Chapter Twelve: The Escape

Mr. 3 said, "Are you an idiot? The elevator's out of service now—there's no way down any further."
Luffy scrambled to the edge of the lift, peering outside.
Before long, he noticed two figures. After a brief moment of thought, he shouted in surprise, "Hey! Little Bon!"
Bon Clay, who was desperately fleeing, heard the familiar voice and looked over, his face lighting up with delight as he called out, "Straw Hat boy? Did they catch him after all?"
Luffy leaped out of the elevator and dashed toward Bon Clay.
Mr. 3, seeing this, hurried after him. This was the Starvation Hell, crawling with jailer beasts—it was far too dangerous to be alone here.
Chancellor Qingji knocked a prisoner out with a single punch, then glanced sideways to see Luffy springing toward the front of the crowd.
"Luffy! He's here already?!"
Qingji couldn't help exclaiming in astonishment.
But soon, he caught sight of an even more troublesome figure—Mr. 3, the master key-maker! With him around, escape was all but certain.
"Damn it! Where did the others go?" Qingji muttered, then leapt forward, running straight for Mr. 3. Using Moon Step, he quickly closed the gap.
"Sorry, but you're not getting out," Qingji declared, throwing a punch. Mr. 3 ducked, dodging the blow, but Qingji followed up with a swift kick.
Mr. 3 was sent flying. Qingji pursued, landing a punch to his gut; Mr. 3's eyes rolled back as he collapsed, unconscious.
He tossed Mr. 3 to a jailer who had just caught up, but before the jailer could grab him, Luffy's stretching arm yanked Mr. 3 back.
Luffy slung Mr. 3 over his back, shouting at Qingji, "Who is that guy? He looks really strong!"
Buggy the Clown replied, "A Marine, obviously! Let's get out of here—he packs a mean punch."
Luffy turned to Buggy, laughing, "Oh, Buggy! I forgot you were here! Hahaha!"
Buggy was instantly furious. "What? How dare you ignore me, the great Buggy! By the way, when did you get caught and thrown in here?"
Luffy grinned. "I came in on my own—wasn’t captured."
Bon Clay asked, "Straw Hat, why would you come in here on your own? This is Impel Down! You might never get out, and the torture here is inhuman!"
"I'm here to save my brother." As he spoke, Luffy's eyes grew resolute.
"Your brother?" Bon Clay asked.
"That's right. He's Fire Fist Ace."
Buggy always spoke in shock, and hearing Ace's name made him nearly split apart in fright. "Ace! The Whitebeard Pirates' First Division Commander? He's locked up on the sixth underground level!"
"That's right," Luffy replied. "With the elevator stopped, do you have any way down?"

Buggy said, "There is a way… but it's not easy."
Qingji quickly caught up, smashing his fist down and scattering the pirates.
Luffy, Buggy, and Bon Clay spun around and sprinted in another direction, Buggy offering his feet to Luffy while his body floated in the air.
The four of them leapt together, plunging into the vast central chasm.
Qingji landed by the edge, gazing down with a sigh. "They've escaped again…"
"Forget it, let's deal with the pirates on this level first."
He ordered the jailers to be on alert—Straw Hat and Buggy were heading for the sixth underground level.
After clearing out the pirates on the third underground floor, Qingji leaned against the prison wall for a brief rest.
He had no idea how much time had passed when the elevator started up again. He rushed to the fourth underground level.
Silence greeted him—no sign of Magellan.
Qingji grabbed a jailer, asking, "Where's Chief Magellan? Where did those pirates go?"
The jailer replied, "The Vice Warden took them. The Chief went to the bathroom…"
Qingji muttered, "Damn, they've gone to the fourth level."
If Vice Warden Hannyabal wasn't on the fourth level, then it must have been Bon Clay using his powers to disguise himself. They must have headed straight for the sixth level.
He hurried toward the elevator.
Meanwhile, Luffy and the others were on their way up.
Two new companions had joined them: Jinbe and Crocodile.
As they returned to the third level, Mr. 3 and the others began causing chaos again, freeing captured pirates and restoring their strength.
Together, they stormed the first floor above ground.
Magellan emerged from the restroom, just in time to receive a call from Hannyabal. His pupils shrank in alarm as he raced upstairs.
All the pirates converged, rushing toward the first floor.
The Marines chased close behind.
At the first-floor entrance, Vice Admiral Mole was so stunned by the sight that she was at a loss for words.
"What on earth is going on…?"
Magellan arrived on the first floor, instantly transforming into a massive, toxic monster—his touch corroded even the stone into gaping holes.
The pirates, united, broke through the main gate.

Crocodile and Vice Admiral Mole clashed, while the others did their best to hold off Magellan. But his power was overwhelming; they stood no chance head-on.
Jinbe, Buggy, and Lighting raced to seize a ship. Amidst the chaos, the pirates swarmed the captured Navy warships and sailed far from Impel Down.
Magellan roared in fury, but it was useless.
"They can't get past the Gate 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 couldn't be left undefended.
With his soul-chilling venom, he quickly quelled the chaos inside.
He made his way to the command room, watching the surveillance feed with a face contorted by rage.
Luffy and the others soon reached the Gate of Justice.
They gazed at the massive iron doors.
Luffy shouted, "What do we do? How do we open this thing?"
Behind them, the pursuing Navy ships began to ready their cannons. If they couldn't get through, they'd all be buried at sea.
At that moment, the Gate of Justice suddenly opened.
Everyone cheered in excitement, clamoring to charge through.
Not long after, the gate began to close again. Seeing this, Jinbe dove into the water to help propel the ship forward.
They slipped through the gate just in time, leaving the Navy ships trapped inside.
At last, they had escaped with their lives.
Only then did everyone realize—who had opened the Gate of Justice?
In the control room, Magellan gripped a rather ordinary-looking man in jailer attire, his hands clutching Magellan's thick wrist as poison seeped into his body.
"Ugh… cough, cough…"
Magellan exhaled a plume of purple mist, tossing the man aside and ordering coldly, "Administer the antidote."