章 90: 90. The Great Pirate: I Am Willing To Join Rehabilitation For Justice!
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"Hey! Fleet Admiral Akira's orders are always so elusive."
On the warship headed for Impel Down, Sakazuki squeezed the documents in his hand and couldn't help but sigh softly.
To be honest, he could understand the previous tasks.
Even when he was asked to read the letter of apology, although he felt that it would be more sincere for Fleet Admiral Akira to read it in person.
But since the Fleet Admiral is too busy, it doesn't matter if he comes.
Just that last one!
It's hard to understand why he needed to build a good relationship with Deputy Director Magellan.
However, despite this, no objections were raised.
Soldiers are meant to obey orders.
If you can't understand it, then you don't need to understand it—just do it directly.
"I hope that guy is easy to get along with," Sakazuki thought to himself.
"My lord, Impel Down is here."
At this time, the warship dropped anchor.
Sakazuki stepped down from the deck and walked inside.
However, when he passed the gate of Impel Down that was blown to pieces, he suddenly had a vague understanding for some reason.
Especially when all the guards were called to the first floor, and before the Five Elders' order and Akira's letter of apology were read out, the undisguised anger and hostility in their eyes gradually became clear.
"Fleet Admiral Akira must have anticipated this situation long ago, which is why he entrusted this task to someone else, right?" Sakazuki muttered to himself.
Although it was a question, he already had an answer in his heart by this time.
But still, what must be done has to be done.
"Quiet!"
Sakazuki suppressed the murmurs and clamor of the guards in front and began reading the Five Elders' dismissal document.
"The former director of Impel Down, Desmond..."
"According to the decision of the World Government, he will be removed from his post as chief."
"The new director will be announced after a while."
Impel Down fell into silence.
All the guards stared at Sakazuki blankly.
There was no more noise in the air, except for the pitiful howls of the pirates from time to time, like ghosts.
Sakazuki didn't pay much attention to it, turned the file to the end, and took out another copy.
"Next is a letter of apology specially written by Fleet Admiral Akira."
"He is deeply sorry for what happened today."
"Next, I will tell you..."
Before Sakazuki could finish speaking, a sudden, bloody slash cut through the air, slicing Sakazuki in half.
Pale-faced Shiryu of the Rain stepped forward, wielding his sword, Raiu. As Sakazuki reformed from his elementalization, Shiryu loudly declared:
"What kind of worthless apology letter is this? We don't need it."
"We just want Mr. Desmond, our Director, back."
"You Marines are too deceitful. You didn't say anything when you barged in, and you even framed Director Desmond. What did he do wrong?"
"Give us back our Director, give us back our Director…"
Shiryu of the Rain raised his sword high, rallying all the jailers with his voice.
The jailers quickly snapped out of their daze.
Without any hesitation, they followed Shiryu's lead, their voices growing louder and more unified.
"Give us back our Director!"
"Give us back our Director!"
The synchronized chants echoed throughout Impel Down, even reaching the sixth level, the Eternal Hell.
In the darkness, countless pairs of blood-red eyes opened.
"Looks like something big is going down."
"Strange. Is there a party up there? So many people gathering together."
"This is annoying, disturbing my nap!"
On the first floor, Sakazuki silently put away the letter of apology.
He knew that speaking further would be pointless; these jailers, who felt wronged by the Marines, wouldn't calm down or listen.
Hot magma began bubbling up from his body.
Before Sakazuki decided to take action, he deliberately turned his head to glance at the stairs, where Magellan stood silently with Hannyabal.
"You have to stop this…" Sakazuki began to speak in a deep voice, but then remembered Akira's order.
He paused for a moment before forcing an unfamiliar, awkward smile.
"Magellan, I want them to calm down and listen to me quietly."
"Will you help me?"
Magellan was taken aback, not by Sakazuki's request, but by the drastic change in his demeanor.
He still remembered how fierce and relentless Sakazuki's attacks were during their last battle.
How did he change so much in such a short period of time?
Magellan's instincts were on high alert.
But he couldn't let Sakazuki proceed.
He knew all too well that not every jailer in Impel Down truly loved Director Desmond.
In fact, there was probably only Shiryu who genuinely wanted to keep the director around.
After all, Shiryu was the only one who shared a common language with him.
Not to mention, Shiryu not only agreed with his massacre of pirates but sometimes even joined in.
And what about the other jailers?
Seeing them shouting slogans in a daze, they were just following the crowd. They saw the Warden taking the lead, so they followed too.
