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"It's good that you're alright."
"These men can't move anymore. We'll handle them from here."
"Go down and rest properly, Sadi-chan. You've done a great job today. I'll report it to the Navy and make sure you get a reward."
Magellan looked at her with unmistakable satisfaction as he spoke.
The report to the Navy wasn't only about securing a reward for Sadi. He also needed to inform Sengoku of the level of strength she had developed. What she had demonstrated today proved that the Navy's decision to send personnel to Ikki for training had been absolutely correct. Magellan felt it was necessary to make sure Sengoku understood that.
If it were possible, he even wanted the other staff of Impel Down to spend time with Ikki for a while. Given enough time, Impel Down would become a truly impregnable fortress. There would never be another escape like Shiki's, or like Bullet's, ever again.
"Domino, you know Sadi-chan well enough. Take her down to rest."
Magellan turned to Domino as he said it.
"Understood, Director Magellan."
Domino nodded and moved to leave with Sadi.
Just then, Bullet, the Descendant of the Devil, who had collapsed to the ground under the combined force of Sadi's attack and Magellan's venom, forced his heavy body to move. He pushed himself up and raised his head toward Sadi.
"Wait, woman!"
"You can't leave yet!"
He shouted through the pain of the venom still working through him.
"Hmm? Something else, Bullet?"
"You're not stupid enough to think you can still escape, are you?"
Sadi patted Domino's shoulder, signaling her to hold still, then turned back to Bullet with a smile.
Bullet didn't take the bait. He looked at her steadily and said:
"Woman, you are very strong."
"I admit it. I underestimated you."
"But I don't think I lost to you."
"One on one, no Seastone restricting me, you wouldn't be able to beat me."
That was the truth of it, as far as Bullet was concerned. In his mind, he had never stopped believing he was the stronger of the two. He was frustrated at failing to escape, yes, but his pride toward Sadi wasn't particularly wounded.
After a pause, he continued.
"You said before that your strength comes from Ikki."
"I want to know. How powerful is that man now?"
Bullet had seen Ikki once, briefly, back when he had come to Level 6. But Bullet had been absorbed in his own training at the time and hadn't paid him much attention. Now, having witnessed and felt Sadi's power firsthand, that indifference had curdled into genuine curiosity.
"Oh, you want to know about Lord Ikki's strength?"
The moment Bullet mentioned Ikki, Sadi's eyes lit up.
Magellan had no particular desire to stand here and let Bullet keep talking. But when he saw how eagerly Sadi was looking at the man, and when he remembered what she had just contributed to this fight, he kept his mouth shut and let the conversation run.
"That's right. I'm very interested in him."
"He should be stronger than you."
Bullet said it without hesitation.
"Of course he is. Lord Ikki's strength is far, far greater than mine."
"I think even a Navy Admiral would be a match for him at this point."
Sadi paused, tapping her head lightly, then stuck out her tongue.
"No, wait. He's a pirate hunter, so comparing him to an Admiral doesn't really fit."
"If we're making comparisons, we should compare him to pirates."
She thought for a moment, then nodded firmly.
"Lord Ikki's strength right now is comparable to that of the Four Emperors."
"What?!"
Hannibal's jaw dropped. His eyes went wide.
He thought about what that meant. He thought about the power Sadi had just shown. Then he thought about the power Ikki might possess if Sadi was just a student.
A quiet, gnawing regret settled into him. He hadn't taken the chance to train under Ikki when he could have. Looking at what Sadi could do now, he was beginning to think that even giving up the famous sword he carried would have been worth it, if it meant gaining that kind of strength.
In Hannibal's mind, strength meant opportunity, and opportunity meant one thing: a better shot at replacing Magellan as the next warden of Impel Down.
What Hannibal didn't know was that if Sadi ever found out what he was thinking, she wouldn't give him a friendly look. She had her own eye on that seat.
"Ikki is really that powerful?"
Domino looked equally stunned, her eyes wide even behind her sunglasses.
"Sadi-chan, you're not exaggerating? He's truly at that level?"
Magellan pressed the question quickly.
Ikki wasn't a pirate. He had even cooperated with the Navy on more than one occasion. But Four Emperor-level strength was no laughing matter, whatever side a man stood on. If Ikki's power truly reached that height, then Magellan would need to treat him with a great deal more caution going forward. More than that, he suspected the Navy and even the World Government would need to do the same.
"Of course. Lord Ikki absolutely has that kind of ability."
Sadi nodded without the slightest hesitation.
She had never personally witnessed Ikki fight one of the Four Emperors. But her admiration for him was deep enough that her faith in his strength required no proof.
And in truth, her instinct wasn't far wrong.
If Ikki were to fight at his full strength, he could contend with a Yonko. And if he made full use of the Zanpakuto available to him, then defeating one outright would not be out of the question. But that was all dependent on the circumstances. Battle was unpredictable. A Yonko might use methods Ikki had never encountered before, and if his condition happened to be poor that day, defeat was possible.
Given Ikki's cautious nature, though, that outcome was unlikely. At the very least, he would not lose. Whether he could decisively defeat or kill one of the Four Emperors was another matter entirely -- that would require both sides to commit fully, without holding anything back. Short of that, the most probable ending to any such clash would be one side choosing to withdraw.