NOVEL NEXT Chapter 009: The Five Elders Are Shaken
A strange voice suddenly echoed in Luffy's head, sending a shiver down his spine.
"Hey… How about letting me out?"
Ghidorah spoke again.
This time, Luffy turned to face the enormous frozen heads inside the giant cage.
After a long pause, he replied bluntly:
"I refuse."
"Huh?!"
Now it was Ghidorah's turn to be surprised.
Wasn't this kid supposed to be the brainless type?
"Why?" he asked after a moment.
"No reason," Luffy replied.
"You just feel… dangerous."
Dangerous? THAT'S your reason?!
Ghidorah's aura flared in fury.
The pressure he had been holding back surged outward once more.
---
WHUMMM!
"Aaaahhh!!"
"Ugh…!"
A suffocating force blanketed all of Level Six, making the very air feel like sludge.
"Luffy, what did you just do?!"
Jinbei, who had just been released, recognized this terrifying presence. He turned toward Luffy, pale with fear.
"I just said I wasn't gonna let him out!!"
Luffy cried, barely standing under the pressure, pointing at the enormous cage.
"What…?!"
The others felt like their heads were spinning.
Seriously? You turned down a monster like that — without even trying to soften the blow?!
What kind of hell have we stumbled into?!
---
"Everyone! We need to get out of here — now!"
Ivankov, sweating bullets under the immense pressure, shouted with urgency.
"If we stay here, we'll be crushed!
And if Magellan comes back before we're out, this jailbreak is finished!"
Hearing this, the group turned and bolted for the elevator.
Seeing Luffy nearly collapse beside him, Jinbei grabbed him and ran.
---
"Tch… You've got guts, kid.
Rejecting me like that."
From within the cage, Ghidorah rumbled with frustration.
The seal wasn't fully broken — he could only release a fraction of his aura.
All he could do was watch as Luffy was carried away.
Still… even after I break free, I won't kill him.
Not with the name 'Garp' in the equation… and not with that D in his blood.
"Tch. Looks like I'll have to break out the hard way after all…"
"Let's just hope I'm not too late for the War at Marineford."
He knew exactly what Garp was doing — loosening the seal just enough.
That old man wants me to save Ace.
Saving people had never interested Ghidorah much.
But he never left debts unpaid.
And this… was a debt.
---
CRACK.
A sharp sound echoed from within the icy cage —
The massive block of frozen crystal was beginning to break.
---
Meanwhile, Impel Down – Level One.
Shiryu was on one knee, catching his breath.
"Captain…"
"Zehahahaha…"
Blackbeard walked up to him, grinning with wicked satisfaction.
"Shiryu, welcome aboard!"
He held out his hand and pulled him up.
"Now… I've got an important job for you."
"What is it?" Shiryu asked.
"Cut off all communication between Impel Down and the outside world."
Blackbeard's voice turned serious.
"Hah. That's easy.
But tell me—what are you planning?"
"Zehahaha… I'm going to the bottom floor."
"To meet the legendary creature."
His grin widened as he thought of the information he had read.
The mythical fruit rumored to be sealed deep within Impel Down…
If it existed, it could only be obtained using the Dark-Dark Fruit.
That was why he had infiltrated the Whitebeard Pirates for so many years.
The immortal beast…
If I want its power, I'll need darkness to pull it free.
"Just wait. In a few hours, the world's in for the performance of a lifetime…"
"Zehahahahahaha!!"
Even Shiryu, who delighted in carnage, felt his spine chill at the memory of the thing in Level Six.
What a madman…
Still, he obeyed and made his way to the communications room.
---
At Marineford, headquarters of the Navy—
Tension hung like a storm cloud over the fleet of 100,000 elite soldiers.
Suddenly, the door to Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office burst open.
"Fleet Admiral!"
"What is it?!"
"We've located the missing Warlord, Blackbeard!"
"Several hours ago, he and his crew commandeered a Marine ship… and headed toward Impel Down."
"NANI?!"
Sengoku shot to his feet, eyes wide in genuine panic.
Not even Luffy's rampage in the prison had made him react like this.
But Blackbeard?
That was different.
Powerful, cunning, and entirely unpredictable — and the true reason for his enlistment in the Warlords had always been murky.
And now, right before the war… he sneaks off to Impel Down?!
"Yabai…"
The words left Sengoku's lips in a rare display of emotion.
"Contact—!"
"Sir! We just lost all contact with Impel Down!"
"WHAT?!"
Sengoku slammed his desk and bellowed:
"Where's Kizaru?!
Get Kizaru here NOW!"
Moments later, the laid-back admiral strolled into the room.
"Yo~ What's going on?
Calling me over at a time like this…"
"We've got a crisis.
You're going to Impel Down — immediately."
"Ooh?
Isn't this a bit sudden?"
Kizaru tilted his head, curious.
What could be more urgent than Ace's execution or the coming war with Whitebeard?
"This isn't the time to question orders," Sengoku snapped.
"If we don't act now, Impel Down could become something far worse than this war."
"Find Blackbeard… and kill him on sight."
Sengoku's voice was like ice.
Even Kizaru's expression changed slightly. Behind his shades, a flicker of seriousness flashed.
"A scary assignment… sheesh…"
Still, he didn't argue.
He turned into light and vanished from the room, shooting through the sky toward the prison.
Man… what kind of mess is hidden in that prison?
Even an admiral isn't told everything, huh?
---
As Kizaru vanished in a blur of golden light, Sengoku sat in his office, anxiety gnawing at his gut.
Finally, he made a decision.
He picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed.
"Sengoku… At this hour? What's happened?"
A deep, aged voice answered — one that belonged to the Five Elders themselves.
"Honorable Elders…"
"Warlord Blackbeard — Marshall D. Teach — has gone to Impel Down.
Ten minutes ago, we lost all contact with the prison."
For a long moment, silence.
Then—
"WHAT?!"
"Sengoku! Do you have any idea what's sealed in there?!"
"And you let someone from that clan go inside?!"
Fury roared through the receiver.
Sengoku, however, had already made up his mind.
> "The situation is out of control.
After Ace's execution… I will resign."
Silence.
Then the voice returned, colder.
"Your resignation will be handled later.
We will dispatch elite agents to Impel Down ourselves."
"If this turns into a catastrophe, the execution of Fire Fist Ace may need to be postponed.
For now, you have full authority."
The line went dead.
---
Sengoku set the receiver down.
His chest felt heavy with conflict.
He turned toward the window, eyes fixed on the horizon — on Impel Down's direction.
Please… let my instincts be wrong…
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