11:54 PM — ??? — Shirley's POV
For several seconds, Shirley couldn't move.
He simply lay there on the cold concrete floor, breathing.
Every inhale burned, every exhale hurt worse.
Blood mixed with oil dripped from his forehead and down his cheeks, splattering against the floor beneath him. His neck felt like it had been fed through a grinder. The skin around his jaw and ears throbbed violently.
But despite the pain…
He was smiling.
A weak, stupid smile.
Because his head was free.
Across the darkness, EBS continued staring at him in complete disbelief.
"…You actually did it."
Shirley slowly pushed himself upright and wiped blood from one eye.
"Told you."
His voice sounded hoarse.
"I'm a genius."
"No, you're insane."
"Same thing."
"It is absolutely not the same thing."
Shirley ignored her.
Slowly, he looked down at the restraints still binding the rest of his body.
His wrists remained chained, his torso remained wrapped in steel, his ankles were still secured to the wall. The collar had only been the beginning.
The grin on his face faded.
"…Right."
The hard part.
Carefully, Shirley shifted his body closer to the wall and tested the chains.
They barely moved. They felt heavy, industrial almost.
Built to keep people stronger than normal restrained.
Whoever designed these things knew exactly what they were doing.
A nearby prisoner rattled their chains, another shouted for help, further away, somebody was crying.
The sounds echoed endlessly throughout the darkness.
Shirley closed his eyes.
Then slowly exhaled.
Strength Presence.
The familiar sensation immediately spread throughout his body.
It wasn't explosive, not overwhelming. Just enough.
The muscles in his arms tightened.
The chains groaned.
Metal creaked softly.
EBS immediately sat upright.
"…Wait."
Shirley tightened his fists. The links trembled.
"Wait, what are you doing?"
A crack echoed through the cell. One of the chain links snapped.
EBS' jaw dropped.
"What?!"
Another crack. Then another.
The steel restraints began failing one by one beneath the pressure.
Slowly, like were being forced beyond their limits.
Sweat dripped down Shirley's forehead. Blood continued running down his neck.
The strain hurt. But he kept pulling.
Then, the final chain shattered.
Shirley's arm suddenly jerked free.
The broken restraints clattered loudly against the floor.
For a brief moment, the entire nearby section of cells fell silent.
Several prisoners stared through their bars.
EBS stared hardest of all.
Shirley rubbed his wrist.
"…Ow."
"OW?!"
"You just broke chains!"
"Yeah."
"With your hands!"
"Yeah."
"What the hell are you?!"
Shirley smirked.
"…A genius?"
EBS lowered her head in disbelief.
"Unbelievable."
Ignoring her reaction entirely, Shirley began working on the rest of the restraints.
One chain after another, one link after another.
The metal groaned.
Then snapped.
Eventually, he stood.
For the first time since waking up. He was free.
For a moment, he simply stood there.
His legs felt weak, his body hurt, but he was standing.
And everyone else wasn't.
Shirley's eyes slowly drifted toward the bars at the front of his cell.
Toward the darkness beyond.
Toward the countless rows of prisoners stretching throughout the massive chamber.
Toward the table of confiscated weapons waiting in the distance.
And sitting among them…
His cleavers.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"Okay."
He rolled his shoulders.
"Now we're getting somewhere."
With a determined breath, Shirley crouched low.
Then jumped.
His fingers barely caught one of the overhead bars.
For a terrifying second, his oil-slick hands almost slipped completely off.
"Whoa—!"
His body dropped several inches before he managed to tighten his grip.
The metal dug into his palms. His muscles screamed.
But he held on.
"Come on…"
Slowly, he pulled himself higher.
One hand, then the other.
The bars rattled under his weight as he climbed toward the top of the cell.
Below him, EBS stared upward in disbelief.
"You're actually doing it…"
Shirley gritted his teeth.
"Of course I am."
A few more pulls. Then he reached the top.
For a moment he balanced awkwardly on the bars. Then gravity won.
"Ah, crap—"
He slipped.
And fell.
The impact slammed through his entire body. Pain shot through his legs and spine as he crashed onto the cold floor outside the cell.
