"Since you're here, you must have a way to get us out of this hellhole too, right?" Bullet asked, watching Max with a raised brow. Max nodded. "I do, but first, I'm planning to fight that Magellan guy. Then we'll go."
Bullet crossed his arms. "Why do you even want to fight him? Here's a piece of advice—don't go up against him until you've mastered full-boost Armament Haki, or you'll end up in chains again."
Max gave a relaxed grin. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
"Alright," Bullet muttered, stepping back.
"For now, why don't you guys introduce yourselves?" Max suggested, gesturing at each of them.
The tall figure of Byrnndi World nodded. "The name's Brynndi World."
"Douglas Bullet," came the rough, confident voice of Bullet.
"Patrick Redfield," the newest member said, his eyes glinting with a hint of newfound energy.
Max looked over his new crew, smirking slightly. "Perfect. Let's go out after my fight with Magellan"
"Where are you planning to fight him?" Bullet asked.
Max smirked. "At the 5th level, Frozen Hell."
The others nodded, and they soon returned to the fifth level. Max started a rampage, sending loud blasts and causing enough chaos to draw attention.
Boom!
Boom!
"What exactly are you doing?" Redfield asked, eyeing the destruction.
"Calling Magellan," Max replied with a smirk. Redfield nodded in understanding, just as the elevator chimed, and Magellan's imposing figure appeared.
"You! Bullet, why are you free? And who are the rest of you?" Magellan demanded, his eyes darting over them. He looked confused, especially seeing World and Redfield looking younger and stronger than he remembered.
"Good to see you, Magellan," Redfield said, grinning as World nodded in agreement.
Bullet glanced at Max. "Think I could be younger too?"
Magellan's face twisted in frustration. "You're all escaping, huh? Forget about it! None of you are leaving here alive!"
Poisonous liquid started seeping from his body, filling the area with a deadly vapor.
As Magellan's poison filled the air, the deadly purple fog wafted through the Frozen Hell, its acrid stench filling the space. Max's allies instinctively held their breath, while Max stood unfazed, his eyes fixed on the Warden.
"Stay back if you can't handle him yet," Max advised the others. "This one's mine."
Magellan sneered, streams of venom dripping down his arm and coiling into massive serpentine shapes. "You're out of your depth, whoever you are. All of you will pay for this."
Max stepped forward, summoning his own dark aura to match the warden's menacing stance. "I'm not leaving empty-handed, Magellan. This is your only chance to back down."
Magellan didn't hesitate. He sent a wave of his Venom Demon—massive poison constructs shaped like beasts—lunging straight toward Max. The venomous forms glowed with a sinister energy, pulsing with enough power to corrode anything in their path.
Max dodged with ease, moving as if the poison wasn't even a threat. His Observation Haki allowed him to anticipate Magellan's every move, sidestepping the deadly attacks with precision. With each missed strike, Magellan grew more frustrated.
"Still too slow," Max taunted, before raising his hand to unleash his dark magic. Shadows extended from his fingers, creeping like living chains toward Magellan, who was momentarily taken aback by the unfamiliar ability.
"Dark Fruit? What exactly are you?" Magellan roared, slamming his venomous fists into the ground, creating a shockwave of poison that splattered and sizzled against the icy floor of Frozen Hell.
Max grinned. "Just someone passing through." With a flick of his wrist, the shadows coiled around Magellan's ankles, rooting him in place.
This momentary restraint gave Max the perfect opening. He focused his Armament Haki, coating his fist in a dense layer of blackened aura, and charged Magellan head-on. With a single punch to the chest, he sent Magellan crashing backward into the icy walls, cracking them on impact.
The warden staggered, but he wasn't done. Rising from the rubble, he glared at Max with renewed rage, his poison intensifying, turning an even darker shade of purple. "You won't leave here alive!"
But Max was unfazed. "Time to wrap this up," he declared, raising his hand to release another shadow attack.
The shadows struck swiftly, binding Magellan tighter, as Max looked back at the others with a smirk. "Ready to leave?"
Douglas Bullet, Redfield, and World exchanged a glance, nodding with approval.
With Magellan immobilized, Max moved quickly, stripping him of his Devil Fruit before leading his allies to the exit. Using his Shadow Order spell, he transported everyone through the walls of Impel Down and out into the open sea. They moved swiftly until they reached Enies Lobby, now a desolate, wrecked place.
Upon reaching his ship, Max was greeted by an unexpected sight. Admiral Kizaru lay bound, his face battered black and blue, with Shiki, Enel, and Gwen relaxing nearby.
"You all really went overboard," Max said, a grin spreading across his face as he took in the scene.
Shiki shrugged, a smirk on his face. "He was weak," he replied nonchalantly, brushing some dust off his jacket.
Douglas Bullet looked over at Admiral Kizaru, then back at the young Shiki with a mix of disbelief and awe, realizing the immense strength it would take to subdue an admiral so effortlessly.
"Hm, now that I'm here, we can call for a ransom from the Marines," Max said, glancing at the defeated Kizaru. With a nod, he addressed his allies, "Let's make this worth their while."
Kizaru, hearing Max mention a ransom instead of execution, let out a subtle sigh of relief, thinking, At least they're not planning to kill me. He lay there calmly, masking his apprehension as best as he could.
"Anyway, meet our new partners: World, Bullet, and Redfield," Max announced, pointing at the trio. Kizaru turned his head sharply at the names, his eyes widening slightly. He knew each of these men by reputation—and seeing them together as allies was nothing short of alarming.
He muttered under his breath, "Are these... the real ones?" He studied their faces carefully, noting the youthful yet powerful presence of Bryndi World, the imposing figure of Douglas Bullet, and the eerie intensity of Patrick Redfield.
***
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It's 22 chaps ahead