Chapter 6 - Magellan's Decision
"You filthy scum! I should've tortured you all to death when I had the chance!"
Sadie's furious voice rang out. "I spared your worthless lives, and now you dare rebel?!"
"Oh? Someone's got a big mouth."
Nathan strolled forward slowly, smirking. "Looks like you've been stuck in here too long—you've started believing in your own hype. You seem awfully confident in your strength…"
He paused, then added with a chuckle,
"Funny, because Saldeath and Sphinx were just as confident earlier. Not sure if they're still breathing by now. If you survive this, you should go check on them."
As he approached, the prisoners in the crowd instinctively stepped aside, opening a path for him.
Sadie's expression darkened. She had already figured it out—if Nathan had made it this far, he had definitely defeated Saldeath and Sphinx. Her grip on her trident tightened.
It was now obvious: this man wasn't some low-level pirate. He was a true threat.
"You think you can stop me?"
Nathan sneered, and with a flicker of movement, vanished—
Instant Body Technique!
Before Sadie could react, Nathan appeared right next to her.
Her heart sank. That speed… she hadn't even seen him move!
She instinctively raised her trident to defend herself, but—
Bam!
A thunderous punch smashed into Sadie's face.
With a sickening crack of bone, she was launched into the air and slammed into the stone wall with a violent crash.
Ding! Congratulations, Host has defeated the enemy. You have received 10,000 Reputation Points.
To be fair, Sadie did have decent strength. But still, Nathan had taken her down in one blow because of his speed and explosive attack—and received a hefty reward for it.
The scene left everyone watching the surveillance feed in utter shock—
Especially Magellan, who shot to his feet in disbelief in the Warden's office.
Just a second ago, Nathan had been standing far away—and now he was beside Sadie? That instant movement was unnatural.
And the sheer power behind that punch… It was terrifying.
Sadie wasn't the strongest in the prison, but she was no pushover either. Defeating her so effortlessly? That shook even Magellan.
In the video feed, Nathan strolled casually up to Sadie's unconscious body. He grabbed a handful of her messy hair, looked up at the surveillance Den Den Mushi on the wall, and spoke directly to the camera.
"Magellan… are you really going to force me to clear this entire prison? I don't have much patience—and when I lose it, things get bloody. If that happens… I doubt anyone here's walking out alive."
He released her hair, and Sadie's battered face slammed back onto the stone floor.
She wasn't dead—but with injuries this severe, even with treatment, her combat strength would never return to its peak.
"Warden Magellan… you're in trouble,"
A fat, bizarre-looking man muttered nearby. He wore an Egyptian pharaoh-style headdress, had a massive bloated belly like a demon, and was chuckling under his breath.
"That guy's clearly provoking you. If he beats you, I'll get to take your place as warden. Hehe—Ahem! I mean, I'm not hoping for that, of course. I'm just worried that if you lose, the whole prison will be finished!"
"Damn it, Hannyabal!"
Magellan roared. "You're the Vice Warden! You should be figuring out how to stop this escape. If we all fall, the World Government will demand accountability—and you won't escape punishment either!"
"But you're the Warden. I'm just the vice. Responsibility doesn't fall on me..."
Hannyabal mumbled under his breath.
Hannyabal was well known for his ambition—his greatest dream was to replace Magellan and become the new Warden of Impel Down. He always tried to push blame onto Magellan whenever possible.
Even now, despite Nathan having taken down several of the prison's top officers, Hannyabal remained completely unfazed.
"I order you to immediately lead a large force to intercept him on Level Three. If you refuse, I'll consider it insubordination!"
Magellan's face was red with fury.
Normally, he wouldn't bother arguing with Hannyabal—but right now, the entire prison was on the verge of collapse, and the vice warden was still spouting nonsense. Magellan had enough.
Though Hannyabal longed for Magellan's position, he still feared the man's strength.
Seeing that Magellan was truly angry, Hannyabal saluted nervously and ran out, trident in hand.
Once he was gone, a tall, slender woman stepped forward. She had an elegant presence, wore reddish-brown sunglasses, and had long, wavy golden hair. Her right eye was hidden beneath a slanted hat. She wore a brown jacket and shorts over a white shirt and black tie, paired with deep red boots and long gloves.
She was Domino, the current Chief Guard of Impel Down. After the previous Chief Guard Shiryu of the Rain was imprisoned on Level Six, Domino had taken his place.
"Warden, shall I accompany Vice Warden Hannyabal to confront the intruder?" she asked.
Magellan's gaze sharpened.
"Domino, I have a far more critical mission for you—one that may decide the fate of this entire prison. I need you to proceed with caution."
"Huh? What kind of mission?"
"Go down to Level Six. Monitor the surveillance feeds from Level Four. If you see that I've been defeated—Immediately release Shiryu of the Rain."
"What? Release him?! Warden, that's a serious decision!"
Shiryu, the former Chief Guard, was once as powerful as Magellan himself.
He and Magellan were the twin pillars of Impel Down's strength. But because Shiryu had a brutal obsession with killing and frequently slaughtered inmates without reason, he was eventually sentenced to death and imprisoned at the bottommost level.
Now, Magellan was seriously considering setting him free.
Domino hesitated.
"I understand your concern," Magellan said gravely. "But no matter what he's done, Shiryu is still one of us. And back then, the only people he killed were inmates. I believe… that in a time like this, he'll make the right choice."