For several seconds he simply laid there, groaning.
"…Worth it."
Then the prison exploded.
"He got out!"
"What?!"
"HEY! OVER HERE!"
"PLEASE!"
"GET ME OUT TOO!"
"I'LL PAY YOU!"
"HELP!"
Dozens became hundreds. Voices erupted from every direction. Prisoners threw themselves against bars, chains rattled, people screamed, begged, demanded, cried. The entire chamber came alive.
Shirley immediately covered his ears.
"Damn! You're all loud!"
The shouting only got worse.
His eyes darted from cell to cell.
Hundreds of desperate faces stared back at him through the darkness.
Some hopeful, some terrified. Some looked completely insane.
Shirley swallowed.
"Should I free everyone?"
The idea lasted all of two seconds.
"No."
He shook his head.
"No way."
His gaze swept across the endless rows.
"There are way too many people."
Somebody immediately shouted,
"HEY! I'M IMPORTANT!"
Another yelled,
"I'M RICH!"
A third screamed,
"I'LL GIVE YOU FIVE MILLION!"
Shirley pointed at the cells.
"See? That's exactly why."
He sighed.
"If I let everybody out right now, this place is gonna turn into chaos."
A pause.
"First I find a way out."
Another pause.
"Then we get everyone else out safely."
That felt smarter. At least to him.
11:57 PM — ??? — Shirley's POV
So he started jogging toward the large table sitting near the center of the prison.
Weapons covered nearly every inch of it.
Knives, daggers, handguns, golden revolvers, pins, chains, phones, even personal belongings and confiscated valuables.
And buried beneath a pile of junk… His cleavers.
Shirley's face immediately brightened.
"There you are."
He snatched them up.
The familiar weight instantly felt comforting. Like seeing an old friend.
He quickly strapped the sheaths back onto his waist.
Then his eyes landed on something else.
A katana.
Black sheath, white streak-like patterns, golden markings.
His expression changed.
"…Wait."
He slowly reached toward it.
"The Michonne lady…"
It was unmistakable. The exact same sword.
Which meant, "She's here."
Shirley's stomach tightened.
If her sword was here…
Then Michonne had probably been captured too.
And if Michonne was here…
There was a good chance Diamond was as well.
Before he could think further, he grabbed the katana.
Instantly, a violent surge of Strength Presence erupted from the blade. Purple aura exploded around the weapon.
The pressure hit him like a punch.
Shirley's muscles locked, pain shot through his arm.
"What the—?!"
He immediately dropped it.
The sword hit the floor.
The aura faded.
Shirley stumbled backward clutching his wrist.
The muscles in his hand twitched uncontrollably.
"Okay!"
He pointed at the sword.
"Definitely staying away from that."
From inside her cell, EBS shouted,
"What just happened?!"
"It attacked me!"
"Swords don't attack people!"
"Well this one did!"
EBS sighed.
"How are you alive?"
Shirley ignored her.
His eyes drifted back toward the cells, back toward the prisoners, back toward EBS.
The influencer immediately noticed.
And immediately smiled.
"…So."
Shirley narrowed his eyes.
"No."
"What?"
"I know that look."
"What look?"
"That 'please let me out too' look."
EBS gasped dramatically.
"I would never."
"You absolutely would."
She paused.
"…Okay maybe a little."
Shirley crossed his arms.
"No."
"Come on!"
"No."
"You need me."
"No I don't."
"Yes you do!"
Shirley pointed at himself.
"I escaped by myself."
"You escaped because you're a lunatic."
"Nuh uh."
EBS scoffed.
"But think about it."
Shirley sighed.
"I hate when people say that."
"You don't know anything about this plane."
Shirley stopped.
EBS noticed immediately.
A grin spread across her face.
"Exactly."
She pointed at herself.
"I do."
"…You do?"
"I'm famous."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"It means I talk to people."
"…Still doesn't mean anything."
"It means I hear things."
Now Shirley was listening.
EBS leaned closer.
"If you let me out, I'll tell you everything I know."
A pause.
Then she added,
"Important things."
Another pause.
"Things that might explain where we are."
Shirley's eyes narrowed.
