"It's just ahead."
Bon Clay pointed to a distant platform and said, "That's the entrance to the next level."
Hearing this, everyone instinctively turned to look where he indicated.
"Why does the air there seem distorted?" Buggy remarked.
"Of course," Bon Clay explained. "Because where we're headed now is the Chimney Flesh of Scorching Hell!"
"Chimney Flesh of Scorching Hell?!" Buggy gaped. "You're joking, right? Won't we get burned to death going in there?"
Chimneys transport hot air—the temperature there is extremely high! Wasn't this practically suicidal?
Even if they didn't get burned to death, severe burns would still be agonizing.
"Actually, I think this is a good idea," Meiser said. "At least this way, we won't immediately run into Magellan."
He wasn't sure if Magellan's earlier absence was due to Hancock's interference, but now that they'd reached the third level, Magellan wouldn't just sit back and do nothing.
After some thought, Meiser concluded that the warden was very likely waiting for them at the third level's main entrance.
As for moving underground?
They could only dig a few meters deep at most.
And Magellan, as the warden of Impel Down, undoubtedly possessed formidable Observation Haki.
Against someone like him, Earth Release Technique would probably be useless.
So going this way was actually their best option.
"Magellan, huh?" Buggy said with a headache. "Fine, let's go this way then."
Compared to the terrifying Magellan, the heat from the Chimney Flesh seemed trivial.
After all, in Impel Down, being killed by Magellan's poison was the most painful way to die!
"Scorching Hell, huh?" Mr.3 groaned. "Once we enter there, my Wax-Wax powers will probably be useless."
The third level's heat was already enough to melt his wax—the fourth level would be even worse!
"Don't worry, Ace isn't on the fourth level anyway."
"Is that what I meant?" Mr.3 retorted. "I'm saying I won't be much use in a fight there!"
"No problem, I'll protect you!" Luffy grinned toothily.
Since Mr.3 could make keys to unlock Seastone Handcuffs, Luffy naturally wanted to keep him safe.
Seeing Luffy's toothy grin, Mr.3 sighed.
Who would've thought the day would come when this guy would protect him? He nodded. "Then I'm counting on you."
"Alright!"
"Let's go, we—"
Before Bon Clay could finish, a heavy thudding sound echoed, as if something massive was charging toward them.
"Huh?"
"What's that noise?"
They instinctively turned and saw a towering figure wielding a spiked club.
It was a bipedal cow, looking somewhat dim-witted and easy to bully.
But its speed was terrifying—in just a few breaths, it had closed the distance from far away to right in front of them!
"What the hell is that?!" Buggy exclaimed in shock.
Was this another Jailer Beast? He'd never seen this one before!
"This is the Jailer Beast that's been active on Level 4 for years—Minotaurus!!" Bon Clay cried anxiously. "It's a monster among monsters!"
He'd personally witnessed this terrifying creature beat prisoners to death—treating people like trash without an ounce of mercy!
"Is it a Devil Fruit user?"
"Not sure."
"Doesn't matter what it is." Luffy bit his thumb and declared, "Anyone who gets in my way gets punched!"
"Gear Third!"
"Whoosh~"
As Luffy activated his ability, his arm rapidly expanded until it became a massive fist the size of a Giant's.
Then Luffy leaped into the air, launching his attack at Minotaurus.
"Rubber Giant Pistol!!"
Seeing the enormous fist closing in, Minotaurus' pupils shrank as it instinctively raised its spiked club to block.
But unfortunately, Luffy's punch carried overwhelming force—far beyond what it could withstand.
"Clang!"
"Whoosh~"
"BOOM!!"
Like a cannonball, Minotaurus' massive body was sent flying toward distant prison blocks, smashing through multiple buildings before finally coming to a stop, buried beneath the wreckage.
"What the hell is this?!"
Buggy stared in shock at Luffy's gigantic fist. "Why did you get so big?!"
That fist was as large as a Giant's! Was this really something the Gomu-Gomu Fruit could do? This was insane!
"Truly astonishing."
Mr.3 also gaped at Luffy, never expecting him to unleash such a powerful technique. Was this still the Gomu-Gomu Fruit?
"Whoosh~"
"Click~"
Landing on the ground, Luffy exhaled the excess air from his body and deactivated Gear Third.
Then he turned to Buggy and explained, "Yeah, this is one of my moves—Gear Third."
"Whaaat?!"
"Why are you tiny again?!"
Buggy's eyes nearly popped out of his skull at the sight of the shrunken Luffy.
"Just a side effect. It'll wear off soon."
Luffy thought for a moment. Since he'd only been enlarged for a few seconds, the shrinking should last about the same.
"Such an adorable little Straw Hat~"
Bon Clay clasped his hands together, skipping over to Luffy with glee.
Right now, his inner maiden heart was overflowing!
"Hey, Bon-chan, stop pinching my cheeks!"
"Gyahahaha! Because you're just too cute!" Bon Clay happily lifted Luffy up and began spinning around.
But as he twirled, Luffy gradually returned to his normal size.
Bon Clay: ...
Damn. The adorable little Straw Hat was gone.
Just then, a distant explosion echoed—like the sound of boulders being sent flying.
"BOOM!!"
"Huh?"
Meiser frowned as he glanced toward the source of the noise. "That's the direction Minotaurus was sent flying."
"What the hell? Don't tell me that thing's still alive?!" Mr.3 exclaimed in disbelief.
A punch that massive should've shattered its bones. And yet, it still hadn't lost consciousness?
How... how was that even possible?!
"Never mind if it's possible or not, let's just run!" Buggy said. "I don't want to get hit by that guy's club either."
A mace that big would either kill you or leave you severely injured if it landed.
"Let's go, hurry to that Chimney Flesh."
"Right!"
