At Dock 40 of the Sabaody Archipelago, Aether stared in silence at the eighteen-ter sloop while Rayleigh carried sack after sack of supplies on board.
"You really never change, Rayleigh. There is no way you can finish all that alcohol. I gave you twenty million Berries and you bought this wreck?"
"Be grateful, Aether. Twenty million for a fast boat like this is already a bargain. Prices have gone crazy lately. We will reach Marineford in less than a day, and are you telling you are not going to drink any of it?"
"… "
Aether had no reply. Watching others drink while he could not was pure torture.
The two of them guided the small ship out to sea with perfect coordination. Once the current caught the hull, Rayleigh opened a bottle without hesitation and the two of them began talking casually. It felt strangely similar to the mories Aether carried, of Roger and Rayleigh once setting out in so patched-up boat. The only difference was that Aether was not Roger, and Rayleigh was now an old man.
A massive shadow suddenly rose beneath the surface. A mont later, a mid-sized Sea King burst out of the water. Irritated, the two n glanced at it at the sa ti, and the pressure of Conqueror's Haki exploded outward.
"Shff…"
The invisible waves slamd into the charging monster. Its savage eyes rolled back instantly, and its enormous body crashed back into the sea. Water surged dozens of ters into the air before the creature floated belly-up, completely lifeless.
A re mid-sized Sea King had no chance against the Conqueror's Haki of the Pirate King's successor and his forr right-hand man.
Far beneath the ocean, inside the great prison Impel Down, Level Six.
For the first ti, Hancock saw with her own eyes the person who had ignited the coming war, Fire Fist Ace. The once energetic young man now looked completely exhausted and broken.
Ace raised his head slightly and glanced at the unfamiliar woman in front of him, then lowered it again without interest.
His indifference annoyed her. This was the brother Luffy was risking everything to save? How disappointing.
"Fire Fist Ace, I ca to deliver a ssage. Your brother Luffy has already infiltrated Impel Down. He intends to rescue you."
"Clack… click…"
The mont he heard Luffy's na, Ace's eyes widened and he imdiately lifted his head.
"No. Absolutely not. Tell him to give up…"
Magellan was standing nearby, so Ace did not dare say Luffy's na directly. However, his heart was already in turmoil. That reckless little brother of his would definitely do sothing this crazy.
"I have delivered the ssage. What happens next depends on Luffy himself."
Hancock turned around and began to leave. Ace called out to her from behind.
"Why are you helping him?"
"Because the man I love asked to."
"… "
The sound of her heels slowly faded away.
As she walked past the other cells, the prisoners on Level Six began to shout wildly. Many of them had not seen a woman in years, let alone the most beautiful woman in the world.
The only female pirate imprisoned on this floor was Katarina Devon, and her brutal personality and terrifying appearance made even these criminals avoid her.
Obscene voices echoed endlessly through the prison.
"Hey, woman, co over here!"
"Co on, little beauty, let touch you once!"
"Haha, the Pirate Empress really is incredible!"
"Hahaha!"
Hancock's brows tightened in disgust. She was just about to act when Magellan moved first.
"Filthy trash, you talk too much. Poison Dragon."
A giant dragon made of violet poison surged forward and smashed into the shouting prisoners. Most of them were too weak to react in ti and collapsed instantly after being poisoned.
"Magellan, we were just joking!"
"Help, I need the antidote! I am dying!"
Out of more than a dozen prisoners, only a few managed to survive the poison. Even powerful pirates from the New World died like insects on Level Six.
After showing off his authority in front of the Pirate Empress, Magellan walked back toward Hancock.
"Empress, those loudmouthed scum have been taught a lesson."
Hancock nodded slightly.
"Thank you, Warden Magellan."
At that mont, the Den Den Mushi in Magellan's pocket suddenly rang. After listening for a few seconds, his expression imdiately darkened.
"Warden Magellan, the intruders have disappeared on Level Four. They most likely escaped to Level Five. The targets are the three-hundred-million-Berries pirate Monkey D. Luffy, forr Baroque Works mber Bon Clay with a bounty of thirty-two million, Galdino with a bounty of twenty-four million, and Clown Buggy with a bounty of fifteen million. It seems they also possess invisibility."
Magellan ended the call. Now was not the ti to focus on pleasing a beautiful woman. He imdiately turned to Vice Chief Warden Domino beside him.
"Escort the Pirate Empress out. As for those intruders, I will intercept them on Level Five. No one causes trouble inside Impel Down."
Hancock's eyes flickered slightly. She did not expect Luffy to be discovered so quickly, even with invisibility. Still, her task was already complete. What happened next would depend entirely on him.
Right now, reaching Marineford was far more important. She was already looking forward to eting Aether again.
Hancock left using the Level Five elevator, while Magellan remained alone in front of the Level Six gate. His powerful Observation Haki spread outward in all directions.
Not far away, four figures were hiding behind a cell. A small invisibility cloak barely covered them, just enough to avoid the Snow Wolf guards.
When they saw Magellan, the four of them froze instantly. Buggy whispered nervously,
"Magellan is blocking the way. There is no way we can get past him. Let us go back to Level Four. I am freezing to death here. Achoo!"
Mr. 3 nodded quickly. If they stayed any longer, he really would freeze.
Unlike before, thanks to the cloak, the four of them had reached Level Five without any problems.
Luffy hesitated slightly. Sotis he was not completely reckless. After hearing how terrifying Magellan was, he preferred to wait for him to leave instead of fighting him head-on.
"Then we hide until he is gone."
"… "
Bon Clay agreed imdiately, and the four of them slowly moved toward a quieter corner.
The cloak suddenly shifted slightly. Magellan turned instantly, his eyes locking onto their location.
"Found you insects. Poison Dragon."
Once they realized they had been discovered, the four of them panicked.
"How did he know we were here?"
Buggy, who had traveled the seas for years, imdiately guessed the answer.
"He sensed us with Observation Haki."
A massive Poison Dragon surged toward them. The two cowards were almost scared to death. Luffy pushed them aside at the last mont and rushed forward.
"Gear Second."
Steam rose from his body as he dashed toward Magellan. He avoided the attacking dragon and threw a punch straight forward.
"Gum-Gum Jet Pistol!"
His fist struck Magellan's body, but instead of solid flesh, it splashed into thick purple poison. The contact instantly poisoned Luffy's hand.
Luffy grimaced and quickly jumped back. Without Armant Haki, he had no way to deal with Magellan.
A minute later, even the snow-covered Level Five had turned into a poisonous zone. At the center of it, Luffy was already swaying, his body heavily poisoned. Bon Clay, who tried to help him, had already collapsed.
"Poison Dragon."
The enormous dragon swallowed Luffy completely. The battle was over. Magellan stepped past the fallen pair and walked toward Level Four. Anyone poisoned on Level Five was as good as dead. There was no need to waste ti finishing them.
He still had to catch the other two intruders. The invisibility cloak was truly troubleso. With Observation Haki, he quickly discovered Buggy and Mr. 3 fleeing upward while still hidden.
After everyone left, the fallen Bon Clay forced himself to stand up. With pure willpower, he lifted the dying Luffy onto his back. The Snow Wolves slled blood and imdiately charged toward them.
"You beasts, I will never let you hurt little Luffy. Okama Kenpo!"
Already severely injured, Bon Clay fought desperately against the wolves. More wounds quickly appeared on his body as the pack surrounded him.
At that mont, a powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki swept across Level Five and vanished just as quickly.
More than ten hours later, while heading toward Mary Geoise, Aether and Rayleigh encountered unexpected trouble.
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