That strike just now had consumed almost one-third of Ren's Conqueror's Haki reserves, as well as one-third of his Armament Haki reserves.
But… that was not all.
There had also been a change in another direction.
A change in the efficiency of energy release and conversion.
During the battle on Raijin Island, Ren had unleashed the World-Ending Horn and fought Whitebeard in their final clash.
The result was that Raijin Island disappeared.
And in the post-battle review afterward, he had come to understand what the more efficient method of releasing the World-Ending Horn's energy was.
Then, relying on his repeatedly enhanced talent, he incorporated that more efficient method into his own energy system.
Taken together, it produced the terrifying scene before him.
"The test was pretty successful, but in terms of results, I might have gone a little overboard."
Ren scratched his head. "I hope there won't be any problems on Morley's side."
Thinking of that, he looked at the man lying at his feet.
The Chief Warden of Impel Down, Magellan. A man whose strength approached admiral level, and who possessed an immense sense of justice and duty.
In the original story, because of his failure of duty, Luffy and the others escaped, and he was later defeated by Blackbeard together with a group of prisoners from Infinite Hell.
Afterward, he showed an extremely strong tendency to commit suicide to atone for his disgrace.
In a certain sense, Magellan, just like Hannyabal, had pushed himself to the absolute limit within the field of justice he believed in.
"I said I won't let you pass, so you won't take even one step past me."
That line, which had seemed so irritating in Ren's previous life, carried a different interpretation in the present situation.
"Though it's the stubborn speech of a weakling, there really is something admirable about it."
It was precisely because Ren acknowledged that kind of conviction that he had responded to Hannyabal's words and made his move.
Of course, even without those words, he still would have acted.
The only difference was whether it happened sooner or later.
The tactic of driving wolves against tigers had been very successful. Whether it was the originally troublesome Magellan, or those great pirates from Infinite Hell,
All of them had been worn down in continuous battle, while allowing Ren, watching from the shadows, to grasp their information.
Combined with the intelligence from the original story, he had carried out a clean and decisive harvest.
And now, it was about time to wrap things up.
First was Pizarro, whose chest had been pierced through and whose body had been burned almost down to a skeleton. Because Ren's control had improved, he had not died in the explosion just now.
And because his will to survive was extremely strong, he had protected his insides with Haki and still had one breath left.
But that was all. He was merely clinging to life, with no possibility of resisting.
Ren placed a mark on him through the Cluster Network, then swept the surroundings with Observation Haki to confirm the rest of his results.
Sanjuan Wolf, the giant capable of enlarging himself, had died in the World-Ending Horn because of his massive size. There was no possibility of survival.
In fact, nothing was left of him at all.
Catarina, who could copy others, was different. During the explosion, she had used Wolf as a shield, luckily leaving behind an intact corpse.
Ren found that somewhat regrettable. Her copying ability looked rather useful.
But it was probably not meant to be.
As for forcibly seizing it like he had done with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit on Skypiea… all he could say was that this ability was not worth taking such a risk for.
Continuing onward, Ren found the dying Byrnndi World in a remote corner far away.
He was behind a vast lake formed from molten iron. It seemed that in that instant, he had accelerated his own speed, then used his ability to enlarge steel for defense.
However, the result had not been very good.
"…What kind of… monster are you?"
Byrnndi World coughed up a mouthful of blood and asked, seemingly without any strength left to resist.
But in the next instant, he raised his hand and fired a shot!
Bang!
Under Ren's surprised gaze, a lead bullet enlarged a hundredfold came whistling toward him, only to be cleanly sliced apart by Heavenly Might.
"Bastard! Die with me!"
Byrnndi World's eyelid twitched, and he immediately pulled out a bomb, intending to activate his ability.
However, the gaseous "blade" launched an attack, and countless spikes drilled into his flesh.
Byrnndi World let out a muffled groan, then fainted amid endless pain.
"What a pain."
Ren placed another mark on him, while his Observation Haki and Premonition Perception continued spreading outward.
Then, he found the final target.
With both hands in his pockets, he strolled forward, unhurried and calm, as though he were taking a walk through a garden.
Well, After all, this was not Marine Headquarters.
Inside Impel Down right now, there was no one who could force Ren into a difficult situation.
At the same time,
"Hey, hey! What the hell is going on here?!"
A cry of disbelief rang out at the junction between the Infinite Hell level and the fifth floor.
Ivankov stared blankly at the magma pouring into underground Level 5.5, then looked up at the opened roof of Impel Down.
Unbelievable!
From this position in Newkama Land, he could actually see the sky outside Impel Down?!
What in the world had that huge explosion just now been?!
"I told you, if you didn't leave quickly, you'd run into terrible luck."
Morley spread his hands helplessly, looking somewhat frustrated at Ivankov's failure to live up to expectations. "Mr. Ren does reckless things all the time. Sabo said that even if he tore down Impel Down, we wouldn't need to be surprised."
"You never said any of that!"
Ivankov's face darkened as he roared, "You only said the timing was just right, that there was an opportunity for revolution outside, and that I should go back and fulfill our mission!
