Chapter Twelve: The Escape

Mr. 3 said, “Are you an idiot? The elevator is out of service now; there’s no way to go down any further.”
Luffy climbed to the edge of the elevator and looked outside.
He quickly noticed two figures. After a moment’s thought, he shouted in surprise, “Hey! Bon!”
Bon Clay, who was in the middle of fleeing, heard the familiar voice and looked over at Luffy, his face lighting up with delight as he shouted, “Straw Hat! Did they catch him after all?”
Luffy leaped out of the elevator and ran toward Bon Clay.
Seeing this, Mr. 3 hurried to follow; this was the Starvation Hell, crawling with jailer-beasts—a place far too dangerous to linger alone.
Bluegor struck a prisoner unconscious with a single punch, then glanced over to see Luffy had catapulted himself into the front of the crowd.
“Luffy! He got here so quickly?!”
Bluegor couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment.
He then spotted an even more troublesome figure—Mr. 3! The master key-maker! With him here, could things possibly get any worse?
“Damn it! Where did the others go?” Bluegor muttered, leaping toward Mr. 3. With Moonwalk, he closed the distance in a flash.
“Sorry, but you’re not escaping,” Bluegor said, swinging a punch. Mr. 3 ducked, but Bluegor followed up with a kick.
Mr. 3 was sent flying. Bluegor caught up and hammered his fist into Mr. 3’s gut, instantly knocking him out cold.
He tossed Mr. 3 to the jailers following behind, but before they could catch him, Luffy’s stretching arm yanked Mr. 3 back.
Luffy slung Mr. 3 over his back and shouted at Bluegor, “Who is that guy? He looks really strong!”
Buggy the Clown called out, “He’s with the Navy! Run for it—his fists are like iron!”
Luffy turned to Buggy. “Oh, Buggy! I forgot you were here! Hahahahaha!”
Buggy’s face turned bright red with rage. “What? You ignored me, the great Buggy? When did you get caught?”
Luffy replied with a grin, “I came in on my own, not because I was caught.”
Bon Clay was stunned. “Straw Hat, why would you come here on your own? This is Impel Down! You might never get out, and every day is torture!”
“I’m here to rescue my brother.” Luffy’s gaze turned resolute.
“Your brother?” Bon Clay asked.
“That’s right—he’s Fire Fist Ace,” Luffy replied.
Buggy, always quick to react, was even more startled at Ace’s name, splitting apart in fright. “Ace! The Whitebeard Pirates’ First Division Commander!? He’s imprisoned on the sixth underground level!”
Luffy nodded. “Exactly. Now that the elevator’s out of order, do you have any other way down?”

Buggy hesitated. “There’s a way… but it’s not easy.”
Bluegor quickly caught up, throwing a punch that sent pirates scattering in all directions.
Luffy, Buggy, and Bon Clay turned and sprinted the other way. Buggy handed his legs to Luffy, his body floating weightlessly above the ground.
The four of them made a daring leap into the massive central shaft.
Bluegor landed by the hole and peered down, sighing helplessly, “They escaped after all…”
“Never mind—let’s deal with the pirates on this floor first.”
Bluegor instructed the jailers to send out a warning: Straw Hat and Buggy are heading to the sixth underground level—be on guard.
After clearing the third level of pirates, Bluegor leaned against the wall for a brief rest.
Time passed. The elevator began operating once more, and Bluegor hurried down to the fourth floor.
He found the place eerily silent.
There was no sign of Magellan. Bluegor grabbed a jailer and demanded, “Where is Warden Magellan? Where did those pirates go?”
The jailer replied, “They were taken away by the deputy warden. Warden went to the bathroom…”
Bluegor’s face fell. “Damn it, they’ve gone to the fourth underground level.”
If Deputy Warden Hannyabal isn’t on the fourth floor, then the one the prisoners saw must have been Bon Clay using his powers. They must have gone to the sixth level.
He headed for the elevator.
Luffy and his group were already on their way up.
They now had two more companions: Jinbei and Crocodile.
Upon their return to the third floor, Mr. 3 and the others began causing mayhem, freeing captured pirates and breaking their shackles. Unbound, the pirates’ fighting spirit surged.
Together, they stormed toward the first floor.
Warden Magellan emerged from the restroom to a call from Hannyabal. His pupils contracted as he dashed upstairs.
All the pirates converged into a single force, rushing for the first floor.
The Navy was in hot pursuit.
Vice Admiral Mole, sitting by the first floor gate, was left speechless by the spectacle.
“What in the world is happening…”
Magellan reached the first floor and instantly transformed into a giant poisonous demon, corroding even the stone as he advanced.
The pirates, united, broke through the main gate.

Crocodile and Vice Admiral Mole crossed paths, while the others worked together to hold off Magellan. But his strength was overwhelming—they couldn’t withstand him head-on.
Jinbei, Buggy, and Lightning rushed off to seize a ship.
Amid the chaos,
The pirates swarmed onto the commandeered Navy vessel, speeding away from Impel Down.
Magellan roared in fury, but it was too late.
“They won’t get past the Gates of Justice! After them!”
Hannyabal and Vice Admiral Mole led the pursuit.
Magellan stayed behind to suppress the pirates who hadn’t managed to board, for the prison could not be left undefended.
With his terrifying poison, the prison riot was quelled in short order.
He went to the control room, glaring furiously at the video feed from the Den Den Mushi.
Luffy and the others soon arrived at the Gates of Justice.
They gazed up at the massive iron doors.
Luffy shouted, “What do we do? How do we open this gate?”
Behind them, the Navy warships began to ready their cannons. If the gate didn’t open soon, they would all die here.
At that moment, the Gates of Justice suddenly swung wide.
Excitement swept through everyone as they cheered and raced through the gate.
It wasn’t long after the gate opened that it threatened to close. Jinbei jumped into the water, giving the ship a powerful push.
They slipped through the Gates of Justice, leaving the pursuing warships trapped inside.
At last, they had escaped with their lives.
Only then did everyone realize—who had opened the Gates of Justice?
In the control room,
A nondescript man in a jailer’s uniform and cap was being held up by Magellan. He clung to Magellan’s thick wrist as poison seeped from his neck into his body.
“Ugh… cough, cough…”
Magellan exhaled a wisp of purple vapor, tossed the man aside, and said in a deep voice, “Give him the antidote.”