The antidote Shiryu brought back proved highly effective, and with Brook’s assistance, the group gradually woke up.
“Phew! Almost thought I was going to die here!”
Rising from the ground, Bentham touched his face with lingering fear, wearing an expression of post-terror.
“My stomach is empty…” Luffy, on the other hand, hung his tongue out, looking weak and powerless.
Buggy was arguing with Mr. 3; the reason being, when Magellan’s poison splashed earlier, Mr. 3’s wax shield failed to protect him. Therefore, at this moment, Buggy was settling scores.
Trafalgar Law sat on the ground with his nodachi leaning against his shoulder, silently staring not far away at Shiryu, who was smoking a cigar.
“That person… is very dangerous!” Urouge, standing beside Law, whispered, “Although he brought the antidote, honestly, I don’t want to stay with that guy.”
As for Zoro, he stared sternly at Shiryu’s sword, and Shiryu, noticing Zoro’s gaze, snorted and said, “Kid, if you want to die, I can make it happen!”
While Shiryu acknowledged Ian’s strength, he held disdain for the people Ian brought along, speaking without any courtesy.
Upon hearing this, Zoro’s gaze sharpened, and his hand instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword.The person in front of them exuded an incredibly intense killing intent. Zoro wasn’t sure why Ian chose to keep this person, but at the same time, he could sense the danger emanating from him.
Between swordsmen, sensitivity to each other’s aura was of utmost importance. Although Zoro’s reaction was subconscious, it made Shiryu narrow his eyes, with his right thumb resting on his own sword’s jaw.
Shiryu was inherently bloodthirsty, and now, the killing intent in his heart began to boil again…
However, before he could even lift his thumb off the sword blade, a sudden surge of a highly dangerous premonition hit him. It felt as if a fierce beast was staring at him from behind, prompting Shiryu to abruptly turn around!
He then saw a pair of cold eyes, and the owner of those eyes was none other than the person he had just sided with: Ian!
“What do you want to do, Shiryu?” Ian coldly questioned, staring at him.
Ian had sensed the killing intent Shiryu had directed at Zoro just now, making him particularly irritated at this moment.
“…” Shiryu looked at Ian, and his thumb involuntarily retracted. The killing intent on him also subsided. He said, “No, it’s nothing…”
Ian glanced at him meaningfully, then shifted his gaze away, addressing everyone, “Since everything is settled, let’s continue forward!”
Chopper, being a kind-hearted boy, played a crucial role in rescuing even the prisoners. Upon waking up, these prisoners saw the motionless Magellan on the ground, feeling greatly uplifted. So, when they heard Ian’s command, they immediately cheered with enthusiasm.
“Hail to the great Captain Ian!” They grinned, picking up more weapons left by the prison guards, rushing ahead to clear the way for Ian.
At this moment, these prisoners felt an overwhelming sense of security. The man known as the strongest in Impel Down, Magellan, had knelt before Ian, one of the Seven Warlords. Now, no one could stop them.
Why is it so delightful to cling to powerful sides? Just the thought of having the mighty Ian as their supporter filled everyone with confidence about their future.
However, when they reached the fifth level of the prison, the prisoners’ fervent excitement received a sudden chill.
Literally cold! The extreme cold hell of the fifth level could freeze a person’s pee.
The fourth and fifth levels were like two extremes, an icy hell and a blazing inferno. It was truly unimaginable how such environments were created.
“Achoo!”
As they ascended the stairs to the fifth level and opened the door, a strong cold wind greeted them, causing everyone to simultaneously sneeze. Especially those who had shed their clothes on the fourth level due to the intense heat—now, upon reaching the fifth level, they were instantly frozen.
“It’s… so cold!” Chopper’s nose was running, but Nami immediately hugged him, using his fluffy fur for warmth.
“I-Ian big brother!” Nami shivered, holding Chopper. “Quick, let’s find someplace warm!”
Ian sighed in silence, only able to control the heat from his flame wings to provide warmth. The next moment, a surge of heat spread out, instantly reducing the surrounding cold.
However, a problem arose afterward. Since Ian couldn’t release too much heat, the warmth only extended to a certain radius. This led the prisoners to fight for a spot near Ian, where they could benefit from the warmth.
Leading the charge were Buggy and Mr. 3, the two troublemakers who had been arguing since they met.
