The crisp sound of the locks opening drew the attention of the prisoners inside the cell.
The moment Damon stepped into the prison cell, a pale blue figure with a fish fin on its back suddenly emerged from the corner. Although its hands and feet were shackled with heavy chains, for a saw-toothed shark-man, the real weapon was its long, sharp nose shaped like a saw.
"We fish-people are the most perfect race in the world! How dare these lowly humans imprison us? Die, all of you!"
Amidst a burst of ignorant and arrogant shouts, Arlong pounced on Damon, its long, pointed nose like a spear, aiming straight for his heart. Clearly, Arlong was not as confident as he claimed. Of the three, Damon was the youngest and seemed the easiest to bully; Arlong always picks on the weak.
Warden Magellan and Head Jailer Shiryu of the Rain wore strange expressions as they allowed Arlong to successfully launch its sneak attack.
"Ding!"
The moment the serrated long nose landed on Damon's chest, it did not pierce his heart as Arlonghad predicted. Instead, he felt as if he had crashed headfirst into a thick steel plate. The terrifying rebound force transmitted from the tip of his nose, accompanied by a "crack," actually broke his hard nose!
Arlong was injured by the rebound of the Tekkai (Iron Block) and fell to the ground with a thud, its face full of disbelief. Damon looked down at this frog in the well, his face expressionless, and said:
"Nothing is perfect. The world is not perfect, and that's what makes it beautiful."
In this world, there are all sorts of races. Besides humans, who make up the largest population, there are races such as the snake-headed race, the long-armed race, the long-legged race, the dwarf race, the three-eyed race, the giant race, the fur race, the fish-man race, and the mermaid race.
Heaven is fair. After bestowing upon humankind the wisdom to learn from all things, it also made most humans mediocre by nature. Unlike the Long-legged Tribe, whose entire race possesses legs more than twice the length of humans and unparalleled kicking talent, or the Dwarf Tribe, whose entire race is born with agility and possesses strength unimaginable to ordinary people.
However, no race is perfect. Although fish-men possess strength ten times that of humans and have innate physical prowess, it does not mean that fish-men are the most perfect creatures in the world. Arlong's claim that the fish-men are the most perfect race is nothing but the arrogance and self-deception of a frog in a well. Even more tragically, a considerable number of fishmen on Fishman Island possess thoughts similar to those of Arlong.
A foot stomped hard on Arlong's face, burying his head deep into the floor. Arlong felt all its dignity trampled under the boy's feet. Its face turned as red as blood, its jaw muscles bulged, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of its mouth. Its hands were on the ground, and veins bulged on the back of its hands as it struggled to stand up. Unfortunately, the boy is no longer the same as before. He is now incredibly strong, and no matter how Arlong struggles, the shoe on its face remains unmoved.
Damon had no prejudice against any race, but he had no liking for Arlong, which was blinded by hatred. The culprits, led by the Celestial Dragons, enslaved the Fish-Men, not ordinary humans. Yet, Fish-Men like Arlong dared not retaliate against the World Nobles, but instead turned their blades on the weaker ordinary people. This was a disservice to Fisher Tiger's hard work back then.
"Ding!"
"Congratulations, host, for reciting a classic line from Fullmetal Alchemist. You have been awarded one chance to draw a prize. Would you like to start the prize wheel?"
Damon's eyes flickered; the only prizes on the lottery wheel in front of him were alchemy.
Alchemy: Silver Alchemy, Fire Alchemy, Human Transmutation, Homunculus, Philosopher's Stone Transmutation Array...
[Philosopher's Stone Transmutation Circle]: A transmutation circle is drawn on the ground in circles and regular hexagons. Philosopher's Stones are created by absorbing human bodies, souls, resentment, hatred, anger, etc. Using Philosopher's Stones as a price, magical effects can be obtained through the principle of equivalent exchange.
The Philosopher's Stone is a versatile treasure. Whether used as a consumable to unleash powerful skills, as an energy source for some high-tech product, or for other purposes, it can play a significant role.
"It's like a pillow being delivered when you're sleepy. I can use all the prisoners in Impel Down to refine the Philosopher's Stone."
Every year, a number of prisoners die in Impel Down for various reasons. The resentment, hatred, anger, and other negative emotions of these prisoners before their deaths, as well as their corpses and souls, are the best materials for crafting the Philosopher's Stone.
As Damon pondered, he released his right foot that was suppressing Arlong. The fish-man thought its chance had come, and with a sudden somersault, it stood up from the ground. Looking up, it saw the expressionless Warden Magellan, and the ferocious smile that had just appeared on its face froze instantly.
"What—"
Before long, the screams of Arlong echoed from inside the cell. As the first experimental subject in the "Impel Down Transformation Plan", Arlong, as an invited guest, had the opportunity to experience the all-inclusive service and also felt what it means to be worse than dead.
Over the next few days, while recovering from his injuries, Damon directed the guards of Impel Downto inscribe transmutation arrays on the ground of each cell in every level of hell—a strange pattern composed of circles and regular hexagons. The prison guards were puzzled, but out of respect for Warden Magellan and Head Jailer Shiryu of the Rain, they had no choice but to roll up their sleeves and work overtime without complaint.
Fortunately, the Philosopher's Stone transmutation circle does not require expensive materials; only ink and brush are needed. The real materials are the neglected prisoners in Impel Down.
