Ivankov looked in the direction Lightning was pointing, and his pupils suddenly contracted.
There on the back of Luffy's hand was a small drop of dark purple liquid, faintly giving off white smoke. Although it seemed to be suppressed by some kind of force, the unique color and aura were quite familiar to him.
"Th-That's not Magellan's venom, is it?!"
Ivankov's voice changed pitch. His eyes nearly popped out of his huge head. "How is he still jumping around like this after getting covered in Magellan's poison?"
This was practically anti-human.
Could it be that he had already defeated that guy Magellan?
Thinking of how Luffy had fought evenly with an Admiral on the Sabaody Archipelago, as well as the terrifying strength and vitality he had shown just now, Ivankov now believed what Luffy had said about seventy to eighty percent.
"Hey, Straw Hat Boy! Are you really Dragon's son?"
Ivankov quickened his pace and caught up to Luffy.
"For real. Can you not follow me, you pervert?"
Luffy was moving very fast. He really didn't want to be around these perverts.
His mind had gained many normal human desires, and seeing things like this caused conflict.
Simply put, it was like his left brain and right brain were fighting each other.
Luffy said, "We met once in Loguetown. You can just ask him to reimburse you."
Hearing that Luffy even knew the details of Loguetown, Ivankov was now 99% convinced in his heart.
But inside, he was even more agitated, his heart churning with storms.
He had already heard the news that Fire Fist Ace had been captured—this was the enormous war about to break out between the Marines and the Whitebeard Pirates.
But Luffy had said Ace was his brother.
If that was the relationship between Luffy and Ace, then was Ace also Dragon's son?
Knowing that, would the Marines still take action?
No!
That's not right!
Ivankov immediately rejected that idea.
Provoking both Whitebeard and Revolutionary Army leader Dragon at the same time would do the World Government absolutely no good at all. What was the World Government's true goal?
Could it be that the darkness Dragon had once mentioned—the one hidden deepest within the World Government, that certain power that even he greatly feared—was also going to be called into action?
Although Ivankov couldn't quite figure things out, one thing he was sure of.
If Luffy really was Dragon's son...
Then he was definitely going to help!
Both publicly and privately, he absolutely could not stand by and do nothing.
"Straw Hat Boy, I'll take you to Infinite Hell!"
Ivankov caught up to Luffy again, his tone firm. "I know the structure of Impel Down like the back of my hand. I know the shortcuts."
"Oh?"
Luffy'slowered his pace slightly and glanced at him. "I don't have to pay for that food I ate earlier?"
A slightly embarrassed smile appeared on Ivankov's giant face. He waved his big hand, which was wearing net gloves, and said, "No need, no need. I'll just ask Dragon to reimburse me!"
That's what he said, but asking the leader of the revolutionary army and his own boss to reimburse him for food expenses...
Ivankov was actually a little nervous inside.
Could that really work?
With Ivankov as an inside guide leading the way, things indeed went much smoother.
They took some hidden passages and avoided a lot of trouble.
"What are those?"
Luffy saw a pack of wolves.
"The feature of Level Five Hell—military wolves."
Ivankov said, "Leave them to me."
Watching the military wolves, which had smelled unfamiliar people and were now baring their teeth as They gathered around me, Ivankov just stood there and blinked his heavily shadowed eyes hard at them.
"Death Wink!"
Boom!
An invisible shockwave spread out from him. That pack of fierce military wolves, as if hit by a heavy hammer, instantly yelped in pain, flew backward, crashed into the wall, and passed out.
"Shockwave?"
Luffy watched this, his eyes widening in surprise. "What kind of Devil Fruit ability is that?"
Ivankov proudly wiggled his hips and introduced himself:
"This is the power of the Horu Horu no Mi~ I can freely control people's hormones, including gender, emotions, growth, healing, and so on!
How about it, boy? Want to try it out? Experience the door to a new world?~"
He shot Luffy an enticing smile and threw in a wink.
"You're disgusting. Stay away from me."
Luffy immediately felt like forming an Armament Haki fist and punching him.
Beside him, Lightning quickly coughed and quietly reminded him, "Ivankov, please be mindful. This is the son of Mr. Dragon."
