Lafitte's smooth, chilling declarations echoed through the crimson halls, swiftly sorting out the Devil Fruit users and those fearless enough to defy the World Government.
Meanwhile, Souta Kiryuu's three Paths and the Pacifistas had already descended into the Beast Hell of the second level.
This level imprisoned criminals with bounties ranging from 20 to 30 million Berries, guarded by monstrous creatures—man-faced lions, sphinxes, giant basilisk birds, venomous scorpions, praying mantises, and river hippos of immense size.
But these beasts were only a threat to pirates worth a few tens of millions. Against the Seraphim and Pacifistas, they didn't even last a single move.
After all, even a standard Pacifista could overpower a Supernova worth over a hundred million. And the Seraphim were far beyond that—absolute weapons of war.
Clearing the first three levels of guards and jailer beasts was practically effortless.
At the same time, Souta and his elite had taken the massive central elevator straight down to Level 4 — the Blazing Hell.
The alarms triggered on Level 1 had already been detected by the monitoring room on Level 4.
Chief Warden Sadi-chan immediately commanded four Jailer Beasts to rush upward and suppress the riot. But before they could advance, they ran straight into the Auron Pirates.
The suffocating aura of Souta's crew instantly drew the attention of Warden Magellan and Chief Jailer Shiryu of the Rain.
"Sixty Million Volts: Thunder Dragon!!"
Enel didn't even hesitate—five colossal dragons of lightning tore through the air, blasting the four Jailer Beasts and Sadi-chan with devastating force.
"Slave Arrow!"
The Pirate Empress followed immediately. In the wake of Enel's lightning, her arrow rained down upon the beasts—turning their charred bodies instantly to stone, sealing away their Zoan awakening and regeneration before they could even react.
One strike. Instant annihilation. Brutal, decisive, and absolute.
Then came the sound of rapid footsteps. A man in a prison officer's uniform appeared, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"The… Auron Pirates?!"
A deep, hoarse voice echoed from behind him, heavy with shock. None of them had expected the Auron Pirates to arrive at Impel Down so soon after the incident on Shintora Island.
"Ehhahaha! Shiryu of the Rain! I'm surprised Magellan hasn't thrown you in a cell yet—but that's no big deal."
Souta smirked. Seeing Shiryu didn't shock him; after all, Luffy hadn't even set sail yet—the Marineford War was still far off. It made perfect sense that Magellan hadn't imprisoned Shiryu yet.
"What are you talking about?"
Shiryu's dangerous gaze sharpened. His long-standing conflict with Magellan was no secret among the prison staff—so how did this man, who had only been on the seas for two years, know so much about Impel Down's internal affairs?
And how had they traveled from Shintora Island to Impel Down so impossibly fast—already reaching the fourth level?
"If I hadn't shown up," Souta said calmly, "soon you would've been sentenced to death by Magellan for slaughtering prisoners—for your own amusement."
Shiryu froze for a fraction of a second. Before he could process the words, Souta waved his hand.
"Attack."
Enel was the first to strike, lightning splitting the air. Shocked by Souta's words but unwilling to show weakness, Shiryu drew his cursed blade Thunderstorm, clashing head-on with the lightning god.
At that moment, Warden Magellan, Vice Warden Hannyabal, Deputy Chief Domino, and Jailer Commander Saldeath arrived near the elevator zone.
"Souta Kiryuu!!"
Magellan's eyes widened in disbelief as he saw the full might of the Auron Pirates assembled before him.
"Quick! Notify Marine Headquarters!" he shouted to the communications officer.
But Souta didn't give them a chance. His Conqueror's Haki burst forth once more—black lightning danced across the chamber, knocking out the weaker guards and Den Den Mushi operators instantly.
Then, his body morphed into that of a crimson half-dragon, scales pulsing with venomous patterns, Haki swirling around him in waves of Armament and Conqueror's energy as he lunged at Magellan.
"Tch—Poison Giant!"
Magellan shouted, transforming into his signature attack form, but Souta's pressure was monstrous.
"BOOM!"
The thirty-meter-tall Poison Giant shattered under a single Haki-infused punch, sending Magellan himself hurtling backward, crashing into the molten stone floor.
Around them, the officers of the Auron Pirates moved as one.
The Pirate Empress struck again, petrifying Sadi-chan in an instant.
Bartholomew Kuma appeared behind Hannyabal in a blur, his massive palm smashing the Vice Warden into the wall with bone-crushing force.
Hannyabal spat blood, collapsing helplessly—he couldn't even take one blow from the Tyrant.
"Hehehe! Shadow Gun!"
Gecko Moria attacked next, forcing Domino back with his barrage of dark projectiles.
Crocodile followed—his massive sand blade slicing through Saldeath, desiccating him into a withered corpse within seconds.
"Seems like there's nothing left for me to do," Trafalgar Law said casually, vanishing to sever the prison's external communications.
"Hey, hey! Save a few for me!" Jewelry Bonney shouted, charging toward a group of still-conscious elite guards.
"You… you're immune to my poison?!"
Magellan's eyes widened in horror as Souta advanced, completely unaffected by the spreading purple toxins. The entire level was shrouded in Poison Cloud, dense enough to kill most high-ranking pirates in minutes—yet Souta walked through it as if it were air.
"Without your poison, you don't have much to offer in close combat," Souta sneered, slamming his fist into Magellan's abdomen.
Magellan staggered back, coughing blood. Souta pressed the assault relentlessly, pummeling the exhausted Warden to the ground.
The truth was, Magellan's strength was impressive for someone with so little time to train. Because of his fruit's toxicity, he suffered from severe digestive poisoning—spending ten hours a day in constant diarrhea, eight hours asleep, and another few just recovering. He barely had four hours of real work time each day.
Even so, developing his Doku Doku no Mi to the point where it could defeat Warlord-level opponents was remarkable. His only flaw—his frail body. Few ever dared to fight him in close quarters. The air around him was usually death itself.
But Souta was no ordinary man.
"Impel Down's 'unbreakable legend'—aside from Shiki the Golden Lion's escape—ends today," Souta declared coldly.
He punched Magellan once more, then drew a Seastone dagger, plunging it into the Warden's body. Magellan convulsed, the poison aura vanishing as his powers faded. His massive frame slumped to the ground, powerless.
"Useless trash."
Shiryu of the Rain muttered, disgusted by how quickly Magellan had fallen. But as he looked up, seeing Kuma and Crocodile closing in from both sides, a bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
He knew escape was impossible.
"Oi, Souta Kiryuu," Shiryu shouted suddenly, slicing apart one of Enel's lightning dragons with a single swing. "If you hadn't shown up, maybe I'd be locked away—but now that you're here, what's the difference?!"
He paused, grinning madly.
"Take me with you. Let me out of this dark pit. I want to help you slaughter the Celestial Dragons! That sounds… exhilarating!"
His crimson eyes gleamed with feral lust. Even watching the Auron Pirates kill Celestial Dragons in the newspapers and live broadcasts had sent a thrill through his veins.
If he could personally cut down those arrogant nobles of the world—
It would be ecstasy.
Far greater than killing any prisoner in this wretched cage.
...
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