Chapter 548: I Was Here to Cause Trouble Anyway
The appearance of Vice Admiral Momousagi caught Ian by surprise. He hadn't expected the Marines to send reinforcements so quickly.
Moreover, since Momousagi was able to appear on the fourth level of the prison to set up her ambush, it meant that Enel, who had been left outside, had likely been captured. That also meant the warship that brought them here had probably been sunk as well.
This wasn't good news. Although Ian had never placed his hopes of escape on that warship, having it sunk by the Marines still annoyed him.
Because it meant he might have to wait a while longer...
As for Enel, Ian wasn't worried. He knew why Enel had been captured. That guy could fight Marine Admiral Kizaru to a standstill, yet he fell to Vice Admiral Momousagi. It was probably a matter of his ability being countered. However, Momousagi wouldn't execute Enel immediately. He might suffer a bit at the hands of the prison guards, but Ian could rescue him later.
Enel's lack of Armament Haki was always his weakness. Maybe after this incident, Ian could find time to "train" him properly. Otherwise, failing at a critical moment wasn't the mark of a qualified fighter...
"Ian boy! What now?" Ivankov came to Ian's side and asked, "Do we keep charging upward?"
"Of course. With our current strength, we don't need any tactics. We just push straight through!" Ian said with a smile. "That Vice Admiral Momousagi might be a bit troublesome, but she alone can't stop us!"
The forces Ian had gathered now were no weaker than those at Dressrosa back then. So all they had to do was fight their way out.
"And Magellan!" Mr. 1 suddenly spoke up. "I saw him wake up!"
"No problem. I could take down Magellan once, and I can take him down a second time!" Ian shook his head. "This Impel Down prison can no longer hold us back!"
"Ohhh!!!" Hearing Ian's domineering words, the prisoners cheered and raised their arms. The hope of escaping prison and gaining freedom was right before their eyes—how could they not be excited?
But Buggy curled his lips and said, "Let's talk about escaping first. That Marine vice admiral showing up means your escape ship is definitely destroyed. Under these circumstances, we have to find our own way out!"
Hearing this, Ian looked at Buggy with a strange expression and said, "Speaking of which, you just reminded me. If our warship was sunk, then your Big Top is probably sunk too!"
Buggy was instantly stunned. "Wh...what? What does that have to do with my Big Top!?"
Cabaji timidly raised his hand and said, "Captain Buggy, when we came here, we were on the Big Top. But when we ran into Captain Ian's group in the waters outside Impel Down, we followed them here, so..."
"M...my ship..." Buggy was dumbfounded by this terrible news. Then he went crazy and grabbed Ian by the collar. "I knew it! Nothing good ever happens when I run into you!"
He had thought his luck was finally turning around when Ian saved him. But it turned out to be an illusion...
Buggy felt that in his miserable life, Ian had been screwing him over from start to finish, and in the most brutal way possible...
Buggy was crying his heart out. In fact, many pirates had a special attachment to their ships, especially the longer they had sailed on them. Ian understood Buggy's feelings, so he didn't mind being grabbed by the collar. He pushed Buggy's hand away and said, "A ship is just an external possession. As long as you're alive, that's what matters. Look at me—I've never had a dedicated pirate ship, and I'm doing just fine!"
Buggy thought to himself, *How can I compare to you? You're just a freeloader who hitches rides on other people's ships...*
Pulling themselves together, the group set off. They split into several batches and took the elevators up to the third level.
However, when Ian and the first batch arrived at the third level and the elevator doors opened, they were forced back!
The entire third level of the prison was filled with Magellan's poison gas. Even the floor was covered in purple venom.
"Quick, put on the gas masks!" Thanks to Mr. 1's earlier warning, Ian and the others had found some gas masks. But it seemed the prison guards had cleared them out earlier, so there were only a few left, hidden in inconspicuous corners. They could only give them to the main fighters like Jinbe and Crocodile. As for the others, they had to return to the fourth level.
In the end, only four people remained: Ian, Ivankov, Crocodile, and Jinbe.
Ian cast Twin Heaven Return Shield on himself, and a faint light membrane enveloped him, blocking the poison gas. Through the haze, Ian could vaguely see Magellan standing alone at the stairs leading to the second level. His crimson Venom Demon loomed behind him, watching the group warily.
"Magellan!" Ian called out to him. "What's this? I saved your life, and you still want to be my enemy?"
Hearing Ian's shout, Magellan couldn't help but touch his abdomen. That was where Shiryu had stabbed him, but now there was no trace of the wound. When he woke up, Vice Admiral Momousagi had told him that Ian had saved him. He was shocked.
To think he had been saved by an enemy...
