One Piece: Elden Lord

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Behind them, pockets of chaos erupted; the roar of Impel Down's alarms faded into distance. The cluster of five cut through the sky, Ivankov's Death Wink sending them on a makeshift flight path that was anything but graceful. The salty wind whipped across their faces, and there was one short, shining moment when freedom actually seemed within grasp.

But not without one last, unexpected hitch.

Jinbe was still in the sea, swimming. His large hands were clasped together as he focused on the deep waters below, eyes narrowing in determination. 

"Now, come to us!" Jinbe muttered, his voice firm and commanding.

Then, the ocean replied. Deep below, huge forms began to stir, their outlines projected onto the churning water. The three whale monsters burst to the surface in a huge splashing heave, their bodies black and sleek in the dull light. They let out low, deep calls, and there was something almost reassuringly comforting about their presence.

Midair, Ivankov's large form was thrown off balance by the sudden change in momentum. "Ooooh!" he cried out, arms flailing as he went hurtling headfirst toward one of the whales. With a dramatic splat, Ivankov crashed directly into the side of the massive creature; the impact rippled through the water as he bounced off. The whale barely reacted, though, simply dipping its head to allow Ivankov to land gracefully on its back.

The rest weren't very far behind him, either. Kai, Luffy, and the rest of the prisoners managed to make it onto the whales in a graceless manner, sliding to stops on the slick skin or crashing down gracelessly but managing to hold on.

Kai flew well and landed on the back of one of the whales without making any noise at all. A wide smile spread across his face; what a view: chaos mid-air transformed into a weirdly perfect landing onto the backs of whales, courtesy of Jinbe's mastery over the sea.

"Ah, just like it should be. Smooth escape, boys!" Kai said, his tone light with humor, but a thread of satisfaction at the faultless landing filtering through. He leaned back with an air of casualness, as if these sorts of things happened any day.

At a pace, the whales steadied and began to move, carrying the group toward the escape ship that was waiting just beyond. The sleek ship stood ready on the horizon, its white sails billowing as it bobbed on the waves. Onboard were Buggy, Crocodile, and Jinbe who had just gotten on board after calling upon the whales. They stood waiting with the rest of the prisoners who made it out earlier.

Those huge whales moved extremely fast and with such grace through the sea, taking the escapees right up to the ship. Kai leaped off the whale's back, landing smoothly upon the ship's deck next to Luffy and the rest.

Buggy was already rejoicing at the sight of them. "Hahahaha! We did it!" he yelled, throwing his arms into the air, as if this had been his plan all along. A group of prisoners quickly crowded around him, cheering wildly. 

"Buggy-sama, you're a genius!" one prisoner yelled, starry-eyed from Buggy's apparent 'brilliance'.

"Buggy-sama, the true mastermind!" added another as he lifted Buggy high up in the air, holding him like a hero.

Kai lit an eyebrow, clearly entertained at how ridiculous this all seemed. "of course the mastermind himself!" he said, clapping his hands together with a smirk.

He stepped backward as the prisoners swarmed Buggy, celebrating their just-acquired freedom. Even Crocodile, who leaned against the railing with his arms crossed on the deck, managed a small sarcastic smile at the scene.

The more the rejoicing continued, the more he saw an elderly man come through the crowd toward him. The man had been bent by age. He had seen him before. It had taken a while, but Kai realized that it was on Level 3. The old man stopped before Kai and reached his gratitude in his eyes.

"Thank you… for freeing me," the old man said in a quiet voice and bowed respectfully.

Kai blinked in surprise, never having expected thanks. Fumbling for a reply, Kai nonchalantly waved his hand "Oh, yeah! No need to thank me, old man."

The man smiled genially and off he went; leaving Kai scratching his head with an awkward smile . 'I totally forgot about him,' Kai muttered under his breath. 'Must've been Inazuma and Ivankov who freed him before they fought Magellan in Level 3.'

Meanwhile, the prisoners remained on deck, hoisting Buggy up onto their shoulders and cheering at every movement of his.

"Buggy-sama! Pirate lord of freedom!"

"Long live Buggy-sama!"

Buggy, predictably enough, was in his element, his face puffing with pride. "Yes, yes! That's right! I'm the greatest!" he loudly proclaimed, utterly ignoring how insane the breakout had actually been.

Not everyone cheered, though. Clear-headed and having watched the whole scene unfold before him, Jinbe stepped forward; his deep voice cut through the din as he spoke to the crew.

"Do not cheer too early," warned Jinbe, heavy with seriousness.

Everyone turned to him, the cheers dissipating as they now saw the grim look in his face. Kai furrowed his brow and stepped forward. "What do you mean?" he asked. 