Only then did Ivankov realize what he was doing. He suddenly covered his big mouth, a look of lingering fear on his face.
"Ah! Right, right, right! I almost forgot!"
If Dragon ever found out that he had used that kind of hormone on his son... the consequences would be disastrous!
Ivankov imagined Dragon's cold, sharp gaze and couldn't help but shudder.
"So it can just turn people into okama? This ability really is strange."
"Hey, hey! My ability is not just about turning people into okama!" Ivankov shot back.
His gaze fell again on the drop of stubborn venom on the back of Luffy's hand. "And, Straw Hat Boy, are you really sure you don't want to deal with that? Using your body to tough out Magellan's poison is something only a monster would do."
Luffy looked at the back of his hand and asked, "Do you have any good ideas?"
With a big battle looming, he wanted to get rid of this hazard as soon as possible too.
Ivankov said, "I can inject Tension Hormones into your body. They'll instantly stimulate your body's potential and immunity, and should be able to quickly get rid of the poison. But there will be some unpleasant side effects afterward."
Tension Hormones?
Sounded like a type of stimulant, didn't they?
"Give me a shot—let's try it," Luffy said.
"Experience my ability!"
Ivankov's finger instantly transformed into the shape of an injection needle and plunged with precision into Luffy's arm. "Tension Hormone Injection!"
The sea really was a miracle in itself!
Luffy felt a strange energy surge into his body. Every cell in his body seemed to be boiling. His energy was stronger than ever before. A powerful feeling of strength spread throughout his body.
At the same time, the drop of dark purple venom on the back of his hand also disappeared.
Magellan's poison was definitely one of the most unbeatable abilities.
Anyone who came into contact with it, even if they didn't die, would have their combat ability severely reduced.
But abilities were never invincible.
Some abilities even had mutually reinforcing and interfering relationships with others.
Plus, with Luffy's monster-like physique...
He had pushed his resistance to the absolute max.
Life Return had already brought his body to its peak state. With this injection, Luffy felt like he was back in the days when he had forcibly had Moria's shadows stuffed into him.
How strong was he?
The next time he ran into Magellan, he'd give him a big surprise.
...
Meanwhile.
At the entrance passage to Infinite Hell.
Magellan had personally come to stand before Ace's cell. Vice Chief Warden Domino followed beside him, holding Seastone handcuffs.
Magellan's expression wasn't very good. Besides the disturbance caused by Luffy's intrusion, the clear sword scar left on his face was also throbbing with pain.
"Now then, Portgas D. Ace, we will be transferring you to Marineford, the city where the execution platform is located," Magellan said in a deep voice.
Just then, from a dark cell nearby, a voice filled with mockery and bloodlust rang out:
"Hey, hey, hey, Magellan. What happened to your face?
It's been pretty lively in Impel Down for a while, hasn't it? Who had the skill to leave a mark like that on you?
But it looks like that scar suits you."
Magellan shot a cold glance toward the source of the voice, his tone icy. "I'm not obligated to answer your question, Shiryu of the Rain."
"Ha ha ha. That's not like you."
Shiryu rattled his chains. "Let me out. You're short on power now, aren't you?"
Magellan let out a cold snort.
The situation had been successfully resolved.
And besides, he would never cooperate with a prisoner.
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi they were carrying let out a terrified report from a guard:
"Bad news, Warden Magellan! Straw Hat Luffy, along with the revolutionaries Ivankov and Lightning, is on his way to Level Six, Infinite Hell! He'll be here any minute!"
Luffy?
Hearing this news, Ace's expression suddenly changed.
Why was Luffy here?
What was happening outside?
"He's not dead yet? That Straw Hat kid."
Magellan's expression was so dark that poison could drip from it. He ground his teeth. "His vitality is that tenacious?"
He distinctly remembered his poison hitting the guy. Even if he hadn't died from the poison yet, how could he still be running and jumping around?
And why had Ivankov and Lightning, revolutionaries who had disappeared for years, suddenly shown up and started hanging out with Straw Hat?
"Ace!"
Just then, a shout rang through the empty Infinite Hell.
