A gentle sea breeze brushed over the waves, lightly lapping against the ship's hull with a soothing "whoosh."
Sunlight sparkled on the ocean, scattering golden reflections across the water. The sea looked like a peaceful, serene painting.
Yet beneath this calm, tension and the scent of death lingered.
Onboard the warship, navy soldiers stood in perfect formation, guns and cannons steadily aimed at the gates of Impel Down.
Their expressions were tense, with beads of sweat covering their foreheads.
Even though they wore neat navy uniforms and stood upright, their tightly gripped weapons and trembling fingertips betrayed their inner anxiety.
Among these navy soldiers, a vice admiral walked back and forth with steady steps, occasionally checking on the state of the men.
When Vice Admiral Maynard noticed a rookie among the sailors, he saw that the young man's collar was soaked with sweat, and his eyes revealed both nervousness and inexperience.
Maynard furrowed his brow slightly, then took a clean handkerchief from his pocket. Smiling, he held it out to the rookie and softly said, "Don't be nervous."
The young sailor was flustered and a little embarrassed. He hurriedly reached out, took the handkerchief, and his face turned red.
He quickly stood at attention and gave Vice Admiral Maynard a perfect military salute, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "Thank you, sir!"
Maynard waved his hand with a smile, scanning the surrounding soldiers with his gaze. Then he raised his voice, steady and confident:
"Relax, everyone! Remember, Impel Down is guarded by Magellan himself. Its walls are as strong as copper and iron—no one can escape! We just need to do our jobs and hold our posts, and everything will be fine!"
His words seemed to calm the soldiers somewhat, and their expressions softened a little. Yet their eyes remained locked on the direction of Impel Down.
The sea breeze blew gently, and the ship swayed slightly on the waves. The standoff, seemingly calm but filled with tension, continued. No one knew what would happen next.
At that moment, the massive gates of Impel Down creaked open.
Open!
Seeing the figure at the gate, Vice Admiral Maynard let out a sigh of relief.
"I told you, with Magellan guarding Impel Down, even if there's a riot, nothing will go wrong!"
Magellan, silent as ever, walked toward the ship and quickly reached the area below Maynard's ship.
"Hey, I need to go to a World Government meeting to report on the current situation. Which ship is taking me there?"
Maynard raised both hands. "Mine!"
A faint, almost imperceptible look of triumph flashed in Magellan's eyes. With a light jump, he landed on the ship.
In the dim area near Impel Down's gates, Ivankov and Inazuma poked their heads out.
Ivankov blinked. "Something's… off. That fox—is she trying to escape on her own?"
Inazuma nodded. "Sir, it does seem that way!"
"The lover kid's warning was right! This fox really can't be trusted!"
"It's fine. She's already on the ship. We just need to shout once, and she'll be exposed!"
At this point, the prisoners hiding near the gate no longer stayed hidden. They rushed out immediately.
"Attack!"
Seeing so many prisoners bursting through the doors, Vice Admiral Maynard on the battleship was stunned.
He immediately shouted, "Open fire! Open fire!"
Gunshots erupted nonstop.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Facing the bullets, the Okama King Ivankov leaped out of the line.
"Partial Clone!"
Ivankov's figure split into multiple images, making it impossible to tell which one was real.
Positioned slightly forward, she blinked rapidly toward the battleship.
"Death WINK!"
A wave of energy shot straight at the battleship.
Boom! The explosion rocked the ship violently.
The Marines on deck staggered, struggling to stay upright, let alone fire their weapons.
Meanwhile, Inazuma was busy too. Using her scissors, she cut the ground into a long staircase leading straight to the battleship.
"Set sail! Move out!" Vice Admiral Maynard quickly shouted, snapping the stunned sailors into action.
In a daze, Maynard caught sight of Magellan observing the chaos as if nothing was happening.
Furious, he yelled, "Magellan! Why are you watching these prisoners escape? Fulfill your duty!"
"Ah~ Mulu huhuhu mulu huh~"
Magellan's tongue twisted strangely as he let out an odd laugh.
Maynard tensed, sensing something was off.
He lunged forward and threw a punch.
Sure enough, Magellan's form shifted abruptly, revealing a fox-faced female prisoner with a long nose and extremely ugly features.
"Catarina Devon!?"
Known as the most vicious female prisoner in history, Catarina Devon was a nightmare for many Marines.
And now, she was on the battleship?
What was happening back in Impel Down? Maynard shuddered at the thought.
Fuming, he shouted, "Quick! Notify the other ships to steer clear of Impel Down! Inform Marine Headquarters—Impel Down has fallen!"
"Ah~ Mulu huhuhu mulu huh~"
Catarina Devon drew the dagger she had stolen earlier and slashed at Vice Admiral Maynard, her tongue flailing in the air, emitting a foul stench.
"Prepare to die. I will return to this sea!" she hissed.
"Dream on! We will never let pirates like you run wild!"
Following Maynard's orders, the fifteen surrounding ships near Impel Down began sailing away.
In this Calm Belt, the Marines' wind-powered ships were the prisoners' last hope for escape.
As the ships moved off, one disheveled, bearded prisoner popped out, shouting, "Inflate!"
His voice caught the attention of both Marines and prisoners.
Seeing his face, someone gasped, "A Paramecia-type Huge-Huge Devil Fruit user! Sanjuan Wolf!"
Sanjuan Wolf's body grew larger and larger with his ability, eventually surpassing the size of the battleship itself.
This! This was even bigger than the largest giant in the world!
Terrified, the Marines stepped back at the sight of this monstrous Sanjuan Wolf.
But Sanjuan Wolf reached out with his enormous hands and effortlessly pulled back two battleships that had already left the harbor.
Witnessing this, the prisoners' spirits soared.
They stepped onto the staircase Inazuma had created and began leaping onto the battleships.
As the prisoners and Marines clashed head-on, the battlefield became alive with all sorts of Devil Fruit abilities.
Riding on a bubble of alcohol, the user of the Glug-Glug Fruit attacked the navy with flames—Vasco Shot.
The user of the Island-Island Fruit, Avalo Pizarro, merged his body with the port of the Forward City, using his giant hands to even grab hold of a warship.
The navy had once needed every ounce of their strength to capture them. But now, united, their combined power was far beyond what the navy could easily stop!
At this moment, the Okama King, Emporio Ivankov, had arrived on one of the warships. Beside him were the revolutionary officer, Inazuma, and several Newkama humanoids, all staring toward the Gates of Justice.
Ivankov paused for a moment and then suddenly leapt down.
Inazuma shouted out, but without hesitation, followed him.
The Newkama on the warship shouted in unison, "King! Inazuma! Where… where are you going?!"
Ivankov looked back at them, blinking. "I have to rescue that hopelessly lovesick boy! You all go ahead!"
"No! We'll follow our king!"
One by one, the Newkama jumped off the warship as well.
This scene was completely different from those sea pirates who trampled over their companions or used fellow criminals as shields.
As Ivankov ran toward the Gates of Justice once more, a shadow flickered in the dark corridor.
It was…
Flying with a Haki-infused aura, carrying the poisoned Redfield in his arms— Yujin!
****
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