Chapter 547: Breaking Through the Fourth Level
As a Devil Fruit user, what is the most important thing?
Imagination!
Ian now had plenty of manpower on his side, and naturally there were many Devil Fruit users among them. The defensive line set up by Vice Admiral Momousagi seemed troublesome, but as long as the right ability was used in the right place, there was no fortress that couldn't be breached!
Crocodile could artificially create sandstorms. If he had only used an ordinary sandstorm, it would have been completely useless in the prison environment. However, once the scorching, flowing magma below was swept into the sandstorm, the power of Crocodile's ability became evident. Those fiery red liquids spun continuously with the whirlwind, carrying an unparalleled momentum, and under Crocodile's control, they struck the opposing Marines and prison guards!
Although, due to centrifugal force, some of the magma inevitably splashed toward Ian and his group, the problem was that on Ian's side, they had Mr. 3's candle shield!
The group retreated back to the stairwell entrance, where Mr. 3 created a thick wall of candle wax to block the splashing magma. Although the candle wax was pitted with holes by the high-temperature magma, once the force was spent, the magma could no longer pose a threat.
Ian and his group weren't afraid of the magma, but the Marine soldiers and prison guards on the opposite side were in dire straits. The magma flung out by the whirlwind fell like a torrential rain, landing on their bodies. A single hit resulted in a massive blister, and in an instant, countless screams erupted. No matter how elite the army, they couldn't maintain formation in the face of such an attack!
The Marines and prison guards fled in panic, scrambling for the limited number of shields and even crawling under the Minotaur and Zebra monsters, hoping those thick-skinned creatures would shield them from the magma. Meanwhile, more people desperately ran toward the elevators.
The defensive line set up by Momousagi collapsed almost instantly.
Struggling to dodge the flying magma, Momousagi felt a bitter ache in her heart. She couldn't blame the soldiers, because she knew that even she had no way to deal with such an attack, let alone ordinary soldiers.
And for some reason, seeing this scene gave Momousagi a familiar feeling, as it reminded her of the ability of Marine Admiral Sakazuki, Akainu!
Unintentionally, Crocodile had used his storm to create an attack resembling Akainu's ability. The rain of fire formed by the magma easily destroyed the opposing defensive line.
As the storm continued to expand, more magma was drawn up. Momousagi knew that if she allowed the storm to rage on, not only the fourth level but also the third level would be affected, because the two levels were connected. If the magma spread, it would hinder the Marines, but Ian on the opposite side was an expert with fire. Who knew if he had some way to lead the prisoners out through the magma?
So, she had to stop the magma storm!
Gritting her teeth, Momousagi leaped into the air using Moon Step, constantly shifting her position to avoid the incoming magma as she approached the whirlwind. During this process, she couldn't completely evade the magma. Her Marine coat was splashed with magma, instantly burning holes into it. In just a short while, it looked like a beggar's outfit.
But as long as it didn't burn her body, it was fine. With a few more leaps, Momousagi reached the edge of the whirlwind, where the magma was denser. She hesitated only briefly before extending her hand, hardened with Armament Haki, and touched the whirlwind with the back of it.
A pink glow appeared on the back of her hand, and upon contact with the whirlwind, the pink light quickly spread into it.
Then, something strange happened. The storm, which had been expanding due to the heat of the magma, gradually calmed down in the pink light. The whirlwind slowed rapidly, and without the strong centrifugal force, the magma began to fall downward due to gravity.
Having tamed the raging winds within the magma whirlwind with her ability, Momousagi immediately used Moon Step to jump back.
Even so, she was now in a very sorry state. The intense heat near the magma storm made her sweat profusely, her bangs soaked with moisture. Her clothes were burned with many small holes, revealing glimpses of her fair skin beneath.
Although the magma storm had been successfully quelled, the Marine defensive line was in shambles. Due to the need to dodge the magma, the Marine soldiers and prison guards were either injured or fleeing, thrown into chaos.
And just at that moment, Momousagi saw the candle wall at the stairwell entrance disappear, and a group of prisoners surged out.
They held weapons, their faces twisted with fanatical grins, and rushed from both side passages toward the already devastated defensive line, launching an assault.
