Ace's Choice

"D. Jiang Lin! Luffy! You've grown up too! With such a strong friend helping you, I... I... I can finally stop worrying!"

Tears poured down Ace's face. The person he had always worried about most was his little brother, Luffy. Now that he had seen someone as powerful as Jiang Lin at Luffy's side, he felt he could leave this world at peace.

"Ace! I'm here to get you out! Luffy's waiting for you downstairs! You can't give up on yourself!"

Jiang Lin knew what Ace was thinking. He pointed toward the Elevator and shouted at him.

"You have to live! Only if you live can Luffy's wish—and your own—come true!"

Jiang Lin had so much more he wanted to tell Ace, but he had to keep it to himself for now. A formidable enemy stood before him: Aokiji.

Boom!

Jiang Lin tossed aside Magellan, whose body was completely encased in stone. The dull impact made the already tense atmosphere even stranger.

"Huff... Huff... Huff..."

Freed from Jiang Lin's hold, Magellan gasped for air as he slowly recovered from being petrified. Jiang Lin's petrification power did not frighten him, but Jiang Lin himself terrified him.

A man so young, so powerful, so charismatic—what kind of terrifying storm would he unleash if he entered the Grand Line?

The thought alone made Magellan's scalp prickle.

"Chief Warden Magellan, take Ace to the warship. Leave this to me."

Aokiji stared coldly at Jiang Lin. Frost gathered around his hands, and his gaze was grave.

"No one leaves today!"

Facing Aokiji, Jiang Lin thrust his right hand against the wall behind him. Biting cold burst from his palm and swiftly froze the entire room.

Thick ice formed behind Jiang Lin, sealing Impel Down's open gate.

"What happened? Why's the gate frozen shut?"

When the Marines aboard the warship docked outside Impel Down saw the exit freeze over, they immediately contacted the prison through a Den Den Mushi.

"We don't know the full situation yet, but... before the Surveillance Den Den Mushi was frozen, we saw the new Pirate D, with a bounty of 600,000,100 Beli, rush up the elevator shaft to the top floor. After trapping Chief Warden Magellan, he froze the entire room."

The report from Impel Down left every Marine outside with tingling scalps and icy limbs.

"Ace has been intercepted?"

The Marines standing by outside could no longer stay calm. At the vice admirals' orders, rows of cannons swung toward Impel Down's exit.

"Open fire as soon as you confirm the target!"

Vice Admiral Onigumo stood on the deck and issued the order, his expression grim.

As the Marines outside prepared for battle, Jiang Lin and Aokiji locked eyes on Impel Down's top floor, then raced to the right. Both were headed for Ace.

The key to this battle was neither Magellan nor the Marine warship outside. It was Fire Fist Ace, whose powers were currently suppressed by Seastone.

Ice-Ice Fruit (boosted by Venom-Venom Fruit, Love-Love Fruit, and Glint-Glint Fruit) loaded. Duration: ten minutes. Cooldown: thirty seconds.

The system's announcement marked the start of the fight.

Jiang Lin braced one hand against the floor. A wall of ice shot out from his palm, yellow light and purple liquid coating its surface. It spread like light and ate through everything in its path like a venomous ice serpent.

The Ice Wall, shimmering with an eerie glow, reached Aokiji just as he took his first step.

Its speed had clearly surpassed the speed of sound.

"Haki!"

Even Aokiji did not dare touch an Ice Wall that looked so dangerous with his bare hands. He coated both hands in Armament Haki, bent low, and punched it.

Boom!

The floor of the top level shook violently as the Ice Wall shattered.

"Ace! Let's go!"

While the Ice Wall held Aokiji back, Jiang Lin reached Ace first. He pulled Ace up from where he knelt and prepared to rush outside.

But just then, Magellan, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, struck!

"Poison Cloud!"

Pale purple mist poured from Magellan's body and quickly filled the room.

"Ah... ah... ah!"

Struck by the poisonous mist, Ace had barely gotten to his feet before he dropped painfully to one knee.

"Magellan! You really deserve to die!"

Jiang Lin spun angrily toward the doorway. Magellan stood firm at Impel Down's ice-covered exit, barring the way. Thick poison mist streamed from his body and filled the room.

"D! You can't take him away. He's already been poisoned. Even if you get him out, he won't survive!"

Magellan's words made Jiang Lin slowly release Ace's hand. He knew Magellan had trapped him, and he knew the man was not bluffing.

"You really deserve to die!"

Jiang Lin glared toward Magellan. A blast of cold shot from beside him straight toward the doorway, where Magellan stood.

The cold froze Magellan's body on contact. Ice climbed steadily upward until both he and the strange creature on his head were frozen at Impel Down's exit.

"Kid! You can't take him away. Hand him over to us if you want him to live!"

Aokiji looked coldly at Jiang Lin. He knew how deadly Magellan's poison was. If Jiang Lin insisted on taking Ace away, death was all that awaited Ace.

"Ace!"

Jiang Lin looked at Ace, who was writhing in pain at his feet, torn with indecision. He was only one step away from getting Ace out. They needed to cross just a few meters and pass through Impel Down's gate to be free.

But if Jiang Lin did that, Ace would likely die from the poison.

Without an antidote, Ace would struggle to survive even if he escaped Impel Down.

Could I take Ace back? No, that won't work either!

Jiang Lin considered taking Ace back to Level 6. Ivankov was there; if Jiang Lin could get Ace to him, he might not have to worry about Ace being poisoned.

But first, Aokiji stood in his way. Even if Jiang Lin could make his way back down the stairs to Level 6, whether Ace could survive the time it took was a major concern.

"Well? Have you decided? He can't wait much longer!"

Aokiji spoke again. He was in no hurry to attack. As long as Jiang Lin cared about Ace's life, Jiang Lin would surely hand Ace over to them himself.

"I... I..."

Jiang Lin's lips trembled, but he could not force out the words.

"I'll go with you. Jiang Lin, pass a message to my little brother. Tell him he mustn't... he mustn't come to Marineford!"

Ace stubbornly rose to his feet. The poison had already spread through his body, but his eyes were as clear as ever. At the sound of his desperate shout, tears finally spilled down Jiang Lin's face.