Impel Down. The Control Room.
"Warden, this is bad! A huge number of inmates have been released on Levels Three, Four, and Five! And someone used the passage on Level Five to get to Level Six!"
"Vice-Warden Hannyabal, we have a massive breakout, please head out to stop them!"
"Chief Guard Domino, the prison is in a full-blown riot!"
The operators in the control room were shouting into their Den Den Mushi, each one reporting on the escalating disaster.
The entire prison was a carefully structured machine of containment. Warden Magellan himself was stationed on Level Four, his primary duty to suppress the prisoners there and on the two levels below, Five and Six. The inmates on the levels above Level Four were considered small fry. Even if they rioted, they could be put down quickly. And if for some reason they couldn't be, Magellan could get there in an instant.
But now, hearing the frantic reports from the control room, every ranking officer in Impel Down snapped into action. The Jailer Beasts were unleashed, the chief guards rallied their troops, and the wardens began to move.
"Move, move, move! Grab your weapons!"
"The Seastone weapons! Don't forget the Seastone weapons!"
"Over here! This way! The prisoners are already breaking through! Form a line, now!"
"Where are the Jailer Beasts? There are too many of these guys!"
Thousands of Impel Down's monstrous Jailer Beasts began to mobilize throughout the facility.
Countless guards armed with rifles, Seastone nets, and Seastone-tipped weapons deployed to face the rioting prisoners.
Most of the inmates were helpless against the sheer power of the Jailer Beasts.
But not all of them. Among the rioters were the hardened criminals from Level Five, the Freezing Hell. These prisoners were strong. They smashed through the guards' formations, knocked back the charging Jailer Beasts, and plunged the prison into an even deeper state of chaos.
Magellan's face was grim as he spoke into his own Den Den Mushi, his voice a low growl directed at the control room.
"Contact the guards on Level Six. Tell them to release 'Shiryu'."
He couldn't believe it. A mass riot, a full-scale prison break, happening under his watch? And someone had actually made it to Level Six?
'Are they trying to release the prisoners there?' he thought, a cold fury rising within him. 'I cannot let that happen!'
After giving the order, Magellan's face hardened into a mask of pure rage. He began to move, his heavy footsteps echoing through the halls as he rushed towards the sixth level.
The Infinite Hell of Level Six housed the worst of the worst. If someone actually managed to open those cells and let those monsters out, even he would have a hard time suppressing them all. The only reason Magellan stood a chance was because those legendary criminals had been imprisoned for years, their strength and stamina severely diminished.
If they were in their prime, it wouldn't matter if it was him, a Marine Admiral, or even Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself. No one could hope to contain the full force of Level Six unleashed.
He had to stop the intruders from Level Five before they could free anyone.
It would take him some time to get to Level Six.
But there was already a powerful guard on that level. A former Head Jailer, Shiryu of the Rain.
Shiryu's bloodlust was so great that he frequently slaughtered prisoners for no reason, killing them in large numbers. Magellan had been forced to lock him up, sentencing him to his own cell on Level Six.
Now, Magellan had ordered the control room to have Shiryu released. He was to stop the intruders from reaching the inmates of Level Six.
'Shiryu's strength should be more than enough to handle a few prisoners from Level Five… right?'
Magellan knew exactly how strong Shiryu was. And besides, he was already on his way.
"Hydra!!!"
Magellan burst out of his office on Level Four. As he raced towards his destination, he saw the prisoners swarming up from Level Five and the rioters on his own level. With a flick of his wrist, he dealt with them all, unleashing the terrifying power of his Venom-Venom Fruit.
A thick, horrifying poison oozed from Magellan's body, swirling and coalescing into three massive dragon heads.
The three poison dragons surged forward. The potent venom was so corrosive that it melted the very stone floor they slithered across.
Any prisoner who was even touched by the venom was dead. If they were lucky enough to survive direct contact, the poison would still incapacitate them in seconds. The three massive dragons were formed entirely of lethal poison, and they constantly emitted a cloud of toxic gas that spread rapidly.
As Magellan moved, the toxic gas filled the entire fourth level. Entire swaths of prisoners choked, collapsed, and were left twitching on the ground.
Would they die from the poison?
Magellan didn't care.
They were all trying to escape. Whether they lived or died was irrelevant. In his eyes, their lives were worth less than nothing.
The only thing Magellan cared about right now was the situation on Level Six.
…
Level Six. The Infinite Hell.
"Fire!!"
When Kai and his five companions finally burst out of the passage from Level Five, they were met with a storm of death. They had navigated countless traps in the corridor, only to emerge into a hailstorm of bullets, arrows, and even blasts of poison, fire, and seawater.
Facing the onslaught, Kai simply swung the crude katana in his hand.
SWOOSH!
A massive arc of sword energy, more than ten meters long, erupted from the blade. It flew forward with unstoppable force, meeting the barrage head-on.
Everywhere the energy wave passed, bullets, arrows, and flames were sliced in half.
The sword attack didn't slow down. It swept up the shrapnel of the attack and surged towards the line of soldiers who had fired on them.
Standing behind these soldiers was a tall, imposing man. He wore the uniform of Impel Down, a Marine cape draped over his shoulders, and the prison's officer cap on his head. A cigar was clenched in his teeth. In his right hand, he held a long katana, and with his left, he casually polished the blade with a cloth.
This was the man who had been imprisoned on Level Six. The former Head Jailer, Shiryu of the Rain.
When Kai and his group began their charge from Level Five, the guards on Level Six had released Shiryu to intercept them.
As Kai's powerful sword energy hurtled towards him, Shiryu finally moved, swinging his own katana.
SWOOSH!
An equally powerful wave of energy shot from his blade, flying forward to meet Kai's attack head-on.