The group nodded and quickly ran toward the target area, soon arriving at their destination.
"So this is the Chimney Flesh?" Luffy looked up at the towering structure.
"Yes."
Bon Clay nodded, then leaped up onto it, adding, "Remember not to use too much force, or you might fall into the blood pool and sea of fire below."
"Got it!"
After scrambling up one after another, they immediately felt the terrifying heat.
"It's way hotter in here than outside," Luffy said, panting with his tongue out.
Mr. 3 had it even worse—he felt like he was melting.
"This is agony..."
"Do we really have to go down this way?" Buggy wiped the sweat from his forehead. "This doesn't seem reliable at all."
Forget the height—just charging down through this scalding steam would burn them to death.
They weren't invincible Logia types, after all.
"If you don't want to go down this way, you can always try entering the fourth floor through the main gate."
Buggy: "..."
Go through the main gate?
He'd be hit by Magellan's venom the second he stepped in, ending up as a corpse soaked in poison.
At that thought, Buggy shook his head. "Never mind, let's just take this route."
Even if there was a risk of being burned alive, it was still better than being poisoned by Magellan.
"Gyahahaha! Once we get to the fourth floor through here, we can quickly reach the fifth floor," Bon Clay said, hands on his hips.
This massive chimney was located at the center of the fourth floor. Once they descended, they'd soon reach the gate to the fifth floor.
The thought excited Bon Clay, and he added, "When we get there, I must meet that great person!"
"That great person?"
Hearing this, Luffy asked curiously, "Who?"
Meiser also looked at Bon Clay with interest. Did this guy have an acquaintance here?
"He's the queen of Kamabakka Kingdom, the strongest okama admired by okama worldwide!" Bon Clay said excitedly. "He is... the miracle worker known as Ivankov!"
"I've wanted to meet him for so long!"
"If things go well, I hope to rescue him too."
Then he and that great person would go to the legendary Okama Kingdom together and experience true life!!
"I didn't know okama had a kingdom," Luffy said, amazed. "That's incredible."
"Gyahahaha! Of course there's a kingdom!" Bon Clay laughed heartily. "If there's a chance, I'll take you there."
"Awesome!"
Luffy grinned, already feeling a spark of anticipation for this so-called Okama Kingdom.
Unlike the cheerful pair, the expressions of Meiser and the other two were a bit more complicated.
Standing side by side, the three of them looked at Bon Clay with mixed feelings.
"Okama and all that..."
As if sharing the same thought, they sighed in unison.
"Sigh."
At that moment, the familiar footsteps sounded again, followed by a massive figure leaping in through the window.
"Whoa!"
"This guy really didn't get taken down!" Buggy exclaimed frantically. "He's way too tough!"
That punch from the Straw Hat Pirates should have been enough to finish him off!
Yet Minotaurus looked completely unharmed?
Is this what the Jailer Beasts of Impel Down are like?
"Hey, big guy." Meiser stepped forward. "You're pretty durable."
"Whoa?"
Hearing Meiser's words, Minotaurus instinctively turned his gaze toward him and raised his spiked club, intending to smash Meiser to pieces.
But before he could act, he saw a pair of terrifying eyes, instinctively sensing danger.
Unfortunately, the moment he saw those eyes, Minotaurus was already under Meiser's control. Clang!
Looking at the subdued Minotaurus, Meiser nodded in satisfaction.
Now, this incredibly durable punching bag was temporarily on their side.
"Huh?" Bon Clay glanced curiously at the now-calm Minotaurus before turning to Meiser. "What did you do?"
Why had the previously frenzied Minotaurus suddenly become so docile?
"Ah, I just hypnotized him," Meiser explained. "Now he'll fight for us—"
"Whaaat?!"
Bon Clay stared at Meiser in shock, utterly disbelieving.
He hadn't even done anything! And just like that, he hypnotized him?
This... this is some terrifying Devil Fruit ability!
If even a Jailer Beast can't resist it, then it could probably hypnotize him too!
As if struck by a sudden realization, Bon Clay instinctively hugged his arms.
Meiser: "???"
Meiser stared at Bon Clay in confusion, unsure why he was making such a strange expression.
But instinctively, Meiser felt a chill run down his spine.
"That's amazing, Meiser!" Buggy chimed in. "With this kind of firepower, our chances just got a lot better!"
This Jailer Beast had taken a hit from the Straw Hat Boy and was still alive and kicking—enough to prove its strength.
"Yeah," Meiser nodded. "I just wonder how many more of these things there are."
"Four."
Bon Clay, now composed again, answered, "I've only seen this one, but I've heard there are four Jailer Beasts in Impel Down."
"Wait, there are four of these monsters?!" Buggy's jaw dropped.
Did that mean three more powerful Jailer Beasts were waiting for them below?
The thought alone made Buggy uneasy.
"Who cares how many there are!" Luffy declared. "We'll knock 'em all out!"
Buggy: "..."
Watching Luffy's dead-serious expression, Buggy felt a headache coming on.
This guy was even more reckless than he'd imagined.
If they ran into Magellan, would he try to punch him too?
"None of that matters right now," Mr. 3 said, sticking out his tongue. "I just want to get out of here as soon as possible."
Stuck in this scorching hot area, Mr.3 felt like death would be preferable to this torment.
If possible, he wished to rescue Fire Fist Ace as quickly as possible—that way, they could leave this damned Impel Down sooner!
"Then let's move out."
With that, Meiser grinned and declared, "Everyone, hold on tight! Next stop—Scorching Hell!"
The moment he finished speaking, Meiser punched the platform beneath them with tremendous force, shattering it completely.
"BOOM!!"
As the floor fractured, a massive brick slab—several meters wide and half a meter thick—carried them all downward in a sudden plunge.
"Eh?"
"EH!!!"
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