The massive “Gates of Justice” slowly closed behind them with a rumbling sound like a giant’s heavy sigh.
The Perfume Snake had passed through the violent Tarai Current whirlpool and finally entered the most chilling sea area in the depths of the Calm Belt.
Ahead, a tower-like structure so enormous it took one’s breath away stood like a black sword stabbed upside down into the ocean, quietly looming in the deep blue waters.
Impel Down.
It was the World Government’s final line of defense against the Pirate Era — the deep-sea hell that made countless legendary criminals tremble in fear.
“Hiss— (So this is the Great Prison?
The buffet here… smells delicious.)”
Zane remained coiled around Hancock’s waist (to hide his presence, he had shrunk to the smallest size, looking like an exquisite belt).
His golden vertical pupils peered through a gap in the cloak, greedily staring at the steel fortress.
The air was thick with a mix of high-concentration disinfectant, old rust, and the fear and despair emanating from countless living bodies.
To ordinary people, this was a nauseating smell of hell.
But to Zane, who possessed the Gluttony talent, it was like a Michelin three-star buffet that had just opened for business, radiating an irresistible aroma.
Not only that.
[Deep-Sea Intimidation (Passive)] allowed him to keenly sense dozens of super-giant Sea Kings over a kilometer long patrolling the deep waters around the prison.
They were Impel Down’s natural guards — and Zane’s long-coveted “strategic food reserves.”
“Don’t move around, Night.
We’re going in.”
Hancock was wearing the loose purple hooded cloak, with Luffy hidden tightly behind her.
One of her hands remained inside the cloak pocket, actually gently stroking Zane’s scales, as if only his touch could make her feel at ease in this disgusting prison atmosphere.
As for Luffy?
“Hey, monkey, hold your breath.
Your hot air is blowing on my waist.
Disgusting.” Hancock coldly said in a voice only the three of them could hear.
Luffy: “…”
“Welcome to Hell, Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock.”
At the massive elevator entrance, a group of fully armed prison guards holding rifles had already lined up in formation.
Leading them was a tall, blonde beauty in a brown uniform.
She wore sunglasses that covered half her face.
Her high boots clicked crisply on the metal floor, giving off a cold, professional aura.
Impel Down Vice Warden, Domino.
Domino adjusted her sunglasses.
She didn’t lose composure at Hancock’s beauty and spoke in a tone as cold as a machine: “I am Vice Warden Domino.
According to Impel Down’s security regulations, even a Warlord must undergo strict body checks before entering the prison interior.
We must ensure you are not carrying any dangerous items… or dangerous individuals.”
When she said the words “dangerous individuals,” her sharp eyes behind the sunglasses pointedly glanced at the slightly bulky hem of Hancock’s cloak.
Hancock’s heart skipped a beat.
She wasn’t worried about Luffy being discovered — she could just kill her way in.
What she worried about was that fighting here would disturb Night’s “dining” mood and might even get him injured.
“Hmph, insolent fools.”
Hancock suddenly tilted her head back in her signature extreme contempt pose — head thrown back to the limit, finger pointed at the other party.
“I am here in response to the World Government’s mandatory summons!
You lowly commoners, are you doubting me?”
“This is procedure,” Domino remained unmoved and even took a step forward.
“Please cooperate and remove the cloak.
We need to perform a close body search.”
The atmosphere instantly froze.
At that moment, Domino’s gaze suddenly shifted.
Through a gap in the open cloak, she saw the “black-and-gold belt” wrapped around Hancock’s waist wriggling slightly.
“That is… a snake?”
Domino frowned, a hint of vigilance flashing in her eyes.
As a warden who dealt with all kinds of ferocious guard beasts year-round, her intuition was extremely sharp.
Although the snake didn’t look very large, the cold indifference in those golden vertical pupils made her instinctively uncomfortable.
“Although the documents mentioned you brought a pet, this creature gives off a very… dangerous feeling.
According to Impel Down’s ‘Biological Management Regulations,’ a beast of this size cannot be brought in directly.”
Domino pointed to a massive red-glowing security scanner nearby and said coldly:
“It must be placed in a special Seastone cage for us to look after.
Or… it must undergo a full-body X-ray scan to confirm it is not concealing any contraband, such as keys or poison.”
“What?!”
This time, Hancock truly exploded.
If the earlier body search only annoyed her, hearing that they wanted to cage Zane and scan him with rays filled her with towering rage!
Her Night was the supreme king, her reverse scale!
How could these ants dare to toy with him as they pleased?!
“Insolence!
How dare you show such disrespect to my… partner!”
Hancock’s beautiful eyes widened.
Her Conqueror’s Haki began to leak uncontrollably, and an invisible charming wave instantly spread outward with her at the center.
“Sweet Sweet Gale · Mental Version!”
The ordinary guards with weaker willpower instantly had hearts in their eyes.
Their bodies stiffened, turning into obedient, lovestruck fools.
“Oh!
Empress-sama is too beautiful!”
“How can we put the Empress’s pet in a cage?!
That’s a crime!”
However, Domino only swayed slightly before biting her tongue hard, using the pain to forcibly regain clarity.
“As expected of the Empress… but this trick doesn’t work on me.”
Domino took a deep breath and raised the riding crop in her hand, pointing it at Zane.
