The first half of the Grand Line.
The Calm Belt, where Impel Down lies—the world's most infamous prison, housing countless dangerous criminals. Within its towering walls, some of the most feared pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions languish, imprisoned in cells designed to contain their unparalleled brutality.
Especially infamous is the sixth level: Eternal Hell.
Those who are sent to Eternal Hell are no ordinary criminals. Each is a monstrous figure, a name long seared into history, their very existence a national threat. Anyone who might escape this level could wreak havoc on an unimaginable scale.
In this abyss where life sentences and death penalties are commonplace, a new prisoner of world-shaking renown is about to be added.
"Hey, did you hear? Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp have defeated the Golden Lion Shiki and are escorting him here to Eternal Hell!"
"Yeah! I heard the Director, Deputy Director, and all the Chief Guards are involved in the transfer. It's rare to see such a high-security escort like this. The last time was... what, not long ago? When the Pirate King Roger was brought in."
"Roger, and now Golden Lion... Two legendary pirates are off the seas. Hard to believe."
"Can you imagine? Golden Lion invaded Marine Headquarters all by himself. He really is the definition of a pirate. What a madman."
In the lounge on the first floor, a crowd of guards gathered, voices buzzing with talk of Golden Lion's imminent imprisonment. Around a dozen jailers shared stories, their conversation lively and animated.
Listening quietly, a black-haired youth of sixteen or seventeen showed a strange glimmer in his otherwise stoic eyes.
"So... he's finally here. Golden Lion Shiki."
The young man felt a surge of excitement. His name was Alex, and this was the name he carried in this world.
A year and a half ago, he'd been thrust into this world by an inexplicable twist of fate. It hadn't taken him long to recognize that he was now living in the world of One Piece.
At first, he'd been thrilled—he was inside a world he'd long known and loved. With his knowledge of the story, he imagined he held a powerful advantage.
But reality quickly tempered his excitement.
Impel Down, one of the World Government's three most heavily fortified institutions, the infamous "Hell on Earth," had become his prison as well—though in the form of a role as a low-ranking guard. While he wasn't an inmate, the assignment came with its own kind of lifelong sentence, barring escape or advancement. Except extraordinary circumstances, guards rarely left Impel Down before serving decades of monotonous and perilous duty.
As a mere teenager in this world, Alex faced the grim prospect of spending thirty to forty years confined to this harsh place. The idea of wasting his youth here, in a hostile environment, was disheartening, especially with his knowledge of the vast, adventure-filled world outside.
But Alex wasn't completely powerless.
Inside his body, he could feel the presence of a mysterious fruit. He understood that he could summon it at will, and, miraculously, he knew how it worked.
This wasn't a typical Devil Fruit; it lacked a unique ability and felt hollow, like an empty vessel. However, Alex knew it had potential—it was a fruit with the power to steal abilities. If a Devil Fruit user were to die, this fruit could absorb their abilities, allowing him to access them himself.
It was similar to the Dark-Dark Fruit, which allowed Blackbeard to seize the powers of others, but with a twist. This mysterious fruit imposed a limit of two abilities in total, meaning Alex could potentially wield two Devil Fruit powers simultaneously and fully.
For now, though, the fruit lay dormant within him, waiting for its first opportunity.
The heaven-defying ability hidden within Alex is undoubtedly his greatest trump card, his ticket to escape from Impel Down and rewrite his destiny.
Impel Down is packed with Devil Fruit users, making it the most convenient place for him to hunt for powers despite his current limitations. After all, the prison's policy of permanently detaining these individuals is meant to prevent their powers from reincarnating elsewhere in the world, curbing the spread of evil forces. But breaking this rule would bring severe punishment, and as a mere guard, Alex's fate would be bleak if caught.
Thus, once he begins his plan to capture an ability, he must be prepared to escape this hellish place for good.
Fortunately, his arrival in this world coincided with an extraordinary moment in history: not long ago, the entire Grand Line had erupted in shock as the Roger Pirates completed their conquest of the seas, with Roger himself officially recognized as the Pirate King.
This critical bit of timing gave Alex the perfect target for his plan: Roger's former rival, the Golden Lion.
With his limited strength, the Float-Float Fruit stands out as the ideal ability to help him break free from this heavily fortified sea prison. This legendary fruit once granted Golden Lion Shiki command over the skies and the power to rule the seas from above—a fruit of extraordinary strategic power.
It was an opportunity that felt almost like divine intervention.
Determined, Alex set his plan into motion, devoting an entire year to meticulous preparation.
He began by expanding his knowledge of this world and familiarizing himself with the inner workings of Impel Down. He trained his body, practiced shooting, and gathered supplies, including venom, while slowly adjusting to the prison's horrors.
Coming from the modern world, Alex initially found the environment of Impel Down shocking and horrifying. In those early days, he would gag or look away in disgust at some of the atrocities he witnessed. But over time, his outlook hardened, and he fully grasped the brutal nature of this world—a place where the weak had no control over their own lives.
After a year in this hellish prison, he could watch prisoners be devoured by jailer beasts or even personally carry out executions without flinching. He'd gained control over his emotions, his reactions now measured and cold, his mind focused on survival.
It was under these conditions that Alex heard today's momentous news.
Golden Lion Shiki had been captured after a brutal battle with the Marines and was en route to Impel Down!
After nearly a year in this nightmarish prison, Alex finally saw a path to freedom and the chance to acquire true power. And the timing couldn't have been more perfect: Shiki, now badly injured and heavily weakened, would be locked in the Eternal Hell on the sixth level. Due to the unique isolation of this floor, no surveillance den den mushi were installed, creating the perfect opportunity for Alex to make his move.
The Golden Lion's weakened state was the final piece of the puzzle—the ideal chance to seize the power he needed.