"This is my justice. I will never allow anyone to pass under my watch while I am alive."
Magellan looked at Mizuchi with absolute seriousness. From his expression, it was clear he wasn't speaking some lofty principle—this was the pure, unfiltered truth of his heart.
"You are a worthy opponent. I am willing to unleash my full strength to defeat you."
Mizuchi, moved by Magellan's resolve, strode through the poisonous mist with solemn determination, stopping directly in front of him.
"From here on… you might… die!"
Silently, Mizuchi pulled out a loaded Devil Fruit card—the Venom-Venom Fruit / Doku Doku no Mi—and stood calmly, his gaze fixed on Magellan.
"My justice is worth defending with my very life!"
Magellan showed no hesitation. He knew Mizuchi was powerful, so this wasn't posturing; every word came from his genuine conviction.
"Good! This is my strongest form right now. I hope… you survive."
After standing silently for thirty seconds, Mizuchi carefully inserted a Devil Fruit card into his device.
"Glint-Glint Fruit (Sweet-Sweet Fruit, Split-Split Fruit, Venom-Venom Fruit amplification) loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds."
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Sweat the size of soybeans poured from Mizuchi's head like a torrential rain.
The power of fused Devil Fruits was immense, but the more fruits fused, the greater the strain on his body. Mobilizing this strength was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Come on!"
Mizuchi's eyes widened as he shouted toward Magellan.
"Poison Gas Bomb!"
Magellan inhaled sharply and expelled a fist-sized poison gas bomb in Mizuchi's direction.
"Yata Mirror!"
Reacting instantly, Mizuchi transformed into light. His body was completely unaffected by the poison as he leapt above Magellan.
"Flash Kick!"
A brilliant yellow light flashed. Mizuchi raised his left leg high and slammed it heavily into Magellan's shoulder.
"Ka! Ka! Ka!"
The grating sound of falling stone echoed as the contact point on Magellan's shoulder began rapidly petrifying.
"This is Boa Hancock's ability… I didn't expect you could fuse multiple Devil Fruits' powers. You're even more dangerous than I imagined."
After his right shoulder was petrified, Magellan immediately liquefied his body to recover. A thin mist erupted from his feet, spreading rapidly to envelop Mizuchi's form once again.
"Useless. Your poison no longer affects me!"
Mizuchi ignored Magellan's maneuver. With a successful strike, he transformed his legs into hands, releasing faint crimson smoke from his palms, which Magellan inhaled.
"Feel your heart race!"
With a sharp cry, Mizuchi crossed his hands over his chest and leapt onto Magellan's head.
"Yata Jewel!"
A dazzling golden light erupted. Countless projectiles, too fast for the naked eye, rained down upon Magellan.
These radiant bullets were not only devastating, but thanks to the Sweet-Sweet Fruit fusion, any enemy they touched would immediately petrify. The sheer destructive power was enough to instill terror in any opponent.
"Ah… ah! Ah! Ah!"
The dense barrage enveloped Magellan, and rising dust clouds obscured his figure.
"Stop struggling. Keep this up, and you really will die!"
Mizuchi heard Magellan's roars from within the dust. He knew the Warden hadn't submitted; Magellan was enduring the petrifying assault, torturing himself to avoid complete stone transformation.
No matter what choice Magellan made, he faced dire consequences.
"You… are strong! But… I… won't let you… pass… here!"
As the dust cleared, Magellan emerged, battered and bleeding. His demon horns were broken, and his body was covered in blood.
Even someone as formidable as Magellan had reached his limits.
"What a terrifying and admirable opponent. But in the end, an opponent is just that—keep pushing, and you'll find only death ahead."
Mizuchi respected Magellan's resolve, but he had his own justice to uphold.
"Director Magellan, leave this to me. Go deal with the Straw Hat kids!"
Just as Magellan, gravely injured, prepared to use his life to block Mizuchi, a tall man with fluffy hair, a netted visor on his forehead, and a pristine white cloak gliding over the ice, slid in front of them.
"Marine Headquarters Admiral Aokiji! How is he here?"
Mizuchi was puzzled. Aokiji shouldn't have appeared at Impel Down.
What Mizuchi didn't know was that his identity hadn't yet been fully verified, which allowed Sengoku to send Aokiji.
"Admiral Kuzan… his power is terrifying. Not only can he copy other Devil Fruits' abilities, but he can also fuse multiple Devil Fruits. You must be careful!"
Seeing Aokiji, Magellan finally relaxed slightly. He was on the brink of collapse; without Aokiji, he might have truly died at Mizuchi's hands.
"I understand. Rest and heal. The Straw Hat kids are nearing the fourth level. I'll handle this."
Aokiji's face remained cold as he turned to Mizuchi.
The Ice-Ice Fruit wielder was among the top combatants in the entire Marine Headquarters—one of the strongest assets of the Navy.
"I didn't expect to meet you here… I—"
Mizuchi began speaking, but blood suddenly spurted from his mouth. Fusing four Devil Fruits placed an enormous strain on his body.
"You've reached your limit too, D! Kizaru might go easy on you, but I… will not!"
Aokiji's body emitted countless ice shards. Thousands of ice blocks rapidly formed like a golden sandstorm and attacked Mizuchi. The ice froze everything it touched, even scorching heat instantly turned to ice.
"Yata Mirror!"
Facing this formidable enemy, Mizuchi wasted no time. He instantly moved at light speed and leapt high into the air, away from the ground.
"Ka! Ka! Ka!"
The harsh sound of cracking spread as the scorching floor instantly plunged into freezing cold.
"Is this the power of a Marine Admiral? Who could possibly stand against such overwhelming strength?"
In the monitoring room, the jailers stared at the Den Den Mushi screens showing Level 4 combat. They were awestruck, constantly exclaiming in admiration.