"Straw Hat! I acknowledge your strength, but that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want in my prison!"
Magellan shouted. "After committing such crimes, don't think you can escape either!"
Watching the tide of red venom spreading toward him, Luffy just laughed. He raised his fist, coated in flowing Haki.
"I wasn't planning on escaping!"
This deadly poison was absolutely not to be touched.
But as long as he didn't touch it, that was fine!
Luffy had already fought Magellan before, so he naturally had experience.
In this situation, the best method was to concentrate Haki at a high level and release it externally.
Sizzle!
Haki gathered toward his fist as if it were alive. The black-red arcs of electricity became even denser. Even the space around his fist seemed to faintly distort as two even clearer bolts of black lightning burst forth!
The venom gas spreading around Luffy had no effect at all.
"You already have poison resistance? What the hell is your body made of?!"
Magellan's expression was grave. He could sense that the poison's presence still remained inside Luffy's body, but it seemed to be forcibly suppressed or even assimilated by some kind of powerful vitality.
This was unprecedented!
He accelerated his assault. The Venom Demon's giant venomous hand, radiating an aura of destruction, slammed down hard toward Luffy.
The current toxicity isn't working?
Then I'll increase the toxicity!
His ability allowed him to amplify the toxicity infinitely!
Boom!
The giant venomous hand came down. A massive shockwave erupted violently from Luffy's fist!
The highly concentrated Haki was slammed fiercely into the center of the Venom Demon's palm.
Thud!
The shockwave carried dark red venom with it.
As much venom splashed outward, the prisoners in the surrounding cells instinctively took a few steps back.
They understood the terror of Magellan's venom.
Luffy had poison resistance. They didn't.
If even a drop touched them, they were dead.
That Straw Hat kid's physique was on a monster level!
The tremendous impact force directly sent Magellan's giant dark red venom hand jerking violently backward. Its condensed form instantly dispersed, turning into clumps of thick red venom that splashed backward!
So fast!
Magellan was startled. The other's attack speed and Haki strength had both increased by a notch since their previous fight.
But he reacted instantly. He hurriedly urged the deadly venom continuously surging from his body, forming another giant hand as he tried to catch the splashing deadly venom.
As Warden, he had a responsibility to protect the lives of these prisoners, even if they were heinous criminals.
This was the justice he upheld, completely different from that bloodthirsty Shiryu.
"In a way, you're a good person."
Luffy's voice was already sounding by Magellan's own ear.
Everyone had their own principles.
Magellan stood by his principles.
So did Luffy. His principles were his family and his crewmates!
This wasn't about right or wrong. It was like how Garp stood by his justice.
Bam!
Magellan couldn't even catch a glimpse of Luffy's figure. In the span of an instant, Luffy's fist struck Magellan's face. The immense force and impact from the fist made Magellan's massive body shudder with dull thuds, trembling continuously.
Who knew how many punches he had thrown in that moment? Luffy's fists became blurs. With a whoosh, flames and crackling lightning appeared on his fists. One hand reached back, then abruptly shot forward.
"Gomu Gomu no: Raika Dangan!"
Boom, crash!
The air let out a dull roar.
No visible trace could be seen. Magellan's chest caved in. The ground beneath his feet, unable to withstand this force at this moment, shattered with a huge crack!
His massive body, along with the scattered venom around him, crashed into the rock wall beside him.
"Nika, now's your chance!"
Luffy shouted into the air.
"I know, I know. Don't rush me."
A sleek white figure had, unnoticed, already wrapped to behind Ace as if teleporting.
"Honestly. Always bossing me around."
Nika held the black blade Magi, which Luffy had given her earlier, in her mouth and complained unclearly, but her movements were not slow in the slightest.
Then, a flash of black light!
Swish!
The Seastone chains binding Ace's wrists snapped cleanly in two.
"Hey, my payment is alcohol, got it?" Nika looked at Ace, who had regained his freedom.
