Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 176 The Prisoners of Impelton.

After leaving the prison where Shiliu was held, Bane and the others soon arrived at another double cell.

Portgas D. Ace, the Fire Fist, and Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

The two men were locked up together, and Magellan stopped in his tracks just before reaching the cell door.

Although Ace wasn't mentioned in the order, Garp had come to see Ace every time he came, and Magellan had gotten used to it. Naturally, he would give Garp some time this time as well.

Unlike Shiryu, Ace and Jinbe were firmly restrained by sea stone shackles and could not move easily, so they did not enjoy any good treatment.

"I previously suggested providing Ace with a suitable prison, but Vice Admiral Garp refused," Magellan said softly.

"You are already a sinner. The fact that you allowed me to visit you is already a special favor, and that is enough," Garp said with a serious expression.

Seemingly hearing the commotion outside, Ace slowly raised his head in the cell and looked at the crowd outside.

When he saw Garp, his expression remained calm, but when he saw Bane, he became agitated, grabbing the seastone shackles and making a rattling sound.

"Bane!" Ace said through gritted teeth, staring at Bane.

"Long time no see, Ace." Bane greeted him calmly, without any sarcasm.

Perhaps it was this calm that made Ace quiet down and less agitated.

He leaned back against the cold wall, chuckled helplessly, and said, "I'm sorry, although I've figured it out, these things shouldn't be blamed on you from beginning to end, but I still can't help myself when I see you."

"You can't help but want to kill me?" Bane interjected.

Ace shook his head and said, "Although I still resent you, I no longer want to kill you. On the contrary, I should thank you. Thank you for helping me kill that damned Teach. If it weren't for him... It was all my fault. He was my subordinate, but I failed to perceive his hidden malice. I also led him to hunt you down, which resulted in Dad and the others being killed because of us."

At this point, Ace stopped talking and instead turned his gaze back to Garp, saying, "Grandpa, if you're here to say those things, I'm sorry, but I have absolutely no intention of 'repenting.' If I could, I would like to die here. It's so dark here that I can't even tell how much time has passed, but every moment, I want to die quickly. Although it won't change anything, it would at least stop me from suffering like this."

"Ace." A flicker of pain crossed Garp's eyes, then he said, "Is this your answer?"

"The answer." Ace's eyes also became complicated. He gave a bitter laugh and said, "Yes, I chose to go to sea because I wanted to find this answer. Now, I have received my retribution and the answer."

When he was young, he asked Karp in anguish if it was really okay for him to live in this world.

Karp didn't give a direct answer, but instead told him that if he wanted to know, why not just live and see? The ocean would give everyone the answer.

Now, it seems that Ace has found his answer.

That is, he shouldn't have lived in this world at all. He was like a jinx, bringing unbearable pain to everyone he cared about.

"Ace." Bane looked at Ace, recalling Garp's request on the way here, sighed softly, and continued, "I rarely feel sorry for anyone, but if your answer is that you shouldn't be alive in this world, then I really feel sorry for your mother."

"Mother," Ace said, his face contorted with pain, "It was because of me that she lost her life. If it weren't for me..."

"That's why you carry her expectations and the weight of her life. I think your mother endured unimaginable pain to bring you into this world, definitely not so that you would have the answer that you 'shouldn't be alive,'" Bane said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Ace's expression turned ferocious, as if he were caught in a very complex emotional state.

Bane didn't say anything more, and looked at Magellan, saying, "Director Magellan, let's go and complete the mission first. We can leave this place to Mr. Karp."

Magellan nodded and immediately led Bane away from the prison gate.

As he was leaving, Bane glanced at Jinbe, who seemed lifeless but was indeed still alive.

After they had walked a distance, Magellan spoke first: "Lieutenant General Bane, has headquarters made any arrangements regarding Jinbe's fate?"

Jinbe is currently in a state of being a "Schrödinger's Seven Warlord of the Sea". The Navy has imprisoned him in Impel Down, and there are even rumors circulating internally that he has been stripped of his status as a Seven Warlord of the Sea, but in reality, this has not been publicly announced.

Procedurally speaking, Jinbe is still a legitimate Shichibukai at this moment, but the Navy has no intention of setting him free.

