A violent roar thundered across the icy plains.
From a distance, it was as if a blazing sun had descended upon the center.
The sun fell — bathing the East Sea in light.
When the scorching Rasengan finally struck the frozen ground, the snow and ice instantly melted, and within moments, were vaporized into steam.
A massive pit appeared where it landed, the ice and snow—three to five meters thick—completely melted away.
The sheer impact bored a deep hole into the ground.
It was easy to see that this layer of the prison was thicker than all the other Hell layers combined.
"To think I could carve this deep… it's making me look forward to this even more..." Naruto couldn't help but lick his lips.
He turned to Uchiha Izumi and said, "Izumi, get ready—once we start, you'll need to place the seal quickly."
A spark of excitement flashed in Izumi's eyes as she nodded firmly. "Leave it to me, Naruto-sama. I won't let them escape."
Before arriving at Impel Down, Naruto had already told them his plan—
He intended to subjugate the prisoners of this fortress.
Ordinary criminals didn't matter, but the true powerhouses? They had to be branded with something akin to the Hyūga clan's Caged Bird Curse Seal.
Only then could they truly be controlled.
As for trying to win their loyalty?
What a joke!
Who would trust a bunch of sea pirates guilty of every crime imaginable?
"Let's go!"
Naruto leapt straight down into Infinite Hell.
The amethyst crystal dragon followed close behind.
The Extreme Cold Hell was left silent once more.
Deep beneath the ice, within blocks of crimson toxin-frozen ice, Magellan struggled to regain consciousness, pounding against the icy prison.
Crack… crack…
The venomous ice shattered under his strikes.
The moment Magellan regained his freedom, he coughed up a mouthful of blood and looked up blankly at the ceiling.
Extreme Cold Hell and Burning Heat Hell were adjacent floors.
Now, the separating level between them had been completely blasted apart by the Rasengan, connecting two extremes of temperature into one space.
"So this… is the strength of Uzumaki Naruto!?"
Magellan clenched his fists in frustration—only to cough up more blood.
It was humiliating—
Even in his most fearsome form, Venom Demon: Hell's Judgment, he had been struck by hundreds of Rasengan, each one tearing his body apart.
If the floor hadn't been blasted open—allowing much of Naruto's force to vent away—he might well have been killed on the spot.
Cough… cough…
After coughing up more blood, Magellan's trembling hand reached for a Den Den Mushi. Dialing quickly, he spoke in a hoarse, bitter voice:
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku… I failed. I couldn't stop Uzumaki Naruto…"
Shame weighed heavy in his tone.
He was the Chief Warden of Impel Down—
Since its founding, only one man, Golden Lion Shiki, had ever escaped.
Now, it wouldn't be just one man walking free.
But to Magellan's surprise, Sengoku's voice on the other end carried no rebuke—only exhaustion.
"I already know. You've done well."
Magellan's eyes widened. "Fleet Admiral… has the situation really gotten that bad!?"
The fatigue in Sengoku's voice alone was proof enough. The situation was dire—perhaps even spiraling toward catastrophe.
Behind his desk, Sengoku rubbed his temple in frustration.
"The Whitebeard Pirates… the Spade Pirates… the Revolutionary Army… the Red-Haired Pirates—none of them can be located.
"And now, Uzumaki Naruto joins the list… this situation is particularly dangerous."
"While the most dangerous prisoners aren't actually held in Impel Down, the very fact that they're absent means one thing—more forces are coming to storm the execution grounds."
Magellan's breath caught in his throat.
The Whitebeard Pirates, the Red-Haired Pirates, the Spade Pirates, the Revolutionary Army—these were titanic powers.
Two of them were Yonko crews.
One was the World Government's greatest enemy.
The Spade Pirates were young, but they had inherited part of the Pirate King Roger's legacy—and had Dark King Rayleigh as their former vice-captain.
If all of them came against Marine Headquarters at once…
Magellan could hardly imagine the crushing pressure Sengoku was under.
Still, glancing around at the wrecked floor before him, he couldn't help but ask, "Fleet Admiral, can't you send any reinforcements here?"
His brief clash with Naruto had been enough to show him—he wasn't an opponent Naruto could defeat.
Without Marines from HQ, they stood no chance.
"No." Sengoku's refusal was firm. "Headquarters has no spare combat power to send. All of it must remain at Marineford to prevent invasion."
After all, there were only three Admirals. If they left… what then?
"But Fleet Admiral… Uzumaki Naruto has already reached Infinite Hell. The monsters there… if he sets them free…" Magellan's voice was weak, almost pleading.
Sengoku hesitated—then finally said:
"If you truly cannot win… then let Naruto take whoever he came for."
Magellan: "..."
He stared at the Den Den Mushi as the line went dead, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.
"So… it's come to this already, has it…?"
In truth, things were worse than even Magellan realized—Sengoku's calm was nothing more than a mask.
The Fleet Admiral's gaze drifted to the silent Admirals standing nearby… then to his old comrade, Garp, whose face was like stone and whose fists were already clenched.
In his heart, Sengoku's killing intent toward Blackbeard only grew stronger.
Because the enemies they faced today were not only pirates.
Today's condemned prisoner was none other than Monkey D. Luffy—Garp's own grandson.
And because of that, Garp had very nearly killed him before this day ever came…
(End of Chapter)
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