"When I asked you how we were supposed to leave this sea, you just said someone would handle it, then went off to chat with those little ones!"
As he spoke, Ivankov pointed emphatically toward the confused Newkama behind him.
Or rather, those Okama whose genders had been reversed.
"Oh my, I just hadn't seen comrades who shared the same ideals for too long, so I lost control for a moment."
Morley twisted shyly and revealed an embarrassed expression. "Calm down. It's really not that big of a deal."
"Not that big of a deal?"
Ivankov let out a roar. "Look outside, will you?!
"That indestructible Impel Down, which was almost impossible to successfully invade and impossible to escape from!
"Now it's turned into something like ruins, and there's damn magma everywhere.
"I don't even know who did it or where they came from. I don't know anything.
"If this isn't a big deal, then what is?!
"And right now, the only person who knows what's going on is you, Morley!"
Left with no choice, Morley could only quickly explain a series of information.
"Demon Ren?"
After listening, Ivankov frowned and pointed at the huge hole in the ceiling. "It's not that I think you're lying to me, but having this kind of strength at nineteen—isn't that way too ridiculous?
"Morley, with your strength, you should understand, right?
"This level of power is practically on the level of a Yonko. Even in my dreams, I wouldn't dare imagine myself having that kind of strength.
"And the person who did all this, according to you, is a damn nineteen-year-old baby?!"
He really could not believe such a thing.
Damn it, when he was nineteen, he had still been adventuring through the Four Blues!
"I'm not lying."
Morley said very seriously, "Dragon said he has that level of strength, because he has fought Dragon before."
Dragon…
Ivankov's mind conjured up that solemn face, and for a moment, he found himself speechless.
If it was Dragon who said so, then that fellow he had yet to meet really did seem terrifying.
He quickly adjusted his mindset and seemed extremely interested. "Can I meet him? That incredibly valiant baby?"
"That wouldn't be very good. He doesn't seem to like the Newkama path, so we shouldn't cause trouble for him.
"The Revolutionary Army also has something important to do in this operation, and we need his people's help to accomplish it."
Morley shook his head and rejected Ivankov's idea.
Ivankov tried to persuade him, but the result remained the same. In the end, he could only helplessly accept it and wait for the so-called opportunity to leave.
At that moment, Ivankov also began preparing to have the Newkama leave with him.
No matter what they would do afterward, these companions who had abandoned their past and chosen to become Newkama were genuine fighting strength.
"Huff… huff… Damn it, why did it turn out like this?"
Teach staggered forward with difficulty, doing his best to distance himself from that terrifying monster.
The instant the massive explosion had erupted, he had used the power of the Yami Yami no Mi.
Fortunately, darkness could devour that terrifying force, so he had not been instantly killed on the spot.
But the secondary shockwave had still injured him badly. He felt as if several bones in his body had broken.
However, compared to the pain in his body, the pain in his heart made him suffer far more.
He had failed.
The opportunity he had finally seized.
This desperate gamble had been for the sake of taking away a group of reliable and powerful comrades.
Then, he would head to the stage he had envisioned and obtain the most crucial thing.
But now… everything was gone.
That bastard had clearly come here to kill people!
And the key point was that he was terrifyingly strong!
"Is he a monster on the same level as those guys?"
Teach quickened his pace, his expression becoming increasingly heavy. "Forget it. If there's no way, then I'll give it up.
"It's just failure, isn't it? I've experienced plenty of failures in the past. At worst, I'll just start over from scratch."
He raised his hand, which was emitting black smoke, cheering himself up.
"As long as I have the power of the Yami Yami no Mi, even if I can't get the Gura-Gura no Mi, I can get other fruits.
"And Pops will definitely die at Marineford. Once the Gura-Gura no Mi reincarnates, there'll still be a chance to get it.
"It's not time to call it a complete failure yet. Just you wait. As long as I escape, this matter won't be over!"
Clearly, Teach had already come to hate the man who had destroyed his plan.
If earlier he had only feared the other party's aptitude and talent, now it was pure hatred.
He moved quickly through the wreckage of Impel Down.
The attack just now had indeed been terrifying, but Impel Down itself was also extremely massive.
Because of that, there were still many places that remained in a walkable state.
The Surveillance Den Den Mushi scattered everywhere had all died. Even if some were still alive, there was no way that guy could make use of them.
So Teach, who had seized the opportunity to flee along the shockwave, was confident that he could escape.
For now, he should go find Bullet, who had left earlier, and see if he could cooperate with that powerhouse to seize a warship and escape.
As Teach thought, he arrived at a new location.
Judging from the height, it should be the second floor, but even he was not certain.
Impel Down had been damaged far too severely. Under the sunlight pouring in through the hole at the top, he could barely distinguish a few things.
However, Teach suddenly stopped thinking, his expression turning incomparably grave as he looked ahead.
At some unknown point, atop a pile of rubble bathed in falling light, there sat a figure who looked extremely gentle and amiable.
(End of Chapter)