บท 22: Magellan Arrives!

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Kai grabbed his Glintstone Staff, his body heavy with exhaustion that pulled him into the marrow of his bones. His body ached from battle after relentless battle, his flask of Crimson Tears almost completely dry. He could feel the last bit of energy left in the flask pulsating through him, yet he knew there wasn't much left within. As he fixed his gaze upon the Jailor Beasts standing menacingly ahead of them, his resolve hardened.

"I'm almost out of flasks," Kai muttered, his lips twisting wryly. "But so be it. We're close now." The eyes flashed with resolution as he lifted his staff, chanting in a spell with what little magic remained in him.

"Glintstone Arc!" Kai exclaimed, casting a wave of shimmering blue energy off his staff. The arcing magic flew through the air, striking into the head of the Jailor Beasts. They crowded into one place, their grotesque forms stared menacingly, but Kai's spell rent the air and hit all of them at once.

The Jailor Beasts recoiled under that, but the actual damage was slight. The strike had merely grazed their thick hides. Kai clenched his teeth, his chest tightening up in frustration. "Too bad I still don't have powerful sorceries," he thought, "otherwise all of you would witness the true Elden Lord."

Of course, this was hardly effective, but it proved to be an opportunity to give the rest of the group a chance to get moving. Jinbe stepped forward, casting a shadow over the battlefield; beside him was Luffy, his fists clenched and eyes burning with determination.

"Let's end this!" Luffy yelled, shouting loud as he charged into the corridor.

"Gomu Gomu no. GIGANT STAMP!" Luffy roared, inflating his fist to enormous proportions as he leaped into the air, bringing it down with incredible force onto one of the Jailor Beasts. The beast let out a deafening roar as it crumpled under the power of Luffy's strike, the stone floor cracking beneath the impact.

Of course, Jinbe would never let himself be outdone and bunched his fists, ready to strike with an attack of his own. "Fish-Man Karate. Gosenmaigawara Seiken!" The smooth but forceful motion of the strike from Jinbe cut the air like a cannon, sending a surging shockwave of water towards the nearest Jailor Beast. The result was just too devastating-the power crushed into the chest of the monster and sent it flying backward.

The Jailor Beasts, monstrous in nature, could not take the combined might of Luffy and Jinbe. The beasts fell one after another, with all the continuous attacks falling upon them. The fists of Luffy were flying around like blurs, each packed full of raw power, while Jinbe's Fish-Man Karate devastated their opponents with surges of water through the air like a storm.

Kai watched in awe, his staff lowered as he took in the sight. The naked display of power before him was staggering, each named attack a force of nature, unstoppable and overwhelming. "A little more., " Kai thought as his heart began to race, having watched the scene before him of Jinbe and Luffy trample through everything on the battlefield. "And I'll be there."

Yet as the last Jailor Beast fell, its body hitting the earth with a sickening thud, Kai felt a strange sensation in his chest. There was the familiar notification of his system in his mind, the soft chime of runes being awarded to him for the defeated enemies. The runes flooded into him, but instead of excitement, he felt a pang of disappointment.

He hadn't been the one to deliver the finishing blow. He hadn't earned those victories through his own strength. The power streaming into him could not get rid of the dissatisfaction that had occupied his mind.

"The runes are mine. but the glory isn't," Kai thought as his grip started to tighten on his staff. He glanced at Jinbe and Luffy; the latter had an unmistakably triumphant look on their faces as they stood over the fallen beasts. "I want to be the one standing there. to take them down myself.."

But deep inside, Kai knew he wasn't quite there yet. His magic was small, his body still too weak compared to these titans. Not yet ready to take on such caliber of enemies for his own. Not yet.

Jinbe turned to him with a nod of respect. "We did great, but that doesn't mean we must stop. Let's move."

Despite the battle, Luffy still had his energetic vibes going and gave Kai a big, wide grin. "Almost there, Kai! C'mon! Let's go save Ace!"

The echoes of the battle, as if through cacophonous ululations, became confined to the dark halls of Level 2 in Impel Down, residuals still hanging in the air from the clash of Jinbe, Luffy, and Kai with the Jailor Beasts. A group of prisoners, hiding behind broken walls and debris, watched the whole affair with eyes wide with amazement.

"Look, Captain Buggy!" one of the prisoners said in awe, tugging at the flamboyant pirate's sleeve. "They defeated the Jailor Beasts... No one's ever done that before!"

Buggy the Clown, his blue hair standing up in his signature fashion, blinked rapidly and looked around, his eyes landing on the figures ahead. He squinted through the dust and chaos, and then his jaw dropped in astonishment. There, at the forefront of the group, was none other than Monkey D. Luffy, sprinting ahead with that same carefree, relentless energy.

"Impossible." Buggy stuttered, eyes wide in almost a comical fashion. "Straw Hat is alive? how is he not dead yet?!"

Besides him, Mr. 3 pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his eyes following as Jinbe, Luffy, Kai and the rest pressed on, deeper into the Impel Down levels, crushing through in a swath of chaos and steel. The mob of prisoners that had gathered around Buggy and Mr. 3 began to murmur excitedly to one another, emboldened at the very sight of Luffy and his crew cutting down Impel Down's defenses.

