"Damn moss-head... Usopp! Go intercept him from that direction!"
After chasing through several corridors, Sanji noticed that Zoro was about to turn left and immediately shouted to Usopp behind him.
"Forget it, no need for such complicated tactics. Let me handle this," Jerry said calmly after locking onto Zoro's breath and position.
A determined gleam flashed in his eyes. To avoid being dragged into an endless chase, he decided not to follow this directionally-challenged swordsman any longer.
As soon as he finished speaking, Jerry extended his left hand and clenched his fist in the air.
"CRASH!" A muffled impact echoed from around the corner ahead, followed by a series of screams and chaotic shouting.
"Alright, let's move," Jerry nodded to his companions as they rushed forward together.
"Hey, big brother, it seems your sense of direction isn't too good. We've been running for ages but haven't reached the upper level... and now we're surrounded by this mysterious water wall," one prisoner complained while lying on the ground holding his forehead.
Around him, a group of other escapees were also sprawled across the floor.
They had been knocked down when Jerry manipulated the water to create a barrier wall.
Zoro ignored the prisoners who had insisted on following him. With his hands and feet still shackled, he stood in place, observing the rising walls of water in front and around him, lost in thought.
He could have sworn he'd just heard a certain perverted cook's voice...
Sure enough, moments later, that familiar voice rang out from behind him again: "You directionally-challenged moss-head! Why were you running?! Didn't I tell you to stop?"
"Hm?" This time, Zoro was certain he wasn't hallucinating.
He immediately spun around and instinctively shouted back, "Why are you everywhere, you perverted cook? Did you get arrested too? You deserved it! Always chasing after women!"
"Ha! You'll be disappointed to hear this," Sanji casually reached into his chest pocket and instinctively moved to put something in his mouth, only to realize he was holding a rose instead of a cigarette.
"Tch, you come to a place like this carrying a rose. Who's your latest obsession, swirly-brow?" Regardless of how or why Sanji had arrived, Zoro's first instinct was to insult him as a matter of principle.
Sanji recalled his current disguise, tucked the rose back into his chest, and looked at Zoro with disdain. "Well, it's definitely not for you, idiot. Besides, you're the one who needed us to rescue you. Let's go!"
As he spoke, Sanji tossed the Wado Ichimonji he had been carrying to Zoro.
The sword had been specifically retrieved by Sanji when they were cleaning up after the battle at Long Ring Long Land.
"Good, we found our target. Change into these clothes and let's begin our retreat."
Jerry maintained the water wall to block the view of surveillance Den Den Mushi positioned throughout the area while casually tossing Zoro a set of clothes.
He nodded to Brook, and both of them flashed forward simultaneously.
"AHHHHH!" Countless screams rang out almost in unison.
Jerry and Brook knocked out all the prisoners who had been following Zoro in an instant, rendering them completely unconscious.
Noticing Jerry and Brook's swift actions, Zoro's eyes finally focused on Brook's cane sword, and he murmured, "You two... I feel like I've seen you somewhere before?"
"Don't worry about that now. Hurry up—we need to retreat! Luffy is still waiting for us!" Sanji pointed at the clothes Jerry had thrown and urged him to change quickly.
After Zoro had changed into his disguise, Jerry's group ignored the unconscious prisoners around them and headed directly toward where Carina and the others were positioned.
Along the way, Sanji quickly whispered explanations of their mission and the current situation to Zoro.
However, before they reached their destination, they spotted Carina and the other two running toward them from the distance.
"Did you rescue him? That's wonderful! Come on, we need to leave immediately. A group just arrived over there—Blackbeard Teach and his crew, along with some dangerous-looking escapees," Carina said urgently as the two groups converged. Nami and Chopper nodded emphatically in agreement.
Upon seeing Zoro dressed in a skeleton-themed coat as part of his Skull disguise, Nami immediately handed over a large bundle of keys from her backpack. "Here, I grabbed these during the chaos. Hopefully, some of them will work."
After quickly testing numerous keys, Zoro fortunately found the correct ones and successfully unlocked all the shackles binding his body.
"You're talking about the group from before, right?" The first thing Zoro did after freeing himself was narrow his eyes and question Nami.
Before she could finish responding, a tremendous roar echoed from ahead of them.
Jerry immediately activated his Observation Haki and detected that the commotion was coming from the staircase leading to Level 3.
A cold smile crossed his lips as he stepped forward and began moving quickly.
"Let's go. We have to head up there anyway, so we might as well meet them first."
Everyone exchanged glances before following Jerry's lead.
None of them harbored any goodwill toward the Blackbeard Pirates.
However, aside from Jerry, Brook, Sanji, and Zoro, the others felt somewhat hesitant.
After spending these recent days together, Nami and the rest had fully realized the formidable strength of Blackbeard and his crew.
Moreover, the group had apparently added several new members who were obviously dangerous at first glance—prisoners rescued from the deeper levels by Teach and his allies.
With time becoming increasingly critical, Nami and the others had initially planned to evacuate as quickly as possible to avoid unnecessary confrontations.
It was thanks to the chaos caused by Teach's group that Carina and her team had been able to obtain the keys during the confusion.
But the current situation made it clear that both groups were destined to encounter each other.
After all, aside from the route reserved for Impel Down staff, there was only one main staircase in the prison.
"Zehahaha! You can't stop us!"
As they approached and were about to round the corner, Teach's arrogant laughter could be clearly heard.
"Well, well. Blackbeard really is causing quite a mess," Jerry commented as he was the first to emerge from around the corner. He glanced at the devastation wrought upon Impel Down's forces.
On the spacious staircase, hundreds of guards and jailers lay scattered across the ground in complete disarray, with broken weapons and debris scattered everywhere.
Obviously, Impel Down had assembled a significant military force with various weapons to resist the intruders.
Judging from the current situation, they had been no match for the Blackbeard Pirates—even Deputy Warden Hannibal was lying motionless on the ground.
Hearing Jerry's observation, Blackbeard and his crew suddenly spun around to stare at the newcomers.
"Leviathan? What are you doing here?" Teach appeared stunned and confused.
His gaze then shifted to Sanji, Usopp, and the others following Jerry, and his bewilderment only increased.
At this point, Teach had no knowledge of the relationship between Jerry and the Straw Hat crew members.
"First of all, why I'm here is none of your business," Jerry raised his right hand and extended his index finger.
He then raised a second finger and continued calmly, "Second, you're blocking my path."
Before he finished speaking, Jerry's figure vanished instantly.
When he reappeared, he was already positioned in front of San Juan Wolf's massive, mountain-like torso.
"Water Dragon Fist!"
Under the astonished gazes of the Blackbeard Pirates, Impel Down's surviving conscious personnel, and Zoro's group, Jerry unleashed a tremendous water dragon that pierced through the confused San Juan Wolf's abdomen with devastating force.
"GAAAHHH!" San Juan Wolf's eyes bulged as blood erupted from his mouth.
"CRASH!" The thunderous impact and shockwave spread throughout the area like a localized earthquake.
His mountain-sized body collapsed with a deafening crash, making the already crowded staircase space—packed with assembled prison forces—even more congested.
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