The prolonged torture had taken its toll, leaving my body weakened to a fair degree.
Especially after being transferred to Level 3, where I wasn't given enough water or food and could barely exercise. On top of losing weight, my body had grown terribly sluggish.
Thinking about what lay ahead, I'd known for a while that I needed to properly make up for all of that.
Between writing sessions, I'd been doing some training as a change of pace. The plan was to gradually get myself back into proper shape.
...That was the plan. But now, at long last, "it" had arrived.
Chomp chomp... munch munch... gulp gulp...
"Phew... seconds!"
"You... you're still eating, Sue!? Just how hungry are you...?"
"W-We still have plenty of food, but... overeating is bad for your body, you know?"
"Sorry, Beauty-san, just keep serving her without question. Mom will be fine. It's not like she's developed an eating disorder or anything. This is actually a normal response."
"What about this is normal... ugh, fine. I'll make as much as you want! Just wait a bit!"
With that, Beauty retreated to the kitchen.
That sensation I'd experienced before on Merveille, the feeling of my body being "remade." It had reared its fangs inside me once again.
Just as I'd suspected, the torture and all my other experiences had served as stimuli, triggering my Superhuman factor once more. And for whatever reason, while it had stayed dormant in the cell, it had now begun remaking my body all over again.
As a result, I needed enormous quantities of food, which led to me ordering massive portions in the cafeteria one after another.
Beauty, who had completely claimed the kitchen as her territory, was past exasperation and into genuine worry. Wondering if I'd be okay eating that much.
I'm fine. If anything, I still need way more. That's how much energy my body is burning right now.
And honestly, this didn't feel like it would end in just one day.
...The fact that this hadn't happened until now... had my body been reading the room?
Like it knew, 'We can't secure enough nutrition right now, so evolution isn't possible.' Whatever the reason, I was grateful. If this had kicked in back then, I would've starved to death from the energy deficit.
"Here, another round. Extra-large beef bowl with melted cheese on top. It's hot, so don't burn your tongue."
"Yes! My favorite! Thanks, Beauty!"
"Also, eat some vegetables so your nutrition doesn't get lopsided. Here."
Saying that, Beauty brought out a raw vegetable salad, served not in a salad bowl but in a full-sized cooking bowl. Light and refreshing. That looked delicious too.
All right, time to keep eating!
***
As for how the supplies consumed in Newkama Land were procured... they used various hidden passages connecting to each floor to steal supplies from Impel Down.
Food, sundries, everything else. They even stole newspapers, which meant information from the outside world was readily available.
News Coo couldn't come to the Calm Belt. They simply couldn't reach it.
So the newspapers were probably shipped in daily along with other supplies by sea. Using the Government's dedicated Tarai Current, travel between Marine Headquarters or Enies Lobby apparently only took a few hours, so it probably wasn't all that difficult.
The Marine and the Government were providing maximum support in terms of supplies and other areas for the staff working dangerous conditions in this prison, dealing with inmates day after day.
Well, we were pilfering all of it and living it up, though.
Incidentally, I mentioned before that Blume's powers played a big role in these supply raids, but lately I'd been contributing too.
My powers, you know, can turn all sorts of things into paper so they're compact and easy to carry. So even jobs that would normally require a lot of manpower could be done quickly and discreetly with just a few people. Huge blocks of meat, entire large containers full of vegetables, that sort of thing.
Everyone was incredibly grateful that supply procurement had become so much easier.
For my part, on top of everything they'd done for me, my personal food consumption had been skyrocketing lately, so I was more than happy to help with at least this much.
Actually, my bigger concern was whether stealing this much at once would get noticed, but apparently the prison was pretty lax about that sort of thing, so it was fine.
After all, this was a Great Prison with thousands of staff members alone, including guards and jailers, with the prisoner count exceeding even that.
On top of that, the Blugori who served as wardens, the Jailer Beasts, the wild beasts on Level 2, and the Wolf Units on Level 5 all needed feeding too.
The daily food consumption was staggering, and nobody was managing it down to the fine details. The supplies shipped in by boat weren't nearly enough to cover everything. For meat, the Blugori apparently hunted Sea Kings and other creatures on their own every day.
If need be, they could just write entries in the checkout ledger left sitting in the warehouse and falsify the records of what went in and out. Totally fine.
Pretty well thought out. As expected of a Prisoners' Paradise that had operated for decades without anyone catching on.
Now, I got a bit sidetracked there, but... today's stolen newspaper contained this article:
"Marine Headquarters Announces Public Execution of Whitebeard Pirates Second Division Commander 'Fire Fist Ace'!"
"A de facto declaration of war. All-out conflict with the legendary Great Pirate 'Whitebeard' imminent!?"