"Captain Buggy," one prisoner shouted in astonishment, "aren't these your followers? Of course, it all makes sense! You are a genius-we knew you had a plan all along, but this is just too great!"

Now the prisoners were all but abuzz, regarding Buggy with the same eyes one would look upon the genius of an elaborate scheme for jailbreak. The lively praise snapped him out from the shock caused by Luffy's very much alive appearance.

"Uh. y-yeah, of course they are!" Buggy stood tall and sucked in his gut with an overdone show of confidence. "Obviously! Those guys are just following my orders-I'm Captain Buggy, after all! I planned this entire escape down to the smallest detail!" He let out a loud, theatrical boom of laughter, the sound echoing off the stone walls.

Kai watched this unfold before him from a short distance away, his eyes rolling in deep annoyance. "His followers?" Kai thought. Buggy, the fumbling loud-mouthed pirate that hardly made it through half the time, actually managed to convince these prisoners that he was in charge of this whole operation? Kai crossed his arms and shook his head. "If anything goes wrong, we'll just place all the blame on him."

As if he had heard Kai's inner thoughts, Buggy turned to the crowd of inmates hanging on to his every word. "Listen up!" Buggy declared, making a dramatic pose. "We're going to escape all together! If you stick with me-Captain Buggy-in no time you'll be out! Let's move to Level 1 and get out of this nightmare once and for all!"

"Captain Buggy we will follow you to the very end!" one cheer of prisoners rose.

"We always knew you had a plan, Captain! This is incredible!"

"Lead us to freedom!"

With that, Buggy and Mr. 3 also joined the ranks of the huge horde of prisoners as their motley crew grew, surging in a forward motion so as to follow Luffy, Jinbe, Crocodile, Kai, and others up ahead to head to the next level. There was tension and excitement in the air as the prisoners started rallying behind Buggy, convinced he was leading them toward freedom.

Still looking around at the chaos, Kai shook his head in utter disbelief. "Unbelievable. these idiots actually think Buggy's in charge". Kai sighed and slightly smirked at the outrageous situation. "If something goes wrong, then he is the perfect scapegoat," Kai thought, shifting his focus back to the task at hand.

The air promptly grew tense with the footsteps of the prisoners rushing and echoing against cold stone halls as they surged forward into Impel Down. They were now so near to the entrance on Level 1, with the promise of freedom almost at their fingertips. Desperate shouts, rattling feet, and the occasional distance of alarms filled the air. Kai could feel the pressure rise in the pit of his stomach.

Then, out of the horde behind them, a deep and menacing voice cut through the sound like a blade:

"Hydra!"

Kai's eyes went wide, and his heart jolted. He turned around in time to see this huge, dragon-like attack—a twisted serpent of purple venom—cutting across the air. Twisting and coiling like some sort of animal, it struck the back of the horde of prisoners and sent them flying. The prisoners shrieked as venom seared through their bodies, the noxious mist spreading rapidly through the enclosed area.

Other prisoners were spinning around in terror, their eyes glued on the deadly spectacle at their back. Panic spread like fire.

"Shit!" Kai cursed under his breath, his heart racing. "The bastard's already here!" The venomous Hydra-a signature attack of Magellan, the dreaded Warden of Impel Down-had just been let loose. And it would only be a question of time before the man himself caught up to them. For that said attack, Hydra was intimidating; a glimpse of it could easily send chills down the spine of any of those escaping prisoners.

"We need to keep moving! NOW!" Kai barked to the crowd, urgency in every word.

The prisoners were already scattering, pushing forward, but the chaos in the back of the group had rattled them. Some hesitated, turning back as if considering fighting Magellan. Others just froze, paralyzed in terror.

Kai gritted his teeth. They had no time to waste on hesitation. He looked over the sea of heads, finally spotting Mr. 3, who was recklessly running around near Buggy.

"Mr. 3!" Kai yelled, pushing through the prisoners running about in a panic. "Can you block the way from behind us with your wax?!"

Mr. 3 looked around at Kai in confusion, his eyes wide in panic. "Uh. y-yes, I can—?!"

Kai seized him by the shoulders, shaking him as his voice went low and urgent. "Then DO IT!" His eyes were ablaze with intensity as he spoke-their gleam a mirror of the desperate situation.

"NOW!" Kai barked, his voice whipping through chaos.

Mr. 3 nodded, his body acting on instinct. His hands began to glow as he summoned his wax powers. "Wax Wax: Candle Wall!" he yelled, bringing his hands down in a hammer motion. A massive wall of thick, white wax bubbled up from the ground behind them, blocking the path. It hardened almost instantly into a concrete-like barrier that would definitely give them much-needed time.

"That should hold him for a bit," Mr. 3 muttered, beads of sweat trickling down his face. His hands were shaking slightly, from exhaustion and the fear that always seized him when having to engage in direct battle with Magellan.

Kai let his breath out in a wave of relief. Good job, he said, nodding once to Mr. 3 before looking at the crowd again. "Everybody, keep going! That's not going to last forever!"

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