"…Go on."
EBS shook her head.
"Nope."
"What?"
"You free me first."
"What if you're lying?"
"What if I'm not?"
Shirley groaned.
EBS smiled victoriously.
"You need information."
She pointed at herself again.
"I have information."
Another pause.
"And unlike you, I'm actually good at talking to people."
Shirley opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again.
"…That's annoyingly reasonable."
"I know."
After a long moment, Shirley sighed.
"Fine."
"YES!"
"But if you try anything weird—"
"I literally have nowhere to run."
"…Good point."
Shirley approached the cell, he climbed into in the same way he got out,
Using one cleaver, he wedged the blade between the chain links wrapped around her wrists.
The metal resisted. More than he expected.
"Come on…"
He pushed harder, Strength Presence slightly vibrating the metal.
The chain groaned.
Then, one restraint broke. A few moments later, the second followed. Then, the restraints around her ankles. Finally, the collar.
The last chain hit the floor.
EBS stood there frozen.
For several seconds she simply stared at her own hands.
Like she couldn't believe she was free.
Then she slowly stood up, looking down at Shirley.
Through the dark only her silhouette was visible, but if you really squinted you could see her vibrant pink hair through the dark.
Shirley blinked.
"Oh."
EBS crossed her arms.
"What does 'oh' mean?"
"Nothing."
"It sounded like something."
"It wasn't."
"It absolutely was."
Shirley immediately changed the subject.
"Okay."
He pointed down the row of cells.
"You promised information."
EBS rolled her eyes.
"And you promised freedom."
She stretched her arms.
"Let's call it even."
Then her expression became serious.
Much more serious than before.
"First things first."
She glanced around the massive prison.
"We need to figure out what happened."
Shirley nodded.
"Agreed."
EBS pointed toward the nearest occupied cell.
"Let's start asking questions."
Shirley adjusted the cleavers at his waist.
The two of them walked toward the first prisoner.
And stopped in front of the bars.
11:59 PM — ??? — Shirley's POV
The first prisoner they approached was an older man. By his silhouette you could slightly see his gray hair, and his sparkling watch.
The moment he saw Shirley and EBS approaching, he sat upright.
"You."
Shirley pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"Yes, you."
The man clenched his fists.
"Get me out."
"Not yet."
The man's face immediately twisted.
"What do you mean not yet?"
"We need information first."
The man stared. Then laughed, then laughed harder.
"You want information?"
"Yeah."
"Then here's some information."
The man pointed directly at his collar.
"Remove this."
Shirley sighed.
"No."
"Then get lost."
The man sat back down.
Shirley blinked.
"…Seriously?"
"Seriously."
"We just wanna know what happened before you got here."
"No."
"Why?"
The man crossed his arms.
"Because the second I tell you everything I know, you'll leave."
EBS rubbed her forehead.
"That's actually kinda smart."
"Thank you."
The man pointed at Shirley.
"Free me."
"No."
"Then we're done here."
Shirley stared.
The man stared back.
Neither moved.
After several awkward seconds, Shirley finally turned away.
"What a jerk."
"I heard that."
The second prisoner proved much easier.
A young woman sat against the wall of her cell.
The moment Shirley approached, she looked up hopefully.
"…Are you really free?"
"Yeah."
Her shoulders immediately sagged with relief.
"Oh thank God."
EBS stepped forward.
"Can you tell us what happened before you woke up here?"
The woman thought for a moment.
Then nodded.
"I was dancing."
Shirley blinked.
"…That's it?"
"I was just dancing."
She pointed upward.
"At the Entertainment District.."
A shaky laugh escaped her.
"I remember music."
Then her smile disappeared.
"I remember drinking too."
Both Shirley and EBS immediately exchanged glances.
"What kind of drink?" EBS asked.
The woman frowned.
"I don't know."
"It was gold."
Shirley froze.
The woman continued.
"Sparkly."
EBS folded her arms.
"The special drink."
The woman nodded.
"Some guy offered it to me."
"A worker?"
"I think so."
She rubbed her temples.
"Everything after that gets blurry."
"The next thing I remember…"
She looked down at the chains around her wrists.