As usual, Damon sat in a rattan chair, looking at Arlong lying on the floor of the cell. At this moment, Arlong's body slumped to the ground, a black cloth covered his eyes, and drops of water dripped rhythmically onto his forehead. The seemingly ordinary water droplets seemed to contain some kind of terrifying power, and each drop would cause the fish-man to scream its lungs out.
Damon flipped through a small booklet in his hand, which contained the treasure location dictated by Arlong, as well as various secrets of the Sun Pirates. Pirates often land to plunder the wealth of ordinary people, but because their ships have limited cargo capacity and they are constantly hunted by various navies, they usually only carry essential supplies such as food and cannonballs to lighten the burden on their ships, and hide the looted treasure in little-known places. To avoid forgetting the location of their treasure, pirates usually draw up a detailed treasure map.
The Sun Pirates' secret information wasn't very valuable; on the contrary, Arlong's treasure location contained jewels and gold worth 80 million Berries, more than double his bounty. It has to be said that being a pirate is an extremely lucrative profession. However, behind this treasure of 80 million Berries, countless ordinary people have perished under the guns of pirates.
Just as Damon was lost in thought, footsteps came from afar. Damon, with his sharp ears, recognized that there were more than three people, and that a strange and powerful aura was approaching. He immediately stopped the water-dripping punishment on Arlong. When the black cloth covering its eyes was removed, Arlong's eyes were glazed over, its mouth slightly open, drool dripping from the corner of its mouth, looking as if it had been thoroughly played with.
Damon turned around and saw that at the end of the corridor, Warden Magellan and Head Jailer Shiryu of the Rain led a group of prison guards, who were escorting a fish-man. No, it's more accurate to say they were on guard rather than being surrounded by them. The oil lamp hanging on the wall cast a dim, yellowish light, illuminating the fishman's robust physique.
This is a whale shark human with wild, wind-like eyebrows and sideburns, a spiky hairstyle on his head, a small tuft of beard on his broad chin, and a lightning bolt-shaped scar at the corner of his left eye. He had a broad and stout build. When he pursed his lips, two sharp teeth were visible on his lower jaw. He wore a large bathrobe embroidered with black and white patterns, and a red sun mark was faintly visible on his chest. He wore well-fitting wooden clogs, which made a creaking sound with each step.
The moment Damon saw the newcomer, he recognized him.
Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea!
Warden Magellan leaned closer and whispered in Damon's ear: "Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, has accepted the World Government's invitation and officially become a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea (Shichibukai). But as a condition, Impel Down must release all fish-men and mermaids."
Although Warden Magellan spoke softly, Arlong still heard him. The fish-man struggled to its feet, its eyes reflecting the familiar figure of Jinbe, and a nameless rage ignited in its chest.
"Jinbe, why did you become a lackey of those lowly scoundrels!"
Jinbe ignored Arlong's questioning and frowned as he saw that Arlong seemed to be suffering in prison. "Does your Impel Down prison have a habit of torturing prisoners?"
"You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want!" Deputy Warden Dominostood with her hands on her hips, her eyebrows raised in anger. "Which eye of yours saw that the prisoner was injured?"
Jinbe remained silent, vaguely sensing that something was amiss, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Arlong seemed not to hear Jinbe's concerned words. Whether it was from being tortured or from being angry at hearing this, his whole body trembled slightly, his hands clenched into fists, and he glared at the elder brother he once admired.
"I will never accept a favor from a human lackey! I will never leave here!"
Damon stood up and slowly walked to Jinbe. The Knight of the Sea had already noticed the boy whose body was wrapped in medical bandages. Not only was Magellan treating him with great courtesy, but even Shiryu of the Rain stood silently behind the boy, seemingly following his lead. Who exactly is this young man? This immediately piqued the interest of Jinbe.
"Jinbe, as you can see, this prisoner is unwilling to leave Impel Down." Damon chuckled and continued, "However, I have a way to make Arlong obediently leave with you, but I have one condition."
"What are the conditions?" Jinbe asked instinctively.
Jinbe is a man of honor, righteousness, and loyalty. Even though Arlong misunderstood him, Jinbewas not angry. Instead, he insisted on taking him away from the prison.
"It's very simple." Damon raised one index finger and said: "I only need one piece of information, one piece of information about where Donquixote Doflamingo's henchmen are."
Doflamingo is cunning and knows the saying "a cunning rabbit has three nests," so he never stays in one sea area for too long. Even though Vice Admiral Tsuru has been chasing Doflamingo for many years, he always manages to escape by getting advance notice. The Navy has Rear Admiral Vergoacting as Doflamingo's inside man, so he's completely unreliable. However, Jinbe, a fellow pirate, might bring an unexpected surprise.
"Do you dare to kill me?"
"Boom!"
Spandam's past shouts echoed in his dreams. Amidst the piercing gunshots, those young women who longed for salvation fell into pools of blood, their innocent eyes staring at the ceiling. Their dead souls seemed to still be accusing the injustice of the world in Damon's ears. Damon suddenly opened his eyes, waking up from his deep sleep.
His chest heaved violently, and his back was covered in cold sweat. Since transmigrating to this world, Damon has had a smooth life thanks to his precognitive abilities and the system he relies on. The only obstacle he can't overcome is his inability to save the women who have suffered so much on Enies Lobby.
Damon picked up a coat from the hanger and put it on. Standing in front of the specially made glass window, he could see large sea monsters swimming outside Impel Down.