Part 2.9

Level Four is near silent. The screams of tortured prisoners no longer ring out across the area. The only source of sound are the constant footsteps of the large crowd of prisoners running behind me. One by one, prisoners have come out of the hallways and joined us. The crowd now numbers somewhere just above a thousand

The new guys have explained the situation to me as we run.

The Pirate called Straw Hat Luffy has invaded Impel Down to free his brother, Fire Fist Ace. This Fire guy is the same guy the Marines are about to execute, and kick start a war with Whitebeard. Apparently, he's rampaged all through Impel Down, from top to bottom. Somewhere in the prison, he found an army of okamas (which is apparently just another word for transvestites and perverts) and their King/Queen who is a powerful Revolutionary. They then freed two imprisoned former Warlords and are almost free. According to the prisoners, the Warden is hot on their heels and chasing after them.

I need to catch them as well.

We come across the stairs leading up to Level Three without any delay. There's evidence of a large battle taking place here by the door. In the corner I also see the Vice-Warden's weapon, Bloodsucker, discarded and slightly burnt.

I don't stop and keep running, my large amounts of endurance carrying me forward and up. The prisoners don't have a lot of difficulty keeping up with me, and those that to are left behind. I can't afford to stop and have someone carry them. Especially when I am so close!

The stairs to Level Three are lit up, unlike the previous set of stairs. The crowd and my feet stomp up it. We arrive at the top of the stairs.

I should explain now that Impel Down is like a multi-layer cake, whatever a cake is. Imagine each layer of the cake is a Level. The bottom layer is the widest and largest, it has to be in order to support the rest of the cake which gets consecutively smaller with each layer added. Impel Down is the same way. Level Five is as large as an island according to Gurry, who explained it to me. It takes multiple days to travel across it. It only takes a fraction of the time however to get across Level Four, and even quicker to get through the higher levels. Thankfully, the staircases are all places relatively close to each other.

Arriving at Level Three is like a blast from the past. This is where I met Kuzric, and where he taught me hockey. I might even argue that the happiest year of my life was spent here in Starvation Hell. This is also where Kuzric talked to me about how he belived in Justice, and where I was given the mask I still wear to this day.

Level Three is also where I saw Kuzric for the first time. Looking back on it, I wouldn't hesitate to call Kuzric my friend. Although, he was the kind of guy that would have punched me in my gut and laughed if I said that to his face. He was the first friend I lost, which is important. There are only three or four people I can call my friend, and only barely and not to their face. Losing him was one of the saddest days of my life.

Almost as sad as the day I fell into Level Two. That's the day I learned the sad truth. Nobody cared about me, so I would have to care about myself.

We trecked across the desert to the nearest staircase. Every step I took over the dunes left a imprint that was like me traveling back in time to when I was young. Maybe symbolically, my footprints in the sand were quickly erased by the prisoners I led behind me.

I laughed a little. I couldn't help it.

Klahadore pushed his glasses up and asked, "What do you find so amusing?"

I chuckled a little more before replying. "It's just funny how this is my second time on Level Three. I started out on Level One and worked my way down over the years. Now I've started on Level Five and I'm working my way up. It's funny because that's not how Impel Down is supposed to work."

Klahadore sounded curious. "Did you say years? How long have you been in Impel Down? Who are you anyways?"

I scratched my chin and counted the years. "My name is 10013. I have been in Impel Down for seventeen years. Seven years on Level One. Two years on Level Two. One fantastic year on Level Three. Five years on Level Four, and recently I've spent two years on Level Five."

"That's quite the resume Tenno." Klahadore said sounding legitimately impressed. "What was your bounty when you were arrested?"

I laughed loudly and bitterly. "My crime never gave me a bounty."

"What was it? What did you do to deserve such torture for seventeen years? Whatever it is, it sounds unfair."

I took a deep breath as I went over another sand dune. Yes. It was unfair wasn't it.

I didn't deserve Impel Down.

"I was born." I told Klahadore just as the stairs came into view. Or, what was left of the stairs. Only a wreckage was left. It looked like someone took some giant scissors and cut it to ribbons.

High above me was a hole in the ceiling presumably leading to Level Two. I could probably jump it if I increasedy speed a Hundred-Fold. Everyone else on the other hand...

"Hey Kreig, come over here for a sec?"

"What do you want-"

I grabbed him and chucked him up and into the hole high above. He screamed as he rose up, but the screaming cut off when suddenly when I assumed he landed.

"If your alive, give me a sign!"

I counted to three, and just when I finished a fat glob of spit landed on my mask. Heh. Masks for the win. If I wasn't wearing a mask that would had landed on my face. I wiped it off then looked at the rest of the prisoners.

"Who's next?"