As the prisoners hesitated, a tremendous rumble came from beneath their feet. Then Ivankov's enormous head emerged from below.
"It's Ivankov!"
"Lord Ivankov, I'm so glad you're all right!"
Some of the perverted okama in their underwear cried out joyfully as Ivankov came up from below.
"Hey! I said hurry up and get over here!"
Seeing that only a few people had made it onto the ship, Chen Qiang shouted impatiently at the prisoners across from him.
"Since none of you have the guts to jump, then let me give you a hand!" Jinbe said, stepping forward after hearing Chen Qiang's urging and seeing Magellan hot on their heels.
With that, he moved behind the prisoners.
"Hey! What's he doing?"
"Why's he raising his fists?"
"Is he going to attack us?"
"..."
Jinbe's words drew the prisoners' attention. They looked at him as he came up behind them, watching in terror as he took up an attacking stance.
"Fish-Man Karate: 500 Brick Fist!"
"Ah!"
Jinbe threw a punch, and a tremendous gust of wind erupted from his fist. The prisoners standing at the entrance to the prison were all blown away by the sudden blast.
Seeing the prisoners flying toward him, Chen Qiang swung the long sword in his hand. A huge ring-shaped barrier appeared and stopped them all.
"That's amazing! Let's go too!" With Mr. 3's help, Luffy had briefly held Magellan back. Now he came over to Jinbe, looking at him in amazement.
"Yeah!"
Jinbe calmly nodded at Luffy, then grabbed Ivankov and Inazuma, who were beside him, and leaped onto the Marine battleship across from them.
Seeing Jinbe make it over, Crocodile naturally wasn't going to stay behind. His legs turned to sand, and he flew toward the battleship.
Luffy didn't hesitate either. He followed right behind Crocodile, quickly leaping toward the battleship across from them.
As for the other prisoners who had escaped from the second level with Luffy, the fear of the Calm Belt was nothing compared to facing Magellan. So when Luffy leaped, they all jumped after him.
"Bastards! I'll never let you escape Impel Down!" Magellan roared furiously as he came out and saw the prisoners leaping onto the ship.
As he spoke, the giant red poison man behind him quickly reached out toward the battleship.
"Magellan, I have no intention of going back to that damned prison!" Chen Qiang had already handed the helm to Jinbe. Now he was at the stern, and hearing Magellan's words, he replied with clear disdain.
"Blood Boiling!"
He drew the long sword at his side and swiftly slashed at the sea.
The blood that had earlier formed the enormous tiger was roused once more. It surged in from every direction, surrounding the entire entrance to Impel Down.
The blow also severed the part of Magellan's poison man that had reached out.
"The Undying, Chen Qiang!"
Within Impel Down, shrouded in blood-red water, Magellan roared furiously again and attacked the bloody sea surrounding the prison.
"Hurry up and go! I can't hold him off for long!" After doing all that, Chen Qiang ignored Magellan's furious roar and quickly called to Jinbe.
Even after killing every Marine aboard the battleship and draining their blood, Chen Qiang could barely sustain an attack of this scale for about a minute. If they didn't seize the chance to leave, the enemy's next attack might hit their ship.
"Understood!"
Everyone understood their situation. They were still too close to Impel Down and hadn't escaped the danger yet. So everyone aboard worked together to get the ship moving, speeding away.
"Hahahaha! We're finally out!"
"I'm never going back to that hellhole!"
"It's been so long since I've seen the sun!"
"..."
Once they had fully left Impel Down and escaped Magellan's range, everyone began to cheer.
Chen Qiang found a suitable spot on the deck and leaned against the wall behind him, gazing up at the bright sky. For a moment, he lost himself in thought.
He had been in this world for two months, and this was the first time he had seen the sky outside. It felt strangely unfamiliar.
In the two months since he had crossed over, Chen Qiang had gone from an ordinary young man to someone who could slaughter every Marine aboard a battleship and feel only slightly unsettled.
He didn't know whether it was the torture in prison, which had nearly driven him mad, or some lingering effect of crossing over, but now he could finally relax his taut nerves for a while and think about what had happened since he arrived in this world.
Back then, Chen Qiang couldn't do anything. All he had was a powerful cheat and an equally powerful will to survive, which had driven him to keep escaping, only to be caught and dragged back again and again.
Throughout those countless escapes, his body had grown stronger and stronger. He had learned to control his own blood, and in each successive battle, he had also developed a sword style suited to him.
Thinking about it left Chen Qiang unsure whether his time in prison had been good or bad. He felt utterly lost.
"Hahahaha! Thanks so much, Chen Qiang!" At some point, Luffy had come over and slapped Chen Qiang on the shoulder, smiling broadly.
"It's nothing. I just wanted to get out," Chen Qiang replied calmly.
"Come join us and celebrate escaping Impel Down." Luffy didn't take Chen Qiang's coldness to heart. He simply kept smiling as he spoke to him.
"Luffy, there's something I've been wanting to ask you. Can you answer me?" Chen Qiang ignored the invitation and looked at Luffy solemnly.
"Ask me? What do you want to know?" Luffy looked at Chen Qiang in confusion.
"On this mission to rescue Ace, have you ever considered that you might fail? If you do, not only will Ace die, but you might die there too!"
"Hahahaha, I'm definitely going to save Ace! And even if I die there, it doesn't matter. Ace once said that the point of living is to make sure you have no regrets. That's what makes it a life well lived!"
Hearing Luffy's words, Chen Qiang froze. The smile vanished from his face, and he answered with complete seriousness.
"No regrets? Hahahaha! All right, I understand now. I'll help you save Ace!"
When Chen Qiang asked, he had already more or less guessed what Luffy would say. But it was what Luffy said afterward that suddenly made everything clear to him.
Since he had come to this world, he should live his life to the fullest. In his previous life, he'd always had regrets for one reason or another.
But this time, Chen Qiang had a way to grow stronger. If he put his mind to something, he could do it. So of course he should live a life without regrets.
And back when he watched the anime in his previous life, Chen Qiang's greatest regret was Ace's death. When he saw it, he'd cursed out the manga author, but that was all he could do.
Now he had come to the real world of pirates and had a chance to change everything. If he wanted to live without regrets, then of course he had to save Ace.
"Hahahaha! Thanks! We'll definitely save Ace!" Hearing Chen Qiang's words, Luffy smiled again.
"What? This ship is headed for Marine Headquarters?"
While Chen Qiang and Luffy chatted, Buggy heard from Jinbe where the ship was headed. He was so shocked that his body split into several pieces.
"Of course. The whole point of this escape is to head for Marine Headquarters!" Crocodile answered him. He had been sitting off to one side, smoking.
"It's over! It's all over!" Hearing Crocodile confirm it, Buggy and Mr. 3 slumped to the ground.
"Bulu! Bulu! Bulu!~~~"
Just then, the Den Den Mushi aboard the battleship rang.
Before you continue