"Where did Teach go?"
Inside the New Okama Paradise, Ivankov spoke sharply into the Den Den Mushi.
"Such a huge incident is happening in the prison—how come I haven't seen Teach at all?"
In Ivankov's view, Edward Teach, the man who carried Whitebeard's power and spirit, should have been standing at the center of this chaos.
Yet—
Teach was nowhere to be seen in Crimson Hell.
Nowhere in Infinite Hell either.
He wouldn't hide at a moment like this…
Impossible.
Ivankov frowned deeply.
No reply came.
Only the dull, unceasing roar of explosions echoed from the Den Den Mushi.
Ivankov turned back to the surveillance screen.
On it, Storm continued his merciless bombardment.
Gigantic white dragon heads burst from the earth, opening blood-red maws and unleashing indiscriminate saturation fire across Infinite Hell.
"Vongola Storm… you bastard."
Ivankov lowered the Den Den Mushi, his expression heavy.
"This was never the plan you told me."
Teach had said he would select the strongest subordinates from Infinite Hell.
But what Ivankov was seeing now—
This wasn't selection.
This was execution.
Storm's posture made it unmistakably clear.
He wasn't choosing prisoners.
He was erasing them.
Morley, standing nearby, spoke in a low voice.
"Lady Eva… are you really going to obey that jailer's orders?"
"It's not about obedience."
Ivankov pointed at the screen.
"I have no choice."
"If I don't stop Chief Warden Magellan and Shiryu, then the entire 5.5th floor will be dragged into Infinite Hell."
"Storm's Clay-Clay Fruit has awakened. He can absolutely do that."
"If he does… the New Okama Paradise will be wiped out."
If Ivankov intercepted Magellan and Shiryu, only he would suffer.
If he didn't—
Everyone would.
Between two evils, Ivankov chose the lesser.
"Lady Eva…"
Morley clenched his fist, guilt and anger flickering across his face.
Then he asked quietly,
"Should we take this chance to escape Impel Down?"
Ivankov's eyes lit up for a brief moment.
Then he shook his head.
"Not yet. Dragon hasn't even begun his move."
"There's no need for us to leave now."
He took a deep breath.
"Alright. I'll stop those two bastards."
Then, as always, his expression twisted into a familiar grin.
"But how long I can hold them… that's another story! Hee-haw!"
Before he could move, one of the Okamas monitoring the feed shouted,
"Lady Eva! Magellan and Shiryu… they've split up!"
"What?"
Ivankov rushed to the screen.
"This isn't coordination at all!"
"Shiryu stayed behind in Crimson Hell—only Magellan is coming down!"
Ivankov laughed loudly.
"And the elevator's blocked by clay!"
"He has to take the stairs!"
"One enemy instead of two—excellent!"
Meanwhile, in Crimson Hell—
Magellan stared at the elevator shaft completely clogged with hardened clay, his face darkening.
He turned and sprinted toward the main staircase.
Moments earlier, he and Shiryu had destroyed a Clay Clone that regenerated endlessly.
Then the reports arrived:
—Monitoring room disabled.
—Infinite Hell breached.
Every thread led to one name.
"Vongola Storm…"
Magellan charged down the staircase connecting Crimson Hell to Beast Hell, fury boiling over.
"What do you want?!"
"Are you trying to destroy Impel Down?!"
Running wasn't fast enough.
Purple venom erupted from his body, flooding the stairs.
"Poison Path!"
Magellan stepped onto the venom, using it as a slick conduit, propelling himself downward at terrifying speed.
In moments, he crossed from Crimson Hell to the Extreme Cold Hell.
Just before entering Infinite Hell—
A massive figure blocked the stairway.
Magellan stopped abruptly.
"Emporio Ivankov?!"
His pupils contracted.
"According to the records, you should have died here!"
Ivankov placed his hands on his hips and winked.
"For a Chief Warden, you're awfully careless about who's alive or dead."
Death Blink!
A violent shockwave blasted into the venom-slick stairs, tearing open a massive gap.
"Even if you stall here—"
Magellan's expression didn't change.
Behind him, a venomous dragon coiled into existence.
"Storm will not escape Infinite Hell."
In Magellan's eyes, anyone standing here was Storm's accomplice.
And accomplices—
Were to be erased.
"Poison Dragon!"
The dragon struck.
Ivankov was hit head-on.
Purple venom hissed and smoked across his face.
"Aaaah—!"
He collapsed, screaming.
"My face! My beautiful face—!"
Then—
Ivankov tore it off.
The smoking mass fell aside like a discarded mask.
"Hee-haw! Can't melt it!"
"Too much makeup!"
Magellan stared, venom oozing from his body like cold sweat.
"…A pointless trick."
Two more venom dragons formed.
"I don't have time for this."
They struck together.
This time, Ivankov did not rise.
Venom spread rapidly across his body.
Magellan stepped past him.
"For the next twenty-four hours, you'll be dissolved by poison."
"Rioter."
"You're finished."
When Magellan finally entered Infinite Hell—
He froze.
Dragon-headed cannons littered the ground.
Explosions echoed endlessly.
Most cells were silent.
Whether the prisoners were unconscious… or dead—
Magellan couldn't tell.
His gaze locked onto the only figure still moving freely.
"Vongola Storm!"
Venom surged like a tidal wave.
"What do you think life is?!"
Storm turned calmly.
"Chief Warden."
"Just cleaning up trash."
"Is that really wrong?"
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