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"Wait, what do you mean, isn't this just a piece of the Golden Lion's hair...?"
Magellan was a bit slow to react at first, but as he stared at the golden hair, a realization hit him, and he stopped in his tracks.
His whole body trembled with excitement as he instinctively stepped forward to grab the golden hair.
"What's going on? Can someone explain what Fleet Admiral Akira means by this?"
"Yeah, I'm confused too. Didn't Shiki escape to the sea? Why do you think his location would be here?"
"Don't look at me, I have no idea either."
The wardens murmured amongst themselves in confusion.
"Vivre Card."
At that moment, a pirate's voice came from a nearby cage, providing the answer.
"The Marine Fleet Admiral knew right away that he could use Shiki's hair to make a Vivre Card and track his location.
"The Vivre Card is a specialty from the second half of the Grand Line. It can precisely indicate someone's location, even if they're thousands of miles away.
"But I can't blame you for not knowing. This sort of thing is only useful on the sea. It's normal for those of you who have been stuck in Impel Down to be unaware."
This answer not only enlightened the wardens and jailers, but even some of the less sharp pirate prisoners finally understood Akira's plan.
"So, there's something like a Vivre Card in this world, huh? That's so convenient."
"In that case, does that mean we can track down all those guys who escaped, no matter where they're hiding?"
"That's great! Now we can catch those pirates before they cause any trouble," the wardens cheered, thrilled at the prospect.
However, the pirates still imprisoned had a different mindset.
"Tch, even if they know where we are, it doesn't matter. Once we hit the sea, no one's going to catch us."
"Exactly! Unless an Admiral surrounds them, by the time they get close, those guys will already be legends."
"Don't get too excited just yet. Don't think I don't know what you're planning. You're all going to look like fools. The whole world is going to hear about Impel Down being breached."
"It doesn't matter if they have a Vivre Card. A real hero won't be afraid of the Marines' pursuit."
"Believe it or not, after tomorrow, the whole world will be in chaos thanks to those bastards who escaped."
Some scoffed at the idea, while others were more defiant. Expecting empathy from pirates who had been imprisoned and tortured was wishful thinking.
Magellan, who had been ecstatic moments ago, snapped back to reality, his expression growing dark.
"Poison Dragon."
Without a word, he activated the power of his Venom-Venom Fruit, unleashing several massive poisonous dragons from his body that charged toward the strongest of the shouting prisoners.
In an instant, blood-curdling screams echoed from the illuminated cage.
The venom rapidly spread through the pirate's body, turning him completely green in the blink of an eye. His aura faded until it disappeared entirely.
The wardens and prisoners alike were stunned into silence, not daring to mock any further.
"Magellan, you..." Akira raised his eyes slightly, an unreadable smile creeping across his face.
Seeing the normally composed and strict Magellan resort to killing was indeed a rare sight.
Having stayed in Impel Down for a while, Akira had picked up on some of the gossip floating around.
When sparring with the pirates and chatting during breaks, most of them mentioned that Magellan was the only reasonable person in Impel Down. Unlike the previous director and the other wardens, Magellan didn't kill or abuse prisoners at every turn.
Even when things got out of hand, the worst Magellan would do was use his venomous abilities to teach the offender a tough lesson. And afterward, he'd always instruct his subordinates to provide the antidote.
What happened today was a rare exception. Not long ago, Magellan had even argued with Akira about the death of Hal. But now, he had personally killed several prisoners. This was completely unlike the Magellan of the past.
"Uh…"
Magellan shifted uncomfortably, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"Fleet Admiral Akira, I... I—" He stammered, struggling to find the right words.
"...Please, forgive me."
Akira smiled, patting him on the shoulder. "No need to explain, I understand."
"Pirates' Prison Break Incident" isn't just a simple phrase. During their escape, it's likely that many jailers lost their lives at the hands of those pirates.
In the past, since the pirates were under strict control, they were at the mercy of the jailers' punishments. But don't forget, pirates aren't exactly saints. They just didn't have the chance to retaliate. The moment they got it, they surely wouldn't hold back.
Magellan, who saw his colleagues as family, couldn't be expected to still have a good opinion of the pirates after something like this.
He wouldn't reach the extremes of the previous director, but Magellan clearly no longer minded executing pirates with his own hands when necessary.
"Alright, start gathering the hair of all the escaped pirates, then have the amphibians make Vivre Cards," Akira said seriously. "We need to act fast before they get too far."
Magellan didn't hesitate. He immediately turned to his subordinates and shouted, "Did you hear that? Get to it! Do exactly what Fleet Admiral Akira said!"
"Yes, sir!" they responded quickly, rushing off to carry out the orders.
Soon enough, they had gathered hair from all parts of the escaped pirates' bodies. After being imprisoned in Eternal Hell for so long, without any wind and having full-time cleaning staff, it wasn't easy to find hair on every pirate.
Once all the pirate hair was collected, there was no need for Magellan to give any further instructions. A warden took the hair and began the process of creating the Vivre Cards.
Although the wardens weren't familiar with the exact steps, as part of one of the three major organizations under the World Government, they didn't need to worry about such details. A quick Den Den Mushi call would bring a professional to handle it.
Meanwhile, Akira was invited back to Magellan's office, and the two sat down, sipping high-end red wine as they waited.
"Fleet Admiral Akira, I owe you an apology," Magellan said solemnly, raising his wine glass. "I was too stubborn about those issues a while ago. I hope you don't hold it against me."