"We've had too much going on at headquarters lately. We haven't even resolved the mess caused by Admiral Sakazuki and Admiral Kuzan yet. How can anyone have the time to care about a Shichibukai imprisoned in Impel Down?" Bane shook his head and said.

After the Battle of Marineford, Sengoku and Mary Geoise were locked in a battle of wits, Sakazuki and Kuzan were locked in a fierce struggle, the Marine Headquarters was caught up in the struggle between the Fleet Admiral's resignation and the two Admirals, and there were also a series of important matters such as the adjustment of the strategic focus. Who would care about Jinbe's life or death?

"So, what do you think will happen to Jinbe after all those things at headquarters are over?" Magellan asked after thinking for a moment.

"You seem to care about him quite a bit, huh?" Bane said somewhat jokingly.

Magellan nodded, then said, "Perhaps as a member of the prison, I shouldn't say this, but... I don't actually dislike him. On the contrary, after learning about his experiences, I even admire him a little."

"Do you admire me?" Bane murmured softly.

Magellan sighed, "He also contributed his strength to those who were treated unfairly. I read the intelligence files of every prisoner imprisoned on the sixth floor of Impel Down in detail. That's why I'm so impressed. In those thick files, apart from offending the world's government, I couldn't find any other crimes he committed. The name of the Knight of the Sea is well-deserved."

In fact, Jinbe's background is quite simple. When he was young, he was a member of Fishman Island and roamed the streets. However, he later went ashore and joined Ryugu Castle, becoming Neptune's captain of the guard. Ryugu Castle is a member of the World Government, so in this sense, Jinbe can be considered to be on the World Government's payroll and is a legitimate official.

Later, because of Fisher Tiger's situation, he resolutely resigned from this respectable job and devoted himself to the slave emancipation movement, helping Tiger escort the slaves rescued from Mary Geoise back home.

That's why he became a member of the so-called Sun Pirates and was branded a pirate.

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

Later, Tiger died, and Arlong went back to seek revenge, only to be defeated by Borsalino. In order to save his compatriots, Jinbe, as the second captain of the Sun Pirates, accepted the offer of the World Government and became one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. After that, he basically did nothing, staying in Fishman Island and not engaging in any pirate activities or plundering.

If we had to pinpoint his crimes as a pirate, it would probably be his collusion with the Whitebeard Pirates. But there's no way around it; Fishman Island flies the Whitebeard flag and is under Whitebeard's protection, so it's inevitable that Jinbe would be on good terms with them.

"I think he should be free once these matters at headquarters are resolved, right?" Bane stopped thinking about Jinbe and pondered for a moment before giving his answer.

"Really?" Magellan was slightly surprised by Bane's conclusion, but a relaxed smile appeared on his face.

The reason why Bane made such a judgment is very simple: it is already strange that Jinbe was not executed directly, and it is very likely that no one has paid attention to him for so long, which is also a way of downplaying his involvement.

As for why this is the case, it is probably because the world's government at this time hopes to maintain a stable and friendly relationship with Fishman Island.

After all, Fishman Island really does have Poseidon!

Jinbe himself can be considered a pacifist. His existence can suppress the extreme racists on Fishman Island. If Jinbe dies, the people of Fishman Island will definitely hate the World Government even more. This could lead to those extremists seizing power, or even further forcing Ryugu Castle to make concessions, and ultimately obtaining the power of Poseidon.

This is completely contrary to the interests of the world's governments.

Therefore, a living Jinbe is what the world's government needs.

While they were talking about these things, Magellan, with Bane in tow, stopped in front of a prison cell and said, "That's the one, Big Barrel Basque Jotte."

"Hehehe." Basque Jotte noticed the figure outside the cell and chuckled evilly, "What? Are you letting me out?"

But before he could finish speaking, the shadow beneath Bane's feet seemed to come alive, quickly transforming into a surging dark wave that engulfed the prison.

A gasp of surprise came from the cell, but the next moment it vanished into silence.

After a few breaths, Bane, holding a Devil Fruit in his hand, said, "Next."

Clearly, he had no intention of wasting words with these pirates, and Magellan remained calm as he led Bane to the next prison for 'cleaning'.

(End of this chapter)