Cyrus smiled pleasantly as he studied the unfamiliar face before him.
The body was different, but the power surrounding it was unmistakable. He could also sense the same demonic presence within.
"I remembered there was something I needed to do before heading to Wano. I didn't expect to run into you here."
The door behind Cyrus quietly vanished.
The stranger stared at him with eyes disturbingly similar to Imu's.
"Neither did I."
The voice was dry and mechanical.
Cyrus was not surprised.
Imu's manner of speaking had never sounded entirely normal, but this body was even more unnatural.
It meant her consciousness had already withdrawn, leaving behind nothing more than a shell controlled by her power.
"So why have you come here?" Imu's voice asked again.
"To collect something."
"Collect something? The Door-Door Fruit?"
Imu had immediately recognized the ability Cyrus had used to enter.
"That fruit has already been eaten," the possessed prisoner said, never taking his eyes off him.
"You even know about that, Imu? Looks like you don't spend all your time hiding in that little room of yours."
Cyrus was slightly surprised, but he did not bother denying it.
"The Flame-Flame Fruit and the Door-Door Fruit. You truly are not a normal human. You are not from this world, are you?"
Imu's voice grew even more strained.
"Did you work that out yourself, or did you hear the story from inside the Hunter Guild?"
Cyrus raised an eyebrow.
The news had spread faster than he expected.
"If that is true, then nothing in this world originally had anything to do with you. I am still willing to share this world with you."
Imu once again repeated the offer she had made before.
"Sorry."
Cyrus shook his head with a regretful expression.
Then, under Imu's puzzled gaze, he continued.
"I'm not interested in sharing the world with anyone. You could always give up your position and come work for me instead. I hardly bother managing things most of the time anyway."
Imu paused, then slowly shook her head.
"Regrettable. I cannot accept."
There was never any chance that she would.
From Imu's perspective, offering to share control of the world with Cyrus was already the greatest concession she could possibly make.
In truth, it probably was.
Yet Cyrus had refused and even suggested that she submit to him instead.
That was completely impossible.
Imu lifted the possessed body's head and stared at him.
"Our negotiations have failed once again."
"This was never a negotiation."
Cyrus shook his head and raised his right hand. A tiny flame appeared above his fingertip.
Boom!
The possessed prisoner burst into flames and was reduced to ash in an instant.
Seastone chains struck the floor with a metallic clatter as the stench of scorched flesh spread through the darkness.
"She really can get in anywhere."
Cyrus looked down at the chains left behind and spoke quietly.
Imu's power was absurd.
If she had truly wanted to, several hundred years would have been more than enough time to turn the entire world into a realm of monsters.
Of course, a world like that would have been meaningless.
Or rather, if she had actually done so, this world would have effectively ended centuries ago.
Cyrus turned and continued deeper into Level Six.
Many of the cells were now empty.
It seemed the World Government really had released a large number of prisoners earlier.
Fortunately, the people Cyrus had come for were still here.
They had only recently been delivered to Impel Down, and none of them were particularly obedient.
"Gurararara! You two weren't exactly trying to keep that conversation private."
Whitebeard's familiar laughter echoed through the prison before Cyrus had even reached the cell.
A moment later, Cyrus stopped in front of the enormous cage holding him.
Whitebeard was wrapped in several layers of thick Seastone chains, yet his eyes remained sharp as he stared back at Cyrus.
"Hey, Whitebeard. Looks like prison life is treating you well."
Cyrus looked him over and found himself almost speechless.
Whitebeard actually appeared healthier now than he had outside.
Then again, it made sense.
These people already possessed bodies like monsters, and Whitebeard was exceptional even among them.
If years of accumulated injuries had not destroyed his health, he likely would not have declined so quickly.
With bodies like theirs, living beyond a hundred years would not have been particularly surprising so long as nothing went seriously wrong.
Compared with certain races in this world, even that was not especially long.
Inside Impel Down, Whitebeard could not fight or overexert himself.
With nothing to do but sit still, his body's natural recovery had probably begun repairing some of the damage.
"You bastard! I'm not letting that comment slide."
Shiki's irritated voice came from another cell.
"The person you were just speaking to…"
Charlotte Linlin's voice followed from across the corridor.
"An old acquaintance of yours."
A smile appeared on Cyrus's face.
"She was the one who turned your captain into that thing at God Valley. The true ruler of this world. Surprised?"
The moment he said it, Whitebeard and the others fell silent.
"Oh, right. Shiki wouldn't know since he ran away early."
Cyrus seemed to remember that detail only afterward, smiling as he added it.
"I didn't run away!" Shiki immediately exploded, his voice echoing through the prison.
He breathed heavily as he glared toward Cyrus through the darkness.
"So it was her."
Whitebeard's voice became low and grim.
"Rocks was a monster, and even he was turned into one of those demons."
Linlin's voice had darkened as well.
Cyrus looked toward her cell.
Charlotte Linlin had lost a great deal of weight.
With her body slimmer, the wrinkles and strange features of her face stood out even more sharply.
"I was only working with Rocks. He wasn't my captain."
Shiki still seemed determined to defend himself, but Cyrus raised one hand.
Boom!
An overwhelming wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted through Level Six.
The stone used to build Impel Down was extraordinarily durable. Otherwise, it would never have been chosen for the deepest level of the prison.
Yet under the sheer force of Cyrus's Haki, cracks spread outward from beneath his feet, racing across the floor and walls in every direction.
A deep tearing sound filled the prison.
One after another, the other inmates of Level Six collapsed unconscious.
Once his goal had been achieved, Cyrus withdrew his Haki.
The entire floor became deathly quiet, leaving only his voice echoing through the darkness.
"I didn't come here to chat. I came to give you a choice. Oh, and Kaido is dead, i killed him."
"Kaido…"
Chains rattled as Charlotte Linlin pressed her face between the bars of her cell. Her bloodshot eyes locked onto Cyrus.
"He was like a little brother to me."
Her teeth ground together as she spoke.
Cyrus turned and looked at her without the slightest concern.
"So?"
Linlin stiffened beneath his gaze.
"He's dead, then he's dead."
She immediately backed down and lowered herself beside the bars.
Cyrus's voice rang through Level Six once more.
"You have two choices. Leave this place alive—or die and hand over your Devil Fruit powers."
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