"You crazy bastard!!" Buggy roared with shark-like fury as the Blood Pool and Sea of Fire grew closer beneath them. "Are you trying to kill us all?!"
He'd been hoping to find a staircase or something to descend safely, but Meiser had simply shattered the floor instead?!
Did the word "fear" even exist in this lunatic's vocabulary?
Buggy was absolutely livid.
"This is the fastest way down, isn't it?" Meiser said calmly.
"Sure, we're descending faster—but we're also dying faster!"
"Relax, I won't let you die here."
Though they were falling directly above the Blood Pool and Sea of Fire, there was a platform not far away. They just needed to jump onto it before impact.
"Then do something already!" Buggy screamed in panic.
If they didn't act now, they'd plunge straight into the deadly hazards below—certain death for everyone!
"Ahahaha, this is so fun!"
"Huh?!" Mr.3 gaped at Luffy in disbelief. "You think this is fun?!"
Was the Straw Hat Boy completely out of his mind? They were about to die!
"Alright everyone, prepare for takeoff!" Meiser grinned.
As he spoke, a pale golden skeletal armor materialized around him. He grabbed all four of them with both hands.
Then, with a running start, Meiser leaped off the platform and landed safely on Level 4's ground.
As for the cow-like Jailer Beast?
As an awakened Zoan user, its jumping ability was absurdly powerful—it easily made the landing too.
"We're... we're saved..." Buggy exhaled in relief.
Falling into that hellscape would've been the end.
"What is this?!" Bon Clay stared in shock at the pale golden skeleton gripping him. "A... skeleton?!"
"Yeah, it's my ability."
After setting them down, Meiser scanned their surroundings. "Let's go. We need to find the entrance to Level 5."
"It's that way!" Bon Clay pointed to their right.
"How do you know so much?"
"Gyahahaha! Because I've been to Level 4 before," Bon Clay laughed.
"Then let's move."
Meiser eyed the right path. "We'll sprint to the gate at full speed."
Though he didn't know Magellan's current location, reaching Level 5 before encountering him might let them avoid a fight.
Just then, a swarm of jailers wielding Steel Tridents charged toward them from the distance.
"Targets spotted!"
"Block their path!"
"Move out!"
The fireproof-suited jailers brandished their weapons as they rushed at Luffy's group.
"Stay out of our way, you bastards!"
Luffy roared, dashing forward with fists already flying.
"Gomu-Gomu Gatling!"
"Rat-tat-tat!"
A storm of punches hammered into the jailers—no mercy shown.
"Argh!"
In just a few breaths, all the jailers blocking the path were sent flying by Luffy, with some even screaming as they plummeted into the Blood Pool and Sea of Fire below!
"Such a tragic sight," Buggy remarked, stroking his chin while watching the jailers fall. "That must hurt."
"No kidding," Bon Clay snapped, shooting Buggy an annoyed glance. "The temperature down there is lethal!"
"Enough chatter, keep moving!"
"Right!"
"Coming!"
"Mmm~"
"That sounds noisy over there," Sadie mused, placing a hand on her cheek. "Have those intruders already made it down?"
"Mmm~"
"How exciting!"
If they chose to head her way, she might finally get her hands on that unkillable punching bag!
The thought made her even more exhilarated.
Just then, a terrified jailer rushed over, shouting, "Sadie!"
"The invaders are coming this way!"
As he spoke, the jailer kept glancing fearfully behind him, as if something terrifying was in pursuit.
"Mmm~"
"That's wonderful!" Sadie cooed, covering her face with her hands.
She then drew the whip from her waist and added,
"Leave this to me. Stay back unless you want to get caught in the crossfire."
The Jailer Beasts beside her fought with reckless abandon—their wild, sweeping attacks could easily hit allies.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Seeing the Jailer Beasts brandish their weapons, the jailer paled and immediately bolted, leaving the battlefield to them.
"Mmm~"
"Here they come."
Spotting the figures emerging down the street, Sadie cracked her whip. "You kept me waiting long enough."
"My darlings, stop them!"
"ROAR!"
The three Jailer Beasts roared in unison before charging at Meiser, weapons raised.
At that moment, the cow Jailer Beast rushed in from the distance, swinging its spiked club.
"CLANG!"
