To be honest, Shamrock had improved quite a bit.
If it were before, the moment he discovered Naruto and the others, he would have decisively gone to Level 6 himself, determined to kill this sinner who had shamed him.
But it was precisely his previous failure that made him understand that he, the leader of the God's Knights, wasn't as 'invincible' as he had imagined.
Even with That Person's blessing, Killingham had still died, right before his eyes.
Shamrock believed himself to be stronger than Killingham, but only marginally so. He didn't possess the decisive power of his father, Figarland Garling.
If Naruto could kill Killingham, he had the ability to kill Shamrock as well.
He wasn't exactly afraid of death, and compared to that, Shamrock feared failure more.
So, he came up with a foolproof plan.
Using the plan proposed by the defecting Teach and making some modifications, a lethal trap for the Great Sinner was set.
"Now... let's see if you can escape."
Muttering to himself, Shamrock walked to the pier and boarded his personal Battleship.
On the deck, several other God's Knights were already waiting for him.
"Set sail. Open the Gates of Justice."
With the order from the God's Knight's Commander, the ornate mechanical ship began to move.
Meanwhile, Impel Down's Chief Warden, Magellan, also received the order from Shamrock.
The content of the order was simple, just one sentence.
'Release the poison gas.'
This was agreed upon from the beginning... No, perhaps it couldn't even be called an agreement, but rather a unilateral command from the Celestial Dragons to a government employee.
This was also the reason for Magellan's strong initial reaction.
That individual from the World Government's upper echelons actually demanded that he personally release poison gas throughout the entire Level 6 prison.
As a Paramecia-type [Doku Doku no Mi] user, Magellan could transform into a [Poison Giant], similar to a Logia user, or simply manipulate poison liquid, changing its form into venom. (T/N: Venom-Venom Fruit.)
Magellan's sweat, saliva, even a single sigh were enough to produce terrifyingly potent poison.
After years of development by Magellan, the poison gas he created wouldn't instantly kill under normal circumstances.
But this wasn't a good thing. On the contrary, it would subject the victim to prolonged torment. Unless he actively provided the antidote, ninety-nine percent of those poisoned would not survive.
"Chief Warden, are you really going to do this?"
The usually silent Domino suddenly spoke up.
She knew Magellan's character well… he was definitely not like Shiryu, who could kill prisoners indiscriminately without a second thought.
At this moment, even the often clownish Deputy Warden Hannyabal looked serious and solemn, waiting for his superior's response.
However, faced with his subordinates' concern, Magellan could only remain silent, his steps still slow but firm.
He was betraying the principles he had always upheld.
Perhaps he was no longer qualified to be the Chief Warden.
From the moment Shamrock arrived at Impel Down, he had given this order to the prison's highest authority, Magellan.
When necessary, all prisoners on Level 6 could be executed directly.
Magellan, who had always adhered to the belief that 'order is everything', did not agree with this view.
Those prisoners had already been tried and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Life imprisonment should be their end.
But now, to capture the prison raider who had somehow infiltrated Impel Down, he not only had to act against his conscience, watching government agents make deals with those prisoners, but also kill those prisoners indiscriminately.
This caused Magellan great anguish.
He didn't sympathize with the prisoners, and what pained him was the trampling of 'order'.
But there was no way around it. This duty was bestowed upon him by the World Government. He neither had the ability nor the right to defy their orders.
Soon, Magellan arrived at the central control for the entire prison's ventilation system.
Looking at the ventilation duct labeled [Level 6], Magellan knew that with a simple action from him, all the prisoners on Level 6 would perish.
Even the strongest person must breathe.
As long as they breathed, they would inhale his poison gas and die.
His heart was hesitant, but his actions showed no hesitation.
"Venom Demon: Hell's… Judgment!"
As he uttered the final words, Magellan felt his voice lacked conviction.
But his body faithfully launched the attack.
Instantly, the Chief Warden in his black uniform transformed into a purple-red poison giant.
The giant bent down, and crimson mist surged from his palms.
This poison gas was different from the purple toxin he usually used. Any substance it touched would rapidly become infected. An ordinary person would be poisoned just by touching it.
Correspondingly, its time to take effect was also shorter.
'This is all I can do. I can only grant you a swift end.'
The thick poison gas quickly spread through the pipes, covering Level 6 of the prison, seeping out from various unseen, minute places.
After doing this, Magellan reverted to his human form as if drained. He then took off his Chief Warden's hat and casually threw it to the ground.
This scene was witnessed by his subordinates watching from afar outside the door, wearing gas masks.
They watched as their superior silently walked towards his room and closed the door tightly.
For some reason, Hannyabal felt he might never see this superior, who always stood in his way of becoming Chief Warden, again.
…
Level 6, Infinite Hell.
The pirates defeated by Sasuke and the others were the first to be affected.
Unconscious, they involuntarily inhaled large amounts of the poison gas, then suddenly opened their eyes, clutching their throats in agony.
"Urgh... Ugh!"
Screams erupted densely but quickly faded into silence.
These guys no longer had the strength to stand up. They could only watch as their bodies rapidly turned pale, like weathered plaster, before finally losing consciousness entirely.
The prisoners who hadn't agreed to the World Government's terms and were still locked in their cells didn't fare much better.
They noticed the red mist was problematic, but since most wore Seastone handcuffs, they couldn't use their abilities to resist. Their final outcome was similar to those outside.
Naruto's group.
He was leading the others back the way they came, heading towards the edge of Level 6.
Then, his Observation Haki 'saw' what was about to happen a step ahead.
The prisoners' miserable state made Naruto's eyes narrow.
'These guys would really stop at nothing to kill me!'
Thinking this, Naruto decisively used his Baku Baku Factory to produce several rubbery bubbles, wrapping one around each person.
"Naruto, what is this?"
Jinbei, due to his larger size, was slower to get his bubble. He looked at Naruto questioningly, not understanding the purpose.
"That guy can't handle losing, so he's flipping the table..."
Naruto didn't spend much time explaining, as they would soon see for themselves what was happening.
When the group reached the area where they had fought the three legendary pirates earlier, the red poison mist had already begun to spread.
"Uzumaki Naruto? Why are you back?"
Bullet was the only one among the three who was conscious.
It couldn't be helped… this guy's physique was too tough. Even after the severe beating earlier, he was only knocked out.
Seeing the group charging towards them ferociously, wrapped in bubbles like those foolish Celestial Dragons, a vein throbbed on Bullet's temple.
'Was this intentional mockery?'
But then, he also noticed the red mist.
'Poison?'
After inhaling just a little, Bullet felt a sharp pain in his lungs. He immediately held his breath, stopping his breathing.
Seeing the three, one lying down, two unconscious, Naruto paused for a second, then without hesitation also created bubbles, covering all three with a protective layer.
"Sasuke, you take him. That big guy is yours, Jinbei."
He directed the other two to carry the men, then he himself hauled Bullet up from the ground.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
Bullet was very displeased with Naruto's handling.
"Shut up. Follow me if you don't want to die."
That was the only reply he got.
Bullet narrowed his eyes but ultimately said nothing, just limping along as Naruto supported him.