One Piece: Impel Down's Guard - Chapter 20
On the shore, seven giants sat in a row.
Their holding cages had sunk into the water, leaving Figo to drag only one back, tossing the defeated Gildachack inside.
Shaw also unlocked the shackles on their legs to get them ashore. Although they were technically free to run, they all sat obediently, one more compliant than the next.
Run? Whoever wants to run can try.
Despite still having chains on their hands, even if they didn’t, they noticed their three saviors were still serving under the oppressive watch of the demonic warden.
Not far away, a bonfire blazed, and the three CP9 members had clear divisions of labor. They continuously cut, bled, and roasted the massive corpse of a nearby Sea King, quickly supplying Figo with meat.
Watching the tens of tons of Sea King gradually disappear into Figo’s stomach, both the tiger-man and the female CP9 member exchanged silent glances.
So it turns out the joke is on us. The giants were telling the truth; Figo can indeed eat an entire Sea King in one meal? So those stories about him abusing and humiliating prisoners are probably true as well?
Can’t mess with him, can’t mess with him.
After all the sudden changes, Peslow’s desire to report Figo to the Five Elders had waned.
Figo normally didn’t eat this much, but after receiving a large supplement of giant strength and enduring a fierce battle, he urgently needed replenishment. His strong digestive ability helped him quickly convert the consumed meat into energy.
After devouring three-quarters of the Sea King, Figo belched contentedly, rubbing his full stomach as he stood up.
“That’s about enough. Thank you for your hard work. You can roast the rest and share it with the giants.”
The giants sitting in a row were moved to tears. We actually still get to eat?
“Shaw, how’s the little snail doing?” Figo asked from another direction.
“No good, we can’t contact headquarters.”
The Den Den Mushi that was thrown to the shore wasn’t entirely destroyed, but its shell was cracked, and it couldn’t get a signal to reach headquarters. It would probably need time to recover and repair.
Only six marines remained, each wounded and bandaged like Figo, resting on the shore. Early on, after the first piece of Sea King meat was roasted, each was given a piece to fill their stomachs.
“In that case, take care of the little snail, Shaw. Fortunately, I had already contacted the Fleet Admiral earlier. He said he would dispatch the nearest warship to pick us up. It shouldn’t be too long.”
After all, this place was quite close to Elbaf. The Fleet Admiral would certainly consider the possibility of the giants coming to rescue the seven captives and would expedite their retrieval.
With everything arranged, Figo found a flat piece of ground and lay down to rest with his eyes closed.
Not far away, the nun in Seastone handcuffs also lay on the ground, having completely lost hope, and instead felt calm. She asked, “Could you give me a light for a cigarette, marine?”
“Quit smoking; it’s banned in Impel Down.”
The nun fell silent.
The giants admired her courage. Despite being captured, she still dared to make demands? Seeing Figo close his eyes to sleep, they ate their meat in small bites, afraid of waking the demonic warden, feeling weak, pitiful, and helpless.
Attempt to escape?
Look at that cage with the pile of mush inside.
Look at the shattered ground.
Look at the two halves of the warship that hadn’t sunk yet.
Don’t kid around! Better alive than dead!
Figo wasn’t actually sleeping but rather tallying his gains. He had seven rewards to choose from now.
Once truly captured, even if released, the rewards wouldn’t disappear. The three CP9 members primarily offered Rokushiki-related rewards, which Figo wasn’t in a hurry to choose.
He could figure out Rokushiki himself. There would be a rapid enhancement period from practicing it. When he couldn’t improve through practice anymore, he would use their rewards to level up.
The remaining four rewards were from the events involving Du Ham and the giant Kevin, as well as the capture rewards from the nun and Gildachack.
Oh, right, the giant Kevin still didn’t know that the real culprit who killed his daughter was the Gildachack Figo had just fought and captured.