He wasn't exactly a stranger. Back in Alabasta, Nika had even drunk with Ace.
Hearing this, Ace was briefly stunned, then a smile bloomed on his face.
He flexed his newly freed wrists and confidently promised, "As much as you want!"
"Fire! Fire!"
The guards nearby, seeing this, quickly aimed their guns at Ace. "Fire Fist is an ability user! Use Seastone bullets!"
Before they could finish speaking, scorching flames burst from Ace's body, forming a blazing wall of fire behind him that engulfed those people.
Ace looked at Luffy helplessly. "You really caused a huge ruckus, Luffy."
"Ace, the real ruckus is just getting started."
Luffy pushed down his straw hat and grinned. "If Gramps sees this, he's going to lose his mind, isn't he?"
He could already feel it.
Outside Impel Down, more and more powerful presences were rapidly gathering, surrounding this place like an iron barrel.
The world's eyes were no longer on Marineford. They were gathered here.
"Venom Demon: Hell's Judgment!"
Just then, a roar from Magellan echoed from the hole in the wall, which had been heavily corroded.
A surging tide of red venom from the hole like a tsunami, quickly red the ground above and first and foremost covering the exit out of Infinite Hell.
And from the red venom tide extending out of the hole, Magellan's figure emerged again. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. The scar on his face made him look even more ferocious.
"Straw Hat! Fire Fist! I told you! You're not escaping!"
"Fire Fist!"
From a leaping figure, a giant fist of flame pours with a continuous torrent of fire.
Magellan, who had just come out of the rock wall, was sent flying back again.
Having regained his freedom, Ace's pent-up power had also been building for a long time.
Boom, crash!
Flame and venom collided violently, creating a violent explosion. Scorching heat waves and venom gas spread in all directions.
"Hey, the tables have turned now, Magellan."
Ace stood at the edge of the hole, looking down below. Flames flickered around him. "Can you stop us now?"
"Try me!"
Magellan's roar came from up ahead.
"You're going to be a real pain here."
The red venom was spreading.
This place was starting to look like a venom prison.
Magellan stepped forward, ready to act, when a white tornado suddenly appeared before his eyes, flying toward him like a hurricane.
A red dot flashed in Magellan's pupils. The head of the Venom Dragon turned accordingly.
Inside the hurricane, Luffy had appeared like a ghost directly below Magellan himself!
His entire body had already entered Gear Fifth: Nika Form.
His skin had turned white. His hair danced like leaping flames. White steam swirled around him. The walls and floors of the entire prison had turned into rubber.
"I don't want to fight you right now,"
Luffy laughed. He pushed off hard with his feet. The giant spring formed from the rubber floor beneath him was compressed to its limit. "Get lost!"
"Gomu Gomu no White: Rocket Launcher!"
This was a true rocket launcher!
Before Magellan could even react completely, his massive body—now turned into a bullet by the rubber spring compressed to its limit below him—was launched into the air.
Boom! Boom!
There was plenty of power.
Magellan's body was sturdy enough. Like a cannonball exiting the barrel, he crashed through layer after layer of Impel Down's ceilings—from Level Six, Infinite Hell, to Level Five, Freezing Hell, to Level Four, Blazing Hell...
Up and up!
The liquid properties of the Doku Doku no Mi allowed him to be immune to much of the damage, but the impact force ultimately sent Magellan flying from the very bottom of Impel Down all the way out into the sky above the prison.
"Finally, a place to stand."
Luffy grinned.
Outside Impel Down, ten giant warships had been on standby, maintaining a perimeter.
The forces for the early transfer of Fire Fist Ace had already been deployed.
Five giant Marine warships, led by five Marine Vice Admirals with elite Marine soldiers—this was already a force powerful enough to launch a Buster Call.
Moreover, one of the Marine Admirals, Aokiji Kuzan, had also already arrived.
