59

"Dragon!"

Seeing his old friend after so many years, Ivankov almost jumped forward to embrace him.

For Luffy, this was also the first time seeing his father in person.

"Save the reunion for later, we're leaving!"

With a firm wave of his hand, Dragon made it clear that this wasn't the time or place to catch up. Now that Luffy was safe, everything else could wait.

However, before leaving, Dragon cast a deep glance toward Elior, who was heading down the opposite corridor. He knew things wouldn't be that simple.

Magellan had already been gravely injured by Dragon — a move he hadn't wished for but was forced into. Otherwise, Magellan would never have let them pass.

As a former Marine officer, Dragon understood exactly how critical Impel Down was. If the criminals inside, especially those in Level 6, ever escaped, it would be an absolute nightmare for the world.

Magellan couldn't be allowed to die. Even so, guilt weighed heavily on Dragon's mind. But there was no turning back now.

What worried him most was the presence of Elior and Blackbeard inside the prison.

Were they here to release some of the monsters locked away?

After all, several of Elior's subordinates were former Level 6 inmates.

That thought alone sent chills down Dragon's spine. As the leader of the Revolutionary Army, his mission was to save this corrupt, decaying world—not to endanger it or contribute to its collapse.

Still, despite the unease, Dragon charged forward, leading everyone toward the prison's exit. The longer they lingered, the worse it would become.

Their next destination, decided both by Dragon's hesitation and the determination of Luffy, Sabo, and the others, was Marineford.

Not to save Ace — But to stop the world from plunging into total chaos.

Moreover, the fact that Elior had shown up at Impel Down gave Dragon a nasty feeling — he was certain Elior would show up at Marineford too.

Dragon had intended to destroy Elior's ship as a precaution, but strangely, he couldn't find any ship outside.

"What's going on...?"

Dragon frowned in confusion.

Meanwhile, Buggy, who had been running amok through the prison, had stealthily blended into Dragon's group, managing to escape as well. His luck, as always, was absurd. But that was just a side note.

Magellan, bleeding and broken, could only watch helplessly as they escaped.

A bitter thought formed in his mind—he was seriously considering resigning. After all, Impel Down had fallen under his watch twice now. Worse yet, with Elior's sudden return and Blackbeard's mysterious arrival, the gravely injured Magellan didn't even dare to imagine what would happen next.

On the other side of the prison — Level 6 was a battlefield.

The moment Blackbeard set foot on this floor, he made his intention very clear.

"Oi, oi, you filthy scumbags! If you want freedom... then FIGHT for it!"

"Doesn't matter anyway — you'll die rotting in this hellhole if you stay. So why not spill some blood before that?"

"Whoever's left standing by the end... gets to join my crew."

"My name's Marshall D. Teach... BLACKBEARD! The man destined to surpass Whitebeard! Join me... and together, we'll turn this boring world upside down!"

Standing in the center of the prison walkway, Blackbeard bellowed his declaration.

To the prisoners, the offer was simple — Fight. Win. Live.

"HELL YEAH! I'm getting outta here!"

A huge bald man lunged at a skinny guy nearby, ready to crush his skull with one punch — only for his own head to be smashed open by someone sneaking up behind him.

The one who killed him barely had time to celebrate before a prisoner to his side grabbed him and snapped his neck like a twig.

Chaos erupted.

Criminals who once called each other brothers were now slaughtering each other without mercy. For them, it was kill or be killed.

Laughter. Screams. Roars of rage. Bones breaking. Flesh tearing.

The stench of blood soon saturated the already foul air.

"Zehahahaha..."

Blackbeard couldn't hold back his laughter. His crewmates behind him grinned with the same manic glee.

Everything was going perfectly. The Impel Down plan was almost complete. Now, the final step —heading to Marineford—awaited. Soon, Whitebeard would die.

That old man... Blackbeard knew well — he probably realized he wouldn't make it back alive.

Whitebeard's body was failing.There was no way that old relic would survive Marineford.

When the time came, and with Whitebeard's death, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit would be his. Blackbeard... would reign over the New World!

This journey—it was pure adrenaline, pure madness.

He had waited decades for this moment. Once thinking he was destined to be a nobody... yet in the end—

Fate smiled upon him. He was the chosen one.

The bodies continued piling up. More and more powerful figures began emerging from the bloodbath, catching Blackbeard's attention.

"Interesting... Blackbeard."

Suddenly—footsteps.And... applause.

Blackbeard and his crew froze, spinning around in terror.

"Elior?!"

A presence on par with the Yonko stood right before them—calm, confident... deadly.

Blackbeard was stunned.

"What do you want...? We've got no beef, right?" he asked cautiously.

In an instant, everyone was on high alert. Even the prisoners halted their battles, the atmosphere suffocating under the weight of Elior's presence.

They remembered him.The one who'd broken into Impel Down not long ago—walking out with Bullet and two others in tow.A monster with terrifying ice powers.

But now... he felt even stronger. He radiated the aura of someone who stood at the very peak of the world.

Indeed, since leaving Impel Down last time, Elior had grown significantly stronger.

To Blackbeard, this was bad news—Very bad.

His instincts screamed that Elior was about to ruin everything.

"We've got no grudge... but—" Elior's lips curled into a grin."I just feel like killing you."

"You really need to get your hands dirty for trash like this, Captain?" Shiryu the Rain stepped forward, gripping his sword. He clearly didn't believe Blackbeard could handle someone like Elior.

Truth be told, Blackbeard wouldn't reach true Yonko-level strength until after obtaining the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and mastering it.

But Elior raised his hand, stopping Shiryu.

"No. I want to test his abilities myself."

Cracking his knuckles, Elior stepped forward, closing the distance until only about twenty meters separated them.

Blackbeard's face went pale. Sweat immediately beaded on his forehead.

"What's wrong, Teach?" Elior taunted. "You gonna chicken out?"

"Zehahahaha! Chicken? ME? Don't make me laugh!" Blackbeard forced a loud laugh, trying to psych himself up.

Reminding himself that Elior was a Devil Fruit user — and that he had the Dark-Dark Fruit — he started to regain some composure.

"You're just a kid. I've seen more death than you've eaten meals!"

He motioned for Van Augur and the others to back off. They obeyed without question, retreating several meters.

"My Dark-Dark Fruit... can nullify any Devil Fruit power! That's right..."

"Zehahaha... Kid, you've just hit a brick wall!"

Blackbeard laughed madly.

The Dark-Dark Fruit — the most evil of the Logia class. Sure, it had drawbacks, but its advantages were terrifying. The ability to nullify any Devil Fruit ability was an absurd power. It functioned like living Seastone.

In Blackbeard's mind, Elior was overconfident — naive, even. A rookie who didn't understand there was always someone stronger out there.

"He's a Devil Fruit user... So my Dark-Dark Fruit can completely shut him down."

That was Blackbeard's rock-solid confidence.