One Piece: Impel Down's Guard - Chapter 10
Having spent eight years in Impel Down, Figo had come to see it as his home in the world of pirates. Naturally, he felt a bit nostalgic upon leaving.
But more than anything, he felt anticipation.
How vast could this ocean be?
Having only explored about fifty nautical miles around Impel Down, Figo had barely scratched the surface.
Boarding the massive warship transporting seven young giants, Figo gazed out at the sea, feeling a surge of excitement.
“I came, I saw, I conquered!”
“I’m losing my mind…”
Feeling slightly embarrassed, Figo quietly herded the seven giants into the ship’s prison cells. Watching them huddle in the cells that were not quite the right size, Figo felt somewhat dissatisfied.
Not only were the cells small, but there were also too few of them.
What if they encountered pirates during the voyage? Having insufficient cells would be a hassle.
When I have my own warship, I’ll make sure to install as many cells as possible.
Go out, capture as many as possible, and return fully loaded.
“Figo-sama.” At this moment, a familiar, awkward voice called out, “Long time no see. I’ve prepared your resting quarters.”
This voice was familiar yet uncomfortable.
Figo turned and saw a tall, thin man wearing a justice cloak.
The face was also familiar. After a brief moment, Figo recognized him and said with surprise, “Old Shaw?”
Old Shaw? What kind of nickname is that?
Ever since that night seven years ago when he tried to compete with Figo for the deputy warden position and fled in fear, Shaw had thought he would never cross paths with him again.
But upon hearing that Figo was going to board this transport ship, Shaw nearly broke down.
However, it seemed Figo didn’t hold a grudge over their past conflict, and Shaw secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Old Shaw it is, then.
“Figo-sama, it’s me.”
“It really has been a while. You’ve been promoted to lieutenant commander, I see.” Figo was puzzled. “Are you the captain of this transport ship?”
It wasn’t that Figo looked down on Shaw, but with seven giants, including three SR-level, a minor mishap could lead to a massacre. The entire ship could be annihilated.
I only decided to board two days ago.
As expected, Shaw subtly hinted at the cells holding the seven giants, then gestured for Figo to follow him.
Figo followed Shaw to the ship’s rear, where Shaw knocked on a cabin door and invited Figo inside. The cabin contained three individuals dressed as ordinary sailors, two men and one woman, but their demeanor was ordinary.
Seeing Figo, the three stood up, and the leading man extended his hand in greeting:
“Hello, Warden Figo.”
Figo had his suspicions and shook the man’s hand. “World Government agents? You are the real ones in charge of this ship, aren’t you? Why the disguise?”
“CP9, Peslow.” The man, Peslow, introduced himself sternly. “Our reasons for disguising are not your concern. According to the Navy headquarters, you’re just on vacation with this ship, so there’s no need for you to understand our mission.”
Figo responded, “Alright.”
His straightforwardness left the three CP9 agents momentarily stunned.
Is he that easygoing?
After a pause, Peslow added, “One more thing. During the execution of the seven giants, no matter what happens, do not intervene. I mean, no matter what!”
There was a hint of warning in his tone.
“Got it,” Figo replied just as straightforwardly.
The three CP9 agents exchanged confused glances, feeling a bit off-kilter. Is this attitude for real?
He’s not a Navy plant to monitor our operation?
“It seems like a big operation.” Figo, guided by Shaw to his quarters, genuinely wanted to stay out of trouble. Fresh out of Impel Down, he just wanted to explore the world a bit.
“As long as their operation is targeting giants and has nothing to do with the treasure, that’s fine.”
A faint rocking sensation ensued.
The transport ship set sail!
…
What is it like to sail far away?
Surrounded by endless oceans.
It’s fresh for a day, but by the second day, it gets boring.
No pirate attacks, no sudden storms.
Because the route from Impel Down to Woe Island lies entirely within the Calm Belt, there wouldn’t be pirate ships or abnormal weather! (A reader pointed out that Sea Stone technology for sailing was invented by Vegapunk, which hasn’t happened yet. My apologies for this oversight, please forgive a newbie One Piece writer.)
