Chapter Twelve: Escape from the Gate of Justice

Mr. 3 said, "Are you an idiot? The elevator is out of order now; there's no way to go down any further."

Luffy climbed to the edge of the elevator shaft and looked out. He quickly noticed two figures and, after a moment's thought, shouted in surprise, "Hey! Bon!"

Bon Clay, who was fleeing for his life, heard the familiar voice and looked toward Luffy, his face lighting up with joy as he shouted, "Straw Hat? Did he get caught too?"

Luffy exited the elevator and ran toward Bon Clay. Mr. 3, seeing this, followed suit—after all, this was the Hunger Hell, crawling with guard beasts; it was far too dangerous to be alone.

Saldeath knocked out a prisoner with a punch, then turned his head just in time to see Luffy spring into the forefront of the crowd.

"Luffy! He got here so fast!?" Saldeath exclaimed in astonishment.

Then he noticed an even more remarkable figure—Mr. 3, the master keymaker! With him here, what chance did they have?

"Damn it! Where did the others go?" Saldeath complained, then leaped toward Mr. 3. Relying on his Moonwalk technique, he reached Mr. 3 in no time.

"Sorry, but you can't escape," Saldeath declared, throwing a punch. Mr. 3 ducked to avoid it, but Saldeath immediately followed up with a kick.

Mr. 3 was sent flying, and Saldeath chased after him, landing a punch to his abdomen that made Mr. 3's eyes roll back as he fainted.

He tossed Mr. 3 to the guard who had followed him, but before the guard could catch him, Luffy stretched out his arm and pulled Mr. 3 back.

Throwing Mr. 3 over his shoulder, Luffy shouted at Saldeath, "Who is that guy? He looks pretty tough!"

Buggy the Clown called out, "He's Navy! Run, he's really strong—his punches are like iron!"

Luffy turned to Buggy. "Oh, Buggy, I forgot you were here! Hahahaha!"

Buggy was instantly furious. "What? You ignored the great me! By the way, when did you get caught?"

Luffy replied with a laugh, "I came in on my own, wasn't caught."

Bon Clay asked, "Straw Hat, why would you come here on your own? This is Impel Down! You could be stuck here for life, tortured every day!"

"I'm here to save my brother." At this, Luffy's gaze turned resolute.

"Brother?"

"That's right, he's Fire Fist Ace."

Buggy, always easily startled, nearly split in two at the mention of Ace. "Ace! The first division commander of Whitebeard's pirates!? He's locked up on Level Six!"

"That's right," said Luffy. "Now that the elevator's stopped, do you have any way to get down?"

Buggy said, "There's a way... but it's very difficult."

Saldeath quickly caught up and swung a punch, scattering the pirates. Luffy, Buggy, and Bon Clay turned and bolted in another direction, Buggy handing his legs to Luffy so his body floated in the air.

The four of them leapt together, plunging into the massive central pit.

Saldeath landed at the edge of the hole and looked down, sighing in frustration. "They got away again..."

"Forget it, let's clean up this level's pirates first." Saldeath ordered the guards to be on alert, notifying them that Straw Hat and Buggy were headed to Level Six.

After dealing with all the pirates on Level Three, Saldeath leaned against the prison wall for a brief rest.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but soon the elevator resumed operation. Saldeath hurried to Level Four.

Level Four was eerily silent.

There was no sign of Magellan. Saldeath grabbed a guard and asked, "Where's Chief Magellan? And those pirates who just came down?"

"The Deputy Chief took them, sir. The Chief went to the bathroom..."

Saldeath muttered, "Damn, they're headed to Level Four." If Deputy Chief Hannyabal wasn't on Level Four, then it must have been Bon Clay using his powers to impersonate him. They must be on their way to Level Six.

He rushed toward the elevator.

Meanwhile, Luffy and the others were heading upward.

Two more had joined them: Jinbe and Crocodile.

Once they returned to Level Three, Mr. 3 and the others began causing chaos again, freeing the captured pirates. Without their restraints, the pirates' fighting power soared.

They collectively charged toward Level One.

Chief Magellan emerged from the bathroom just as he received a call from Hannyabal. His pupils trembled; he immediately rushed upstairs.

All the pirates gathered together, heading for the first floor. The Navy pursued closely behind.

Vice Admiral Mole, sitting at the first-floor entrance, was so stunned by the scene before her that she was speechless.

"What on earth is happening..."

Magellan arrived on the first floor and instantly transformed into a giant poison man, his passage corroding even the bricks, leaving huge holes.

United, the pirates broke through the gate.

Crocodile and Vice Admiral Mole clashed, while the others joined forces to resist Magellan, but his strength was overwhelming—there was no way to fight him head-on.

Jinbe, Buggy, and Lightning rushed to seize a ship.

In the chaos, the pirates swarmed onto the captured navy vessel and sailed away from Impel Down.

Magellan roared in fury, but it was futile.

"They can't get past the Gates of Justice! After them!"

Hannyabal and Vice Admiral Mole led their teams in pursuit.

Magellan stayed behind to suppress those pirates who hadn't made it to the ship in time. The prison couldn't be left unguarded, so he remained.

Thanks to his terrifying poison, the chaos inside the prison was quickly quelled.

He entered the control room and stared in anger at the video projected by the Den Den Mushi.

Luffy and the others soon arrived before the Gates of Justice.

Facing the massive iron doors, Luffy shouted, "What do we do? How do we open this gate?"

The navy warships in pursuit began firing their cannons. If they couldn't get through, they would all die here.

Just then, the Gates of Justice suddenly swung open.

Everyone was instantly elated, shouting as they sailed through the Gates of Justice.

Moments after opening, the gates began to close again. Seeing this, Jinbe jumped into the water to help push the ship forward.

They passed safely through the gates, while the navy ships behind them were trapped inside.

At last, they had escaped with their lives.

It was only then that everyone wondered who had opened the Gates of Justice.

Inside the control room, a nondescript man in a guard's uniform and hat was being held up by Magellan. He clung to Magellan's thick wrist as poison seeped into his neck.

"Ugh... cough, cough..."

Magellan exhaled a wisp of purple mist, tossed him aside, and said in a low voice, "Give him the antidote."