"Was that scream coming from here earlier?"
Examining the shattered wall nearby, Meiser stroked his chin and said, "Never thought we'd accidentally destroy this floor's surveillance room."
Does this mean we've blinded the second floor's eyes?
"Hey, who exactly are you people?"
"You even took down that terrifying monster!"
"Could you please get the keys for us? We want to escape too!"
Listening to the noisy chatter around him, Meiser dug at his ear and said, "Shut up, you lot!"
"Don't be like that, young man~"
But unfortunately, Meiser had no intention of humoring them.
"Yahahaha, don't be so impatient, Meiser." Buggy floated up, flew into the surveillance room to retrieve the keys, then returned to Meiser's side. "I know you're strong, but dealing with a large number of jailers would still be troublesome."
After speaking, Buggy paused briefly before continuing, "If we release these guys, they could..." Though Buggy didn't finish his sentence, Meiser understood his meaning.
Not that he actually expected these small fries to be of any real help.
But since Buggy had already taken action, he couldn't very well object now.
"Hey, you bastards! Want this?" Buggy raised the keys high.
"We do!"
"Quick, give them to us!"
"Hmm?" Buggy narrowed his eyes. "Is that how you ask for favors?"
"Our apologies! We beg you, please give us the keys!"
The pirates all knelt in unison, their attitude extremely earnest.
"What's that? I can't hear you~"
"We're begging you!"
"Yahahaha! Well then, I suppose I'll give you the keys!" Buggy laughed uproariously.
Meiser: "..."
Watching Buggy's excited expression, Meiser's mouth twitched.
This clown Buggy really knew how to put on a show.
Shaking his head, Meiser walked to a nearby cell and asked the pirate inside, "Do you know where the gate to the third floor is?"
With the jailers here already dealt with, finding someone to ask might be difficult, so he might as well question these pirates.
If they knew, it would save trouble.
"We do!" the pirate answered. "It's in that direction!"
"That direction, huh."
Glancing where the man pointed, Meiser narrowed his eyes. "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"No," the pirate shook his head. "But Sphinx guards that area. Getting past is basically impossible."
"Sphinx?"
"Yeah, an enormous man-faced lion."
"They have sphinxes here too?" Meiser stroked his chin. "Interesting."
The last time he'd seen such a creature was in Moria's Devil's Triangle.
Though that sphinx had been a zombie, powered by shadows.
He wondered how strong this sphinx might be.
"Yahahaha! You lot better remember Captain Buggy's kindness!" Buggy laughed, hands on hips.
"Yes! We'll never forget your generosity!"
"Quick, let's get out of here!"
"Right!"
The next moment, the pirates stampeded madly into the distance, clearly intending to charge straight to the first floor and escape.
"Hey, we've already let this many people out. You should be satisfied now!" Luffy grabbed Buggy and said, "Let's hurry up and go!"
"What an impatient guy."
Buggy was a bit helpless. Couldn't this guy at least let these people distract the Marines first?
He really didn't want to face Magellan ahead of time.
"Let's go. I already know where the gate is," Meiser said as he walked back.
"Alright, then—"
Before Buggy could finish his sentence, he noticed the guys who had just run out were now running back in.
Buggy: ???
"Hey, what's the meaning of this?"
Watching the pirates retreat back into their cells, Buggy was dumbfounded.
"Sorry, we got a little carried away."
"There are still a lot of Magical Beasts on this level. Going out is actually more dangerous."
"Right, we're safer staying in our cells."
Buggy:
These useless idiots!!
"So much for your plan?" Meiser glanced at Buggy.
"How was I supposed to know they'd be this pathetic?!"
Buggy was nearly tearing his hair out. Had he known, he wouldn't have bothered with them.
"Ho ho ho ho~"
"Seems like you've run into some trouble~" Mr. 3 chuckled.
"Who the hell are you?"
Buggy eyed Mr. 3 suspiciously, surprised to see someone bold enough to still be in the hallway.
"This guy..."
Meiser studied Mr. 3's appearance and thought, Isn't he that Mr. 3 from Baroque Works? The Wax-Wax Fruit user who once cornered the Straw Hat Pirates! Never thought I'd run into him here.
"Ho ho ho ho~"
"Long time no see, Straw Hat Boy." Mr. 3 ignored Buggy and spoke to Luffy instead. "Thanks to you, I've regained my freedom!"
