Witnessing Sadi's utterly miserable state, Katie decisively turned and left. Having been delayed for so long, she had no idea how Magellan's situation was unfolding. She needed to leave immediately and reach Level 6 of the underground prison at the fastest possible speed.
As Katie's figure grew increasingly distant, nearly vanishing from sight, Sadi's heart burned with urgency and resentment. At this moment, there was no one in Levels 5 or 6 who could stop her. Who knew what kind of panic and destruction she would unleash once she descended?
Desperate to catch up, Sadi tried to move, but the moment she lifted her foot, her body wavered unsteadily, and she collapsed to the ground. Her already precarious condition worsened from the strain. Her eyelids, as heavy as ten-thousand-pound barbells, could no longer stay open. In the next instant, her consciousness plunged into darkness, her unwillingness reduced to mere regret.
Before long, Magellan's figure appeared, his eyes widening in shock at the scene before him.
"Where are the medics?! Get over here now!"
When he saw Sadi lying in a pool of blood, Magellan's pupils shrank to pinpricks. A terrifying aura of fury and boundless killing intent erupted from him, and purple venom dripped uncontrollably from his body, spreading through the surrounding air.
Faced with Magellan in this state, everyone present silently chose to hold their tongues. Even as the poisonous mist threatened to envelop them, they stood frozen in place. At this moment, Magellan was teetering on the edge of a frenzied rampage. The slightest misstep could drag them all down with him—no one dared to make a sound.
"Heal her."
"Venom Road!"
With that simple command, Magellan turned and left, his hoarse voice barely suppressing endless rage. His body slid swiftly through the venomous passage, his speed even surpassing Kitty's.
"Prepare to die, Katie!"
Meanwhile, the moment Katie arrived at Level 5, an ominous premonition suddenly gripped her. It felt as though something terrifying had locked onto her, filling her with intense discomfort.
Staring into the dark, abyssal corridor behind her, a voice echoed from the depths of her mind:
Run. Get out of here. Run as fast as you can.
The next second, the icy wind of Level 5 snapped Katie out of her thoughts. Without a second's hesitation, she broke into a sprint, pushing her speed to the limit in an instant. Phantom afterimages trailed behind her as she ran. Even though it was nothing more than a baseless instinct, Katie chose to trust it—she didn't even have time to harvest abilities from the prisoners on Level 5.
Though there was no concrete evidence that danger was approaching, Katie wasn't willing to gamble. If nothing happened, so be it. But if her intuition was right, it meant her journey would end here—because the only person in Impel Down who could evoke such a feeling in her was that man, Magellan.
Even though her strength had grown exponentially since the beginning, she still wasn't qualified to face Magellan head-on.
By her own estimation, she would at least need to master Armament Haki before even attempting to fight him.
As she raced forward, the scenery on both sides flashed by like a rapidly rewinding film. Though every prisoner here was a potential treasure trove of abilities, Kitty didn't spare them a single glance. From start to finish, she had only one goal in mind:
Escape. Flee at all costs!
"Katie! You can't hide from me! The entire Impel Down is under my control—where do you think you can run?! Did you really think you could escape me?!"
The next moment, Magellan's thunderous roar reverberated throughout Level 5. The moment the prisoners heard that unmistakable voice, the previously silent floor erupted in commotion. Even in the sub-zero temperatures, their hearts stirred with excitement.
They were desperate to know who this "Katie" was and what astonishing feat they had accomplished to provoke Magellan—the ever-calm, ever-in-control warden—into such a furious state.
"Hey, hey, do you know who this Katie is? To make Magellan that furious... I've never seen him like this since I got here. He's like a rabid dog who's lost his mind!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down! If he hears you, even ten lives won't be enough to pay for it."
Clearly, Magellan's reputation for brutality was deeply ingrained in the prisoners of Impel Down. Even now, none dared to speak ill of him behind his back.
"I heard from the guards who came down earlier that this Katie is an escapee from Level 1. Somehow, she managed to break out. No idea why Magellan's so pissed, though."
A few informed prisoners shared what they knew, shocking many in the process. Luffy's earlier rampage had been suppressed by Magellan on Level 4, so the prisoners here had no idea what had happened above. They were stunned to hear someone had actually escaped.
"Level 1? So she's just a rookie? Why didn't she run up instead of coming down here? Today's just full of weirdos. First, we get that reckless brat, and now this idiot."
As they spoke, their gazes drifted toward a certain straw-hatted boy nearby, his body covered in purple venom.
Clearly, no one believed that a rookie from Level 1 could escape Magellan's grasp. In their eyes, Katie's capture was only a matter of time. Even the prisoners of Level 6—the "Eternal Hell"—might not have the strength to escape him.
Katie's hair stood on end as adrenaline surged through her. Despite the distance, Magellan's voice rang clearly in her ears. She hadn't expected him to catch up so quickly—she was only halfway through Level 5. At this rate, she would meet the enraged warden at the staircase leading to Level 6.
This was terrible news. In her current state, Katie stood no chance against Magellan in a direct confrontation. If she could just make it to Level 6 and harvest abilities there, she might have a fighting chance.
What do I do? What do I do?!
Like a grasshopper on a hot skillet, Katie's mind raced for a way out.
"If you don't want to die, follow me."
A voice suddenly cut through her panic. Instinctively, Katie turned toward the source and saw a man exuding an eccentric aura from head to toe.
Yet, without hesitation, Katie followed him toward an unknown destination.
Because she recognized this man—or rather, this okama (or perhaps cross-dresser). He was Emporio Ivankov's comrade-in-arms, a member of the Revolutionary Army—Inazuma, the user of the Scissor-Scissor Fruit, capable of turning any part of his body into scissors for attack.
Originally a prisoner of Level 5, due to the "Call of the Devil," he now resided in Level 5.5—a hidden floor between Levels 5 and 6, completely outside the surveillance of Impel Down's guards.