Renji spoke calmly.
He crossed both arms in front of his chest.
The stance was almost identical to the pose Whitebeard had taken when the war at Marineford began.
At that moment, all of Renji's quake power gathered into his fists.
Visible cracks spread through the air around him.
"Quake…"
He fixed his eyes on Magellan.
Theoretically, defeating Magellan outright would take a long time.
But if the goal was only to drive him back and stop him from interfering with their escape from Impel Down, then there were faster methods.
No matter how strong Magellan was, he was still a Devil Fruit user.
And every Devil Fruit user shared one weakness.
The sea.
"This…"
Emporio Ivankov's eyes widened.
With all his experience, he instantly realized what Renji intended.
"Don't tell me…"
Ivankov turned toward the prison gate, disbelief written across his face.
"You're planning to destroy the gate itself?"
"Correct."
Renji answered without hesitation.
That was exactly his plan.
He would use quake power to shatter the section near the main gate and send Magellan plunging into the sea.
The moment Magellan touched seawater, his combat power would collapse.
It was the fastest possible solution.
"But…"
Ivankov still looked worried.
"Impel Down was built with special materials."
"Critical sections even contain Sea-Prism Stone."
"You may have quake powers similar to Whitebeard's and his personal guidance…"
"But destroying Impel Down won't be that easy!"
"Kill them!"
"Surround the pirates!"
At that moment, the guards from the lower five levels finally arrived.
More than thirty thousand prison troops surged forward, trapping Renji's forces from behind.
"With the Warden blocking the front, they're fish in a barrel now!"
The pirates had no choice but to divide their forces and hold the rear.
The crisis exploded instantly.
If they couldn't solve the current deadlock quickly, Renji's group would be crushed from both sides.
Worse still, the Gates of Justice were continuing to close.
They had reached the point of no retreat.
Renji said nothing.
When others doubted him, there was no point arguing.
Results would speak for themselves.
Once he succeeded, everyone would fall silent.
"Break!"
As Renji's roar echoed out, limitless quake energy burst from his body all at once.
Under his control, every ounce of that power was directed straight ahead.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out.
For a moment, it felt as if the world itself had been torn apart.
Nearly one-third of Impel Down was destroyed by Renji's strike.
"How is this possible?!"
Magellan's face filled with panic.
The guards and elite officers behind him were equally terrified.
But Renji's attack had detonated instantly.
Even Magellan was thrown directly into the sea.
The others never had a chance.
"Warden!"
"Warden!"
The moment Magellan fell into the ocean, the Poison Giant Soldier vanished.
His body immediately lost strength.
Behind him, over thirty thousand guards were drenched and thrown into chaos.
"Charge!"
The instant Magellan dropped into the sea, Renji used Moonwalk and leapt onto one of the four warships docked outside the prison.
By himself, he seized control of the vessel and steered it toward the ruined gate.
Seeing that, Emporio Ivankov, Crocodile, and Jinbe followed suit.
The four warships quickly moved to the shattered entrance of Impel Down.
Along the way, many guards were crushed beneath them.
"Board the ships!"
Renji shouted the order.
The pirates immediately rushed aboard.
Each warship packed in over five thousand people.
They were already nearing overload.
"There's still room! Move faster!"
Hearing Renji's words, the pirates staying behind to hold off the guards began to laugh.
"So you're the Pirate Instructor, huh?"
"We'll remember you."
"You're a hero… the new legend of our pirate generation."
"The ships are already full. You go first!"
The remaining thirty thousand pirates who were blocking the guards had no intention of leaving.
"And if we all leave, your warships won't survive Impel Down's cannons."
"Better for some of us to escape than for everyone to die at sea."
Similar voices rose one after another.
Of those thirty thousand pirates, not everyone truly felt the same way.
Some still continued rushing onto the ships.
But the majority had already chosen to stay behind.
They had already given their reasons.
"Good."
Looking at the pirates who remained, Renji nodded.
He understood they were also trapped by circumstance and not purely making some noble sacrifice.
Even so, their decision was moving.
"Renji, go now!"
"If the Gates of Justice close, you won't be able to leave!"
"If we make it out later, we'll come join you. Don't forget your brothers then!"
"Good."
Renji nodded again.
After calming himself slightly, he raised his voice.
"Everyone on board, listen up!"
"Take your positions immediately!"
"Assign duties clearly!"
"Set sail for Marineford now!"
At this moment, these prisoners were at the point where escape was most possible, so naturally they obeyed without hesitation.
Renji's ship charged ahead in the lead.
Behind him, Emporio Ivankov, Jinbe, and Crocodile each controlled one warship.
Though Marine vessels were more complex than pirate ships, that complexity mainly came from their weapons systems.
Basic sailing was still manageable.
Very quickly, the four ships came under control.
With over twenty thousand people aboard, the fleet surged toward the Gates of Justice.
Behind them, the thirty thousand pirates holding the line kept Impel Down forces occupied.
The prison could only watch Renji's group escape.
They didn't even get the chance to fire their cannons.
"Bastards!"
After some time, the furious roar of Magellan echoed across Impel Down and half the surrounding sea, reaching Renji's ears.
"He recovered pretty fast."
Renji sounded mildly surprised.
He glanced back toward the prison.
"Looks like the farce at Impel Down is over."
Without Renji there, those thirty thousand pirates were nothing more than a large swarm of ants before Magellan.
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