Jinbe pointed ahead, toward the horizon.

And there it was-their final obstacle, the Gates of Justice.

It was a towering structure that stood colossal, almost a wall between them and their freedom. The monumental and huge gates, that used to admit whole fleets in happier times, began their ponderous operation of closing; the growling murmur of the laboring old mechanism sullenly caught across the water by the silent onlookers.

A wave of tension spread through the escapees, and the looming Gates of Justice seemed to creak ever closer to shutting. Kai watched them frustratedly, feeling the moment weigh heavily. How could their escape be cut off when they were this close to freedom?.

But then a thought fluttered in his head-something that had never occurred to him in the heat of the battle and flight. Kai's eyes scanned momentarily, narrowing as he peered into the faces on deck.

Wait a minute." he told himself. In an instant, it clicked: a lightbulb struck his cerebrum. He faced the closing gates once again but showed no anxiety this time; rather, a calm comprehension was written on his face. "Mr. 2 isn't here."

How peculiar that the words seemed to be decisive in his mind, yet the more weight they held in his brain, the more his nerves weighed with them. Gone was the wildly overstated, loyal friend who had fought alongside them just hours earlier-Mr. 2 Bon Clay. And if he was gone, it could mean only one thing.

Kai breathed deeply, and his shoulders sagged with a resigned sense of peace. "I see," he said softly. "What a pity." 

***

In the docks of Impel Down watching the escape ship ahaead, In a local environ, tension was palpable as furiously angry Magellan glared at the Den Den Mushi held in his hand. The voice of the poisonous warden, in low, venom-filled tones:.

"Bring out our hidden reserve ship," Magellan ordered. His eyes were set towards the horizon, to where the escapees were headed. "As long as the Gates of Justice remain closed, they can't leave these waters. I'll chase them down myself." 

There was a moment's silence on the other end of the line, then a shaky voice responded.

"But, sir… you just gave the order to open the gates"

Magellan froze, eyes wide as the words sunk in. A second of incomprehension, and then it hit him like a cold ocean wave. His voice thundered around the control room.

"WHAT!?"

His heart was racing while he stormed toward the control room of Impel Down; his anger bubbled to the surface much like his powers. It couldn't be, he had never issued that kind of order. The only thing running through his mind right now was how-how did this happen?

As he stepped into the control room, Magellan's eyes widened to see the flustered guards. They explained at a rush, pointing at screens around them displaying colossal gates now fully opened. 

Magellan looked around the room; his gaze fell on a figure coolly standing near the controls. His face. it was his own.

But something wasn't quite right - the stance, the slight smile; it was not him at all. Realization hit in a split second.

"I see," growled Magellan, his dangerous timbre of voice dropping an octave. "You were the one behind this, Bon Clay."

Bon Clay whirled, perfectly mimicking Magellan's stance down to the last venomous detail in his appearance.

"Magellan-sama~!" Bon Clay exclaimed melodramatically, spinning on one foot with a wink. "Looks like I gave the order after all~!"

Magellan's eyes wide in anger as he realized what happened. Bon Clay had managed to use his powers with the Mane Mane no Mi and impersonate him, ordering the opening of the Gates of Justice while he had been busy countering the breakout.

"You…," Magellan growled, his fists clenched. Bon Clay had bought precious time for the escapees-enough time to slip through the one thing that could trap them.

Magellan's fists then began to clench as venom started to ooze from his fingers, sizzling as it came into contact with the cold floor beneath him. His eyes, too, blazed with anger as they locked onto Bon Clay. In a matter of moments, the deadly poison had puddled around his hands, a grim reminder of the punishment that lay in wait for the flamboyant escape artist.

"You do realize what this means for you?" said Magellan gruffly, his voice as sharp as the venomous coating on his hands.

Still clad in the face of Magellan, Bon Clay cast a pause. Even now he could feel the weight of those words, the inevitability that was going to rain down upon him in the form of an angry cataract. Yet even now, with the very specter of death looming over him, the smile of Bon Clay never faltered.

He giggled softly and slowly turned back to his normal self: large makeup, exaggerated positionings, or his signature flair. He posed once more, cocking one arm into the air in a defiant gesture. "I know," he said with a gleam in his eye.

He straightened up, his exhalation almost like the acceptance of his fate. But in his eyes shone an unshakeable resolve of a man who long ago had come to acceptance with what he did. His tone softened, but the conviction did not escape his tone.

"And I have no regrets."

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If you wish to read up to 5 Chapters Ahead! or simply support me just because? then check out my patréon at

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