In all of Infinite Hell's history, a sound like this had never been heard before.
"Hmm?!"
A red glint flashed in Magellan's eyes. He suddenly looked to the side.
In an instant, a massive boom was heard. The supposedly impregnable rock wall to the side of the passage was blown open by an indescribable force, creating a massive hole!
A blast of air instantly rushed in. The phantom of a giant fist slowly faded away.
Then, a figure wearing a straw hat leaped out of the opening and landed steadily on the ground.
For the first time in days, a look of relief appeared on Luffy's tense face when he saw Ace, restrained by Seastone chains.
"Yo, Ace. I've come to save you."
Finally, he could breathe a sigh of relief.
Luffy felt like he could laugh out loud.
When he was a kid, he'd been captured by Bluejam's men, and Ace and Sabo had come to save him.
Now the roles were reversed.
Of course, the cocky Ace would never be able to swallow his pride. That proud guy's first response would definitely be to scold him.
"That's... a bit much, don't you think?"
Ivankov, who had been following behind and climbing through the hole, saw this and was completely dumbfounded.
He had planned to lead Luffy through the relatively hidden passages inside the prison.
But Luffy seemed to have sensed where Ace was, thought it was too slow, and just used the most violent, the most original way possible.
He had punched his way through who knew how many layers of rock from the outside, going straight to get here!
The prisoners held in Infinite Hell all had bounties of at least 100 million, and many of them were legendary figures.
Even after being locked up here for decades, these veteran pirates had never seen anything so insane.
Someone had actually punched their way into Infinite Hell from the outside?
"Gehahaha! What a terrifying brat! Is this the Straw Hat we were talking about earlier?"
An unrestrained, booming laugh echoed from one of the cells.
"Hey! Golden Lion! Crocodile! Stop playing dead, both of you, and get up! This guy actually busted in!"
"Straw Hat! Let me out! I'm willing to fight for you!"
The entire Infinite Hell boiled over.
Magellan was strong.
But this was Infinite Hell!
There were quite a few pirates here who were even stronger than Magellan.
Ace already had his mouth wide open, his heart full of mixed emotions.
He had hoped more than anything that no one would show up in front of him.
And Luffy, that troublesome younger brother of his, was at the top of that list.
No other reason.
Just as Luffy had said from the beginning—Ace had his own adventure. He needed to bear the consequences of whatever happened, for whatever reason.
Luffy had his own adventure.
Ace didn't want him to get dragged into this.
This enormous war that was about to sweep across the whole world, it was too dangerous!
If possible, he didn't even want to see Pops or his crewmates.
He was fine with bearing the consequences alone.
This cursed bloodline of his.
"Luffy! You idiot! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to come here?!"
"Ah, it took a lot of effort to get in,"
Luffy grinned. "But I finally managed it. If you want to yell at me, do it after I get you out of here."
Ace started to say something else, but Luffy pushed down his straw hat and lowered his gaze.
"Sabo is gone. Out of my sworn brothers, you're the only one I have left."
These words weren't loud, but they clearly reached every corner of the suddenly somewhat quiet Infinite Hell.
Out on the sea, it was common for pirates to betray each other and stab each other in the back.
But even pirates understood the importance of honor!
Pirates who valued loyalty and bonds were always looked upon favorably.
At the very least, after Luffy's speech, the previously noisy and chaotic Infinite Hell had a moment of strange, eerie calm.
"So this is the brother Ace has talked about?"
A giant blue-skinned fish-man in the cell next to Ace's murmured to himself.
Jinbe was rarely moved by someone's bearing and personal charm. Whitebeard was one, Ace was another.
And even though this was his first time meeting Luffy, Jinbe felt that he was already moved by this young Straw Hat.
This presence!
This loyalty!
This place was Impel Down, as famous as Marine Headquarters!
Jinbe believed that Whitebeard would go to war with the Marines at Headquarters for Ace. But right now, Luffy had broken into Impel Down all by himself for his brother.
"Sound the highest alert. Immediately request immediate support from Marine Headquarters!"
Magellan looked coldly at Luffy and gave the order to Domino beside him.
The situation had reached its most dangerous moment!