Things were finally starting to move in a big way.
The fact that this article had been published meant that around the same time, Luffy and the others had punched a Celestial Dragon, been pursued by Admiral Kizaru, and been scattered across the world by Kuma's powers.
...No, considering that this newspaper had already been found in the trash and was yesterday's or older news, there was a good chance all of that had already happened.
In that case... they'd spend three days and three nights flying through the air, right? And on top of that, Luffy would land on Amazon Lily, meet Hancock, gain her cooperation, and come here. That would take several more days.
Then he'd try to rescue Ace, fail, and get thrown in prison himself. But Iva-san and Bon-chan would save his life, and then it would finally be time for the mass breakout.
Speaking of which, where was Bon-chan? He should be on Level 3, but I'd never seen him.
Must have been in a cell far from mine. This prison was absurdly vast, and I'd never even heard that singing of his.
...Well, if he had been nearby... he's such a kind person that seeing me with tear tracks on my cheeks from being tortured over and over, he might have agonized over it and desperately tried to encourage me. Thinking about that, maybe it was actually for the best. At least he didn't have to see me like that.
The Visual Den Den Mushi in Newkama Land couldn't monitor every single cell either, so they still hadn't been able to locate him.
Maybe I'd get to see him again when the time came.
'In any case, things will start moving dramatically in just a little while. I need to be prepared. I've been enjoying life here and it's grown on me, but getting out is obviously preferable.'
I'd already put out quite a few handmade booklets during my time in prison, and everyone in Newkama Land had read them and showered me with praise.
Because it was such a small community, being able to hear readers' reactions directly was something that made me genuinely happy.
Also, Alice was... well, surrounded by Okama, no, by kindred spirits, she was having an absolute blast letting loose. Every time I saw it I thought, '...Yep, that girl really is a true Newkama through and through.'
In just a few more days, I'd be saying goodbye to this life. Hard to leave behind, but I needed to keep my preparations moving forward.
...On a different note, something had been nagging at me. Would Hancock fall for Luffy in this world too?
Compared to the Original Work, she'd become considerably more mild-mannered, gentler, kinder. Would she properly cooperate and bring Luffy here?
I was getting a little anxious, but... it'd probably work out. Probably. Surely.
Luffy was the protagonist, after all. Destiny would side with him one way or another. His inherent generosity and everything else about him were the same as always, so Hancock shouldn't have a bad impression of him. At the very least.
***
Meanwhile, on Amazon Lily.
Several days after Sue had harbored those concerns...
"If it is your wish... I will go anywhere!"
"The Snake Princess has... made up her mind to go to the heart of things!?"
"What's going on, Elder Nyon!?"
"There is a saying in the East Blue...! 'Love is always a hurricane!!'"
Contrary to Sue's worries, Luffy had successfully won Hancock's affections and secured her cooperation for rescuing Ace.
And so, just as history dictated, Luffy and Hancock boarded the warship carrying Headquarters Vice Admiral Momonga and set course for the Great Prison, Impel Down.
Ostensibly, it was to indulge Hancock's whim of wanting to "get a look at Fire Fist Ace."
Normally, even a Shichibukai would never be permitted anywhere near the Great Prison, but with war looming, there was no room for deliberation in more ways than one.
With time too precious to waste agonizing over the decision, the Government granted special permission, reasoning that if this was what it took to secure the cooperation of the Government-hating Pirate Empress.
But even though the broad strokes followed history, some subtly different elements had crept in.
"By the way, Vice Admiral. There is one more matter I wish to attend to along the way."
"What? ...Stopping by Impel Down is already pushing our schedule to the limit. If you're asking me to make another detour on top of that..."
"Nay, that will not be necessary. This matter also concerns Impel Down. I heard through the grapevine, but... the 'Pirate Literary Master' is currently being held in Impel Down, is she not? In addition to Fire Fist Ace, I would like to have a look at that one as well."
"!? ...You're well informed. I only know what I've been told in reports myself, but... are you acquainted with the Pirate Literary Master?"
"Acquainted is not quite the word... let us call it a connection."
Sue's arrest was information that had not been made public.
Because of that, several Marines working nearby were visibly startled upon hearing it.
"'The Pirate Literary Master' was arrested!?" "I had no idea..." "Wait, does that mean we'll never get to read the sequel!?" "Hey, keep it down, the Vice Admiral's right there!" ...Various voices could be heard.
Doing his best to ignore them, Vice Admiral Momonga pressed his fingers against his temple and thought for a moment.
"...I'll send an additional inquiry. Wait."
While waiting for the reply, Hancock returned to the room where Luffy was waiting and told him the same thing.
