Akira picked up the receiver casually. "This is Akira, go ahead."
"Fleet Admiral, something has happened at Impel Down."
On the other end of the line, Sakazuki's serious voice came through.
Impel Down?
An incident at this time?
Could it be…
Akira's eyes narrowed.
"Hold on."
Akira said this quickly, then covered the receiver with his hand.
He motioned to Vergo, who had been quietly working through documents not far away, assisting him.
As soon as the Den Den Mushi rang, Vergo's attention had already shifted toward it.
Seeing Akira's signal, Vergo stood up promptly, left the office, and made sure to close the door tightly.
Akira checked to ensure the door was secure, then relaxed.
He removed his hand from the receiver and spoke softly, "What happened?"
"Magellan just contacted me and said that Golden Lion Shiki escaped from prison with a group of pirates this morning," Sakazuki informed him.
'As expected!' Akira's eyebrows raised slightly.
From the moment he first heard about the incident at Impel Down, he had a feeling it would be something of this scale.
In the original timeline, Golden Lion Shiki escaped from Impel Down in a certain month next year.
But that was in a world without Akira, the time traveler.
Now, not only was he like a butterfly wildly flapping its wings, but he had also spent more than half a month provoking Shiki, nudging him toward making the decision to escape from prison much earlier than intended. Akira's goal had always been to expedite his own plans for taking over Impel Down.
Even the words Akira had spoken before leaving a few days ago were carefully calculated.
Truth be told, if it hadn't been for this plan, Akira wouldn't have needed to capture Shiki in the first place for his "training sessions."
After the Battle of Edd War, Shiki's strength had deteriorated significantly.
The rudder lodged in his head constantly interfered with his abilities and his Haki.
If Akira genuinely wanted to sharpen his own power, there were plenty of unscathed pirates in Eternal Hell who could push him to break through.
Pirates like Silvers Rayleigh, Scopper Gaban, Patrick Redfield... these formidable individuals were more than capable.
The real reason Akira had chosen to provoke Shiki was that he was ruthless enough.
After all, not everyone would have the sheer determination to cut off their own legs just to escape.
And even if they did, they wouldn't have Shiki's Float-Float Fruit to make the escape from Impel Down a reality.
"This morning? Why didn't the Marines receive any call for help?" Akira asked.