He had a feeling that the real war wouldn't happen at Marineford.
It would happen here—at his Impel Down!
The Impel Down War was about to begin!
At this moment, the sense of threat Luffy gave Magellan was even stronger than when they had fought on Level Four.
That vibrant, flourishing vitality radiating from the inside out... it didn't look at all like someone who was poisoned.
"Hahaha. You look pretty pathetic, Magellan!" Shiryu mocked, without any mercy.
"Hey, Straw Hat. You sure know how to surprise a guy."
Golden Lion Shiki stood in his barred cell, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "Let me out of here. The outside world has gotten chaotic already, hasn't it? I'm itching for some action!"
"Golden Lion, old man, you're here too,"
Luffy pulled his gaze away from Ace and looked at Golden Lion, his tone relaxed. "So, have you thought about what I mentioned last time?"
"Hmph!"
Golden Lion Tsundere tossed his golden mane. "In this life, this old man will never submit to anyone! You think too much!"
"Then you can stay here."
Luffy shrugged, unconcerned. "I'm just here to get Ace out."
Golden Lion's face immediately fell, and he quickly changed his tune. "Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute! That's not to say we can't talk about it!"
He knew that if he didn't get out this time, he probably never would.
Things were so lively out there. Whitebeard and the Marines were about to go to war. How could he, Golden Lion, miss out on a feast like that?
"What are you all discussing right in front of me?"
Magellan's deep voice carried suppressed rage. A deep purple venom began to spread around his body. A horrific sense of oppression swept through the area. "No prisoner will escape from this place today! I swear it in my name as Warden of Impel Down!"
Luffy faced Magellan directly, his lips stretching into a grin. "Then prove it to me."
"Straw Hat!" Magellan roared.
"Stop shouting. If we're fighting, then fight."
Luffy's gaze swept across the corners. Those images Den Den Mushi with their blinking red lights were emitting warning sounds.
"Those things are too noisy."
A crimson light erupted from Luffy's eyes. An invisible shockwave exploded from him, sending out fine, black-red arcs of electricity. Then it all transformed into a black-red torrent that swept through every corner of Infinite Hell.
Conqueror's Haki!
Crack!
Crack!
The Image Den Den Mushi that had been working were hit by this powerful spiritual impact. Their eyes instantly rolled back in their heads, letting out wisps of blue smoke, and they completely stopped functioning.
"Gehahaha! This is starting to feel more and more like the real thing! Straw Hat! Your Conqueror's Haki is strong!"
Feeling this Haki, Golden Lion didn't show any discomfort at all. Instead, he burst into excited laughter.
Ace was also stunned. He looked at Luffy, his eyes full of disbelief.
"He has the same kind of kingly disposition as Pops?"
He muttered to himself, and an uncontrollable smile of pride appeared on his face.
This troublesome little brother of his who always made him worry... had grown this strong without him even noticing?
"Hmph!"
Magellan let out a cold snort. In the face of Luffy's Conqueror's Haki, he remained completely unmoved.
But his feet began to lift off the ground. A dense, deep, dark red venom surged out from his body, enveloping him.
"Venom Demon: Hell's Judgment!"
With Magellan's low roar, a giant skeletal demon figure, constructed from dark red venom, appeared before everyone's eyes.
This red venom was extremely corrosive. As it dripped onto the ground, it immediately made a terrible sizzling sound, corrosive holes in the hard floor.
"He's getting serious."
In a nearby cell, Shiryu, who had been watching from the sidelines, saw this. He narrowed his eyes, and a smile of interest curled at the corner of his lips.
In this state, Magellan's poison reached its peak toxicity. Without a specific antidote, he was almost invincible.
Shiryu was also very curious to see if this ridiculously bold Straw Hat kid was worth his investment.
"No one escapes from my hands!"
Magellan's voice came through the Venom Demon, full of absolute confidence.
Out on the open sea, maybe someone could dodge his attacks with speed. But in this relatively enclosed space at the very bottom of Impel Down... no one could escape his all-pervasive, deadly poison!
"Going straight into that form, huh?"
Luffy grinned. "Are you getting nervous, Magellan?"
***
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