76: Assault on Impel Down (Part 2)

Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Army and the escaped prisoners launched a two-pronged assault.

From above, the Revolutionary Army forced their way downward into Impel Down.

From below, more and more freed prisoners flooded upward, overwhelming the jailers.

Vice Warden Hannyabal and Chief Guard Sadi-chan fought desperately, but it was a losing battle.

The combined forces of the Revolutionaries and the prisoners were simply too overwhelming.

The guards were forced to abandon the second underground level, retreating to Level 3 – Starvation Hell, where they concentrated all their forces.

They had no choice.

If the Revolutionary Army and the prisoners joined forces completely, the consequences would be catastrophic.

Many of the criminals in Level 5 were among the most dangerous pirates in history.

Even one of them escaping could lead to unimaginable disasters.

"Damn it! We're losing ground fast! Where the hell is Warden Magellan?!"

Hannyabal was sweating profusely, pacing like a panicked rat.

Using their advantageous terrain and numbers, the guards barely managed to hold the Level 3 passage.

But the relentless attacks from above and below were too much.

Their hastily built barricades wouldn't last long.

"We need to reach the Warden! He's the only one who can stop this prison break! In Impel Down's environment, Magellan is invincible!"

Sadi-chan gritted her teeth, glaring at the Level 4 passage.

The prisoners never stopped attacking, constantly hammering at the defenses.

Her first thought was to rush to Magellan's office on Level 4, but the reality was…

That meant breaking through an army of prisoners, then running across open ground while being swarmed from all sides.

After a single moment of consideration, Sadi-chan abandoned the idea.

Sure, she looked impressive when torturing prisoners…

But if she got caught by the criminals from Level 5, she'd be in big trouble.

She didn't want to be part of Admiral Kizaru's "Happy Mother's Day" joke next year.

"Are you kidding me?! What the hell is Magellan doing?! He hasn't noticed all this chaos?!"

Hannyabal rejected the risky plan outright.

Even though they had lost most of the prison, at least they had gathered their forces in one place.

If they played their cards right, they could hold Level 3 for a long time.

Once the Marine reinforcements arrived, they could launch a counterattack and wipe out the Revolutionary Army.

That victory alone would be enough to make Hannyabal the next Warden.

…But that was only if they could hold this level.

If they split up now, their chances of survival would plummet.

"We won't last long. The kitchen and food stores are all on Level 4."

Deputy Head Jailer Domino spoke calmly.

To make matters worse, the prisoners had already taken control of that level.

The Level 5 prisoners had been starving and freezing for years.

In their current weakened state, the guards could just barely fend them off.

But if the prisoners got their hands on food and fully recovered…

The guards wouldn't stand a chance.

---

"Our only hope is that Warden Magellan figures out what's going on soon…"

Sadi-chan gritted her teeth and whipped the wall in frustration.

Once they recaptured the prisoners, she would make sure they suffered horribly for this humiliation.

"Damn it… How did they manage to cut off every single communication line at the same time?!"

She couldn't believe it.

The security in Impel Down was supposed to be impenetrable.

How did the prisoners and the Revolutionaries execute such a perfectly timed sabotage?

---

"Um… about that…"

Jailer Beast Leader Saldeath spoke hesitantly, as if afraid to say it out loud.

"Warden Magellan… drank too much poisoned tea this afternoon.

He's probably… still dealing with the, uh… aftereffects."

Saldeath lowered his voice, wary of demoralizing the guards.

After all—

Magellan, the mighty Warden of Impel Down, was currently…

…stuck on the toilet.

The poisonous effects of his own Devil Fruit made it impossible for him to eat without poisoning his food.

It wouldn't kill him, of course—

But it did mean he spent 10 hours a day suffering from chronic diarrhea.

At best, Magellan could only work for 4 hours a day.

Not because he was lazy—

But because the rest of his time was spent… on the toilet.

---

"Tch… Useless!"

Hannyabal grumbled under his breath.

If he were Warden, he wouldn't let the Revolutionaries break into the world's most secure prison.

He wouldn't only work 4 hours a day.

And he definitely wouldn't be sitting on a toilet while Impel Down collapsed around him.

BOOM!