"WHOOSH!"
"ROAR?"
The rhino Jailer Beast blocked with its own club, staring at its bovine counterpart in confusion. The other two beasts also looked bewildered—what was this one playing at?
"Hey, Minotaurus, what are you doing?" Sadie scolded. "Why attack your own?"
Had this one turned traitor?
Impossible. After all her training, how could a Jailer Beast betray her?
"He can't hear you right now," Meiser said.
"What do you mean?"
Sadie frowned at Meiser, clearly not understanding.
But unfortunately, he had no intention of explaining.
"How dare you ignore me?!" she hissed, her expression darkening.
"You two, forget Minotaurus—kill them instead!"
"ROAR!"
The koala and zebra Jailer Beasts nodded, then roared and charged at Meiser and the others.
"Oh no, they're coming!" Buggy shrieked. "Straw Hat Boy! Meiser! Save me!"
This behemoth was definitely not something he could defeat!
Mr.3 also stared at the two massive creatures in terror, his legs trembling uncontrollably.
"Leave it to us."
"Second Gear!"
"Zzzzt~"
Steam erupted from Luffy's body as his physical capabilities instantly skyrocketed.
Then, the man charged forward swiftly, launching an attack directly at the koala Jailer Beast.
"Gum-Gum Jet Bazooka!"
"BAM!!"
The devastating blow sent the koala Jailer Beast flying backward, blood spurting from its mouth, until it crashed into the cow Jailer Beast still brawling behind it.
"ROAR!"
The zebra Jailer Beast paid no attention to its companion being sent flying. Instead, it quickly closed in on Meiser, raising its war hammer for a crushing strike.
"CLANG!!"
The heavy hammer slammed against Meiser's arm, producing a metallic clang.
"ROAR?"
The zebra Jailer Beast's eyes flickered with confusion as it stared at Meiser, who had blocked its attack. How could such a scrawny guy withstand its blow?
"Not bad strength, big guy." Meiser grinned. "Almost got me there~"
"ROAR!"
Seemingly catching the mockery in Meiser's tone, the zebra Jailer Beast flew into a rage.
It retracted its hammer, preparing for another strike—but Meiser didn't give it the chance.
"Armament - Super Strength Fist!"
"BAM!!"
The devastating punch shattered the zebra Jailer Beast's ribs, sending it hurtling backward like a cannonball toward the massive door beside Sadie.
"BOOM!!"
The impact blasted a hole through the door and snapped the lock clean off!
"CREAK~"
As the lock broke, the door swung inward, revealing what lay beyond.
"The door actually...!"
Sadie's pupils contracted—she hadn't expected the Jailer Beast to be sent flying so effortlessly.
Was this man's strength really that overwhelming?!
If that was the case... she'd have to step in herself.
"Yahahaha, the door's open!" Buggy cheered. "Quick, let's get down there!"
"Go, go! I don't want to stay in this damn place any longer," Mr.3 said.
Once they reached an area with normal temperatures, his Devil Fruit ability would be effective again—giving him the means to protect himself!
With that thought, Mr.3 rushed after Buggy toward the door.
"Who said you could come here?!" Sadie snarled.
As she spoke, she lashed out with her whip, striking Buggy and Mr.3 squarely.
"CRACK!"
"AAAH!!"
The two screamed, clutching their faces before writhing on the ground in agony.
"That hurts!"
Listening to their cries, Sadie grinned, clearly pleased with her handiwork.
"You damn woman!" Buggy scrambled up, glaring furiously at Sadie. "How dare you whip me!"
Even if he were slashed a few times, he wouldn't get angry. But this bastard just had to use a whip... He couldn't block this thing at all!
"So what, you trash?!" Sadie's eyes turned cold. "What does it matter if I whip you? What if I whip you to death?"
Crack!
"Eek!"
Hearing the sound of the whip striking the ground, Buggy immediately recalled the pain from earlier and, without hesitation, ran toward Meiser.
"Bastard, take me with you!" Mr.3 shouted.
Crack!
"Ahh!"
Mr.3, whipped again, writhed in agony on the ground.
Why does this woman's whip hurt so much?! Mr.3 roared inwardly.
Could it be made of some special material?
Like it's mixed with Sea Stone or something!
