"Kaido's coming after us!" Zoro spun around, pointing his blades back the way they had come. Despite his serious injuries, his fighting spirit burned high. "Go save Ace! I'll hold him off!"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Lin Yan grabbed him. "You can't stop Kaido at full strength in your condition! We're going together! Master Hitetsu, where does this passage lead? Can we avoid Kaido?"
Tenguyama Hitetsu hurried through the narrow, pipe-filled maintenance passage as he spoke urgently. "This secret passage is an emergency maintenance route left by the ancient factory's builders. It branches in every direction, but many sections have fallen into disrepair. The lowest level, the 'Core Containment Chamber,' where we're heading, is where the energy conduits converge. It's also... directly above the Lava Pool. The temperature is extremely high, and the conditions are extreme. Kaido's huge, so he won't catch up anytime soon, but he knows this place. He'll definitely take another route to cut us off!"
The temperature in the passage kept rising. The metal walls were frighteningly hot, and the air shimmered. The dull roar of churning lava rose from below, making the soles of their feet tingle. Thick energy conduits hummed all around them, carrying orange-red streams of energy that had become steadier and brighter after being purified by Shirahoshi's Tears.
Lin Yan endured his physical discomfort and the lingering surge of information in his mind as he followed close behind Hitetsu. Robin used her ability to help scout ahead and steady their footing. Zoro brought up the rear, watching for movement behind and overhead.
"Master Hitetsu, why were you beneath Onigashima? And why were you imprisoned here?" Robin voiced her questions.
Hitetsu sighed. "Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido abducted me. They wanted my ancestral swordsmithing skills and my limited research into ancient machinery. They forced me