Chapter 155: Crimson Venom – The Judgment of Hell
Inside Impel Down's Level 4 – Scorching Hell.
At this moment, the entire blazing prison floor was shrouded in a thick blanket of poisonous gas. The miasma was so dense that visibility was less than a meter.
Ace's purple flames could incinerate Magellan's liquid venom on contact, but the gaseous toxins spread too quickly to be completely purified at once. Taking advantage of this, Magellan expanded his poisonous domain, filling the entire floor with suffocating mists. Many prisoners unlucky enough to inhale it collapsed where they stood, writhing in agony before going still.
But Magellan cared nothing for their lives. To him, those imprisoned in Impel Down were all irredeemable criminals, mere filth to be disposed of. His sole focus was defeating Ace.
Within the violet haze, Ace kept his Remnant Fire Prison Garb active. The purple flames clung to his body, burning away toxins that came near. It granted him safety—but at the cost of stamina and speed. Every step forward became harder.
Magellan, on the other hand, thrived in this environment. His senses expanded through the venom, letting him track Ace precisely. The warden moved twice as fast within his poisonous fog, a predator hunting in his element.
"Poison Arrow!"
From the haze, Magellan flicked his arm. Dozens of hardened venom bolts shot forth like deadly arrows.
Ace raised his palm. A wall of fire erupted, burning the projectiles to vapor before they could strike.
"Hiken! – Fire Fist!"
Ace countered, blasting a searing inferno through the mist. The flames dispersed the poison cloud—yet Magellan was nowhere to be seen. The fog thickened once more, swallowing the gap.
"Tch. This guy…" Ace muttered, irritation flashing across his face. "So the great Chief Warden has resorted to hit-and-run?"
Magellan had realized that Ace's purple flames drained immense stamina with prolonged use. The veteran gaoler—normally a man of honor—had abandoned direct clashes for guerrilla tactics. For half an hour, the deadly game of chase dragged on, Ace burning away the fog while Magellan melted into it again.
Finally, Ace's patience snapped.
"Fine! If you won't face me head-on…"
The flames around him surged violently.
"Flame Ring – Fire Pillar!"
With a thunderous roar, a colossal pillar of fire speared upward. The blazing torrent pierced the ceiling of Level 4, melting stone and steel as it punched through. Ace shot upward with the column, rock and ash falling in his wake.
"If you won't fight me here—then I'll just leave!"
"Bastard!!"
Magellan burst from the poison fog, fury twisting his face. He intercepted Ace mid-ascent, his massive leg kicking out.
"Don't think you can run!"
Ace spun, clashing against Magellan's kick. The two forces collided, a shockwave tearing through the prison. Ace twisted with the impact, using the recoil to fling himself upward into the Level 3 – Hunger Hell, while Magellan was forced back down into the burning haze of Level 4.
Grinding his teeth, Magellan slammed his hand against the wall. "Fire Fist… you insolent brat!"
He inhaled deeply—then drew back all the poison mist into his body in one violent breath, preventing it from leaking upward. His face was grim, but his eyes burned with fury.
Grabbing the intercom Den Den Mushi inside the emergency shaft, Magellan barked orders:
"All guards on Levels 3 and 2—listen carefully! The Fire Fist is advancing! Even if it costs you your lives, you are to stall him until I arrive!"
The snail echoed his commands throughout the upper floors.
Ace advanced quickly, overwhelming the disorganized jailers on Levels 3 and 2. But each clash, each delay, cost him precious seconds. By the time he reached the Main Hall of Level 1, Magellan had already risen via the emergency elevator.
The Chief Warden stood waiting, his massive form blocking the final path upward.
"From here on," Magellan said coldly, venom dripping from his lips, "you will not take another step."
Ace landed before him, dust and sparks rising at his feet. "You call me dishonorable, but you're the one hiding in fog and sending fodder to stall me. Some 'justice' you have."
Magellan didn't reply. Instead, a heavy sound began to echo through the chamber—like a monstrous heartbeat. Thump… Thump… Thump…
His sclera turned blood-red. His body pulsed, swelling with venom that darkened from purple to a terrifying crimson.
Ace's smirk vanished. "…The Crimson Venom. So you're finally using it."
This was Magellan's ultimate forbidden technique. Unlike his ordinary Hydra or poison clouds, the Kinjite—the crimson poison—was lethal even upon the faintest contact. Worse, it corroded everything it touched, leaving a plague behind.
"This is taboo even for me," Magellan rumbled, his voice echoing with malice. "Once unleashed, it devours not only the enemy… but the very prison itself."
Thick drops of blood-red venom fell from his arms, sizzling as they melted through stone and steel alike. The floor hissed, collapsing into pits.
"See for yourself, Fire Fist. Even the ground you stand on becomes my poison."
Ace's flames surged. His body ignited in white fire before shifting instantly to purple, donning once again his Remnant Fire Prison Garb.
"Hmph. Doesn't matter if it's crimson or black—if it touches me, it'll burn to nothing."
"Fool."
Magellan thrust his arm forward. A wave of crimson poison shot forth, like a brutal fishman-karate "Water Shot" formed of liquid death.
"Kagerō! – Mirrage Blaze!"
Ace countered, unleashing a blazing pillar of fire. The two forces collided midair. For the first time, Ace's cleansing flames faltered. The red poison didn't evaporate—it pressed forward, resisting purification.
"Tch… even ten-thousand-degree flames won't erase this poison…" Ace realized, sweat dripping.
Magellan's lips curled into a grim smile. He opened his hands wide.
"Venom Demon: Hell's Judgment!!"
From his body erupted an ocean of crimson poison. It surged upward, condensing into the shape of a colossal skeletal giant, its hollow eyes blazing with venomous fury. The Poison Giant raised its massive hand and slammed down toward Ace.
For a moment, Ace's instincts screamed to unleash his Flame General form, to clash giant against giant. But he restrained himself, eyes narrowing with resolve.
Instead, his purple flames twisted, condensing into a blade. He gripped it tightly and swung upward.
"Sword of Fire!!"
A slash of incandescent violet flame cut through the air. The giant's venomous arm collided with the burning blade—
BOOM!!
A cataclysmic explosion shook the level. Purple fire consumed crimson venom, the heat incinerating the Poison Giant's limb in seconds.
The skeleton's entire arm dissolved into ash and smoke.
Ace lowered the blade, eyes glowing purple. "…Your poison won't touch me, Magellan. Not while this fire burns."
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