"Although this level is considered awakening, it should be more like half-awakening," Bullet grinned coldly.
If Magellan had truly awakened his Devil Fruit, he would've been able to utilize this level of poison from the very beginning, without the need to accumulate energy or prepare. It was clear—Magellan had only reached the level of a partial awakening.
To reach full awakening, an opportunity was still required.
Of course, these details were meaningless to Bullet.
Buzz.
A purple halo erupted from Bullet's body, instantly spreading outwards.
Bullet, a Superhuman-type Fusion-Fusion Fruit user, had long developed his abilities to the point of awakening. With his power, he could create colossal weapons or armor by fusing inorganic matter around him—scrap iron, rubble, or even machinery. In the area covered by the halo, anything that could be fused was drawn toward him at incredible speed.
Within seconds, the mass of material began wrapping around Bullet's form.
In the blink of an eye, a towering war machine was born—a steel giant nearly 20 meters tall. With a loud clang, the entire machine was instantly coated in Armament Haki, giving it a terrifyingly durable exterior.
"Come on!"
Bullet grinned and launched a heavy punch.
"Go to hell, you bastard!" Magellan roared, matching the motion with his own. His venomous skeletal giant, formed by his Devil Fruit, mirrored his punch.
BOOM.
The clash of giants sent out a devastating shockwave. As the steel war machine collided with the venomous giant, deadly toxins spread instantly across Bullet's war machine.
But—
"Heh, this level of poison is useless," Bullet sneered.
With another clang, the coating of Armament Haki on the war machine intensified. Despite the venom creeping over the entire construct, it failed to corrode even an inch of the armor.
Unless Magellan's poison could completely penetrate that Haki layer, it was useless.
He would need to breach not only the hardened Haki armor but also the dense metallic layers of the war machine itself to even lay a finger on Bullet hiding within.
"Damn it…" Magellan's expression darkened. He hadn't expected Bullet's defense to be this formidable.
"I'll hold you back as long as I can," Magellan muttered, sweeping his eyes across the chaotic third floor.
Then—
"Hell… Judgment!"
A roar echoed through the level.
From the toxic skeleton giant, bright red venom exploded outward, raining over the area. Magellan knew he couldn't defeat someone of Bullet's caliber alone.
Though dutiful to a fault, Magellan was no fool.
The best he could do now was to buy time—eliminate as many lower-level pirates as possible before reinforcements from the Navy arrived. As for top-tier monsters like Bullet and the Red Earl, he could only stall until help came.
"Run!"
"That poison'll kill you on contact!"
"Damn Magellan!"
Panic broke out. The pirates screamed and scattered in terror.
"Bullet," the Red Earl said calmly, dodging sprays of venom with ease. "Let's wrap this up. The Navy is coming."
The Red Earl's Observation Haki was legendary. Even without intensive training, his Haki naturally sharpened as he aged. It didn't just cover vast areas—it could peer into hearts, intentions, and even faint shifts in killing intent.
That overwhelming awareness was one of the reasons the Red Earl often distanced himself from others.
Hearing his words, Bullet narrowed his eyes. He understood the Red Earl's power and trusted his judgment without question.
"In that case," Bullet said slowly, a cold glint in his eye, "Let's end it."
Buzz.
The purple halo flared again.
Bullet activated the Fusion-Fusion Fruit once more, and the halo expanded further. More debris, scrap, and metal rushed toward him, fusing into the already colossal war machine. It grew larger, bulkier—but still fully coated in that impenetrable Haki armor.
Boom.
Without hesitation, Bullet launched another devastating punch straight at Magellan.
He couldn't afford to let Magellan wipe out too many of the cannon fodder pirates. They were important—useful distractions when the Navy arrived.
"Damn it…" Magellan growled, stepping up to meet the blow.
The venomous giant struck back, fists dripping with toxins that lashed out with every movement, injuring pirates in the surrounding chaos.
Another massive collision.
But this time—
"What!?"
Magellan's eyes widened.
The sheer force of Bullet's punch shattered the arm of his venomous giant, reducing it to a splatter of poisonous liquid.
Before Magellan could recover, Bullet's next punch landed cleanly on the giant's chest.
BOOM!
The skeleton shattered completely, poison spraying in every direction as Magellan was hurled out from the disintegrating figure.
The Red Earl's eyes narrowed.
In a blur, he disappeared.
He reappeared midair, just as Magellan crashed into the ground. The prison chief's eyes shot open, reacting just in time to enshroud himself in a fresh coat of red venom.
But the Red Earl didn't falter.
His Armament Haki surged, coating his entire arm in obsidian black. With an open palm, he grabbed Magellan's head and slammed it brutally into the ground.
BOOM!
The floor cracked like glass under the impact.
Magellan's venom did nothing to the Red Earl.
And then—another blow.
The Red Earl slammed his head down again, cracking the floor further, spider-webbing fractures through the stone.
Suddenly, a roaring gust tore through the air.
The Red Earl looked up, eyes locked on the war machine's enormous fist hurtling toward him.
He vanished from the spot instantly.
Boom!!
The war machine's punch landed, burying Magellan's unconscious body into the floor.
The entire third floor trembled violently. A thick cloud of dust erupted and spread through the prison level like a sandstorm.
At a distance, Mio stood watching.
He looked at the monstrous war machine, then at the fallen figure of Magellan.
There was no surprise in his eyes.
"Magellan is still too young…" Mio murmured, expression calm.
In front of powerhouses like Bullet and the Red Earl, even the smallest weakness spelled doom.
"But the Poison-Poison Fruit…"
Mio's eyes gleamed with ambition.
It was a powerful fruit—its potential clear. A very useful power.
Just as he prepared to make his move—
"Hmm?"
He abruptly looked upward—toward the ceiling above the third floor.
He sensed them.
The Navy had arrived.
They were on the first floor above sea level.