This order made the guard freeze for a moment.
"Warden, the entire Impel Down is already in chaos."
"The first and second levels haven't been affected yet."
"Shouldn't we suppress the prisoners first?"
"Idiot!"
Magellan snapped immediately.
At this moment, he had finally finished dealing with his earlier issue.
"Do you really think I can capture all the prisoners alone when those from the fourth and fifth levels have already escaped?"
"If I go east, the prisoners in the west, south, and north will escape. If I go west, the others will escape. The same applies no matter which direction I choose."
"This is a full-scale uprising across the entire prison."
He paused, then continued coldly.
"But Impel Down is still an isolated fortress in the middle of the sea."
"As long as I guard the main gate on Level One, the exit from the prison… where do you think they can run?"
The guard's eyes lit up.
"I see!"
"As expected of the Warden!"
"This level of strategy… only someone like Sengoku could compare!"
"I'll carry out the order immediately!"
"Wait."
Magellan stopped him again.
A thoughtful look flashed across his face before he gave another command.
"Send people to shut the Gates of Justice."
"Ah?"
The Gates of Justice were the only passage connecting this region of the sea to the outside world.
"Is that really necessary?"
"Your strength rivals an Admiral."
"Just follow orders."
Magellan didn't explain further.
His expression turned grim.
Since its construction, only one person had ever escaped Impel Down — the legendary Shiki, and even he had paid the price of losing both legs.
That was the kind of place Impel Down was, a prison akin to the realm of death itself.
And yet…
Magellan felt uneasy.
A strange sense of danger lingered in his mind, as if something beyond his control was about to happen.
He wasn't someone who relied on intuition.
But this time, he was certain.
If the Gates of Justice were not closed, Impel Down might trigger a world-shaking catastrophe.
Level Two of Impel Down
Renji finally regrouped with Monkey D. Luffy.
By Luffy's side stood a surprisingly powerful lineup.
Emporio Ivankov from Kamabakka Kingdom, Inazuma, former Baroque Works agents Mr. 1 and Bentham, and many others had gathered.
Not only that, there were dozens of fighters at the level of Supernovas, and the total number of escapees had reached ten thousand.
With such a lineup, even the full Whitebeard Pirates would need time to deal with them.
Luffy and Buggy had technically completed the task Renji gave them.
But this scale of chaos, practically tearing apart the entire prison, left Renji speechless.
"What exactly did you two do?"
The moment he spoke, Luffy and Buggy immediately started blaming each other.
"It's all this idiot Luffy's fault, he insisted on—"
"It's Buggy's fault! He—"
They began arguing on the spot.
Renji pressed his forehead in frustration.
He already knew these two were unreliable.
Originally, his plan was to stay hidden at least until reaching Level Two. Once discovered, they would rush out, seize a Marine warship, and escape.
But according to their explanation, the riot had already started on Level Five.
Still… it wasn't all bad.
At least the main objective was achieved, and they had even rescued a heavyweight like Ivankov.
Not exactly ideal, but acceptable.
"Renji."
Ivankov looked at him seriously.
Though imprisoned for a long time, Ivankov had already learned Renji's identity from Luffy and had no objections to his leadership.
"Something's wrong with Impel Down."
"The riot started on Level Five, yet the guards didn't come down to suppress it."
"Instead, they're moving upward."
Ivankov's expression sharpened.
"If I'm right, Magellan has realized he can't stop a breakout of this scale."
"He's planning to make his stand at Level One."
"And with his Devil Fruit… once he guards the gate, breaking through won't be easy."
Renji nodded.
"I was thinking the same."
He paused briefly.
"But we don't have the luxury of overthinking this."
"We move step by step."
"First, free the prisoners on Level One. If the guards can gather, then so can the prisoners."
With that, Renji took the lead and charged straight toward Level One.
The true breakout… was about to begin.
Monkey D. Luffy and Buggy followed closely behind Renji.
On both flanks, Jinbe, Crocodile, and Emporio Ivankov spread out, guarding against ambushes from prison guards.
When they reached Level One, everyone immediately began freeing prisoners.
Impel Down was massive, but the largest population was concentrated on the first level. It was so crowded it could barely contain everyone.
In an instant, Renji's force expanded fivefold.
From ten thousand… to fifty thousand.
And these weren't ordinary criminals. They were all powerful individuals the World Government had no choice but to imprison.
"Just as expected."
At the exit of Impel Down, Magellan stood waiting.
Behind him were all the high-ranking officers of Impel Down, along with the Jailer Beasts.
Around the main gate, nearly thirty thousand guards stood in formation.
It was clear.
They had no intention of letting anyone escape.
Through the windows near the gate, the ocean outside was visible.
And beyond it… a colossal gate stretching between sea and sky was slowly closing.
"Not good!"
Ivankov's expression changed instantly.
"That's the Gates of Justice!"
"If it closes, even if we defeat Magellan, we won't be able to reach Marineford!"
Renji's pupils shrank.
For the first time, tension appeared on his face.
"I see."
"In that case… there's no need to hold back."
"Kill them."
Killing intent surged.
Renji no longer held anything back.
Armament Haki wrapped around his entire body, and cracks of power began spreading across his fists.
The unmistakable force of the Gura Gura no Mi.
"Quake power…?!"
Magellan's expression shifted in shock.
But only for a moment.
He quickly regained his composure.
As the warden of Impel Down, he was deeply familiar with the most dangerous figures in the world.
And Renji…was one of the names he had been watching most closely.
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