"…was waking up here."
Silence.
Shirley swallowed. "Have you seen anyone brought in since then?"
The woman shook her head.
"No."
"Nobody?"
"No."
She glanced around nervously.
"When I woke up, everyone else was already here."
The third prisoner was a heavyset man with a massive head.
Unlike most people, he looked angry. Very angry.
The moment Shirley arrived, the man immediately pointed at him.
"You got food?"
"…No."
The man looked disappointed.
"Damn."
EBS blinked.
"That's your first question?"
"I've been chained to a wall."
"Fair."
The man sighed.
Then shrugged.
"I don't remember much."
"Anything helps."
He scratched his beard.
"I was gambling."
"At the gala?"
"Yep."
"Then?"
"I won."
A pause.
"I won a lot."
Another pause.
"Then some guy bought me a drink."
Shirley's stomach sank.
"Golden?"
The man pointed.
"Exactly."
"Gold. Sparkly. Tasted awful."
EBS and Shirley exchanged another glance. The pattern was becoming obvious.
The man continued.
"I remember getting dizzy."
"Then I woke up here."
A pause.
Then he pointed around the prison.
"Been here for hours."
"You know that for sure?"
"Pretty sure."
"Have you seen anybody brought in?"
The man shook his head.
"Nope."
He frowned.
"Actually now that you mention it…"
The man's expression slowly changed.
"When I woke up…"
He glanced around the chamber.
"…everyone was already here."
The realization hit all three of them at once. Nobody had seen anyone arrive, nobody remembered being transported, everybody blacked out.
Then woke up here.
Shirley's stomach tightened. The prison suddenly felt much colder.
They walked away from the third cell.
For several moments neither Shirley nor EBS spoke.
Finally EBS broke the silence.
"…That's three."
Shirley nodded.
"All drank the same thing."
"Then blacked out and woke up here."
EBS slowly looked around the chamber. Then her eyes widened.
"…No."
Shirley looked over.
"What?"
EBS slowly turned toward him.
"I think I know where we are."
Shirley's eyebrows raised.
"You do?"
The confidence had completely disappeared from her face.
Now she looked disturbed.
"EBS?"
She swallowed.
"The third floor."
Silence.
"…What?"
"The third floor."
Her voice was quieter now. "I heard rumors."
Shirley's expression tightened.
"What kind of rumors?"
EBS looked around at the cells.
At the prisoners, at the collars around their necks.
"The third floor isn't a VIP area."
A pause.
"It's where people disappear."
Shirley's heartbeat slowed.
"What do you mean disappear?"
EBS shook her head.
"I thought it was nonsense."
"People gossip about it online all the time."
She laughed nervously.
"I figured it was just rich people trying to sound mysterious."
But she wasn't laughing anymore.
"People talk about prisoners, debtors, criminals, people with bounties, and people who know too much."
Shirley's eyes widened.
EBS slowly looked at the collar laying beside his cell.
Then at all the others.
"…Human cargo."
The words hung heavily between them.
For the first time since escaping his cell, Shirley genuinely had no response.
Because deep down… It made sense.
The drinks, the missing memories, the collars, the cages, all the endless rows of prisoners.
Slowly, Shirley looked around the chamber.
"…You think this is the third floor?"
EBS nodded. "I think we're standing in it."
Silence followed.
A horrible silence.
Then, Shirley stopped walking. EBS nearly bumped into him.
"Huh?"
Shirley's eyes narrowed.
His body had suddenly become rigid. Like every muscle was reacting to something.
"…Do you feel that?"
EBS frowned.
"Feel what?"
A pressure, faint, but it was unmistakable. Like standing near a predator.
Shirley had felt it before.
Back in the Sovereign District. The woman with the katana.
Her expression immediately changed.
"…What?"
Shirley did not answer. Because he already knew.
The pressure wasn't coming from above or below.
It was coming from one of the cells ahead.
Shirley's hand slowly moved toward one of his cleavers.
The pressure grew stronger.
Until finally, a familiar voice echoed from the darkness ahead.
"…Took you long enough."
Shirley's eyes widened.
And EBS froze.
Because they had finally found Michonne.