"It seems they've already spotted us," Ivankov said, staring at the distant warships. "Their cannons are aimed at us."
"Riding such a colossal creature, being discovered is only natural," Crocodile said calmly.
He wasn't particularly surprised, considering the Sea King beneath them was several hundred meters long!
Even with only its head exposed above the water, it appeared as a massive entity to others!
"Let them find us," Luffy said carelessly. "We're almost there anyway."
At this distance, Erha could charge through quickly, so he wasn't worried about them firing their cannons.
At that moment, Meiser spoke up: "Why haven't I seen Mr. 2 Bon Clay?"
"Where did that guy go?"
Standing at a higher vantage point, he scanned the crowd behind them but couldn't spot Mr. 2 Bon Clay. "You're right," Luffy realized. "Where did Mr. 2 Bon Clay go?"
"I think... he probably went to find the switch to open the Gates of Justice," Jimbei said.
At that moment, he recalled his earlier conversation with Bon Clay.
When the other man heard what he had said, his expression had changed, as if he had made some kind of decision.
After that... the man had disappeared.
"Looking for the switch to the Gates of Justice..."
Meiser covered his face with his hand, feeling extremely frustrated.
Even if someone had to do this, it should have been him, the Ninja. Why did Mr. 2 Bon Clay have to go and open the gates himself?
Didn't that guy know what the consequences would be if he stayed behind in Impel Down?!
But when he thought about that Okama's determined expression, Meiser fell silent again.
"That guy definitely knows what would happen!
Yet even so, he went ahead without hesitation.
"Because of... friendship?"
At that moment, that Okama's words resurfaced in Meiser's mind.
(Little Straw Hat, for the sake of our friendship, I'll do everything I can to help you!)
That man truly lived up to his words!
"Hey, Meiser!"
Luffy rushed up to Meiser and grabbed his shoulders. "You have to save Mr. 2 Bon Clay!"
Mr. 2 Bon Clay was his important friend, and he didn't want him to die in Impel Down.
"Don't worry," Meiser said. "I'll definitely save Mr. 2 Bon Clay."
After speaking, Meiser glanced at Luffy's hands gripping his arm, his eyes somewhat helpless.
This idiot really didn't know his own strength—wasn't he afraid he might pop this Shadow Clone?
If this clone burst, there would be no one to command Erha below.
"Good."
After receiving confirmation, Luffy released his grip on Meiser.
He believed that Meiser would definitely bring Mr. 2 Bon Clay out alive.
At that moment, the distant Navy Battleship opened fire.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
Numerous cannonballs came flying from afar, heading straight for Erha!
"Oh no, they're firing!" Buggy shouted loudly.
Crocodile glanced at Buggy with exasperation. It wasn't like they were blind—did they really need this guy to point out the obvious?
Rather than standing around shouting, it would be better to intercept the cannonballs.
Of course, Crocodile didn't expect this useless guy hanging around with Mr.3 to be of any help, so he decisively took action.
"Sandstorm!"
A small sandstorm appeared in Crocodile's hand, which he then hurled forward with force.
"Whoosh~"
The terrifying sandstorm grew with the wind, rapidly expanding into an enormous dust storm!
It swept up all the incoming cannonballs and detonated them mid-air!
"Kaboom!!"
"Kaboom!!"
"Kaboom!!"
One explosion after another went off within the sandstorm, attempting to blast the surrounding sand away.
But before the sand could be dispersed, the sandstorm's power pulled everything back in.
Then, the sandstorm flew off toward the distance, gradually moving away from their location.
This scene deeply shocked the navy.
"I... ineffective?!"
"Dammit, if cannonballs don't work, what should we do?"
"Continue the attack!" the Navy Rear Admiral roared. "Don't stop!"
Although the cannonballs might not be effective, in close combat they stood no chance against so many powerful fighters!
So they could only try to bomb them with cannonballs!
"Yes, sir!"
The navy soldiers followed orders without question, immediately reloading the battleship's cannons and launching another artillery strike.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"They're coming again!"
Watching the approaching cannonballs, Mr.3 shouted: "Quick, quick, defend!"
But seeing Crocodile remain completely unmoved, Mr.3 panicked.
Was this guy not planning to keep helping?
'Dammit, in that case...'
To avoid falling into the sea and drowning, Mr.3 rushed without hesitation to Meiser's side and activated his Devil Fruit Ability toward the sky!
Seeing this, Meiser—who had been about to use Ninjutsu for defense—paused in surprise, thinking: 'Is this guy planning to use candles for defense?'
Can that thing even work against aerial attacks?
Ignoring Meiser's thoughts, Mr.3 strained to channel his Devil Fruit Ability.
"Candle·Firewall!"
"Whoosh!"
An enormous wall of candle wax was thrust into the air by Mr.3, forcefully blocking all the cannonballs.
