บท 16: Chapter 16 : Inazuma!!
Later, in the depths of the fifth underground level,
The venom left behind by Magellan's battle began to evaporate, filling the entire floor with a reddish, poisonous mist.
"Da, da, da…"
Through the toxic haze, a figure in a gas mask slowly made his way toward the battlefield where Magellan and Buggy had fought.
This figure had a hairstyle resembling a plum blossom in a playing card, with hair that was half orange and half white.
His clothing mirrored this color scheme, and a Inazuma-shaped scar ran from his forehead to his right eye. He held a glass goblet filled with red wine, which swayed with each step.
If Buggy were present, he would immediately recognize this person as Inazuma, a cadre of the Revolutionary Army who had been hiding on the 5.5th underground floor.
Arriving at the location of the battle, Inazuma paused, his eyes scanning the area.
After a thorough search, Inazuma could not find the targets he was looking for. He shook his head slightly in frustration.
Pulling out a den-den mushi (phone bug) from his pocket, Inazuma dialed a number.
"Did the Inazuma Boy find anything?"
The phone bug spoke with an exaggerated expression.
Inazuma responded calmly, "I haven't found anything. They must have been dissolved by Magellan's venom."
The voice on the other end replied, "Well, if that's the case, there's nothing more to be done. It's a miracle they held out this long under Magellan's assault. It's normal for them to be dead. Return immediately, Inazuma Boy!"
"Understood."
Inazuma nodded but suddenly frowned.
"What's wrong, Inazuma Boy?"
The voice on the other end inquired.
Inazuma replied with concern, "I'm not sure if it's just my imagination, but I'm feeling a bit dizzy, my vision is blurred, and I think I hear some screaming."
"Inazuma Boy, you're not drunk, are you?"
The voice asked after a moment of silence.
Inazuma shook his head, "It doesn't feel like being drunk at all!"
The voice on the other end grew serious, "Return immediately! It's possible that Magellan's poison is even more potent than we thought. An ordinary gas mask might not be sufficient!"
Before the message could be fully conveyed, the den-den mushi in Inazuma's hand began to roll its eyes and foam at the mouth, indicating a problem.
Realizing that the discomfort was indeed due to Magellan's poison, Inazuma quickly shoved the phone bug back into his pocket and ran in the direction he had come from.
But after taking just a few steps, Inazuma stumbled and nearly fell to the ground!
He held his breath, overconfident in his gas mask's capabilities and having stayed in the toxic fog too long. Perhaps he had also underestimated Magellan's poison too much. Inazuma's vision grew increasingly blurry, and his head spun with dizziness!
It wasn't just the poisoning; it was also the lack of oxygen! If he breathed now, the poison would only worsen, but if he didn't, he'd struggle to move! Was he willing to gamble on escaping before losing consciousness from the poison?
Inazuma believed that his superior, Ivankov, had already arrived to rescue him after the phone call was cut off. He might have been saved if he had encountered Ivankov sooner!
A flicker of determination appeared in Inazuma's eyes as he prepared to exhale!
At that moment, a blue light suddenly flashed beneath his feet! Inazuma was stunned, and before he could react, the ground below him cracked open, and he fell uncontrollably!
The sensation of free fall didn't last long, and Inazuma landed in a tunnel! The rocks above him then closed up, sealing off the ground.
The tunnel was free of poisonous gas, and Inazuma breathed deeply, feeling relief as the dizziness subsided significantly. He quickly assessed his surroundings.
His eyes were immediately drawn to two figures—exactly the targets he had been searching for: Buggy the Clown and Mr. 3!
Mr. 3 lay unconscious with a blue face, evidently suffering from severe poisoning.
But Buggy's condition left Inazuma in shock! Buggy was sprawled in a pool of blood, his body a gruesome mess from head to toe. His clothes and skin appeared to have been dissolved by venom, revealing his muscle structure in stark detail.
Worse, Buggy was covered in wriggling flesh buds, as though fighting something within him!
Inazuma couldn't fathom the excruciating pain Buggy must be enduring right now!
What astonished Inazuma even more was that Buggy's eyes were bright with consciousness. Despite the agony, he hadn't made a sound!
"Ina"
Inazuma looked at Buggy, his mouth opening as if to speak, but no words came out. He was in awe of Buggy's sheer determination. What Inazuma didn't realize was that Buggy's continued consciousness came at an excruciating price.
Buggy was on the brink of collapsing, but the relentless pain was keeping him awake, making it impossible for him to faint even if he wished to. The agony was so intense that he didn't even have the strength left to scream.
Using the Chop-Chop Fruit to save Inazuma had drained Buggy of his remaining energy. Now, he felt as if he couldn't even breathe, let alone cry out in pain.
"Your vitality is truly remarkable!" Inazuma noted, sensing that Buggy was beyond the point of speaking. With a sigh, he turned his attention back to their surroundings.
This area was familiar; he had been here before. It was part of the 5.5 underground floor.
"I'll go back and get help!" Inazuma announced. Staggering toward their base camp, he was in no better condition himself and needed urgent medical attention. He also intended to summon Ivankov to assess Buggy's condition.
As Buggy watched Inazuma disappear into the distance, he felt a sense of calm settle over him. His last-ditch effort to save Inazuma had been driven by the hope of receiving aid.
Earlier, when Magellan had used the poison giant to strike down, Buggy had seized the opportunity to use his Chop-Chop Fruit ability to transport himself and Mr. 3 underground.
Although they had escaped, Buggy's body was left severely corroded by Magellan's poison.
Despite his harrowing state, Buggy could feel his vitality not diminishing but actually growing stronger. The toxins remained because his body lacked the necessary energy to cleanse itself. In other words, Buggy was in desperate need of nutrients.
With proper nourishment, he could recover swiftly. That's why Buggy had gone to such lengths to save Inazuma.
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