But unexpectedly, instead of seeing Fire Fist Ace being transferred out, they saw Impel Down Warden Magellan come flying out.
Shortly after receiving Magellan's report confirming that the intruder was Straw Hat Luffy, Sengoku had sensed that things were going badly and had directly sent Aokiji, who was at Marineford, to come over.
Before he could even land, Aokiji heard the highest-level alert siren go off.
"Sengoku was right. The situation has entered its worst phase."
Aokiji stood at the bow of the warship, an extremely grave expression appearing on his face—a rare sight.
He, too, as a fellow Marine Admiral, acknowledged Magellan's strength.
In a confined place like Impel Down, it was the easiest for him to bring out his abilities.
Had even Magellan been defeated?
Watching Magellan trace a parabola across the sky, Aokiji muttered to himself, "Our decisive battlefield with the Whitebeard Pirates might really have to change places."
With Magellan, their strongest combatant, gone, the remaining guard forces of Impel Down were nothing to fear in front of Straw Hat Luffy and Fire Fist Ace, who was about to break free.
If Straw Hat released all of Impel Down's prisoners, this war would become even more dangerous for the Marines.
...
In Infinite Hell.
Just as Luffy let out a joyful laugh, a voice of admiration came from a nearby cell.
"Really impressive."
Luffy turned around and saw that cell. Inside sat a man wearing an Impel Down uniform.
He wore a large military cap, had a cigar in his mouth, and was watching Luffy and Ace with great interest. "So, what are you going to do next?"
"Straw Hat Boy, be careful."
Ivankov stepped forward and quietly warned, "That's the former Chief Guard of Impel Down, Shiryu of the Rain. The former Warden. A very troublesome guy. Apparently, he was temporarily imprisoned for his bloodlust. He's equal to Magellan."
So this was the real reason Impel Down was called an iron wall, huh?
He could sense that this guy was indeed a handful.
A great swordsman.
With Shiryu and Magellan, plus the guards of Impel Down, they could block 99% of the intruders on this sea.
Unfortunately, now only Magellan was left.
If those two joined forces, things might actually get a little troublesome.
"We're getting out, of course," Luffy said.
"But how?" Shiryu let out a low laugh. "The Marines outside have already surrounded this place. The monsters are coming. In every direction, there's nothing but endless sea—a devil for ability users. Your strength isn't bad. How about we cooperate?"
"He's right,"
Ivankov leaned in, his massive body casting a huge shadow. His tone was serious. "There are a lot of tricky people here. Have you figured out what you're going to do? Just save Ace Boy and leave, or..."
His gaze swept over the prisoners, whose eyes sparkled with longing and crazy light. "...release all the prisoners, stir things up, and slip away in the chaos?"
If all the prisoners were released, the chances of escape would indeed increase significantly. The chaos would make for the best cover.
But the downsides of doing that were also obvious.
The pirates locked up in Infinite Hell were, without exception, heinous, vicious pirates.
If they were released back onto the sea, they would undoubtedly bring about endless bloodshed and plunging countless innocent civilians into misery.
"There's no need."
Luffy waved his hand with almost no hesitation and said firmly, "We're enough on our own."
Releasing the prisoners would cause chaos.
But there was no guarantee they wouldn't suddenly turn traitor and stab them in the back.
Luffy wasn't about to release people he knew nothing about.
"Oh, right, Luffy,"
Ace came over and said, "There's someone who can help us."
He pointed to the next cell, where the blue-skinned fish-man was. "This is Jinbe. One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. He was locked up for opposing this war and standing by his sense of honor."
"Nice to meet you, Luffy."
Jinbe nodded to Luffy through the bars, his eyes full of respect.
Through his observations just now, and the presence and strength that Luffy had demonstrated, he was already thoroughly impressed by this young Straw Hat.
"Yo! Nice to meet you too, Jinbe!" Luffy grinned back amiably.