"I'm a man who repays his debts, so let me lend you a hand!"
He wasn't sure why the Straw Hat Boy was here, but this was an opportunity! If he helped him, they might just make it out alive!
The thought of the life awaiting him outside made Mr. 3 laugh uncontrollably.
"Ho ho ho~"
"Who are you?"
Mr. 3: ...
Mr. 3's laughter died abruptly, as if someone had choked him.
Seeing his expression, Meiser couldn't help but burst out laughing. Getting Luffy to remember someone wasn't easy.
"Wait, you don't remember who I am?!" Mr. 3 spiked up his hair. "Surely this jogs your memory!"
"Ah!"
"You're the 'Three' from the Giant's place!"
"It's Mr. 3, you bastard!" Mr. 3 roared, his mouth gaping like a shark's.
Forgetting names was one thing, but why did he have to give people nicknames too?!
"So, why are you here?"
"That's... a long story." Mr. 3 rubbed his temples. "Long story short... after you defeated Crocodile, I got captured by the Marines and ended up here."
Originally abandoned by Baroque Works, he had planned to escape, only to be spotted by the Marines and arrested.
Thinking about it, Mr. 3 sighed quietly.
"Oh, I see."
Luffy nodded, then grabbed Buggy beside him and said, "Meiser, Buggy, let's go."
"Alright!"
"Hey, what about me?!" Mr. 3 exclaimed in disbelief.
He had said so much just to convince them to take him along, and now this kid was planning to leave him behind?
"Mr. 3, are you willing to help me save Ace too?!"
"Fire Fist Ace?!"
Mr. 3, who had just taken a few steps, faceplanted onto the ground. He scrambled up and ran back to the group, his expression full of shock. "You're going to the fifth level to rescue Fire Fist Ace?!"
"Yeah, that's right!" Luffy declared firmly. "I will definitely save Ace!"
"The Straw Hat Boy and Ace are brothers," Buggy explained. "I'm planning to go down with them now. You coming?"
"Are you all insane?!" Mr. 3 yelled frantically. "Magellan is down there!"
That terrifying man possessed toxins capable of killing anything!
Trying to rescue Fire Fist Ace under such a monster was pure madness!
Thinking this, Mr. 3 said, "Well, you go ahead. I'm not getting involved!"
With that, Mr. 3 turned to leave and find another way out.
At that moment, Meiser spoke up. "Are you sure you want to leave?"
"There are ten Navy battleships waiting for you on the surface."
Mr. 3 froze, his face filled with disbelief.
With such overwhelming military force, even if he were at his best, escaping would be impossible.
"I've seen your wanted poster," Meiser said. "You're a Wax-Wax Fruit user, right? Can you make keys?"
If he remembered correctly, the Wax-Wax Fruit's abilities were highly malleable—the user could create almost anything they desired.
If this guy could make keys, bringing him along would be convenient, at least sparing them the trouble of searching for the Seastone Handcuffs' keys.
"I can make keys, but..."
"Then come with us," Meiser said. "When we leave, we'll take you with us."
"Let me finish!" Mr. 3 protested. "Why do you think you can rescue Fire Fist Ace under Magellan's watch?!"
"Because we're strong enough!" Meiser replied confidently.
Mr. 3: "..."
That was indeed a reason, but the problem was—he didn't even know this guy!
What was his bounty?
How strong was he?
As a cautious man, Mr. 3 wouldn't easily entrust his life to a stranger.
"But I—"
"Enough talk. Just say whether you're coming or not," Meiser interrupted.
As he spoke, Meiser glanced at the massive gate in the distance and added, "Once we reach that gate, we're heading to the next level. You won't have a chance to regret it then."
With that, Meiser revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan.
If this guy didn't cooperate, he wouldn't mind forcibly controlling him.
At that very moment, Mr. 3 felt a lethal threat.
It was as though refusing to go down would result in a far worse fate!
Realizing this, Mr. 3 immediately blurted, "Fine, I'll go!"
"But you have to guarantee my safety!"
"Don't worry, you won't have to face Magellan," Meiser said. "I'll handle that guy."
A man completely covered in toxins—he was the perfect match to deal with him.
"That works for me," Mr. 3 sighed in relief.
