Chapter 8: Poisonous Threat
"Eight Gates Released Formation—Third Gate: Gate of Life, Open!"
As Alex activated his ability, his entire body flushed red with surging energy. His speed and strength increased dramatically.
Seeing this transformation, Hannyabal swallowed nervously and gripped his trident tightly, preparing for the impending battle.
"Game over—Hidden Lotus!" Alex roared.
The next second, Hannyabal barely registered a blur of movement before Alex's fist uppercut his chin.
Boom!
Hannyabal shot into the air like a rocket, his face contorted in pain.
But it wasn't over.
As he soared, Alex pushed off the ground, launching himself skyward. Reaching Hannyabal midair, he raised his right leg and hammered it down with full force!
Crash!
Hannyabal slammed into the ground with a deafening impact, shattering the floor in a spiderweb of cracks.
"Ding! Congratulations, host! You have defeated your opponent and earned 15,000 Reputation Points!"
Hearing the system notification, Alex knew Hannyabal wouldn't be getting back up.
---
Meanwhile, watching through the surveillance feed, Magellan sighed heavily. He stood up, adjusted his black suit, and left his office.
With Hannyabal's defeat, Level 3 descended into chaos.
The jailers, now leaderless, were massacred by the desperate prisoners. The entire pathway was littered with bodies as the riot stormed into Level 4!
---
Level 4: The Blazing Hell
Level 4 was Impel Down's core—home to Magellan's office, the kitchen, and food storage. The temperature was suffocatingly high, and at its center lay a giant boiling pool of blood, resembling an enormous iron cauldron filled with scorching flames.
However, as Alex reached the entrance, he was met with a gruesome sight—
Countless prisoners lay motionless on the ground.
The air was filled with thick, deep-purple gas.
Alex's eyes widened. "Damn it!"
He immediately retreated back to Level 3!
This was undoubtedly the work of Magellan's Devil Fruit—the Doku Doku no Mi!
---
The Terror of Magellan
Magellan's Paramecia-type Poison-Poison Fruit allowed him to generate and control deadly venom from any part of his body—his sweat, saliva, breath, and even sighs were toxic gases.
His poisons could cause:
Paralysis
Excruciating pain
Hallucinations
Immediate death
Even stone could be melted by his corrosive toxins. The only antidote came from Magellan himself.
Despite his power, Magellan had a downside—frequent use of his Devil Fruit resulted in chronic diarrhea.
Nevertheless, this was why he was the warden of Impel Down, feared even by legendary pirates.
"Hahaha! No matter how strong your attacks are, you'll never escape my poison!"
Magellan laughed loudly as he watched Alex flee.
---
Alex's Countermeasure
Back in Level 3, Alex didn't waste time—he opened the system shop and searched for a way to counter Magellan's poison.
Magellan's power came from his untouchable poison. To defeat him, Alex needed a character with poison immunity.
His first thought was Hanzo the Salamander.
Hanzo's breath alone could paralyze enemies with toxic gas. However, Alex quickly dismissed the idea—Magellan's poison could penetrate through direct contact, making Hanzo useless.
Just then—
Footsteps echoed from the stairway.
Someone had survived the Level 4 massacre and was returning to Level 3!
Alex's heart pounded—only one person could have made it back alive.
Then, an idea flashed in his mind—
He quickly scrolled through the system shop and found a new character card:
[Sasori] – The Puppet Master of Akatsuki
Sasori's puppet body rendered him immune to poison. Even if Magellan's toxins touched him, it wouldn't affect him at all!
But when Alex saw the cost—
50,000 Reputation Points.
"Damn ripoff system!" he cursed.
He had only 30,000 points—not enough to get Sasori.
However, this gave him another idea—
If Sasori was too expensive, why not choose another puppet master?
Suddenly, he spotted another character card—
[Chiyo] – The Elder Puppet Master
Cost: 30,000 Reputation Points
Because of her age, Chiyo's card was cheaper than Sasori's.
Alex immediately checked his status—after defeating Saldeath, Hannyabal, and other high-level enemies, he had just over 30,000 Reputation Points!
Without hesitation, he purchased the card.
"Ding! [Chiyo] Character Card successfully redeemed. 30,000 Reputation Points deducted!"
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Magellan Arrives
As Alex completed the exchange, Magellan stepped into Level 3.
"Still trying to resist?" Magellan sneered, purple poison mist swirling around him. "You'll die in agony!"
His entire body radiated deadly venom.