Then he helped Jinbe remove the chains from his body.
In Luffy's eyes, some prisoners were truly deserving of death, but others—like Jinbe, who stood by his honor—weren't really prisoners at all.
Especially since there was an old acquaintance he rather liked.
Luffy walked up to Golden Lion's cell and grinned.
"Golden Lion, old man. What do you think? Ready to give me your answer?"
Right now, they were waiting for Ivankov's group of revolutionary comrades to arrive and join them. Then they would prepare for the final escape.
Ace and Jinbe were resting as much as possible, recovering their strength. Lightning knew Impel Down very well and had taken a good amount of food from the prison's storage rooms.
Ace and Jinbe were also big eaters. Their eating speed was so fast that Lightning broke out in a cold sweat.
Golden Lion was an old acquaintance, and he was strong. The two had fought before.
Luffy thought fairly highly of him.
"An alliance!"
Golden Lion scratched his golden mane, which was like a lion's mane, and said loudly, "This old man will be your ally! I can't stand this damn place for another second! Let me take part in this war!"
He was itching to go. Whitebeard and the Marines going to war—a battle of the century for someone like him, Golden Lion, to miss? What a shame that would be!
"Fine. I trust your strength, old man."
Luffy nodded. "But after we get out, you have to agree to one condition."
Golden Lion was excited at the prospect of regaining his freedom. He waved his hand grandly and said generously, "Straw Hat! Not one—this old man agrees to three conditions!"
A smile of having successfully schemed appeared on Luffy's face. Using the black blade Magi, he sliced through the Seastone bars of Golden Lion's cell with a click and grinned. "Deal! Three it is, then!"
The smile on Golden Lion's face instantly froze. The corner of his mouth twitched. "No, wait... you little brat... don't hold back!"
He felt like he might have fallen into a trap?
The feeling of regained freedom made Golden Lion temporarily ignore this small problem. He floated out of his cell, stretching his limbs.
He took a cigar from the supplies. "Hey, son of Whitebeard. Give me a light."
"Watch yourself."
Ace fired a shot at
Golden Lion.
The cigar lit up with a flame.
Golden Lion happily blew out a smoke ring and let out a hearty laugh. "Hahaha. A very convenient ability."
Seeing Golden Lion being released, the prisoners in the other cells got even more excited. They all started shouting:
"Straw Hat! Let us out too! We can help you!"
"Golden Lion! Let us out!"
"Don't ask me. I'm not the one making the decisions around here anymore."
Golden Lion enjoyed his freedom.
Although, in a way, he had been sent to Impel Down by Luffy.
But that was just how pirates were. The winner was king, and the loser was the outlaw.
One thing was separate from another.
Golden Lion still quite admired this guy Luffy.
Especially that hat. It reminded him of someone from his past.
It had been a long time since anything had made Golden Lion's blood boil like this. Not since that great battle at God Valley.
In this war, he was definitely going to turn everything upside down!
"Hey! Long time no see, Straw Hat."
A slightly hoarse and cold voice came from some dungeon in the shadows.
Luffy turned around. A man slowly walked out of the shadows and stood behind the bars.
On this man's nose bridge was a scar that ran across his face. On his left hand was a gold hook that glinted coldly.
"It's you, Crocodile."
The expression on Luffy's face instantly turned cold.
The level of favor between enemies could also differ.
Golden Lion could get a passing score of sixty.
Crocodile? Giving him a six was probably generous.
Crocodile looked at Luffy, a cold smirk curling at the corner of his mouth. "I thought escaping to the outside world wouldn't interest me anymore, but now it seems the Marines going to war with Whitebeard is very interesting. I've always wanted to take that old man's head."
He paused and looked at Luffy. "From the looks of things, the war is probably going to break out here early. So, how about it? Interested in cooperating? Having an extra hand won't hurt you."
Luffy didn't even think about it. He flatly refused. "Not interested. You're too weak."
***
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