Ian didn’t know what to say to them and simply continued walking without a word.
Thus, the prisoners in the fifth-level prison witnessed a bizarre scene. A group of thinly dressed individuals huddled around a man engulfed in flames, entering the fifth level. They desperately tried to squeeze into the center but hesitated to get too close.
Compared to prisoners in other levels of the prison, those in the fifth level seemed unaware of what had happened in Impel Down. This place was too cold, and even the prison guards rarely ventured here. The more they moved, the more heat they would lose. As a result, prisoners on the fifth level seldom engaged in activities, remaining motionless in sheltered spots, seemingly frozen in thought.
As they reached the fifth level, the danger posed by the prisoners here surpassed that of the levels above. Consequently, Ian didn’t rashly instruct the others to release these prisoners. Even if he had asked them to do so, they probably wouldn’t have complied. At this point, no one was willing to leave Ian’s side.
Even Shiryu was part of this collective decision.
Shiryu had been released from the sixth level prison, using a specialized elevator controlled by the prison control room when he went to the fourth level. However, this elevator wasn’t accessible to Ian’s group, and the guards wouldn’t activate it for them. Hence, they had to take the normal route to the sixth level.
Thus, the group traversed through the blizzard on the fifth level, searching for the spiral staircase leading to the sixth level.
However, at this moment, Ian suddenly halted.
The unprepared prisoners on the outer circle continued walking until they noticed Ian’s stop. Hastily turning back, one of them, trembling, asked, “M-Master… Why did you stop?”
“There are people ahead!” Ian’s En field continuously enveloped the fifth-level prison. Just now, he sensed the sudden appearance of a group of people ahead.
These people were not visible in the blizzard, but Ian detected that they seemed to emerge from the snow. So, Ian’s curiosity was piqued for a moment.
Could it be Ivankov and the others?
When Ian was on the fourth level earlier, even in the intense heat, he insisted on wearing his bear ear hat. He knew that perhaps Ivankov and the others might recognize him by this distinct accessory. Since their parting in the Frost Moon Village years ago, Ian hadn’t seen Ivankov again. The current Ian looked entirely different from back then, so the bear ear hat served as a token. After all, Ian had no idea how to enter the so-called Okama Paradise and could only passively wait for Ivankov to find him.
Following Ian’s gaze, the group looked into the blizzard ahead. At first, nothing was visible, but gradually, a pile of shadows seemed to appear, growing larger. This indicated that the other party was approaching.
Subconsciously, some prisoners tightened their grip on their weapons.
Could it be enemies? Wait, weren’t there only a few guards here?
As they pondered this, a sudden burst of laughter echoed through the storm.
“N-fufufu! Ian, boy! Surprise!”
Then, Ivankov’s figure finally appeared in front of everyone!
At the sight of this Emporio Ivankov, many prisoners felt like their eyes were about to pop out!
The person in front surprisingly had an incredibly massive face! Moreover, the face was heavily adorned with makeup, and the eyelashes were remarkably long, giving an extremely bizarre appearance.
What was even more absurd was that in such a heavy snowstorm, he was only wearing a loincloth, a cape, fishnet stockings on his legs, and that was it!
Per…verted!
Ivankov appeared before Ian and the others, posing with one leg raised, supporting his cape with both hands, looking even more scantily clad than the prisoners in their thin uniforms.
Accompanying him were a group of Okama Paradise residents, ranging from graceful beauties to flamboyant individuals. However, they were all dressed in thick fur coats to withstand the severe cold.
… A moment of awkward silence enveloped the scene as everyone stared blankly at Ivankov, unable to find words.
A gust of wind blew, swirling up a pile of snow on the ground.
“What’s wrong? Ian-boy, don’t you recognize me?” Ivankov hesitated for a moment, then asked Ian.
“Well…” Ian didn’t know what to say and finally said, “Ivankov, I’m really glad to see you, but… aren’t you cold in such little clothing?”
Ivankov suddenly snapped back to reality, and snot started flowing from his nose. Holding himself, he exclaimed, “So cold! I’m freezing!”
An Okama Paradise resident, wearing a bunny suit and sunglasses, dug into his nostrils and said speechlessly, “Lord Ivankov, I’ve been telling you to wear more clothes…”