Thinking about it carefully, there was no way he could escape this place alone. After all, there were ten warships stationed outside.
Even if he fought his way out, the marines on those ships would gun him down.
So why not take a gamble and follow them deeper?
Of course, if this kid got taken out by Magellan, he wouldn't hesitate to run for it.
Just then, Buggy the Clown suddenly burst into laughter.
"Yahahahaha!"
"What are you laughing at now?" Luffy asked, puzzled.
"Nothing, just feels good knowing I'm not the only unlucky one here."
Mr. 3: "..."
Glancing at Buggy, who couldn't stop laughing, Mr. 3 fell into thought.
So, this guy was in the same boat as him?
But the moment he realized he wasn't the only unlucky one, Mr. 3 immediately relaxed.
Soon, the group arrived at the gate leading from the second to the third level.
"Hey, why is there a wall here?" Luffy wondered aloud, reaching out to touch the massive fleshy barrier.
"That's not a wall!" Mr. 3 snapped. "That's the king of the Sphinxes guarding the entrance to the second level—Sphinx! Damn it, how could I forget about this monster?!"
This was the ruler of all Sphinxes, a terrifying existence capable of suppressing the entire Beast Hell!
Faced with such a horrifying creature, Mr. 3 had no idea how to fight it.
"So this is Sphinx, huh?" Meiser mused, eyeing the colossal beast with interest. "Pretty big."
Its size was almost comparable to a small Sea King.
No wonder the escaping prisoners had been so terrified. With this behemoth standing guard, anyone thinking of breaking out would have to reconsider.
Just then, Sphinx lifted its head from beneath its paw and turned to look at the group behind it.
Sphinx: "???"
Delivery service?
"Eek!"
"It spotted us!"
Buggy and Mr. 3 stared in horror, their tongues sticking out uncontrollably.
"Quick, we—"
"Noodles!"
"Huh?"
The word left everyone dumbfounded.
"N-noo... noodles?"
Why was this thing talking about noodles?
"It's a Sphinx," Mr. 3 explained after a moment. "It has a human skeleton, so it can mimic human speech. But it probably doesn't understand what it's saying."
No sooner had Mr. 3 finished speaking than Sphinx slammed its massive paw down, declaring, "Chashu ramen!"
"Eeeek!"
"It's attacking!"
"Clang!"
Meiser blocked the strike with his Susanoo, muttering, "Why is it all about noodles?"
Did this thing usually chat with noodle-loving jailers or something?
"He actually blocked it?!"
Mr. 3 gaped at the pale golden skeletal armor enveloping Meiser. "What the hell is that thing on him?!"
That thing gave him the impression of being incredibly valuable!!!
"It's called Susanoo," Buggy said. "A manifestation of energy."
"A Devil Fruit Ability User, perhaps?" Mr. 3 speculated.
"I wouldn't know about that," Buggy shook his head. "But he did say he's a Ninja."
As for whether this ability came from a Devil Fruit or Ninjutsu, he had no idea.
"A Ninja?!!"
Mr. 3 stared at the man's retreating back in disbelief. "He's actually a Ninja?"
After all these years, this was the first time he'd seen a living Ninja.
This was amazing!!!
"Char siu noodles?"
Sphinx blinked in confusion as Meiser blocked his attack, a question mark appearing above his head.
Clearly, he couldn't comprehend what that pale golden thing was.
"Had enough, big guy?" Meiser grinned. "My turn now!"
As the words left his mouth, the pale golden skeletal frame moved, forcefully pushing back the massive claw before it.
Then, Meiser manipulated the skeleton to raise its right fist and aimed straight for Sphinx's head.
"Take this!!"
"BAM!!"
The terrifying punch landed squarely on Sphinx's head, sending him flying through the air toward the distant prison cells!
"WHOOSH"
"BOOM!!"
The enormous body crashed through an entire cell block!
The next moment, the colossal beast's head lolled to the side, eyes rolling back as it lost consciousness.
"He actually did it!!!"
Mr. 3 stared at Meiser in shock. The man might not have been boasting—his strength was genuinely formidable!
If that was the case... their prison break plan might actually succeed!
The thought instantly filled Mr. 3 with excitement.
"Alright, we've dealt with this floor's warden," Meiser said. "Let's move to the next level."
"Right!"