"Eight Inner Gates—Third Gate: Gate of Life, open!"
As Shin Kawa uttered the words, a surge of energy exploded through his body. His skin flushed red, veins glowing beneath the surface as raw power ignited his muscles.
Heat radiated off him in waves. Every heartbeat thundered like a war drum.
Across from him, Hannibal's bravado faltered. He swallowed hard, both hands gripping his trident. The air itself seemed to tremble around Shin.
"Th-this guy…" Hannibal muttered, sweat dripping down his cheek.
"The game's over—Leaf Lotus!" Shin roared.
In the blink of an eye, Hannibal's world blurred. Something flashed before his eyes, faster than light—then came the impact.
CRACK!
Shin's fist drove upward, catching Hannibal square under the chin. The deputy warden's head snapped back violently as his massive body launched skyward like a rocket. His face twisted grotesquely midair.
But Shin wasn't done.
The crimson aura flared brighter as he bent his knees and launched himself after his target, his body shooting upward like a cannonball. In midair, his right leg swung down, cutting through the heat-hazed air.
BOOM!
The kick connected. Hannibal was smashed into the ground with bone-crushing force. The stone floor split apart in a spiderweb of cracks, dust exploding outward in a ring.
Ding!Congratulations, Host. Enemy defeated.Reputation gained: +15,000.
Shin landed lightly amid the rubble, exhaling slowly. Hannibal wasn't getting up again.
From the surveillance room above, Magellan stared at the screen in silence. After a long moment, he sighed, straightened his black suit, and rose from his chair.
"It's time," he muttered, turning toward the door.
With Hannibal's defeat, the resistance on the third floor collapsed completely.The remaining jailers were overwhelmed by the rampaging prisoners, their formations breaking apart like sand under the tide.
Blood pooled in the cracks of the floor. The stench of iron and smoke filled the air.
The riot surged forward—mad, desperate, unstoppable—as the survivors rushed toward the next level.
The Fourth Floor: Blazing Hell.
This was the core of Impel Prison—the heart of Magellan's domain.His office, the kitchens, the armory, the massive central furnace that fueled the prison's infernal heat—everything was here.
A gigantic cauldron-like pit dominated the floor's center, filled with molten liquid that churned like boiling blood. Flames licked the walls, casting a hellish glow across the chamber.
But as Shin and his men approached the entrance… they froze.
Dozens—no, hundreds—of bodies lay sprawled across the floor. Prisoners who had charged ahead now lay motionless, their skin discolored, faces twisted in agony.
The air shimmered with a thick, dark-purple mist.
Shin's instincts screamed. He leapt backward immediately, retreating to the third level before the poison could reach him.
He knew this smell.
Magellan.
The warden's signature venom—a toxin so deadly it could melt stone.
Magellan's Poison Devil Fruit allowed him to excrete lethal venom from every pore—his breath, his sweat, even his sighs could kill.Those who inhaled it suffered paralyzed nerves, agonizing pain, hallucinations, and finally death.
Even the slightest contact could burn flesh to ash.And without Magellan's personal antidote, there was no cure.
The only drawback? Overuse gave him crippling diarrhea.
That was the infamous price of his power—one the entire Grand Line feared.
"Hahaha!" Magellan's deep laughter rolled through the corridors. His form emerged through the haze, towering and monstrous. "Boy, no matter how strong your punches are, you can't fight poison itself!"
Shin grit his teeth, heart pounding. He could fight fists, blades, or beasts—but gas? He needed a countermeasure.
Without wasting a second, he opened the System Interface.
System Menu → Character Cards → Search: Poison Resistance.
Rows of characters flashed before his eyes.
He knew Magellan's biggest strength wasn't just the poison—it was its inescapability. Even physical contact could be fatal.
If Shin wanted a chance, he needed someone who could withstand toxins entirely.
Might Guy was out—raw speed and strength meant nothing here.
Who could resist poison…?
His mind flicked through memories of the Naruto world.
Then it hit him—Hanzō the Salamander, the warlord once called a demi-god.Hanzō's mere breath could release a paralyzing gas, forcing him to wear a rebreather mask at all times.
Perfect!
But a second later, he hesitated. Magellan's poison didn't just linger in the air—it corroded skin on contact. Even Hanzō's resistance wouldn't hold.
"Not enough…" Shin muttered.
Footsteps echoed from above—slow, heavy, deliberate.
Only one person could walk through Blazing Hell and live.
Magellan was coming.
Panic clawed at the back of Shin's mind, but then—his eyes widened.He'd found it.
[Akatsuki Member: Sasori of the Red Sand] — Character Card
A puppet master whose true body was no longer flesh and blood.If he used Sasori, poison gas would have no effect.
But—
Exchange cost: 50,000 reputation points.
"Fifty thousand?!" Shin cursed. "Damn rip-off system!"
Still, the idea sparked another thought. If Sasori was immune because of his puppet body, then maybe another puppet master could help.
He scrolled further—
[Elder Chiyo of the Sand] — Character Card.
Exchange cost: 30,000 reputation points.
A master puppeteer—and conveniently, far cheaper.
He checked his stats. After the battles with Saludes and Hannibal, his total reputation stood just above 30,000.
Perfect.
Ding!Exchange confirmed.[Elder Chiyo] Character Card acquired. 30,000 reputation points deducted.
A faint smile touched his lips.
Just in time—
A shadow loomed through the mist.
Magellan's heavy boots crushed the stone floor as he descended to the third level, purple vapor curling around him like a living thing.
"Well, well," the warden said, his voice thick with venom. "Still alive, are you? You should've stayed down below. Now, you'll die gasping."
Shin straightened slowly, purple light flickering in his eyes as the new character card took hold.
"Don't count me out yet, Warden," he said quietly.
"Because this time… I brought a puppet master."