Shaking his head, Magellan pushed aside his thoughts and shouted back, "I'm grateful you saved me, but I still have to stop you. It's my duty!"
"Damn it, this guy is really stubborn!" Ian said with a headache.
Jinbe, wearing a gas mask, crossed his arms and said in an admiring tone, "If I were in a different position, I'd actually think this guy is pretty decent!"
Ian agreed. That was why he had saved Magellan in the first place. But Magellan's recovery ability and endurance were beyond his expectations. Despite being severely injured and having a tenth of his life force drained by Ian's Soul Extraction, he had woken up in such a short time. That threw a wrench in Ian's plans.
Ian had thought Magellan would only wake up after he had already escaped Impel Down...
This meant he had to fight Magellan a second time. But Ian also noticed that Vice Admiral Momousagi, who had come up earlier, wasn't fighting alongside Magellan. It seemed the Marines had made a miscalculation.
Ian knew that Momousagi had been sent to join forces with Magellan to suppress the prison break. But they hadn't considered one thing: once Magellan used his ability, it was a deadly weapon not only for enemies but also for allies. While gas masks could block the poison gas, they couldn't block the venom. So Momousagi couldn't fight alongside Magellan at all.
This was a huge mistake. Magellan's ability meant he could only ever fight alone, like a lone wolf...
"Stay here!" Ian said to Ivankov and the others. He spread his Flame Wings and flew toward Magellan.
Seeing Ian approach, Magellan raised his hand, and the Venom Demon behind him brought both hands together, slapping at Ian.
But under Ian's deliberate control, his Flame Wings erupted with intense heat. The Venom Demon's hands vaporized before they could even reach him.
Since Ian was now immune to the poison gas, having more of it in the third level wouldn't affect him. But for Magellan, this was bad news. It meant his strongest move was useless against Ian.
Ian rushed up to Magellan without drawing his sword. He coated the scabbard of Thousand Cherry Blossoms with Armament Haki and slammed it hard into Magellan's stomach.
The blow made Magellan's stomach churn. Ian had only healed the wound Shiryu left on him, not the wounds Ian himself had inflicted. So Magellan was still recovering from serious injuries. After taking this hit, cold sweat poured down his face, and he fell to his knees with a thud.
"It's useless!" Magellan looked up at Ian, drenched in sweat. "Even if you knock me down again, the poison gas and venom here won't disappear. You don't have enough gas masks. Even if you escape, only a few of you will make it. The rest will still be trapped here by the poison!"
Magellan's Devil Fruit ability wasn't like Sugar's, where losing consciousness would cause her ability to go out of control. Even if Ian knocked Magellan out, the poison gas and venom would remain.
"Not necessarily!" Ian turned to Crocodile and said, "Use another Sandstorm. Try to blow away the poison gas!"
Crocodile raised his hand and formed another whirlwind. But before releasing it, he said to Ian, "I can blow away the gas, but what about the venom?"
"Even simpler! Just dilute it!" Ian snapped his fingers, looked around, and picked up a weapon left behind by the prisoners on the third level. He shook off the venom clinging to it.
It was a double-bladed axe. Ian gripped it in his hand, and suddenly, lightning crackled all over his body!
"Lightning Metallurgy!!"
The powerful electric current generated intense heat, softening the iron axe and turning it into a large iron ball.
Ian examined it, keeping only a small piece about the size of an egg. He tossed the pellet in his hand and said to Magellan, "Watch closely!"
"Railgun!!"
Powerful electricity surged from Ian's arm again. He flicked the pellet forward.
A sonic boom, stronger than ever before, exploded. With the boost from his Master-level Nen Training, Ian's Railgun had become even more powerful. The pellet shot forward at many times the speed of sound, turning into a streak of light aimed at... the wall of the third level!
Boom! A massive explosion rang out. The thick, multi-meter walls of Impel Down were instantly blown open, creating a huge hole. The pellet didn't stop there. It pierced through the wall, entered the seawater, and still carried enough force to hit a Sea King that happened to be swimming in its path. It blasted through the Sea King's body before continuing into the distance.
The moment the wall was breached, seawater came gushing in through the hole. Due to the immense water pressure, it sprayed in like a jet!
"You... you're insane!?" Magellan was stunned by the sight. Earlier, when he was on the fourth level, Ian had stopped him from breaking through the wall. Now Ian was voluntarily punching a hole in Impel Down, letting the seawater flood in!?
"Times change!" Ian was very satisfied with the power of his Railgun. He said with a smile, "Earlier, I needed to go to the sixth level, so of course I couldn't let the seawater in. But now, I've already rescued my people. Whether Impel Down gets flooded or not, what do I care? I was here to cause trouble anyway!"