Chapter 2 - A Grand Gift for Checking In
After familiarizing himself with the system, Nathan finally stood up and took a better look at his surroundings.
He found himself locked inside a cell—three sides made of iron walls and the fourth secured by thick iron bars.
Even on the uppermost level of Crimson Hell, the air was thick with the stench of blood, hanging like a suffocating fog.
Thanks to the memories of this body, Nathan already knew what was coming next—he was about to face a deadly fight for survival.
It all traced back to the execution of Gol D. Roger. After his final words before death, the entire world of pirates went mad.
More and more pirates flooded the seas in search of the One Piece.
Naturally, this led to a surge in pirate captures, and as a result, Impel Down became more crowded than ever.
Because of its unique location, there was only one Impel Down in the entire world. It couldn't be expanded, so before long, the prison became dangerously overcrowded.
While Magellan and the other high-ranking officers struggled with this issue, the twisted chief guard, Sadie-chan—who took pleasure in the sounds of others' suffering—proposed a solution: let the prisoners kill each other.
According to her plan, each level of prisoners would participate in regular death matches. Everyone was stripped of their names and given a number. Every day, two numbers from each level would be drawn for a fight to the death.
Only by killing your opponent could you win.
But it didn't end there. If you wanted to survive in this hell, you had to keep fighting endlessly.
In other words, after winning today, you could very well be chosen to fight again tomorrow.
The system was designed to drastically reduce the inmate population. After some internal debate, Magellan approved Sadie-chan's proposal.
After all, most of the people imprisoned here were heinous criminals. He didn't have much sympathy for their lives.
However, Magellan did impose one restriction: no one from Level 6 was to be included in the death matches. It was clear—even Magellan feared the monsters locked away on the sixth floor.
Impel Down consisted of six levels, with the sixth being the most terrifying—Infinite Hell.
The prisoners held there were infamous figures erased from history due to their extreme cruelty and atrocities. These were pirates of near-legendary status, sentenced to either execution or life imprisonment. Their crimes were so unspeakable that the government deliberately covered them up, with even newspapers remaining silent.
The legendary "Golden Lion" Shiki had once escaped from that very floor.
In later arcs of the anime, many of the monstrous members of the Blackbeard Pirates were also revealed to have been imprisoned there.
Even Shiryu of the Rain, the former head jailer of Impel Down, was once held in Level 6.
Naturally, Magellan couldn't risk letting these monsters out for a fight.
After his approval, Sadie-chan and the rest of the jailers quickly launched what they called the "Death Duel Tournament."
Today, Nathan—prisoner number 55—had the misfortune of being selected.
To make each duel more entertaining, the jailers allowed both fighters to enjoy a full meal beforehand, ensuring they were in top form for the match.
Looking at the "death row meal" placed on the ground, Nathan let out a cold snort.
"Like hell I'm eating this garbage even if I starve!"
Ten minutes later, the same jailer from before returned to Nathan's cell.
"Hey, you done eating? You've got half an hour left—move it!"
"Almost done!" Nathan replied quickly after swallowing a chunk of meat.
…
Just like that, the half hour flew by, and Nathan had finished the entire meal.
After all, how could he fight on an empty stomach?
Right on time, two jailers arrived, unlocked his cell, and dragged him out with chains still secured to his wrists and ankles.
As he walked across the narrow, icy stone floor, the chains on his ankles scraped and clinked against the ground, producing a sharp and chilling sound.
The sound echoed eerily through the corridor.
Cells lined both sides of the path, and prisoners had gathered at the bars, smirking with malicious glee as they watched today's "lucky winner" pass by.
"Yo, buddy—you're dead meat. Your opponent's number 38. That guy's already killed five in a row!"
One inmate stuck his head out from a nearby cell, grinning with excitement as he spoke.
"Shut it! Keep yapping and we'll throw you in there instead!" The jailer snarled at the loudmouth, glaring him into silence.
The prisoner quickly backed off, but the way he looked at Nathan was like staring at a walking corpse.
It was obvious—no one believed Nathan had a chance of surviving.
Soon, Nathan was led to a circular battle arena hastily set up at the center of Level One.
Dozens of jailers had already gathered around the ring to watch the match.
At the top viewing platform above the arena, several special figures had also arrived.
One of them—a short, stocky man with a two-headed body and horns on his hat—stood staring directly at Nathan while holding a trident.
Nathan recognized him immediately: Saldeath, head jailer of Impel Down.
He was also the commander of the prison's "Blue Gorillas," the monstrous guards tasked with overseeing Level One—Crimson Hell.
Standing inside the arena was already another figure.
Though clad in a standard prison uniform, it was obvious from his build that he was a mountain of a man. A deep scar ran across his face, making him all the more terrifying.
The moment his eyes locked onto Nathan, an overwhelming bloodlust surged forth.
"No wonder he's got five kills under his belt… That killing intent is insane," Nathan muttered under his breath.
"Get in there!"
The jailer behind him shoved him forward, signaling the start of the bloodbath.