"W-Warden, are you alright?"
A group of guards nervously stared at Magellan. After Shiryu's defeat, Magellan had become their last hope. The strange tremors earlier had only heightened their anxiety—if something happened to him, the consequences would be unimaginable.
After much deliberation, they had finally decided to search for Magellan together. Fortunately, they spotted his familiar figure standing in front of Ace's cell, easing their worries slightly.
"What could possibly be wrong with me? Katie has already been defeated. Though she escaped, she's been poisoned by my venom. Even if she doesn't die, she won't be causing any more trouble."
"More importantly, why are you all down here?"
Facing his subordinates' questioning gazes, 'Magellan' responded with perfect composure.
"Just now, the entire Impel Down shook violently. Based on our analysis, the source was Level 6. We were worried about your safety, but we couldn't reach you, so we came to check. We're just relieved you're unharmed."
As they spoke, the guards scrutinized 'Magellan' carefully, yet they couldn't find a single wound on him. Their admiration grew—as expected of our Warden. Even against an enemy who defeated Shiryu, he still won effortlessly.
"By the way, how long until the Marines from Headquarters arrive?" 'Magellan' suddenly asked.
"It's currently noon. The Marines are scheduled to arrive at 7 AM tomorrow—that leaves us 19 hours."
They answered without hesitation, having memorized every detail regarding Ace's execution.
"Understood. Return to your posts. As a precaution, I'll remain here until the last moment. Relay a message to Hannyabal—he's in charge of all other levels. If anything goes wrong, he can forget about ever taking my position!"
"Yes, sir! We'll inform him immediately!"
Without another word, the guards turned and left. None dared to disobey Magellan's orders—nor did they see any reason to. With so many incidents happening lately, the slightest mistake could lead to Ace's escape, a responsibility none of them could bear.
As the guards disappeared into the distance, 'Magellan' let out a deep breath. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ace—still locked in his cell—shook his head subtly.
In an instant, 'Magellan's' body tensed, his sharp eyes scanning every corner of the room.
Only after confirming they were truly alone did he relax.
"Mr. Katie, how was my performance?"
"Better than I expected."
The one disguised as Magellan wasn't the only impostor here. The 'Ace' in the cell wasn't the real one either—it was Katie in disguise.
"Mr. Katie, your disguise skills are truly impressive. Even without a Devil Fruit, you've replicated Ace's appearance and voice perfectly. How did you do it?"
Mr. 2 couldn't hide his amazement. Had he not witnessed it himself, he would've sworn the man in the cell was the real Ace.
And he wasn't the only one shocked. Everyone who saw it was stunned—if they hadn't known Mr. 2 was the real Clone-Clone Fruit user, they might've mistaken Katie for the mimic instead.
"It's nothing special. Just a little trick I learned—the 'Number One Divine Art of Asia: Makeup.'"
Katie brushed it off with a casual excuse. As if a guy like me knows anything about makeup. In truth, it was all thanks to the System.
She had spent 100,000 exchange points on a one-time Transformation Skill. Watching that number drop had physically pained her—another skill point gone.
Now, Katie truly understood the value of skill points. Even with 31 points saved up, she couldn't bring herself to use a single one—despite multiple key skills being on the verge of a breakthrough. Just a few upgrades, and her strength could reach Yonko Commander level.
But she was saving them for a reason.
Once the war began, she could allocate points based on the enemy's weaknesses—maximizing their impact.
"Mr. Katie… aren't you afraid I'll expose you?"
Jinbe, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. Even now, he couldn't accept Katie's plan.
"Expose me? Jinbe, go ahead and try. Right now, I control all of Impel Down. If you betray me, the war might end early… or it might not. I can't guarantee that."
"But one thing I can guarantee—"
Katie's voice turned icy. For some reason, Jinbe felt a chill crawl down his spine.
"—is that the moment you speak, you'll die. And because of you, Fish-Man Island will know no peace… ever again."
She emphasized the last four words slowly, deliberately—leaving no room for doubt.
"You—! Don't you have any honor as a warrior?! How can you threaten innocent civilians?!"
Rage burned in Jinbe's chest, his eyes bloodshot. For a moment, he even considered killing Katie on the spot.
Every man had a weakness—an unforgivable line. For Jinbe, that line was Fish-Man Island. He would never allow anyone to harm it. But at the same time, its existence made him vulnerable. If someone held its fate in their hands, he would hesitate.
And right now, Katie held that power.
Jinbe knew full well the relationship between Katie, Bullet, and Rayleigh. If those three joined forces to attack Fish-Man Island, not even the Whitebeard Pirates could protect it.
"I gave you a chance. If you refuse, don't blame me."
With that, Katie ignored Jinbe and closed her eyes to rest. The battle with Shiryu had drained her, though Ivankov's help had restored most of her stamina. But mental exhaustion was another matter—she hadn't rested since the escape, her nerves stretched to the limit.
Silence once again swallowed Level 6. Time ticked away, and for once, the world seemed quieter than usual.
But everyone knew—this calm was an illusion.
The eye of the storm.
All eyes turned toward Marineford, where a war that could reshape the world was inevitable.
Yet no one could've predicted that, one day before the battle, a transmigrator would appear—throwing the destined outcome into chaos.
What changes would come?
No one could say.