Even swimming a few laps was out of the question.
This wasn’t near Impel Down. Impel Down’s shell had Sea Stone components, so the largest Sea Kings nearby were only a few hundred meters long. Figo could catch and kill them at will, eating them whenever he wanted.
In the ocean’s heart were those colossal Sea Kings, over a thousand or even five thousand meters long. Figo didn’t want to test his strength against such creatures.
Bored, Figo lay on the deck, sunbathing and watching some anime.
Over seven years, he had participated in capturing over a hundred SR-level pirates, half of whose character events were activated, half not.
Since the scenes during activation could be long or short… some were not suitable for all ages.
Don’t get the wrong idea; they were just too gory.
Figo worried that watching too much might desensitize him, so now that he had left Impel Down, he could pick and choose.
There might even be some he could resolve easily.
Character Event Activated: Kill a Rear Admiral.
Character Event Activated: Kill a Vice Admiral.
Character Event Activated: Kill all Navy!
A trio of murderous tasks left Figo feeling dizzy, cursing internally. After a pause, he activated the fourth one.
This time, it was somewhat normal—a great pirate worrying about his young, beautiful wife and infant son being mistreated after his capture. The event required providing them with some care.
Figo noted the location, thinking that if he ever encountered them and confirmed they weren’t evil, he could throw a few hundred thousand Berries their way in exchange for an ability.
He continued with the fifth and sixth…
Wait, was there one giant whose character event wasn’t activated?
Figo checked the image and recalled it was the last giant captured a month ago, the seventh of the group.
His name was Kevin, with a crime index of only 3, relatively pure among the villains in Impel Down. The abilities offered were excellent, with one being Armament Haki and another Elbaf’s Spear.
Figo remembered he had been conflicted for half a day over which ability to choose, then forgot about the character event.
With the warm sun on his face, Figo comfortably squinted, continuing to watch his “anime.”
…
“Daddy, come back soon!”
A three or four-year-old giant girl tugged at Kevin’s pants, smiling sweetly.
Kevin patted the girl’s head affectionately, then turned to another male giant nearby, saying, “While I’m gone, I’ll have to rely on you to take care of little Kelly, Vina.”
“Don’t worry, Kevin.”
Kevin smiled gratefully and left with a backpack. At this time, he was not yet a pirate, just a single father raising his daughter. This trip was merely to buy some daily necessities from a distant giant town, and he would return the next day.
Seeing this, Figo’s brows furrowed slightly. Based on his extensive experience with TV shows…
A tragedy is likely about to unfold.
Pirate attack? Natural disaster?
The development was predictable yet unexpected.
The scene shifted to Kevin returning home with large and small packages, calling out a few times. His adorable daughter did not come out to greet him. Opening the door in confusion, Kevin was instantly devastated by what he saw.
The giant he had entrusted with his daughter was holding her by the neck. Hearing the door open, the giant turned and smiled sinisterly at Kevin.
The three or four-year-old giant girl appeared to have been dead for some time, her small tongue hanging out, her face still showing bewilderment, asking innocent questions…
“Kelly—?!”
The scene turned blood-red.
…
Figo sat up abruptly, brows furrowed. Seeing the death of such a pure young life made him uncomfortable, and from a bystander’s perspective, the killer giant’s state seemed off.
“A Devil Fruit ability?”
[Character Event (Activated): The death of his daughter robbed Kevin of his rational judgment. Enraged, he killed Vina without giving him a chance to explain. But later, he felt that Vina’s motives and behavior were off.
Event Requirement: Let Kevin or help Kevin find the true cause of Kelly’s death and kill or capture the real culprit.]
This is what being a crime fighter should be about.
Figo’s expression grew serious. Focusing on the event, a guiding arrow appeared in his mind, pointing him in the right direction for investigation.
After discerning the direction, Figo’s expression changed.
The arrow pointed nearby!
Was it… CP9, Peslow?!
Become a Patron to read chapters ahead of public release and support me 😉
Read up to 40 chapters ahead on p atreon.