Except to him, she spoke without any vague phrasing, openly and honestly admitting that Sue was her close friend.
"I see... so you and Sue were friends, Hancock."
"And you yourself were acquainted with Sue..."
'S-Surely Luffy hasn't... no, Sue couldn't have fallen for Luffy too... nah, no way. That one has even less interest in men or romance than I used to. If anything, her work is her lover at this point.'
"She helped us out when we went to Sky Island. ...But Sue's been captured too, not just Ace?"
Sue had been arrested around the same time as Ace.
Right around then, Luffy and the others had been on Thriller Bark, battling one of the Shichibukai, Gekko Moriah.
Because of that, their contact with the outside world, including News Coo newspapers, had been temporarily cut off, and they'd had no opportunity to learn about any of it.
...Though even setting aside news about Ace or Blackbeard, the information about Sue's arrest had been suppressed by the Government, so they wouldn't have been able to learn it from newspapers regardless.
"So I have heard. It was fairly recent, but... a letter arrived, and that is how I learned of it. I know she is safe, but... I cannot help but worry."
As she spoke, Hancock produced a single sheet of paper from inside her robes.
Luffy recognized it immediately. Unmistakably a Vivre Card. The one Sue had once entrusted to Hancock.
But it showed no discolored spots, remaining almost entirely white.
"It's not shrinking like Ace's... she's doing okay even though she's in prison?"
"So it would seem. I have no means of contacting her, so I cannot say what her situation is, but..."
"Got it... then I'll look for Sue while I'm searching for Ace."
"I would appreciate that, but... do not push yourself. Looking at this, it is clear that her current situation is not terribly dire, at least. And knowing that one, she may well manage something on her own. Luffy, you must focus on rescuing your brother. That will undoubtedly be far more difficult... it is not the sort of thing you can handle as an afterthought."
"Yeah, I know. But Sue's my friend too... I can't just leave her. I'll at least try to find her."
'Haah... Luffy, how kind...!'
Charmed by even that quality, Hancock's cheeks flushed.
In this world too, she had safely transformed into a "maiden in love." To be of use to her beloved Luffy, she used her own name as a cover and set course straight for Impel Down.
***
Meanwhile, Sue herself... in Newkama Land, she was advancing several "preparations" for the moment that was to come.
Retraining her rusty body and formulating plans for how to act were obvious priorities, but the particular "preparation" Sue was engaged in at the moment was of a rather unusual sort.
Sue herself was completely serious about it, but from the perspective of onlookers, it was a sight that could only make them tilt their heads and wonder, "What is she doing?"
The place she was in now was that stone-walled cell-like chamber where, in the Original Work, Luffy had been locked away to fight against poison after receiving the Healing Hormones.
Sue had entered it alone and was simply sitting there with her eyes closed.
"...What is Sue... doing in there?"
"Meditation or some kind of mental focus thing, maybe? Or... brainstorming ideas for a new novel."
"The brainstorming thing is almost certainly wrong. Mom comes up with ideas constantly even going about her normal routine, and she actually said she has too many ideas right now and can't write fast enough to get them all down. As for meditation... I don't think Mom's ever done anything like that, but it does feel closer to that, maybe."
Peering through the small window and whispering among themselves while watching were Blume, Beauty, and Alice.
The thing all three were most curious about as they observed Sue in her (hypothetical) meditation was...
"...What's the deal with that sword?"
"It is a very beautiful sword... perhaps a ceremonial treasure blade?"
"No, I think I remember Mom mentioning it once before... it's some dangerous sword with a seriously bad curse on it. Why would she deliberately put it on her lap and sit cross-legged with it?"
Sue sat cross-legged, or in something that could also be described as seated meditation. On her lap rested a single sword, placed horizontally with its flat side down. Her hands rested upon the blade as she remained perfectly still.
It looked almost as if she were meditating together with the sword, but with absolutely no explanation given, it was simply impossible for the three watching to understand what the sight meant.
And what equally drew their attention was the sword itself. As Blume had noted, it was so beautiful it could be mistaken for a ceremonial blade.
The quite long blade was a clear green, as if wrought from jade. At regular intervals along it, perhaps gemstones of some kind were embedded, for seven points of light sparkled like stars.
The sword possessed a radiance that drew the eye in, yet carried something faintly precarious about it.
Sitting quietly with that sword, Sue.
To outside observers, she appeared to be in deep concentration, but in truth, she was in the midst of a "dialogue."
A strange space that spread out within her mind.
Only two people existed there. Herself, and one other.
That mysterious girl she had seen once before, with her distinctive green hair and outfit resembling ethnic garb. Smiling without a word, she was once again turning that smile toward Sue.
To be continued...