one piece: gene extraction and fusion system-Chapter 121: The Last Gate Before Freedom

The terrifying force cracked the ground like a spider web. The pirate died instantly.

Waving the blood off his palm, Bullett glanced at the others and said lightly, "Anyone else have something to say?"

"G-Gulp..."

The pirates swallowed hard and stepped back in fear. These were men with bounties in the tens of millions. Though many had heard of Bullett the Demon Heir, they had never witnessed his overwhelming power firsthand.

Now, everyone was trembling.

Seeing this, Mio shrugged, grinned, and pointed in a direction. "That way leads to the third floor. Get going."

Hearing that, the pirates hesitated, clearly conflicted.

The choice Mio referred to was obvious—cannon fodder.

And they knew all too well what cannon fodder was used for. After all, most of them were former pirate captains. Before ending up in Impel Down, they had used their own subordinates as cannon fodder in battles.

Now, they had fallen to that very role.

But under the cold gazes of Mio and the others, the pirates clenched their teeth and began walking in the direction Mio pointed.

They didn't want to die, so they had no other choice.

Besides, with so many of them, perhaps they wouldn't be the ones to die. Maybe there was still a chance to escape Impel Down?

That was what most of the pirates on the fourth floor were thinking.

There was an elevator on the fourth floor that led directly to the upper levels. But using it to reach the first floor was unrealistic—Magellan and the guards would definitely block the elevator before it got that far.

So when they reached the elevator, Mio merely gestured. "Please, after you."

One group of pirates stepped in.

Once it was full, the elevator began to rise.

Not long after, Mio's ears twitched slightly. He looked up and muttered, "Seems like Magellan's waiting on the third floor."

"Get rid of Magellan as fast as possible so we can leave sooner," Bullett frowned and said, motioning to the other pirates. "Send the next group."

Another batch of pirates entered the elevator.

As they ascended, Mio could hear screams and clashes echoing from above.

The pirates on the fourth floor were sent up in batches—followed by some from the fifth floor.

Their role was to hold off the bulk of the guards and beasts, giving Mio and the elite prisoners time to eliminate major threats and find a way out.

Half an hour passed.

By then, all the disposable forces had gone up. Only Mio and his close group remained.

The elevator returned once more.

Mio glanced at Bullett and the others and smiled. "Alright, our turn."

No one responded. They simply stepped into the elevator.

Mio shrugged and followed.

With a pull of the switch, the elevator began to rise quickly, and as expected, it stopped at the third floor.

The doors slid open—

And what appeared before them was a blood-soaked battlefield.

Chaos reigned.

Pirates were fighting guards, and even some of Impel Down's wild beasts had joined the fray. Although the jailer beasts were absent today, the remaining creatures were still vicious and numerous.

These beasts were helping the guards fend off the pirates.

As the elevator opened, Magellan—who had just slaughtered over ten pirates—turned and looked toward them. His pupils shrank as he roared, "Everyone, defend!!"

The jailers and wild beasts immediately retreated, distancing themselves from the pirates and facing the elevator with vigilance.

The ground was stained with blood and littered with corpses.

The pirates who had survived so far had also pulled back toward the elevator, their blood-smeared faces glaring at Magellan with murderous intent.

They had already come to terms with it.

If they couldn't break out of Impel Down now, they would die anyway. So they had no fear—only hatred and desperation.

Mio stepped out of the elevator, looked at Magellan, and grinned. "Warden Magellan, how about you just let us go? That way, you might still walk away with your life."

"It's you!!"

Magellan's eyes widened in shock when he saw Mio. He quickly took note of Mio's position—right in the center—with the notorious sixth-floor criminals flanking him.

"So you're the mastermind behind this, Kurokawa Mio!" Magellan growled. Drops of deadly purple venom oozed from his body, bubbling and hissing. "I thought you'd gone quiet this past year. Even your crew disappeared. I let my guard down..."

A year ago, Aokiji had warned him about the Black Crow Pirates.

Magellan had believed Mio might attempt an escape.

But when months passed without a peep, he relaxed.

Only now did he realize the truth—Mio had been waiting all along.

"From the first day I was locked up here, I've been thinking about when I'd leave," Mio said with a soft smile. "Now the time's come. I think I'll be going."

"Don't even dream about it!" Magellan roared. "No one escapes from here! If you want out, kill me first!"

From beside Mio, Bullett stepped forward, his aura bursting forth like a shockwave.

"In that case," he said coldly, "I'll just kill you."