"Kaboom!!"
"Kaboom!!"
"Kaboom!!"
The massive candle wall actually managed to block every single cannonball!
"Whoa!!"
"Brother 3, you're amazing!"
The prisoners who had come out with Buggy cheered excitedly while looking at Mr.3's back.
"Hmph, it seems even a useless guy like you can be somewhat useful," Crocodile snorted.
"Whew~"
Ignoring Crocodile's remark, Mr.3 let out a long sigh of relief and was about to say something.
But before he could speak, he felt an astonishing force transmitted through the candle in his hand. This force pulled him off balance, causing him to stumble uncontrollably and slide toward the sea.
Mr.3:!!!
After glancing at the massive wax wall crashing onto the sea surface, Mr.3 felt a sudden jolt of fear.
"Such heavy wax will definitely drag me into the ocean!"
Thinking this, Mr.3 decisively abandoned that portion of wax, extracting his body from it to avoid falling into the sea.
"Whew~"
After stabilizing himself, Mr.3 let out a long sigh of relief.
He had finally survived!
"Hmph, still useless after all," Crocodile remarked.
Mr.3: ...
Damn!
As if he wanted it this way!
If it weren't for protecting everyone, would he have ended up like this?
The thought made Mr.3 somewhat indignant.
But when he turned and saw Crocodile's expression, he wisely restrained his own.
"Alright, we're almost there," Meiser said. "Once we board, seize a warship at top speed!"
"Right!!"
Observing the group's high morale, Meiser continued, "After capturing the warship, head straight for the Gates of Justice."
"Huh?!"
"Why?"
Ivankov stared at Meiser in shock. "Your main body and Bon Clay are still at Impel Down!"
Heading directly to the Gates of Justice would mean abandoning those two.
"That's right, Ninja big brother!" We can't leave you behind at Impel Down!"
"Exactly, and the same goes for Brother Bon! Since he volunteered to open the Gates of Justice, we can't possibly abandon him!"
Everyone disagreed with Meiser's plan, clearly unwilling to leave the two men at Impel Down.
Meiser smiled wryly and turned to Luffy. "Luffy, you understand what I mean, right?"
"Yeah, I know," Luffy nodded.
Meiser was a powerful ninja capable of moving freely across the sea!
Even with Bon Clay, he could catch up to them using the Water Release Technique.
Thinking this, Luffy said, "Let's do as Meiser says. He'll definitely catch up with Bon Clay."
"You mean... relying on the Water Release Technique?" Jimbei asked.
Meiser had earlier told him that this Sea King would leave Impel Down immediately after they seized the warship.
That meant Meiser's main body wasn't relying on the Sea King for movement.
Then... it had to be the Water Release Technique!
But could the Water Release Technique allow fast movement through the Calm Belt?
"Right, the Water Release Technique," Meiser confirmed, nodding. "Anyway, all of you head to the Gates of Justice. I'll catch up with Bon Clay later."
Seeing Meiser's assurance, Jimbei had no further objections and accepted the plan with a nod.
The others, observing this, fell silent and chose to trust Meiser.
"Enough sentimental talk," Crocodile said, flying up. "Prepare for boarding combat!"
As the warship drew nearer, the people on Erha's head revealed bloodthirsty expressions.
"Marines, bring on the fight!"
"Dammit,"
the Marine Rear Admiral roared at the charging pirates. "Everyone, prepare for battle!"
"Right!!"
"Bam!"
"Bam!"
"Bam!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
On the first underground level of Impel Down, Meiser and Magellan were still engaged in a fierce battle.
However, due to the miraculous nature of Meiser's Susanoo, Magellan's Poisonous Demon Soldier had been beaten beyond recognition.
Not only had it lost its arms and head, but its body was also shattered and broken.
In the end, Magellan was forced to emerge from the Poisonous Demon Soldier and deactivate the ability.
"Damn it, what kind of bizarre ability is this?" Magellan said with a dark expression as he stared at Meiser. "How can it make my Poisonous Demon Soldier lose its form?"
Although his Devil Fruit Ability was still usable, he couldn't repair the Poisonous Demon Soldier's body with poison.
This left him deeply puzzled—how had the opponent achieved this?
"Same as before~" Meiser, standing within his Susanoo, crossed his arms and looked at Magellan. "I have no interest in answering your question."
"Go figure it out yourself~"
What was the effect of the ability?
Sorry, but he had no intention of explaining the details of his divine tool's power to an enemy.
"Even if you don't say it, I can guess a thing or two," Magellan said with a stern face. "It must be some kind of rule-based ability, right?"
Only a rule-based ability could achieve this level of effect.
What puzzled Magellan, however, was why his Observation Haki couldn't detect the form of this ability.
Even intangible Devil Fruit Abilities should be detectable by Observation Haki.
