"Hahaha, interesting, this is really interesting. Just got out and already stumbled upon something this exciting. Since I'm here, I can't miss it—count me in on your plan."
Hearing Katie's proposal, Barrett's heart, which had been dormant for decades, began to beat wildly again, and the heat of his blood surged—his berserker nature fully exposed.
"Well, since little Bar has agreed, I can't fall behind either. It's been a long time since I've seen those old friends. Time for a proper reunion—if I don't show up, the world might really forget about me."
Red was just as eager. Both men were natural-born warriors—Barrett had once challenged the Navy's Buster Call alone, and Red had single-handedly fought the former Fleet Admiral Kong. Facing Katie's suggestion, they had no reason to refuse.
However, before Katie could get too excited, a fast-moving figure suddenly appeared within his Observation Haki's range. The sheer aura coming from the person was enough to draw attention.
"Katie!!"
Before the figure even arrived, the roar—filled with killing intent—had already reached them. Katie didn't need anyone to tell him who it was.
Magellan, current Chief Warden of Impel Down, and wielder of the Venom-Venom Fruit.
A terrifying presence descended the next second—purple venom filled their vision. Everywhere it touched, even the solid ground was corroded into pits.
Staring calmly at the distant Magellan, Katie's mindset was different from before—he no longer needed to run.
Red and Barrett stood right beside him. Either one alone would be more than a match for Magellan, let alone the two of them together.
And even without them, Katie had confidence in facing him head-on.
Magellan's most terrifying aspect was his fruit ability. Strip that away, and his strength was around that of a Vice Admiral at best. Before gaining his new powers, Katie might not have stood a chance.
But now, with the Flame-Flame Fruit in his arsenal, everything has changed. Magellan's venom couldn't even get close to him through his intense flames. And worst-case scenario, Katie could elementalize to avoid poison damage entirely.
He might not win, but Magellan wouldn't be able to capture him either. Even if he lost, he could escape.
"Whoa, whoa, don't look at me like that. This is our first time meeting—don't act like I stole your girlfriend or something."
Katie's mocking tone only stoked Magellan's fury further—he wanted nothing more than to rip Katie to shreds.
But his rage was tempered by reason.
Magellan knew exactly who the two people standing next to Katie were—one was a former crew member of the Pirate King, and the other was a legendary pirate on the same level as Whitebeard, Roger, and Shiki.
From the moment he laid eyes on them, Magellan knew things were bad.
He understood their strength better than anyone. Judging by their posture, it was clear they were now on Katie's side. There was no way he could take on all three by himself.
Magellan knew his current mission well: stall them. Defeating them was impossible. Katie alone had taken down Shiryu, and the other two were clearly even stronger.
The Navy would soon arrive to retrieve Ace. If he could hold them off until then, reinforcements might be able to suppress them.
But the next words out of their mouths instantly shattered all of Magellan's hopes.
"Katie, go do what you have to do—we'll handle things here. It's been a while since we've had a good fight anyway. Time to shake off the rust."
"No one's going anywhere!"
Before Katie could move, Magellan had already launched his attack. Massive purple waves of venom surged toward them, towering over ten meters high.
He couldn't risk letting Katie actually do anything. These two alone were already a nightmare—if Katie let out a few more monsters, Impel Down would be reduced to rubble.
"You think I'm a sick cat just because I haven't roared in a while?!"
"Stone Barrier!"
As Barrett shouted, the ground beneath his feet stirred. As if gaining life, a wall rose up in front of the three, blocking all of the venom.
Having consumed the Fusion-Fusion Fruit, Barrett wasn't afraid of Magellan at all. He could manipulate the very walls of Impel Down to resist the venom's erosion.
"Go now. We don't need you here."
"Alright, wait for my signal later—then we'll finish this guy together!"
Nodding, Katie turned and ran. He had more important things to do. No time to waste here.
In just a few steps, he had left the battle zone. Magellan continued to roar in rage behind him, but he couldn't break past Red and Barrett.
Having escaped, Katie made his way directly toward Ace's cell.
Back when he first formed the alliance with Red and Barrett, the system had issued him a new mission:
Mission Objective: Free Ace.
It was just four simple words—but the rewards were massive:
300,000 Exchange Points
20 Skill Points
It was the simplest mission Katie had received so far—no real challenge—but the consequences of completing it would be huge.
As the central figure in this entire saga, Ace's fate was critical. If Katie saved him now, the War at Marineford could be completely avoided. With Ace safe, Whitebeard would have no reason to continue the war.
That outcome would be acceptable—Katie would complete the system's final mission and save both Ace and Whitebeard.
But… he'd also miss a golden opportunity to rapidly increase his strength.
The Marineford War was the largest battle in the history of the pirate world. Every participant was a powerhouse—on the Navy's side, every combatant was at least of officer rank. Whitebeard's side needed no introduction—the world's strongest man didn't keep weaklings around. His division commanders were all monsters.
That's why Katie came up with a plan that satisfied both goals:
Swap places with Ace.
Once the idea formed, he couldn't let it go. Risky as it was, he believed it had a high chance of success.
Before long, Ace's cell came into view.
Perhaps hearing footsteps, Ace looked up—and at that moment, Katie was already gazing inside.
Their eyes met—each reflected in the other's gaze.
"Ace, do you want to get out of here?"