"Alright, your turn now!" Sadie swept her gaze over the pirates present before locking onto Meiser. "I've been looking forward to capturing you, Blood-Eyed Ninja—Meiser!!"
Mmm~
An immortal punching bag... How wonderful!
Meiser: "..."
Is there something wrong with this woman's eyes?
Just then, the Koala Jailer Beast climbed back to its feet, glaring furiously at Luffy as it roared.
"GROWL!!"
"It got up already?!"
Luffy stared in surprise at the Koala Jailer Beast, clearly not expecting it to recover so quickly.
"My little pets are incredibly resilient," Sadie said. "There's no way you can kill them!"
"Go on, crush the Straw Hat Boy!"
"GROWL!!"
The Koala Jailer Beast roared and immediately charged at Luffy.
"Then I'll just have to try again!" Luffy shouted.
If one hit wasn't enough, he'd go for a second, a third!
He refused to believe he couldn't take this thing down!
"Bon Clay's joining too!"
Bon Clay struck a classic ballet pose before rushing forward alongside Luffy, engaging the Koala Jailer Beast in battle.
"Now, it's our turn," Sadie said, eyeing Meiser. "An unkillable punching bag must be amazing!"
Meiser: "???"
This woman sees me as a reusable punching bag?
What kind of lunatic is she?!
"Meiser, she's all yours!"
Seeing Sadie charging toward them, Buggy wasted no time darting aside, leaving the battlefield to Meiser.
Meiser didn't mind. He never expected much from Buggy's combat skills anyway.
At the end of the day, the guy was just a weakling with a bounty barely over ten million.
"Take this!" Sadie yelled.
As she spoke, she infused her whip with Armament Haki and lashed it viciously toward Meiser.
Armament Haki?
Seeing the Haki wrapped around her whip, Meiser frowned. She's really going all out.
The whip alone was painful enough, but now she'd reinforced it with Haki?
Is she trying to whip me to death?
Well, she did say earlier that he couldn't die from it, so holding back would be pointless.
But... he had no interest in being someone's whipping toy!
With a cold sneer, Meiser infused Haki into his hand and reached out to grab his opponent's whip!
"Clang!"
"Wha...?!"
Seeing Meiser firmly gripping her whip, Sadie's pupils constricted sharply. "He actually caught my whip? Impossible!"
She knew full well the destructive power of her whip—even Jailer Beasts couldn't withstand it when infused with Haki. Yet... this guy caught it barehanded?
As Sadie stood frozen in shock, Meiser sneered, "I wonder if you've ever been beaten before?"
As he spoke, a pale golden skeletal frame materialized around him, encasing his body.
"What?"
Sadie blinked, momentarily confused by his words. But when she saw the massive skeletal hand reaching for her, realization struck.
"You think you can catch me? Not a chance!"
Sensing danger, Sadie immediately released her whip and leaped backward. Though she didn't recognize the pale golden skeleton, her instincts screamed at her to flee. If caught, she might not survive.
She hadn't even gotten to whip this damn ninja yet—she couldn't die here!
"Trying to run?" Meiser scoffed. "You're underestimating me!"
Watching Sadie mid-air, he yanked the whip into his grasp and commanded Susanoo to seize her.
"Crunch!"
The colossal hand effortlessly caught Sadie mid-leap, crushing her in its grip.
"Ahhh!"
A pained scream tore from her throat as the pressure of Susanoo's grasp made her bones creak in protest.
Yet Meiser remained unmoved, his gaze icy.
"Damn it, let me go!" Sadie thrashed violently.
"Let you go?" He smirked. "Keep dreaming."
Glancing at the whip in his hand, Meiser already knew how to deal with her.
"What did you say?!"
Upon hearing his subordinate's report, Magellan burst out of his portable toilet. "They're already breaking into Level 5?!"
"Yes, Warden."
"Dammit, this is bad." Magellan scowled. "I didn't expect them to move this fast."
"Hannyabal, hold the fort here. I'll go eliminate those bastards!"
"Understood, you bastard Magellan—"
"Ah, I mean, Warden!"
Magellan paid no mind to Hannyabal's slip—he clearly wasn't in the mood for banter.
"Good. It's in your hands."
With that, Magellan rushed off.