The air on Level 6 reeked of scorching, mingled with blood, alcohol, and... burnt flesh.
Most cells on either side of the corridor stood empty, their barred doors opened from outside. A few remained shut, their prisoners huddled in corners with deathly pale faces.
Magellan melted straight through the wall and "dropped" onto Level 6 in a sorry state. His black military coat was somewhat tattered.
He straightened up. Poisonous gas spread with every breath, and his breathing echoed through the empty corridor like a broken bellows.
Bondrewd had just "sealed" him inside diamond, and even with Red Poison, escaping had taken considerable effort.
He had reached Level 6 as quickly as possible. Although the scene was grim, it still barely fell short of the "worst."
Prisoners' corpses littered the floor.
Apparently, Golden Lion had not come to rescue everyone. He had taken only a handful of the strongest, while the rest had been "eliminated."
"...Damn it."
Although Magellan could still move normally, his injuries no longer allowed him to fight powerful opponents.
Suddenly, a Den Den Mushi mounted on the corridor wall began ringing. "Purupuru, purupuru."
Click.
Magellan quieted his breathing as much as possible and reached for the receiver.
"Warden! Chief Warden Shiryu has defected!"
Magellan's vision went dark.
...Elsewhere.
At the gates of Impel Down-
"The situation here is under control..."
Shiryu held the receiver of the Den Den Mushi in the gate's guardroom, speaking to "Rear Admiral Akhend," who had come with reinforcements.
He had just fished out the composition of the reinforcements. Babylon had indeed gotten involved.
Regarding the "Bondrewd issue," Babylon and the Marines had a "cooperation agreement." In principle, they shared information and assisted each other.
"However, some prisoners seized warships under Commodore Big Silver's command and escaped. That was a failure on