Jerry understood that the newest members of the Blackbeard Pirates weren't in peak condition due to their extended imprisonment. While these escaped criminals didn't pose a serious threat to him individually, Jerry never missed an opportunity to strike while his enemies were vulnerable.
"Cough... Miss Carina, Miss Carrot (Nami in disguise), I knew you wouldn't abandon me... you went to find reinforcements," Hannibal wheezed weakly from where he lay seriously injured near the staircase. He had been awakened by the tremendous crash of San Juan Wolf's collapse. He stretched his right hand feebly toward Carina, murmured softly, then collapsed back down in exhaustion.
However, none of the combatants paid any attention to the deputy warden's words.
After Jerry's devastating takedown of San Juan Wolf, he turned his attention to the remaining Blackbeard Pirates. Though initially shocked by their crewmate's swift defeat, they quickly recovered and prepared for retaliation. Jerry readied himself for the inevitable battle.
Just as the confrontation was about to explode into violence, urgent footsteps echoed from a side corridor.
"Blackbeard!" A deep, authoritative voice boomed through the stairwell. "How dare you! You have the audacity to turn Impel Down into this chaos and release so many dangerous criminals? I will never forgive this!"
Warden Magellan's imposing figure slowly emerged from the shadows. He surveyed the devastation scattered across the stairs—the injured Hannibal, the unconscious guards, the debris of battle—and his eyes blazed with righteous fury.
"So you're Magellan, right? Zehahahaha!" Teach and his crew turned to face the newcomer with obvious fearlessness, their confidence unshaken despite their recent losses.
Magellan's gaze then shifted to Jerry and his group, who were still facing off against the Blackbeard Pirates. The warden clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes dangerously. "And you're Leviathan Jerry, aren't you? Are you part of this destruction as well?"
"Warden Magellan, we're not allied with them," Jerry replied, meeting the warden's suspicious stare. "I'm here to provide support, as requested."
However, Magellan's expression remained grim, and he raised his hands with violent intent.
"Poison Dragon!"
In an instant, three massive serpentine dragons of lethal purple venom erupted from Magellan's body. They lunged toward both the Blackbeard Pirates and Jerry's position with terrifying speed, their toxic essence rapidly covering the entire combat area.
"Look out!" Carina and the others cried out instinctively. Fortunately, they were positioned at a safe distance and remained outside the range of Magellan's indiscriminate attack.
The surviving guards positioned on the upper stairs were also spared from the warden's devastating technique.
Teach and his surrounding crew members screamed as the poison dragons engulfed them. Although Teach managed to activate his Dark-Dark Fruit powers and absorb a portion of one poisonous dragon, he still couldn't avoid being contaminated by the deadly venom.
Among the Blackbeard Pirates, only Catarina Devon managed to escape the poison dragons' attack radius through quick reflexes and feline agility.
The remaining crew members—whether they had just started moving, were attempting to reach the corner, or simply hadn't fully grasped the technique's lethal threat—found themselves unable to dodge effectively.
Wherever the poison dragons struck, agonized screams filled the air as the venom began its deadly work.
"What?" Magellan was preparing to advance when he caught sight of something unexpected.
Jerry's upright figure stood calmly within a rotating sphere of crystalline water, completely unaffected by the toxic assault.
"While your surprise attack was certainly effective, indiscriminate attacks aren't a good habit," Jerry observed with characteristic composure.
He casually tossed a dark object toward Magellan's position. "Here, I'm returning this to you."
With a heavy thud, the object hit the ground, and a weak but familiar voice immediately rang out: "Hey, my friend, be a little gentler next time."
The voice then shifted to an indignant tone: "Get lost, Magellan! You have ulterior motives and nearly killed me! Are you trying to take over my prison?"
"Hannibal?! Are you alright? Quick! Someone get medical attention! Don't die on me!" After recognizing the deputy warden's face, Magellan responded with genuine anxiety.
Apparently, the motionless Hannibal he had initially assumed was trapped behind Jerry had somehow been rescued during the chaos.
Due to his Poison-Poison Fruit powers, Magellan's entire body constantly secreted deadly toxins. He didn't dare approach Hannibal too closely, as direct contact would only accelerate the deputy warden's demise.
Jerry's intervention also snapped Sanji and the others out of their shock.
Brook spoke up first with obvious concern: "Mr. Jerry, are you unharmed?"
Chopper noticed Brook starting to step forward and quickly called out a warning: "Mr. Brook, stop right there! The ground is still covered in poison! That venom is extremely toxic—don't touch it carelessly!"
"Oh!" Brook paused mid-stride.
Looking down at the purple liquid still emitting faint, ominous vapors across the floor, he quickly retreated several steps while patting his chest in relief.
"Phew! That really startled me so badly my heart was pounding... even though I don't have a heart anymore! Yo ho ho ho!"
"This isn't the time for jokes, is it?" Zoro surveyed their surroundings with a grave expression. "If everything around us is poisonous, forget about fighting—even escaping will be problematic."
Despite Zoro's desire to personally cut down Blackbeard and his crew, practical concerns kept him focused on their primary objective.
After learning about Luffy's dire situation, he understood how precious every moment had become.
With a literal poison master now contaminating the entire battlefield, Zoro—who had been planning to deliver some choice sword strikes to the Blackbeard Pirates—temporarily abandoned that satisfying idea.
Upon hearing his assessment, everyone remembered they couldn't afford to waste any more time, and anxiety began mounting among the group.
"Don't worry," Jerry said, noticing his companions' predicament. "Leviathan isn't just a title, you know. Since they're called dragons, I can handle all of them! Even Monkey D. Dragon himself!"
He extended his left hand with a confident smirk. "Well, I suppose I can't control the dragon mentioned at the end there."
With that declaration, he crooked his finger in a beckoning gesture.
The venom flowing across the ground immediately began writhing and responding to his will. It quickly gathered into a sinuous poisonous serpent that swayed obediently beside Jerry, completely under his command.
Jerry had just discovered that Magellan's venom, once separated from the warden's direct control, could be manipulated as freely as ordinary water through his enhanced abilities.
"Incredible!" Nami and the others cheered with obvious relief, quickly moving to positions behind Jerry where they would be protected.
Witnessing this unprecedented display, both Magellan and Catarina Devon showed expressions of genuine astonishment, wariness flashing in their eyes.
Magellan was amazed by Jerry's ability to commandeer his own techniques, which gave him the uncomfortable feeling that his powers were being directly countered by someone with superior control.
Catarina had already observed Jerry effortlessly defeating San Juan Wolf—another Level 6 prisoner—with a single devastating blow.
Even accounting for San Juan Wolf's carelessness and failure to mount a proper defense, the sheer speed and destructive force Jerry had demonstrated made it clear that he was no ordinary opponent.
"Captain? Are you still breathing? Well, that's genuinely good news," Catarina called out, suddenly turning her attention to a stirring figure among the poison-affected pirates. "I thought we were about to be completely wiped out."
"I was definitely caught off guard there... Zehahahaha!"
The person struggling to his feet was none other than Marshall D. Teach himself.
Despite the venom coursing through his system and the obvious pain wracking his body, Blackbeard's characteristic laugh echoed through the stairwell as he prepared to continue the fight.