Even though Teach's Dark-Dark Fruit could forcibly absorb and nullify various Devil Fruit abilities, he couldn't afford to be careless when facing Magellan's constant poison output.
After their initial exchange, Teach no longer dared to draw Magellan close to his position.
Magellan had seen through the nature of his gravitational attacks and had coated his entire body with virulent toxins that would guarantee contact damage.
If Teach used his attraction ability, Magellan would immediately launch wide-area venom attacks that were impossible to avoid at close range.
Although Teach knew he could resist Devil Fruit powers through Haki, he couldn't maintain that level of Armament indefinitely while fighting Magellan. This approach would likely result in mutual destruction or leave him completely exhausted.
Furthermore, Magellan was no pushover and wouldn't be easily defeated through brute force alone.
Therefore, their battle had gradually shifted from an intense initial clash into a prolonged war of endurance.
When both combatants noticed Jerry's sudden display of overwhelming power, their hearts tightened with new concern.
Magellan knew perfectly well that no Warlord support had been officially arranged for Impel Down.
Therefore, in his judgment, Jerry was an enemy rather than an ally.
As for Teach, during the Warlord meeting at Mariejois, he had already noticed Jerry's distinctly unfriendly attitude toward him.
Otherwise, he might have tried recruiting this powerful young representative of the new generation.
At this moment, watching Jerry efficiently dispatch both Crocodile and Catarina Devon, Teach sensed serious danger approaching.
Sure enough, after Jerry's figure vanished momentarily from view, Teach heard that familiar, ominous voice directly behind him.
"I've heard your Dark-Dark Fruit causes double the pain, right?"
Teach instinctively gathered his Armament Haki and spun around to block Jerry's devastating flying kick.
"You've got to be kidding me..." After sliding backward more than ten meters from the staircase, Teach quickly scanned his surroundings and opened his mouth to speak.
"Venom Demon: Hell's Judgment!"
Magellan's roar interrupted as bright crimson poison—different from his earlier purple toxins—formed a massive skeletal giant that swung enormous palms toward both Jerry and Teach.
"Magellan, what kind of move is that?!" Jerry called out instinctively while dodging with fluid grace.
This time, Teach chose not to stubbornly attempt absorption and instead leaped to the side.
Faced with Magellan's enhanced venom, Teach had no desire for further contact. Even if he wanted to absorb it, he needed to observe the technique's characteristics first—otherwise he risked actually dying here.
The floor where Jerry and Teach had been standing was corroded by the bright red poison in seconds, forming an uneven, smoking crater.
Seeing Magellan preparing another attack, Jerry immediately shot toward him, his fishing rod whistling through the air with razor-sharp precision.
With a thunderous impact, even though Magellan was surrounded by protective venom, Jerry's strike sent him flying backward.
Jerry flicked his wrist to dispel the poisonous water that had contaminated his rod, then spun around to charge at Teach once more.
Thus began a chaotic three-way melee between the combatants.
But after just a dozen exchanges, Jerry suddenly intensified his assault.
"Get out of my way, Magellan!"
With a commanding roar, a semicircular wall of water suddenly rose before Jerry, spreading rapidly outward with himself at the center.
With a tremendous crash, after blocking another wave of Magellan's crimson venom, the water barrier transformed into red droplets that scattered everywhere, creating the illusion of bloody rain in this sunless hell.
Seeing Jerry rushing toward Magellan, Teach hastily extended both hands forward. Thick black mist spread around him as he used Armament Haki to coat his body, protecting against any stray venom.
However, Teach—who had been waiting for Jerry and Magellan's confrontation to end so he could exploit an opening—suddenly felt a piercing chill rising along his spine.
This unexpected sensation made him instinctively increase his Haki output.
Although he hadn't fully grasped the situation, when Teach realized he could no longer avoid the attack from behind, he stopped hesitating. He immediately gathered his strength, spun around, and threw a devastating punch.
In that split second, Teach's response was decisively quick.
