After collecting all the Devil Fruits from the prisoners in Impel Down and ignoring the Red Count's suggestion, Shin walked toward the exit without a care.
Halfway there, he heard hurried footsteps. A large number of Impel Down guards assembled in front of him, lining up with their weapons. At the same time, two tall figures emerged from the ranks.
One was Shiryu of the Rain, wearing a large cap, a police uniform, and a cigar in his mouth. The other was the Director of Impel Down, Magellan, clad in his devilish attire.
These two were the true powerhouses of Impel Down. Even without Magellan, Shiryu alone could wipe out the prison guards. But with Magellan's Venom-Venom Fruit, he could eliminate everyone in Impel Down, including Shiryu himself.
In other words, aside from these two, everyone else in the prison was mere cannon fodder.
Shin's gaze shifted to Magellan. The Venom-Venom Fruit was immensely powerful, rivaling the Magma-Magma Fruit in sheer lethality. In a confined space like this, it was even more troublesome to deal with.
Unfortunately, its drawbacks were just as extreme. Due to its side effects, Magellan spent nearly ten hours a day in the toilet...
Despite his massive physique, Magellan's physical capabilities weren't particularly strong. The primary reason was that the Venom-Venom Fruit's effects left him with no time for physical training.
Had it not been for Shin's ability to fuse Devil Fruits, granting him immense poison resistance through the Orochi and multiple Snake-Snake Fruits, he would have avoided this battle entirely.
"Shin the Plunderer, I didn't expect you to have the audacity to infiltrate Impel Down!" Magellan bellowed. "It looks like we'll be adding another notorious criminal to Level Six!"
"Less talking, more fighting!" Shiryu of the Rain snorted. In a flash, his famed sword, Raiu, slashed toward Shin like a streak of lightning.
But just as quickly as he attacked, he was sent flying. Shin's fist struck out, unleashing a terrifying shockwave that engulfed Shiryu whole. With a loud crash, Shiryu was hurled into the stone walls of Impel Down, leaving a massive crater.
"Urgh!" Coughing up blood, Shiryu shakily propped himself up with his sword, his face contorted in disbelief.
"How… how is he this strong?!"
Currently, Shin has absorbed nine Zoan-type Devil Fruits, including the Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon Fruit and the Eight-Headed Serpent Fruit.
Even without activating his hybrid form, his physical attributes had more than doubled.
Previously, Shin's raw physical strength had already surpassed that of the Four Emperors. Now, it had doubled again, making his body unimaginably powerful.
If not for the brain chip controlling his movements, he might have struggled to restrain his own strength. At this level, a casual step might crack the very ground beneath him.
From this perspective, Shiryu's audacity in facing Shin head-on was almost admirable. The fact that he survived a casual punch was a testament to his resilience—though, in truth, the shockwave had sent him flying before he could even touch Shin's actual fist.
Seeing the devastating punch, Magellan's expression hardened. Turning to the guards, he commanded, "Retreat immediately! Leave this to me! Shiryu, do you have any medicine on you?"
"I have some, but at best, I'll only be able to fight at 70 or 80 percent capacity." Shiryu wiped the blood from his mouth and pulled a cracked test tube from his pocket. As the liquid inside began to leak, he frowned slightly before tossing the entire tube into his mouth, crunching the glass, and swallowing it.
Magellan's poison constantly emitted toxic fumes, so carrying an antidote was necessary to prevent collateral damage.
Of course, standard poisons had antidotes, but when Magellan fully unleashed his powers, the resulting venom mixture became nearly incurable.
However, with enough resources and a strong enough constitution, one could create a temporary immunity drug—though its difficulty and cost were astronomical. Only one or two vials existed in all of Impel Down.
This particular batch had been specifically prepared for Shiryu, as only he had the endurance and strength to support Magellan in battle.
"I kept it as a last resort… Never thought it would come in handy one day."
Shiryu stood up slowly, while Magellan's body began secreting layers of venom, corroding the ground and filling the air with black smoke.
"Looks like you're ready." Shin cracked his knuckles and looked at them both. "Let's begin round two."
"Poison Giant!"
Magellan roared, and endless waves of venom poured from his body, forming a massive, monstrous entity. The air itself turned toxic. If an ordinary person merely inhaled, they'd collapse on the spot.
Shin couldn't help but admire, "The Venom-Venom Fruit… In terms of sheer biological lethality, it might just be the most dangerous Devil Fruit."
"And in large-scale battles, this toxic field makes it an absolute nightmare. Even a weaker opponent wouldn't have the chance to fight back—just getting close would mean instant death."
The only real downside? It made no distinction between friend or foe. No wonder Magellan remained stationed in Impel Down. If he were sent to the battlefield, both sides would be better off retreating altogether.
"Enough talk. This will be your final resting place!" Magellan bellowed. His massive Poison Giant split into multiple serpentine forms, lunging toward Shin.
"What are you waiting for? Time is short!" Shiryu, gripping his weapon, dashed forward alongside Magellan's poisonous dragons.
Even with an antidote, it only provided limited resistance. If Shiryu fought in this toxic environment for too long, even his body wouldn't last.
Just as the Poison Dragons were about to strike, Shin remained calm.
"That's the thing about the Venom-Venom Fruit…"
He clasped his hands together and smirked.
"It has a fatal weakness."
With a deep breath, he exhaled a frigid storm.
"Ice Release: Absolute Tempest!"
A chilling blast erupted from Shin's mouth, freezing everything in its path. In an instant, Magellan's Poison Dragons and even his massive Poison Giant were turned into solid ice. Shiryu, who had been charging forward, found himself frozen mid-attack, transformed into an ice sculpture under the extreme cold.
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