One Piece: Impel Down's Guard - Chapter 13
Woe Island, Town Center.
A makeshift platform had been erected, and seven giants lay face down, chained and unable to move. The time was nearing noon, and more and more townsfolk gathered, pointing and murmuring about the giants awaiting execution. Many faces bore expressions of hatred and anger. The Giant Warrior Pirates were far from benevolent; there wasn’t an island near Elbaf that hadn’t been raided by them.
The public execution of the giants was a spectacle the townsfolk relished.
In a secret room nearby, three CP9 members, now dressed in civilian clothing, were growing increasingly anxious.
“Where the hell is that hag?”
They had waited and waited, but Sister Carmel had not shown up. With the execution time drawing closer, Peslow gritted his teeth in anger, “Prepare to execute the contingency plan, damn it!”
The female CP9 agent remarked, “I knew that hag couldn’t be relied upon. Using the contingency plan could cause trouble with that warden, Figo. The Navy will find out.”
“It doesn’t matter; they’ll find out sooner or later.”
Peslow took a deep breath and said, “If we move swiftly, and if that warden isn’t nearby, he might not react in time!”
“You… you mean to leave him stranded on the island?” another CP9 agent asked, surprised.
“Yeah, we’ll notify him later.”
Peslow nodded, “Let’s move!”
His figure vanished, speeding back towards the warship, while the other two focused on the execution platform.
—
On the warship, Figo sat across from the unconscious Sister Carmel in her cell, feeling a bit troubled.
It wasn’t because he had inadvertently disrupted CP9’s operation. After all, the nun had attacked him first.
He had the moral high ground; what was there to fear?!
Moreover, cooperating with a human trafficker was no good; breaking up such a deal was for the best.
What troubled him was what to do about the giant execution. Regardless of the moral implications of the World Government’s cooperation with human traffickers, it was clear that the government had no real intention of publicly executing the seven giants.
Perhaps they wanted to avoid further angering the already dismantled Giant Warrior Pirates or hoped to gain the giants’ power and recruit giant marines.
But now, with the nun captured by Figo, the execution would proceed uninterrupted.
This potential outcome involved Figo, which was bothersome.
In any case, releasing a captured trafficker was out of the question. Glancing at the time, there were about half an hour before the execution.
Figo opened the prison records and saw that the status of the giant, Kevin, had changed from ‘Incarcerated’ to ‘Being Executed.’ If the execution concluded, his status would change to ‘Deceased.’
The corresponding page would turn grey, a detail Figo had learned over his eight years at Impel Down.
“Better go check it out,” Figo thought.
Just then, Kevin’s record turned a never-before-seen red, a striking and alarming color!
Figo froze, rechecking the information.
Status change: Escaping!
Figo instantly realized that CP9 had a backup plan.
—
Two minutes earlier, on the execution platform.
Execution supervisor Shaw observed the ever-growing crowd, the cries of “Kill them” resounding. He felt nervous.
Only he knew that this execution wasn’t straightforward; the three CP9 agents would definitely act.
But he didn’t know the details.
How would they act?
Could the execution proceed?
As he was fretting, a blur flashed before his eyes.
The female CP9 agent suddenly appeared, throwing a punch at him while giving a signal. Simultaneously, muffled thuds indicated his subordinate marines being taken down by another CP9 agent!
So straightforward?!
Shaw was shocked but had grown over the years. He quickly reacted, putting up a token resistance before being knocked down by the female CP9.
In mere seconds, the two CP9 agents had ‘neutralized’ all the marines on the platform.
The crowd, who had been cheering for the giants’ execution moments ago, now fell into chaos, scattering as a knife was flung into their midst by the male CP9 agent.
“Prison break!”
“Why save the giants?!”
“Run! They’re killing people!”
The town center erupted into pandemonium!
The two CP9 agents quickly dismantled the chains binding the seven giants.
“Get moving!”
The sudden change left the giants, resigned to their fate moments ago, stunned. Seeing the unfamiliar faces, they asked in confusion, “Who are you?”
“No time to explain!”
“Just follow us!” The agents pretended to find the keys on Shaw and freed the giants.
Despite their exhaustion, the giants instinctively trusted their ‘rescuers’ and followed them off the platform.
Though weak, they moved quickly, driving the townsfolk away and leaving the town in no time.
It was then that they asked, “Where are we going? What’s the plan?”
“The Navy will react soon! We need to get off Woe Island and seize that warship!” the female CP9 agent explained.
“Seize the warship? No way!” The giants halted, and a burly giant with a beard spoke, “That ship has Warden Figo from Impel Down. That guy…”
“We know! It’s fine. He’s not on the ship right now. We have a colleague securing the ship. Trust us!”
The seven giants exchanged glances and chose to believe their ‘saviors,’ heading for the warship.
—
This was CP9’s contingency plan.
Without Carmel, they would earn the giants’ favor themselves.
How they’d proceed, they’d figure out.
Peslow, who had gone ahead, intended to secure the ship. But as he reached the deck and saw Figo, his face changed drastically.
“Figo?! Why are you here?!”
“Oh, I had some business and came back. What are you up to?” Figo asked with a nonchalant smile.
Peslow was stunned.
Conflicted, angry, speechless—his emotions flashed through, and he even considered trying to knock Figo out. Ultimately, he held back and resigned to telling the ‘truth’:
“The World Government never intended to execute the giants.
“We were supposed to work with a nun to stage a rescue, earning the giants’ favor and acting as a bridge between the World Government and the giants to recruit giant marines.
“But the nun didn’t show up for some reason, so we had to improvise. Fortunately, the giants don’t know us. Our agents disguised as civilians have ‘rescued’ the giants, and I was to secure the ship.
“Warden Figo, I hope you’ll cooperate with the World Government. Please disembark and enjoy a vacation on the island. I’ll subdue the marines and complete our plan. When the dust settles, a ship will come to pick you up!”
Figo was ‘shocked.’
“A nun? Was she a golden-haired, pretty one?”
Peslow hesitated, “Uh?”
Figo frowned, “It really was her! What kind of partners did you pick? That woman attacked me out of nowhere!”
Peslow, “…And then?”
Figo pointed towards the cell.
“She’s locked up in there.”
Peslow was livid: Damn it all to hell!
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