Just as he finished complaining—

A deafening explosion shook the entire prison!

Just as Hannyabal was grumbling to himself, a loud crash suddenly came from the fourth underground level, as if some massive creature had slammed into the wall.

"The Warden! It must be Warden Magellan! He's fighting the escaping prisoners!"

Domino froze for a moment but quickly snapped back to her senses and shouted excitedly.

To the prisoners of Impel Down, Magellan was an unbeatable monster.

But to the guards, he was their most reliable guardian—at least when he wasn't suffering from diarrhea.

Hearing that, the morale of the prison guards skyrocketed! Even the injured guards who had been carried to the backline showed joyful smiles.

A Few Minutes Earlier

Holding a roll of toilet paper, Magellan trudged out of the restroom with difficulty.

No matter how strong his body was, after two hours of nonstop diarrhea, even he was on the verge of collapse.

"Sigh… Next time I see Kizaru, I need to ask him for some healing dandelions. If this keeps up, it's going to kill me…"

Magellan let out a long sigh, filling his office with a faint purple toxic mist. If anyone walked in without a gas mask at that moment, they'd be carried out the next second.

Seeing this, Magellan almost felt depressed. He wanted to get along with his guards, just like when Kizaru last visited.

But his body wouldn't allow it. Even if the guards wore gas masks, staying too close to him still put them at risk of poisoning.

"Hmm? Who locked my office door from the outside?"

Magellan reached for the door but found it had been locked from the outside.

Recalling the strange tremors from earlier, a terrifying thought crossed his mind…

'No way…'

Bang!

With one powerful kick, Magellan shattered the office door.

The moment he stepped out, radiating pure killing intent, the faces of the nearby prisoners turned pale with fear.

"M-Magellan…!"

"That monster is out!"

"Go notify Ivankov!"

Even if they hadn't personally suffered under Magellan's wrath, every prisoner in Level 5 had seen what he was capable of.

So what if they were infamous pirates with bounties over 100 million?

Unless their bodies were freakishly immune to deadly poison, fighting Magellan meant one thing—death.

"Magell—Warden Magellan…"

Unfortunately, not far away, a severely injured guard weakly reached out toward Magellan with a trembling hand.

When the prisoners from Level 5 had stormed Level 4, some guards had tried to run for help.

But they had been too slow. Before one of them could reach Magellan's office, he was ambushed by the Newkama Army, beaten down, and used as a punching bag by the escaped prisoners.

Thanks to his sheer willpower, he had barely clung to life—just long enough to see Magellan emerge—before finally taking his last breath.

"…You bastards… You all deserve to die!"

Magellan's eyes burned with fury as he watched his beloved subordinate perish before his very eyes. His rage erupted like a volcano.

"Shit! Run!"

"Run? We should fight him!"

"For freedom!"

Even though Magellan was feared throughout Impel Down, with freedom so close, the hardened criminals of Level 5 weren't about to back down.

Before, they had been too weak from starvation to put up a fight.

But after taking control of the kitchen and food storage in Level 4's Blazing Hell, they had eaten their fill.

With their strength restored, why should they be afraid of Magellan?

Fueled by that mindset, while most prisoners turned to flee, a significant number of ruthless ones chose to charge straight at Magellan.

"Venom Dragon!"

Blinded by rage, Magellan showed no mercy.

Under normal circumstances, when suppressing riots, he would try to keep the prisoners alive.

After all, these criminals hadn't been sentenced to death, and as their warden, he had no right to execute them.

He had even locked up Shiryu, the sadistic Chief Guard, for repeatedly murdering prisoners despite warnings.

But now, after witnessing the death of his loyal subordinate, Magellan no longer cared about consequences.

Even if it meant going against his principles…

Even if he would be punished later…

He would slaughter these scum and avenge his men!

Three massive, black-purple venomous dragons erupted from Magellan's body, surging forward at terrifying speed to tear through the charging prisoners.

"Get behind me! Wall-Wall Fortress!"

At that moment, a large, square-headed prisoner stepped forward.

A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user with a bounty of 200 million berries, he possessed the Wall-Wall Fruit, allowing him to turn himself or any object he touched into an indestructible wall.

