"The prisoners of Infinite Hell…"
Magellan stared straight at Storm, his gaze heavy and unyielding.
"Life and death are not yours to decide!"
The moment his words fell, a ferocious presence erupted behind him.
A dragon of poison took shape.
Purple venom coursed endlessly along its massive body, and with a violent beat of its wings, it shot forward.
In a blink—
The poisonous dragon was already upon Storm.
At that instant, the ground of Infinite Hell trembled.
A dragon-headed turret surged upward, rising from the clay beneath Storm's feet.
From its fierce dragon head to its long, coiling body, every porcelain-white scale gleamed with a cold luster.
A lifelike white dragon formed in midair.
Unlike the four-legged flying dragon perched on Storm's shoulder, this dragon's form was far closer to that of the Mythical Zoan: Azure Dragon.
This was—
The White Dragon.
Storm's mind moved.
The White Dragon surged forward to meet the poisonous dragon head-on.
One purple.
One white.
The two massive dragons collided violently above Infinite Hell.
Crack!
The moment they met, the venomous dragon's head shattered, crushed apart by the White Dragon's porcelain-hard clay.
Viscous venom burst outward, scattering through the air like rain.
The White Dragon pressed its advantage, smashing through the rest of the poisonous dragon's body.
Purple droplets fell across Infinite Hell like a corrosive drizzle.
"Chief Warden Magellan,"
Storm spoke calmly as the White Dragon returned to his side.
"Why are you so angry?"
Magellan almost laughed in disbelief.
"Every prisoner in Infinite Hell was once a heinous criminal!"
He spoke with unmistakable conviction.
"Their crimes were so brutal that the World Government erased their pasts entirely!"
"So," Storm replied evenly,
"Very few people outside know who these prisoners really were."
Magellan did not deny it.
Storm continued.
"Then why doesn't the World Government simply execute criminals who have already been erased from history?"
Magellan froze.
To be fair, he was a warden with a strong sense of duty.
He was strict, but not cruel.
Disciplined, but not sadistic.
Yet even he knew—
Impel Down held far too many monsters.
Many of them deserved true hell.
And yet…
"They're dangerous Devil Fruit users," Magellan finally said.
"If they're executed, their Devil Fruits will reappear in the world."
Storm sneered.
"Then what about the criminals without Devil Fruits?"
"Does the World Government keep them alive because it has nowhere else to spend its money?"
Magellan fell silent again.
He had no answer.
"Since you can't answer," Storm said slowly,
"Let me ask something else."
"You fear Devil Fruits returning to the sea because they might fall into the hands of pirates."
"Because you know they could disrupt the so-called stability of the world."
Storm's eyes sharpened.
"Then why does the World Government assume that anyone who gains power will become a villain?"
Magellan opened his mouth—
And closed it again.
"Ha."
Storm's voice turned cold.
"Because even the World Government knows the truth."
"This world, under their rule, is rotten to the core."
"The number of people who hate the World Government far exceeds those who support it—"
"Enough!"
Magellan roared, cutting him off.
His chest heaved as he glared at Storm.
"I don't care about politics!"
"I don't know why the higher-ups spare these criminals!"
"I am just a jailer!"
"My duty is to guard this prison!"
His voice hardened.
"Vongola Storm.
You have completely disrupted the order of Impel Down."
"As Chief Warden, I will execute you according to the rules!"
Magellan inhaled deeply.
His body swelled as he spat forth countless purple poison spheres.
"Poisonous Pufferfish!"
The venomous orbs filled the air, each capable of killing a Sea King.
Storm did not move.
The White Dragon opened its jaws.
Hard clay spheres shot out like artillery shells, intercepting every poison orb midair.
Clay and venom collided.
Explosions bloomed like fireworks.
Not a single poison sphere reached Storm.
Venom rained once more upon Infinite Hell.
The ground became slick with poison.
Magellan seized the moment.
"Poison Path!"
He rode the venom forward, launching himself straight at Storm.
He had realized—
Venom alone would not be enough.
Then he would rely on force.
Magellan slid to a stop before Storm, grabbed the two black demon horns on his forehead, and tore them free.
Holding them like short blades, he thrust forward.
But Storm had already acted.
The White Dragon coiled inward, forming a shield taller than a man.
Clang!
The demon horns struck the porcelain-hard clay, producing a metallic crash.
Venom seeped from the horn tips, rapidly corroding the shield.
A hole melted open with a hiss.
Magellan pressed forward—
Then stopped.
The White Dragon's pale eyes turned toward him.
Magellan met its gaze.
A surge of danger flooded his senses.
The White Dragon closed its eyes.
A shockwave erupted.
BOOM!
Magellan was blasted backward, hurled away from Storm.
"Cough—!"
He staggered, clutching his abdomen.
"Your strength… is more troublesome than I expected."
"I didn't want to use this…"
Infinite Hell was not an empty battlefield.
Magellan's power was indiscriminate.
Even here, he had been holding back.
But now—
"Hoo…"
Purple mist poured from his mouth.
"Poison Cloud!"
The toxic fog spread instantly.
Then—
Whoooosh!
A violent gale tore through Infinite Hell.
Massive clay fans spun behind Storm, blades rotating at terrifying speed.
The poisonous cloud was ripped apart and scattered.
Storm's voice was cold.
"Magellan."
"Don't bother with such small tricks."
"Or I'll treat you the same way I treated Shiryu."
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