But that wasn't all. Momousagi saw a person with a large face and heavy makeup appear behind Ian. She immediately recognized him as Ivankov, the Queen of the Kamabakka Kingdom!
Even the Revolutionary Army had escaped with the prisoners!?
While Momousagi was stunned, a person wearing dual-colored sunglasses suddenly emerged from Ivankov's thick curly hair.
Inazuma, the Revolutionary from the South Sea!
Inazuma jumped down from Ivankov's hair, his hands transforming into two large scissors. With a snip-snip, he cut along the walls on both sides, quickly trimming down a wide stone slab. Then, with a wave of his hand, the stone slab became as soft as noodles and flew toward Momousagi's side, landing on the base of the destroyed bridge!
A simple bridge was instantly created!
"Charge!" With a wave of Ian's hand, the remaining prisoners howled with excitement, stepping onto the bridge and rushing toward the elevator entrance on the opposite side.
"Hahaha! A Marine Vice Admiral is actually a woman!?" The fastest prisoner, wielding a double-bladed axe, reached Momousagi. His eyes gleamed with greed, and he licked his lips and said, "Boss Ian probably wants a female Vice Admiral as a companion, right?"
With that, the prisoner eagerly reached out to grab Momousagi.
Momousagi snorted coldly, suddenly drawing her sword and cutting down this overconfident prisoner in one stroke. Then, she engaged in battle with the other prisoners who rushed forward.
How could these prisoners possibly be a match for her? One after another, they were cut down by her sword. Some unlucky ones even accidentally rolled into the magma pool below.
"Retreat!" Momousagi shouted to the Marine soldiers and prison guards as she fought. "Fall back to the third level!"
"Yes!" the Marine soldiers replied, and they followed Momousagi, fighting as they retreated toward the elevator.
The fourth level could no longer be held. Ian and his group were more troublesome than she had imagined. For now, she had to retreat to the third level, hoping that Magellan had already set things up there...
The Marine soldiers and prison guards entered the elevator and retreated to the third level, while Momousagi stayed behind to cover the rear, guarding the elevator entrance and fighting the prisoners. The prisoners charged forward wave after wave, but were quickly cut down by Momousagi. Before long, the ground was littered with bodies.
Just as the Marine soldiers completed their retreat and Momousagi was about to enter the elevator, a black shadow suddenly descended from above. Momousagi swung her sword to block, but felt a tremendous force, forcing her to take a step back.
It was Crocodile. His lower body had turned into sand and wind, flying over the crowd, and he struck at Momousagi with a Desert Spada.
Momousagi didn't want to get entangled with him. After blocking the strike, she took advantage of the momentum to retreat backward, entering the elevator and quickly closing the door.
She had thought Crocodile would chase her in, so she was prepared to take him down inside the elevator.
But Crocodile was also a cunning old fox. Earlier, he had seen through the hole in Mr. 3's candle wall how Momousagi had calmed his magma storm. Without understanding her ability, he wasn't about to risk entering the confined space of the elevator. So, he let her leave.
"Boss!" At the same time, a voice called out to Crocodile from the side. "Magellan has woken up..."
Crocodile turned his head and saw Mr. 1 in a nearby cell. He wasn't surprised and said, "I'm leaving now. Are you coming with me?"
"Of course!" The bald Mr. 1 gestured to his shackles and said, "I was getting bored anyway..."
Some nearby prisoners overheard the conversation, quickly found the keys, opened the cell door, and released Mr. 1.
Ian happened to arrive at that moment. Seeing Mr. 1, he asked curiously, "Why didn't you come with us earlier?"
"I needed to confirm that the boss was coming with you before I came out," Mr. 1 replied, glancing at Ian.
"You should call him the big boss now," Crocodile said, pointing at Ian.
Mr. 1 could guess what might have happened on the sixth level, but he still shook his head and said, "No, I only have one boss."
Ian looked at Mr. 1 with some surprise, not expecting him to be so loyal to Crocodile. But he didn't mind. Since Crocodile was now following him, what difference did it make who Mr. 1 called boss?