One night passed.
Exhausted, Asa fell into the deepest sleep he'd had in days—until the jailer's voice jolted him awake the next morning.
"Time to eat… scumbags!"
The iron door of the cell clanged loudly as two portions of food were tossed inside.
Asa weakly cracked his neck and began some light stretching to kickstart another grueling day.
Creak…
The jailers, catching a whiff of blood in the air, glanced around suspiciously before unlocking the door to Asa's cell. Two of them kept a wary eye on him while the third dragged away the corpse of Flores Moreno.
Asa simply smiled, calm and unconcerned, then picked up both food portions and wolfed them down.
His stomach had been empty for far too long, and now being able to claim two portions was a rare luxury.
Although the food contained slow-acting poison, Asa had no choice. Refusing to eat meant starving to death. Eating gave him back some strength—but at the cost of slowly deteriorating over time.
Still, he would rather be poisoned and gain the strength to move than sit idle and weaken further.
"I can't go on like this… I have to get rid of the Sea-Prism Stone as soon as possible." Asa ate silently, brows furrowed in thought.
At first, this type of chronic toxin merely caused fatigue, and recovery was possible. But with continued exposure, it would gradually destroy a person's strength—just like it had with Flores Moreno and the others.
Once that stage was reached, not even one in a hundred could survive.
If Flores Moreno had been in his prime, Asa—chained and weak—would've been crushed instantly. He wouldn't have even had the chance to bite his artery.
As he devoured the food, the quiet chewing echoed across Infinite Hell.
After eating and resting briefly, Asa began the simplest form of training—push-ups!
He refused to be like the other prisoners, who had been broken by the reputation of Infinite Hell and spent their days wasting away, not even bothering with basic exercise.
Sure, working out consumed valuable energy, and without sufficient food, death could come faster.
But Asa was not the type to wait and see. He chased immediate gains. Whether death came tomorrow or the day after didn't matter—as long as he survived today.
"Bah la la la la!" Bundy Walder had been watching Asa closely from inside the eternal ice. Seeing a Devil Fruit user still exercising under the suppression of Sea-Prism Stone, he burst out laughing.
"Kid, you'll die wasting energy like that without proper food in Infinite Hell!"
"Quit doing pointless things. You still think you can escape?"
People die? So what?
Asa didn't bother responding. He struggled through three or five push-ups, then collapsed onto the ground.
Bundy Walder could mock all he wanted—he didn't need to eat, drink, or move. His body was frozen, likely a miracle that he could still speak. In another few days, he might fall back into a deep sleep, frozen in time once more.
Two months passed in the blink of an eye!
After Roger re-entered the New World, he didn't immediately seek out Whitebeard or other old acquaintances. Instead, guided by information from Kozuki Oden, he arrived at the giant elephant island of Zou.
There, the leaders of the Mink Tribe, Nekomamushi and Inuarashi—retainers of the Kozuki family—immediately swore loyalty to Oden and followed Roger as if he were their true lord.
Whitebeard's Territory.
Kaido of the Beasts had been running wild for two months before finally crossing paths with the Moby Dick. His first move?
Challenge Whitebeard.
The two clashed without restraint in full view of the world, their battle raging for ten days and ten nights, ultimately ending with an island's destruction. Kaido, exhausted, was hurled into the deep sea by Whitebeard.
Totland, the All Nations.
The Golden Lion Shiki soared through the skies, his mane-like golden hair whipping in the wind. Behind him floated over a dozen islands, bobbing in the sky like puppets on strings.
"Jie hahahahahaha! Charlotte Linlin, will you join me in my plan to dominate the world? If you agree, I'll overlook the destruction of my country!"
"Hahahahahahaha! I refuse! I'll become the Pirate King myself!" Charlotte Linlin roared, her massive form radiating overwhelming power.
BOOM!!
The clash of their Conqueror's Haki distorted the air itself. Red-black lightning tore through the sky as waves rippled outward across the seas.
Totland's citizens collapsed en masse, unconscious from the pressure. Even Linlin's own children could barely remain standing.
Unable to maintain the standoff, Shiki thrust his arm forward. In an instant, the dozen floating islands plummeted from the sky.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
The newly-built Totland was reduced to rubble beneath the impact.
"AAAHHHH!!!"
Charlotte Linlin let out a furious roar. A colossal tsunami erupted from the sea, shaking the heavens.
Totland had been her dream—a land where all races lived together in peace. Now it was in ruins.
"Jie hahahahahaha! This is what happens when you defy me!" the Golden Lion cackled.
"Elbaf Spear—Powerful Nation!!!"
Eyes blood-red with fury, Big Mom unleashed the strongest slash of her life—her rage transformed into raw power. A massive blade of energy tore through the sky, aimed straight at Shiki.
"Jie hahahaha!"
Despite his defeat at Ed War and the ruin of his ambitions, the Golden Lion still stood at the peak of the sea.
"Lion's Blade: Senkiriya!"
With swords Ying Ju and Muku drawn, he unleashed a torrent of slashes to counter Elbaf's most powerful technique.
The sky twisted. Totland crumbled. Islands sank.
Eventually, Charlotte Linlin fell unconscious under the force of Shiki's onslaught. The Golden Lion stood tall in midair, swords in hand.
Ever since Roger's return to the Grand Line, the world had been rattled by event after event.
Peace had shattered.
The era of chaos was coming.
The Navy was active on all fronts.
Garp chased Roger with his dog-headed warship.
Sengoku kept constant tabs on Whitebeard.
Marshal Kong focused all efforts on capturing the aloof Red Count—Baloric Redfield.
Meanwhile…
In the Kingdom of Sikeali, on Kraikana Island, a sharp-eyed man began challenging the country's strongest swordsmen. A long blade was strapped to his back.
In the North Blue, the Donquixote Family was quietly rising—its mysterious leader addressed as "Young Master."
Elsewhere, Bartholomew Kuma gently laid down his books and firewood, gazing toward the sea.
Crocodile, Gecko Moria, and other powerful newcomers began making their appearance. All they needed was a chance to enter the Grand Line.
At the Sabaody Archipelago, in Grove 50–59, a cozy new restaurant named "Jessica's Dream House" quietly opened its doors.
In the back room, Jessica sat alone, staring nervously at two Devil Fruits on the table before her.
Her face was pale with worry.
"Asa was captured and taken to Impel Down. The Door-Door Fruit might be able to save him... but I don't even know where Impel Down is!"
Jessica was clever. She dared not ask around casually. Any inquiry about Impel Down would immediately alert the Navy.
"I'll wait... once the surveillance dies down, I'll go rescue him!"
Determined, she had already made her choice.
Even if it meant losing her ability to swim...
She would save Asa.
(End Of Chapter)
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