Wait... the records didn't confirm that this guy was a Devil Fruit Ability User!
At this thought, Magellan's expression darkened.
If that was the case, then his invisible, rule-based ability might not be a Devil Fruit Ability at all, but something he inherently possessed!
The thought sent a shiver of shock through Magellan's eyes.
Could such a power truly exist in this world?
Watching Magellan's constantly shifting expressions, Meiser simply smiled and didn't answer his question.
Then, Meiser said, "Magellan, you're running out of time."
"Maybe soon, the battleships will..."
Before Meiser could finish, he sensed information from his Shadow Clone and abruptly changed his tone. "Hmm, it seems you really are out of time."
Magellan: ???
What did that mean?
What did he mean by "out of time"?
Meiser paid no mind and instead glanced toward the control room, thinking to himself: 'That Mr. 2 Bon Clay...'
To think he went to the surveillance room alone... what a true friend!!
With that, there was no way he would let this guy die here!
The direction he's looking...
Magellan followed his gaze and his expression darkened. "Are you targeting the surveillance room?It seemed the opponent already knew about the specificity of the Gates of Justice—probably obtained from some guard.
"Damn it, this hypnotic ability is truly disgusting!" Magellan thought to himself.
An Undying Body, hypnosis, and all sorts of powerful Ninjutsu... and this guy only has a 400 million Berry Bounty?
Are they sure they didn't underestimate it?!
"It seems you're not stupid either," Meiser grinned. "That's right, I am indeed targeting the surveillance room."
"Do you think I'd let you succeed?!" Magellan shouted. "Even without using the Poisonous Demon Soldier, I can still keep you here!"
As his voice fell, a large amount of deep red poison surged from beneath Magellan's feet once again.
The poison then rushed toward Meiser.
Meiser paid it no mind, merely manipulating Susanoo to raise its arm and aim its spear at Magellan.
"Magellan."
"What, don't tell me you..."
Before Magellan could finish his sentence, he heard Meiser say, "You diarrhea-ridden bastard, take this spear!!"
Hearing Meiser's words, the interrupted Magellan's expression instantly changed.
At that moment, the scenes from the fourth level resurfaced in his mind, plunging him into a state of furious rage.
"Blood-Eyed Ninja!!"
"I'll kill you!" Magellan roared.
As he roared, the deep red poison beneath his feet began to boil, looking as if it were about to ignite!!!
Seeing this, Meiser grinned, then without hesitation hurled the spear in his hand!
"Whoosh~"
The pale golden spear, carrying immense kinetic energy, mercilessly shot toward Magellan.
The spear effortlessly pierced through the surging deep red poison and continued flying straight at Magellan!!
Witnessing this, Magellan's expression changed abruptly.
In that instant, he sensed a lethal threat—as if being struck by this weapon would mean certain death.
Thinking this, he immediately infused his arms with Armament Haki, crossed them in front of his body, and blocked the attack.
"Clang!"
"Whoosh~"
"Boom!!"
"Boom!!"
"Boom!!"
Magellan, forcibly blocking the attack, was sent flying backward, crashing through several prison cells before barely coming to a stop.
"Damn it, get lost!" Magellan bellowed.
As Magellan exerted force, the pale golden spear gradually shifted to the left, its power diminishing.
Good, I can block it!
Just then, Magellan's stomach suddenly growled, accompanied by a sharp pain.
'Damn it, of all times...' As the pain struck, the Haki in Magellan's hands uncontrollably dissipated.
The next moment—
"Thud!"
The pale golden spear pierced through Magellan's left arm without resistance, pinning it to the wall.
Then, the spear, having lost its kinetic energy, gradually vanished on the spot.
"Drip... drip... drip..."
Blood dripped onto the floor, the sound echoing like a clock ticking.
"What exactly is this guy's ability?!"
Glancing at his pierced left arm, Magellan's expression turned grim.
Although the sense of lethal threat had faded, he still felt an ominous premonition.
As if something terrifying was about to happen.
With this in mind, Magellan warily looked toward Meiser in the distance.
At that moment, he noticed the other man giving him a meaningful smile.
Magellan: !!!
That meaningful smile sent a chill down Magellan's spine, instinctively sensing something amiss.
Damn it, he's definitely done something to screw me over!
No, I can't delay any longer. I must end this quickly!
But before he could make a move, he discovered Meiser had burrowed underground and left the area.
Witnessing this, Magellan's pupils contracted as he exclaimed, "Is this guy heading for the control room?!"
Understanding his opponent's intention, Magellan gritted his teeth against the excruciating pain in his left arm and forced himself to stand up.
Then, without hesitation, the man sprinted toward the direction of the control room.
"Damn Blood-Eyed Ninja, even if it costs me my life, I will keep you here!!!"
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