In this situation, all you need to do is deal with Shiryu. But if Sakazuki, who doesn't fully understand the situation, decides to act, he'll likely target everyone.
So, Magellan knew he had to step in.
"Just leave it to me."
Activating his Paramecia-type Venom-Venom Fruit to its fullest extent, he transformed into a massive poisonous figure and charged forward without saying a word.
"Dammit, Magellan, why are you attacking me instead of the Marine!" Shiryu of the Rain roared in anger.
But Magellan ignored him, overpowering Shiryu and dragging him away into the depths.
With their powerful leader suddenly subdued and taken away by their higher-ranking Deputy Warden, the jailers fell silent. They were left confused and unsure of what to do next.
Sakazuki glanced back, but this time, the smile on his face was more genuine.
'This Magellan is a reliable guy,' he thought to himself.
The magma receded back into his body as he retrieved Akira's letter of apology.
"Listen well, this was written by our Fleet Admiral, Akira."
"I will read it to you on his behalf."
Now, no one interrupted him.
In the silence of the first floor, Sakazuki's emotional apology echoed throughout the space.
Time passed slowly.
On the sixth floor, known as Eternal Hell—the lowest, largest, darkest, and most humid part of Impel Down—the most dangerous criminals were kept. These were individuals of extraordinary strength or infamous deeds.
But today, light suddenly filled the space. A large number of lights were brought in, pushing back the thick darkness.
The big pirates, their eyes adjusted to the darkness, now opened them wide to see Sakazuki walking in with the jailers.
"A Marine?" one of them asked in disbelief.
Sakazuki had no interest in conversing with the criminals, so he simply waved his hand. The guards sprang into action, distributing a large stack of newspapers, tossing them into each cell.
The pirates were puzzled, but free newspapers were welcome distractions, so they eagerly grabbed them to pass the time.
Once Sakazuki confirmed that each pirate had a newspaper, he began to speak.
"Our current Fleet Admiral of the Marines has introduced a new plan called the God's General Plan."
"This plan requires the help of your untapped physical strength. We've replicated some of the strongest individuals for the whole world to see."
Before Sakazuki could finish, Eternal Hell erupted into a cacophony of laughter and noise.
After skimming through the newspapers and understanding the God's General Plan and Akira's abilities, the pirates began to mock the idea, banging on the bars of their cells, their eyes filled with disdain as they looked at Sakazuki as if he were a fool.
"Bababa, am I hallucinating? Marines asking pirates to help eliminate other pirates? Are you guys stupid, or have we just been locked up for so long that we're out of touch with reality?"
"Kokoko! It's naive to think you can come in here and ask us to copy for the Marines."
"Need the old man's help? Simple—either let me out or kneel before me."
The big pirates had been imprisoned here for years, with some locked up for decades.
Their resentment was immense, and it was impossible to expect these men to have any good feelings toward the Marines who had captured them, let alone jump at the chance to help as soon as they heard about the God's General Plan.
Sakazuki understood this well; neither he nor the Marines expected these pirates to be driven by a sense of justice.
He waited patiently as they vented, watching as some of the more silent big pirates carefully read the newspaper.
With his hands behind his back, Sakazuki finally spoke coldly:
"Helping us replicate the strong isn't without compensation; there's a reward."
"As long as you meet the performance requirements, except for freedom, we can offer other reasonable rewards."
"These rewards include, but are not limited to, food, clothing, newspapers, and contact with the outside world…"
"And more importantly…"
"Women!"
Eternal Hell, which had been filled with mockery, suddenly grew quiet when Sakazuki mentioned the last word.
After a long, tense silence, the sound of rapid breathing echoed through the darkness.
One by one, the big pirates emerged from the shadows, stepping up to the bars and glaring at Sakazuki.
"Sign up now! For you monsters, our Marine upholds the principle of voluntariness—those who don't want to participate won't be forced."
Sakazuki's voice rang out.
In the next second, the silence was shattered.
"I've got more than enough strength, I'll be the first to meet the target!"
"I'm in! I've met more capable people at sea than you've had hot meals."
"Count me in."
"Let me get to work, I can't wait to throw myself into justice."
Impel Down erupted into a frenzy, like a bustling marketplace.
Almost 90% of the big pirates eagerly expressed their willingness to enter the factory and be exploited, each one acting as if they would never forgive the Marines if not chosen.
For these volunteers, Sakazuki certainly didn't refuse.
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