However, Jerry—who had appeared behind him like a ghost—wouldn't let this opportunity slip away.
"Water Blade: Heaven Piercer!"
With an explosive roar, as Jerry planted his feet firmly, the air around him became turbulent. In the blink of an eye, countless water streams gathered and transformed into twin dragons that coiled around his fishing rod.
Jerry moved without pause. Following his forward momentum, he struck repeatedly with the Haki-wrapped fishing rod, driving it directly toward Teach's massive torso.
Simultaneously, Teach—with his long reach and powerful build—threw a punch that couldn't be underestimated, connecting with Jerry's shoulder.
Haki erupted outward as the water dragons expanded dramatically.
Teach screamed in agony, feeling Jerry's thunderous blow penetrate the surface of his body, rush through his internal organs, and quickly branch out in multiple directions.
Teach's face contorted with pain as his massive frame was crushed by two rapidly spinning water dragons, sending him flying involuntarily into a distant cell with tremendous force.
Jerry was struck in the shoulder, forcing him to retreat more than ten meters.
But since Jerry had initiated the exchange, he managed to slightly rotate his body before impact, reducing some of the force.
Combined with his advanced Haki and natural defenses, plus his enhanced recovery ability from his fused skills, the damage wasn't severe.
"Water Blade: Torrential Strike!"
Seeing that the dust cloud where Teach had landed hadn't yet settled, Jerry immediately swung his fishing rod in a flurry of strikes, unleashing dozens of flying slashes instantly. He wanted to press his advantage and deliver a finishing blow, leaving no opportunity for his opponent to recover.
Sure enough, the slashes penetrated the debris cloud, and Teach's screams and groans remained clearly audible from within.
"Hey! Why won't you stop attacking?" Jerry called out while maintaining his assault. "I'm one of the Seven Warlords, here to provide support as promised! I've already helped you defeat the main culprits behind this uprising!"
A moment later, Jerry noticed his water clone in the distance had been destroyed. He continued his running commentary while nimbly dodging another of Magellan's attacks.
"I haven't fallen so low that I need pirates' help! The moment you broke into Impel Down without authorization, you became the enemy!" Magellan declared, showing no intention of ceasing his assault.
Seeing this stubborn response, Jerry clicked his tongue in frustration. "Tch, no good deed goes unpunished."
Observing Magellan's aggressive stance, Jerry realized that to continue attacking Teach, he would first need to defeat the warden.
Jerry looked around while continuing to dodge. "By the way, where's your Head Jailer Shiryu?"
Magellan hesitated and answered reflexively, "What business is that of yours?"
Only then did he remember that due to Shiryu's excessive bloodlust, he had originally imprisoned the Head Jailer on Level 6.
Earlier, he had indeed received communications and requests, promising to temporarily release Shiryu in hopes that he could help suppress the rebellion.
But despite the massive commotion here and the prolonged battle, there was still no sign of him.
Observing Magellan's expression, Jerry glanced at the motionless Blackbeard Pirates, turned away, and said, "It's really none of my concern. I'm just giving you a friendly reminder. Also, you should finish off this group while they're still too weak to resist. I won't keep wasting time here."
With that declaration, Jerry began withdrawing from the battle.
Time was running short. If he could eliminate Teach here, everyone would benefit. But if the traitor still managed to escape, Jerry didn't mind leaving him for Ace to handle personally.
"Oh, come on! You're attacking again? You really are like Mai Shiranui's ungrateful big brother!" Jerry shouted while flying away as he sensed another assault approaching from behind.
"Mark my words, Magellan! I'm not coming back to help you again!"
Jerry raised his hand to control a protective wall of water, completely blocking the pursuing venom, and disappeared up the staircase in the blink of an eye.
As his voice echoed through the poisoned battlefield, Jerry couldn't help but grin at his own pop culture reference. Sometimes the best way to deal with stubborn authority figures was to make a dramatic exit while having the last word.
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