Her voice trembled but remained firm: “It is my duty!
That snake must be inspected!
I have reason to suspect it is hiding dangerous items in its stomach!”
“You’re courting death!”
Killing intent surged in Hancock’s eyes.
Her fingers had already formed a “pistol” shape, preparing to fire Slave Arrow.
She no longer cared if Luffy would be exposed.
Anyone who dared touch her Night had to die!
“Hiss— (Calm down, wife.)”
Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, Zane, who had been lazily coiled, finally moved.
He slowly poked his head out and licked the back of Hancock’s hand with his cool tongue, signaling her to stay calm.
Inspect me?
And with X-rays?
He still hadn’t fully digested the technological core in his stomach.
If they scanned it, the Marine Science Unit would want to dissect him!
Moreover, the Vice Captain of the Kuja Pirates being treated like a pet at security?
Put in a cage?
Where was his dignity?
“Since you want to see so badly, I’ll let you see everything.”
Zane flashed from Hancock’s waist to her wrist, shrinking again into a bracelet.
Then—
Buzz—!
An extremely subtle but highly targeted spiritual wave, like an invisible spike, instantly pierced Domino’s cerebral cortex.
This wasn’t simple Conqueror’s Haki.
It was a composite mental attack combining Deep-Sea Intimidation and Apex Predator Gaze.
Zane controlled the pressure into a thin line, bypassing everyone else and targeting only Domino.
“This…”
Domino’s body stiffened violently.
In her sunglass-covered vision, the world changed instantly.
It was no longer the cold elevator entrance, nor was there a peerlessly beautiful Empress.
She felt as if she were standing naked on the edge of an endless dark abyss.
From within that abyss, an indescribably massive ancient python — its body flowing with lava and lightning — slowly emerged from the darkness.
Its blood-red maw, large enough to swallow the heavens, slowly opened.
Fangs like mountain peaks rose, carrying a heavy smell of sulfur and blood, approaching her.
Those golden eyes, like burning suns, held no killing intent — only indifference.
As if an elephant looking at an ant, or a human looking at a speck of dust.
“Hiss— (Scram.)”
A low hiss exploded directly in her mind like thunder.
“Ah!!!”
Domino let out a short, shrill scream.
Her body jolted as if struck by lightning.
The primal fear from the depths of her genes — the terror of prey facing an apex predator — caused her proud rational defenses to collapse instantly.
She would be eaten!
She would definitely be eaten!
Even her soul would be chewed to pieces!
Clatter.
The riding crop fell from her hand.
Domino’s legs went weak and she collapsed to the floor.
Cold sweat soaked her uniform in an instant, outlining her trembling curves.
“Vice Warden!
What’s wrong?!” The charmed guards around her were startled by the scream and rushed to help her up.
Domino gasped heavily, her sunglasses askew, revealing eyes filled with terrified tears.
She pointed a trembling finger at the “black bracelet” on Hancock’s wrist and tried to speak, but her lips only quivered without forming complete words.
Monster… that is a monster…
“N… No need… No inspection necessary.”
“Since it is the Empress’s… accessory, it is naturally safe.”
She almost fled as she reached out and pressed the elevator button behind her, her voice trembling: “Please… please enter.
I wish you… a pleasant visit.”
Hancock was stunned for a moment, then looked down at Zane on her wrist.
A flash of surprise and sweetness appeared in her eyes.
“As expected of Night… He didn’t even need me to act.
One glance was enough to make this annoying woman submit.”
“This is my man — powerful, mysterious, and invincible.”
She thought sweetly to herself as she strode confidently into the massive steel elevator.
As for Luffy behind her?
She had already forgotten about him.
As the heavy metal doors slowly closed, shutting out Domino’s deathly pale face, that suffocating deep-sea pressure once again washed over them.
Zane released the pressure on Domino and returned to his lazy state, rubbing gently against Hancock’s wrist.
“Hiss— (Mission accomplished.
Next up is buffet time.)”
The elevator began its rapid descent.
The sensation of weightlessness hit them.
The surrounding air grew colder and the light dimmer.
Yet Zane’s senses became extraordinarily sharp at this moment.
[Observation Haki · Full Power!]
As the depth increased, he could clearly sense several overwhelmingly powerful life signatures in the deepest parts of the prison.
That was the venomous Magellan…
The blade-sharp Shiryu of the Rain…
And even deeper in Level 6, the rotting, terrifying auras of the legendary criminals the World Government had erased from history.
“All excellent nourishment…”
Zane licked his lips.
Greedy ghostly light flickered in his vertical pupils.
“Ding.”
After what felt like a long time, the elevator stopped.
A cold electronic voice sounded.
“Level 1, Crimson Hell.”
The metal doors slowly slid open to both sides.
Miserable screams mixed with a thick stench of blood rushed toward them.
What greeted their eyes was a forest of red.
And in the shadows of the ceiling just outside the elevator doors, a figure with a red nose and clown makeup hung upside down, staring wide-eyed at the Boa Hancock who had stepped out of the elevator — and the… very valuable-looking black snake on her.
“Huh?
That’s a Warlord?
And… some kind of treasure?”
Buggy the Clown swallowed hard, a greedy smile spreading across his face.
He had no idea that what he was staring at wasn’t treasure — it was an ancestor.