His defense was so powerful that even a Marine battleship's main cannon couldn't scratch him!

Back when the Marines captured him, two Vice Admirals had to spend over two weeks exhausting his stamina before they could subdue him.

His body quickly transformed into a thick, impenetrable wall, sealing off the passageway.

Not even Magellan, drenched in deadly poison, could get past him to attack the other prisoners.

The three venomous dragons crashed into the massive wall, splattering into a pool of toxic liquid upon impact.

"Haha! Nice one!"

"Wait for Master Ivankov to arrive, then we'll take down Magellan together!"

"Magellan isn't so tough after all!"

The once-nervous prisoners erupted into cheers. They had mustered the courage to fight Magellan for their freedom, but if they could avoid battle altogether, even better.

Most pirates were selfish. Why risk their lives fighting a monster like him for someone else's sake?

But before they could celebrate for long, the massive wall in front of them began to tremble violently. Cracks formed as debris and gravel fell from its surface, losing its once-impenetrable appearance.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?"

"Stop moving! The poison gas is seeping through the cracks!"

"Stand firm! Aren't you always bragging about being the ultimate defense?"

The pirates' cheers were cut short. In their terrified gazes, a massive, agonized face appeared on the wall's surface.

"Ow, ow, ow… It hurts so much!"

The Wall-Wall Fruit user howled in pain. Even when he had been bombarded by Marine Vice Admirals and blasted by countless cannon shells, he had never screamed like this.

"Don't mess with us! You're a wall—why the hell can you feel pain?!"

The prisoners shouted in near panic. Whatever little courage they had built up was crumbling, and their fear of Magellan surged back stronger than ever.

"Waaahhh!"

The Wall-Wall Fruit user couldn't endure any longer. He reverted to his human form and collapsed to the ground.

His entire back was covered in a thick layer of venom. The highly corrosive poison had melted through his clothes and flesh, exposing his stark white spine and ribs—his internal organs now stained a deep blackish-purple.

"I'LL SLAUGHTER EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU SCUM!"

Dripping with deadly venom, Magellan strode forward. Every drop of poison that fell from his body corroded the stone floor, leaving behind gaping holes.

"M-Monster!"

Someone among the prisoners screamed, and that was all it took.

Panic erupted. Every single prisoner turned and fled, abandoning any thought of fighting Magellan.

The sheer terror of his all-consuming poison shattered their resolve. Even the most ruthless of pirates, who had taken countless lives without hesitation, were left trembling after witnessing their comrade's body nearly dissolve.

"YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE! Venom Gas Bomb!"

Magellan took a deep breath.

His chest expanded massively before he exhaled a colorless gas sphere, which shot toward the fleeing prisoners at terrifying speed.

The gas bomb was packed with concentrated poison. Even inhaling a single whiff was lethal.

Worse still, Magellan could detonate it at will, delivering a second fatal attack to any survivors.

"GET DOWN! DEATH WINK!"

Just as Magellan was about to wipe them all out, a loud voice echoed from the end of the passageway—Ivankov had arrived!

Without waiting for every prisoner to react, Ivankov unleashed his attack.

With a rapid, exaggerated blink, he fired a powerful shockwave.

The blast collided head-on with the Venom Gas Bomb in the tunnel.

BOOM!

A massive explosion rocked all of Level 4's Blazing Hell.

Even the prisoners and guards locked in combat elsewhere froze in shock, momentarily pausing their battles to figure out what had just happened.

The prisoners who had ducked in time felt something heavy slam into their backs, nearly making them cough up blood. Then, an intense burning sensation spread across their skin.

Flames and shockwaves filled the entire passageway, and even in his rage, Magellan was forced to halt his pursuit.

"Everyone, follow me!"

Ivankov understood Magellan's power all too well. In a one-on-one fight, he wasn't too afraid of the warden.

But in Impel Down, a sealed environment, Magellan's Venom-Venom Fruit was practically unstoppable.

Unless they could get their hands on an antidote, no matter how many prisoners fought him, they were simply throwing their lives away.

Their only chance of defeating this monster was to regroup with the Revolutionary Army and launch a coordinated assault!.

°°°

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