Figo didn’t bother to tell him. Whether to recruit him into the marines or whatever else would be up to the Fleet Admiral to decide.
Kevin’s reward was the easiest to choose.
[Reward: Giant Strength (Rare) +187 ? 1832 (Level 3 Giant Adolescent)]
Next was Du Ham. Back then, his Observation Haki had been activated by Figo. Du Ham hadn’t mastered Armament Haki, nor did he use swords. Figo naturally chose to strengthen his strongest abilities among the dozens of scattered abilities.
[Reward: Physique +63 ? 12399 (Level 4 Monster)]
A fierce battle and a hearty meal of Sea King meat had actively increased Figo’s physique by over twenty points.
Now it was time for the main event: the 100% capture participation rewards from the two SR-level criminals!
The nun’s reward options were Devil Fruit Development, Disguise, and Business, none of which particularly appealed to Figo. After some consideration, Figo chose Devil Fruit Development.
Although this ability couldn’t be activated without eating a fruit, and due to his Fish-Man strength, Figo wouldn’t consider eating a fruit unless he found one that was particularly suitable and tempting.
But enhancing his Devil Fruit Development ability could still aid Figo somewhat in battles against Devil Fruit users, assisting him in assessing the enemy’s situation.
[Reward: Devil Fruit Development (Not Activated) +2093 ? 2093 (Level 3 Devil Fruit Proficiency)]
A 100% capture participation rate, a crime index of 91, and an SR3 level brought Figo 2093 points of rewards in one go—the highest amount ever!
And this record was about to be broken!
[Criminal: Gildachack]
[Level: SR9]
[Status: Incarcerated]
[Crime Index: 113]
[Capture Participation: 100%]
[Selectable Rewards: Armament Haki, Doctor, Observation Haki]
A crime index of 113 broke the highest record Figo had ever seen. The selectable rewards were also unprecedentedly rich! Most people had dozens of abilities, and it was lucky to get one high-quality option among three. Gildachack, however, offered both Armament Haki and Observation Haki at once!
The doctor ability would be good in other circumstances, making it a tough choice.
Ultimately, Figo chose Armament Haki.
[Reward: Armament Haki +3277 ? 6355 (Level 3 Armament Haki Proficiency)]
It directly doubled! Now Figo could quickly reach the corresponding data level through practice and might even achieve full-body Armament Haki!
If he could personally capture a hundred or so pirates like this, Figo would soon become the world’s strongest.
But that was just a dream. In the current era, Gildachack was already one of the top 50 most wanted pirates. Other big pirates wouldn’t just stand there waiting for Figo to capture them. More importantly, many of them might still be beyond his current strength.
This battle had roughly shown Figo his limits. The change from SR9 to SSR1 represented a significant leap in strength. He had struggled to capture Gildachack, and he likely wasn’t a match for SSR-level pirates yet.
He couldn’t guarantee victory even among SR7, SR8, and SR9, as battles involved many factors. Against someone like Sugar, even an R-level could pose a threat.
“Looks like I won’t be capturing SSR-level pirates anytime soon.”
Impel Down? Even Impel Down didn’t have SSR-level criminals yet! The deepest cell held SR9-level prisoners!
SSR probably represented the top tier of the sea, equivalent to admiral level, or at least someone capable of holding off an admiral for a while!
“In other words, SSR1 is equivalent to an average Yonko commander in the future? SSR9 is the peak of Roger and Whitebeard? And what about Rocks? Or Imu?”
The closer to the top, the harder it got. Eight years of hard work and effort in Impel Down, and now he was just at the threshold of the pinnacle, barely touching it…
With these thoughts, sleep gradually overtook Figo, and he finally dozed off, truly exhausted.
Until nightfall, when Shaw woke him up, “Sir Figo, the ship to pick us up has arrived. It’s time to head back!”
Figo opened his eyes and responded, “They’re here already?”
In the end, he didn’t get to tour the island town.
Next time, for sure.
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