"Ace, could that guy fighting Shiryu actually be your little brother?"
Jinbei's eyes were fixed on the fierce battle between Katie and Shiryu, unable to believe that someone had actually managed to break into this place.
"No, he's not my brother."
Of course, Ace knew what Luffy was like. That idiot didn't know the first thing about swordsmanship, let alone how to use Haki.
"Wait—could he be the Katie that Magellan mentioned?"
With a sudden realization, Jinbei recalled Katie's name. Thanks to Magellan, the name had already spread throughout Level 6 of Impel Down. Everyone had remembered it.
Watching Katie fall into a disadvantage, Ace couldn't help but feel tense.
Katie, who had mastered Haki, was clearly stronger than Luffy, and possibly even close to Ace's level. Yet even with such strength, he was still facing a life-or-death battle.
So what about Luffy? How was he faring now? Even now, Ace couldn't stop worrying about his little brother.
Having a younger brother like that—foolish enough to risk his life breaking into Impel Down to rescue him—made it impossible not to worry.
Meanwhile, having acquired the Flame-Flame Fruit (Mera Mera no Mi), Katie's mindset had also begun to shift.
There was no need to hold back anymore. He could now use the natural-type fruit's immunity to physical attacks to create an opportunity.
Shiryu, of course, had no way of knowing what was going on inside Katie's mind. He continued his frenzied attacks, doing everything he could to shrink Katie's space to survive.
It wasn't that Shiryu didn't want to end the fight early—it was just that Katie's resistance had completely exceeded his expectations.
Even though every clash forced Katie back, he had endured again and again, refusing to fall.
"Shiryu!!"
The furious roar echoed throughout Level 6, like the final cry of a lone wolf.
Hearing that voice, many inmates instinctively shook their heads and sighed. In Katie's voice, they heard despair.
It was clear—he was preparing to make his final stand.
Even though such an outcome had long been expected, now that it was actually happening, people couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Their chance of escaping had once again slipped away. Who knew if they'd ever get another?
Even Shiryu shared the same thought. The fact that Katie had lasted this long had already gone beyond his expectations. By his own calculations, Katie should've been dead long ago.
To still be standing was impressive—but if he held on any longer, it would be unreasonable.
Still, Shiryu remained vigilant. His Observation Haki was fully activated, monitoring Katie's every move. This young man had too many strange abilities to let his guard down.
A familiar move appeared once again in Katie's posture. Just by seeing the starting form, Shiryu immediately recognized what Katie was doing—no doubt, it was his strongest technique: World Severance.
He was attempting the same trick again—hoping to beat him using his own move.
"Do you really think the same move will work twice? Don't think everyone's as dumb as you are!"
"In that case, let me show you what the real World Severance looks like!"
As he spoke, Shiryu took on the exact same stance as Katie. The two moved in perfect unison. If one ignored their physical differences, it looked like a mirror image. The distance between them rapidly closed.
At that moment, Katie's eyes were filled with determination. All the power he had left surged forth in that instant—his final blow.
"World Severance!"
"World Severance!"
Just as their shadows were about to overlap, both unleashed their attacks.
A blinding flash engulfed the center of the battlefield, and within several hundred meters, an aura of destruction akin to a natural disaster exploded outward. Violent sword energy ravaged everything in its path. Even from hundreds of meters away, people could feel the sheer force—just as the name implied, it felt like the attack could sever the very world.
Everyone's eyes locked onto the center of the battlefield. Even though they had expectations, they still held on to hope—what if Shiryu lost? It was a slim chance, perhaps one in a million—but still, it was a possibility.
"How... how is this possible? Who are you? Who the hell are you?!"
Before the dust had even cleared, a panicked voice rang out.
To everyone's shock, the voice belonged to Shiryu, not Katie.
Instantly, the mood shifted. Could it really be that one-in-a-million miracle? Why else would Shiryu sound so shaken?
Everyone's eyes widened, trying to see through the settling dust. Even Barrett, who had previously scoffed at the battle, couldn't help but look—could a miracle really have happened?
Under everyone's gaze, a figure dashed out of the smoke first running in panic, not even looking back, like he had just seen a ghost.
"Th-That was Shiryu, wasn't it?"
Even though they could clearly see the figure, no one dared to believe their eyes. They couldn't imagine Shiryu—who had the upper hand the entire time—would flee like that. What had happened in that brief moment?
The drastic shift was simply too hard to accept.
More observant individuals noticed that a massive wound nearly a meter long ran across Shiryu's chest. Blood gushed uncontrollably from it—it was clearly a life-threatening injury.
There was no doubt—the one responsible for this was the young man named Katie.
And yet, no one could figure out how Katie—who had been at a complete disadvantage—managed to not only defeat Shiryu, but scare him into fleeing.
As the smoke finally cleared, Katie's figure slowly reappeared in the center of the battlefield.
However, to everyone's disappointment, no matter how hard they looked, they couldn't find any clue.
With his slightly refined face, he didn't look like a pirate at all. He looked more like a noble's son. His pale face even made him seem weak. He appeared no different than before—no sign of being a monster who had terrified Shiryu.
"Hey, Katie! Hurry up and let me out—I'll be your subordinate!"
Though no one could figure out exactly what happened, they now understood one thing clearly:
Shiryu had been defeated.
And that meant—for the time being—no one could stop Katie. He was now the god of Level 6, the one and only ruler. If he so desired, he could grant anyone the freedom they longed for.
Realizing this, everyone began to lose their composure—swearing loyalty and making promises, all in hopes of gaining Katie's favor.