"This hot breath…"
Mio frowned, raised his eyebrows slightly, and muttered, "Is it that guy Akainu? This is getting troublesome. We need to leave and head to the first floor, above the sea."
After witnessing Aokiji's awakening last time, Mio understood that the three admirals had basically all awakened their Devil Fruits.
And now, of all times, it was Akainu who had arrived. If he continued to linger here on the third floor and waited for Akainu to descend, things would turn ugly quickly. Once Akainu activated his fruit awakening and altered the terrain, this entire floor could very well turn into a sea of lava.
Even though Armament Haki could provide temporary resistance, the prolonged exposure would drain a tremendous amount of stamina.
With a deepening frown, Mio suddenly raised his voice and shouted, "You guys! If you don't want to die, move now! The Navy's coming—do you want to be trapped here when they arrive?"
The moment his voice fell, Mio's figure vanished from his original spot and reappeared in front of a pirate. He had just noticed this man had special abilities—a Superhuman-type Devil Fruit user—but he didn't yet know what kind.
Without hesitation, Mio grabbed the pirate by the neck and twisted sharply.
Crack!
The sound of the man's neck snapping echoed.
"Congratulations! You have obtained the 'Pirate (Absorbing Ability)' gene!"
"Not a bad ability," Mio commented, nodding in satisfaction as the system panel flashed before his eyes.
His actions and words had an immediate effect—the nearby pirates finally snapped out of their confusion and were filled with panic.
"H-How did the Navy get here so quickly?!"
"Damn it! Run! I'm not about to get surrounded in here—we'll never get out!"
"Everyone, move it!"
Panic-stricken shouting filled the hall as the pirates surged toward the elevator. While they hadn't expected the Navy to come down this far, they all knew the consequences of being caught at this depth—getting out would become nearly impossible.
Mio flickered to the side of Red Earl and asked with a slight frown, "You should be familiar with Akainu's strength, right?"
"Yeah," Red Earl nodded, brows knitting slightly. "He's a very powerful one. That guy's fruit ability is developed to an extremely high level. In this kind of terrain, it puts us at a serious disadvantage."
Although Red Earl was not necessarily weaker than Akainu—after all, he was someone capable of defeating the former Fleet Admiral Kong—it wasn't worth fighting here. A direct battle would only stall him and invite more naval reinforcements. Eventually, he would just get captured again.
Nearby, Bullett, who had activated his Devil Fruit ability, walked over and said in a calm tone, "Although Akainu's fruit is annoying to deal with, I think your power should be able to handle it."
He was referring to Mio.
At this point, Red Earl still hadn't consumed the Mythical Zoan Bat Fruit.
Hearing Bullett's words, Mio's eyes gleamed slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face. "Are you asking for my help?"
"If I'm to counter his ability with mine, we'll need to move to the first floor above the sea. Otherwise, you could just blast open the wall on this floor and let seawater rush in."
"Hmph." Red Earl let out a cold snort. Breaking through the walls of Impel Down was something only fools would do. Once seawater started pouring in through a breach, it would rapidly erode the entire structure. Not only would all of Impel Down be flooded, but the shockwave would also destroy many of its internal mechanisms.
In other words, everyone inside Impel Down would die.
Bullett then added in a serious voice, "One condition—what do you say?"
They didn't intend to fight Akainu head-on. If this were the New World, they wouldn't mind a battle, but down here? That would be suicide. Their goal, once they reached the first floor, was to escape immediately.
However, with their level of infamy, they would definitely be the first targets of Akainu's wrath. And once he focused on them, escaping would become extremely difficult.
But if Mio used his abilities…
Over the past year, both Red Earl and Bullett had witnessed Mio's progression. His development might not be at the peak yet, but he could at least temporarily stall Akainu and delay pursuit. That alone might be enough to create an opportunity to escape. After all, Akainu wasn't the only threat on the sixth floor.
"One condition, huh?"
Mio raised an eyebrow and smirked, glancing at Red Earl.
The Red Earl said calmly, "Just one."
"Fine. But I'll only promise to do my best," Mio replied with a carefree grin.
Getting a future favor from two powerhouses in exchange for temporary support was a worthwhile trade. And whether they'd accept his condition when the time came?
Mio wasn't worried at all.
Red Earl and Bullett weren't ordinary pirates. They had pride. They might refuse something outrageous, but as long as it was reasonable, they wouldn't go back on their word.
"Let's move."
Seeing that Mio agreed, Red Earl didn't waste another word and headed for the elevator.
It was almost guaranteed that the Navy had already set up a blockade at the first floor above the sea.
When they arrived, they'd likely face overwhelming firepower.
Fortunately, those cannon fodder pirates who rushed up earlier would draw much of the attention and firepower, reducing the risk slightly for their group.
Before stepping onto the elevator, Mio looked back at the unconscious Magellan and couldn't help but sigh. "What a waste. That guy's ability really is useful."
But seeing Magellan's slightly twitching fingers, he knew he had no chance to extract anything from him now.
With that, the group entered the elevator and ascended toward the top.
Rumble.
The elevator rumbled as it rose.
Suddenly, the air grew hotter—oppressively so.
Mio's brow furrowed again. When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, he was greeted by a sight that made him sigh in exasperation.
A sea of red.
The ground was covered in magma, stretching far and wide like a molten lake. It created a natural barrier between the elevator and the path forward. At the distant edge of the lava field stood the Navy.
"One admiral, more than ten vice admirals, nearly thirty rear admirals, and a huge number of elite soldiers and non-commissioned officers… what a massive lineup," Mio said with a relaxed smile.
At the forefront, Akainu stood tall in his red suit, arms crossed, staring at them coldly.
Many of the pirates who had ascended earlier were huddled not far away, clearly cautious of the Navy's presence.
"Pirates, surrender."
Akainu's voice rang out, flat and commanding. "Whether you're relics of the old era or newcomers of the new, the moment you set foot in Impel Down, your freedom was forfeit. The sea no longer belongs to you."
Then, his eyes narrowed.
"But I do hope you resist to the bitter end. That way, I can kill every single one of you without hesitation."
Rumble…
Lava bubbled up as Akainu clenched his fists, and scorching magma began to drip from his knuckles.