Atali was now with Marcus as they returned to the ship that would take them to Navy HQ.
"How much time is left before the execute Ace?" Atali asked.
"29 hours," said Marcus. "It will all be over by 3 PM tomorrow; that's the plan anyway. Not that plans always go the way they're supposed to."
"Portgas D Ace is safe for the time being," said the jailer escorting them. "We'll transfer him in the morning."
Atali looked at the sky. 'Hiccup… Astrid… I pray that you two at least get out safely at the very least.'
Hiccup's group was still technically on Level III but was about to jump into Level IV.
"All right, I'm going to ask you this one more time," said Buggy. "After this, you two still want to go down to Level IV."
"That's right," said Hiccup, and Astrid nodded.
"No way I'm going down there," said Mr 3, who looked as if he was visibly melting. "I already feel as if my skin is about to melt off my bones."
"You seriously want to jump down into a little boiling pot of blood and fire?" Buggy stared. "What part of Burning Heat Hell don't you understand? We're not going down there."
"We're not asking you to," said Astrid.
"It's hardly our fault that you somehow wound up following us down," said Hiccup.
"Yes, it is!" Buggy glared.
"We just want to go up, which is how you escape here!" said Mr 3.
"You guys can do whatever you want, but the rest of us are going down there," said Astrid.
"Fine by us!" Buggy and Mr 3 yelled as they slammed their foot on the ground.
"You two clearly don't have the balls to go down further," said Bon Clay.
"Hey! My nose is a damn ball!" Buggy snapped.
"It's what?!" Bon Clay yelled, staring at him. "Okay, that's weird, and we're getting off topic."
"Yes, our next big step is figuring out how to get down there," said Astrid.
Then suddenly, the piece before they were standing on crumbled and began falling, though they didn't notice at first.
Hiccup noticed that the ceiling was getting further away. "Is it me, or is the ceiling going up."
"Yeah, you're right, it is," said Mr 3, looking up. "There's kind of a loud rumbling too. You know this rushing sensation feels like…" It was then that they noticed that they were indeed falling. "… the ceiling is not rising! We're falling!"
"Our battle with the Minotaurus must have crumbled the foundations," said Astrid.
"On the plus side and these, we found a down," said Hiccup.
"True, but we're falling into hellfire!" Bon Clay screamed.
Down on Level IV, the guards forced the prisoners to work with the blazing heat of the flames constantly lit at the bottom of the floor. Sometimes, unlucky prisoners were forced towards the boiling pot, which was filled with blood that bubbled in the heat.
"Please don't do this, sir!" a prisoner begged. "Please don't kill us."
"You deserve whatever happens to you," said the guard. "That is the way justice works. How many people have begged you not to kill them? It's over."
The Demon Guard was advancing towards them, and the prisoners had nowhere to run as they were standing on the ledge. Below them was the boiling pot.
"But we deeply regret what we've done!"
"Yeah, we're sorry! Honestly!"
Unfortunately for them, no one believed, and the Demon Guard raised his massive mace, swinging it straight down on top of them. This, of course, knocked all of them over the ledge and began falling into the boiling pot.
"It burns! It burns!" they cried in anguish.
The prisoners were also forced to carry huge logs that we used to keep the flames going.
"Keep moving!" a guard yelled. "Log that firewood."
The prisoners were forced to walk across the ground barefoot, which meant the soles of their feet felt the heat from the flames.
"Too hot," said a prisoner. "My body, even my guts, are burning. I would rather die than put up with this. I'm running for it!"
He then chucked the log he was carrying, which landed on top of a guard and made a run for it.
"Get out of my damn way!" he yelled, knocking prisoners aside. "I'm through with this!"
"We've got a prisoner escaping!" a guard yelled.
The prisoner kept on running. "Hey, move it!"
The prisoner in front of him refused to move, so he struck across the face with his fists, but he didn't even flinch.
"Come on, or do you Wanna get thrown into the hellfire?" the prisoner yelled.
The prisoner turned out to be none other than Ryker, formerly known as Mr 1, as well as Viggo Grimborn's older brother. He spun around, striking the prisoner with his log with so much force that he flew over the ledge.
"I'm falling!" he yelled.
"What the hell?" said a guard. "You can't just kill other prisoners like that. Do you want us to execute you right here?"
Ryker merely turned around to face him and looked at him so intimidatingly that the guard flinched.
Atali and Marcus had finally returned to the ship.
"Your condition has been granted," said Marcus as they made their way up the gangplank, "as for your end of the…"
"I'm aware of the deal," she said. "I made a promise to you, and I intend to live up to it."
"Welcome back, sir," said a Marine.
"It is very good to be back," said Marcus. "Show her to her quarters."
"Yes, sir!" he said and then turned to Atali. "This way."
Marcus was heading to the front of the ship when a Navy officer rushed over to him.
"Vice-Admiral!" he yelled.
"Yes, what now?" he asked.
"We've just received a report that Alvin had a run-in in the New World."
"Are you sure about that? The timing doesn't make much sense; who did they say he was fighting? Not one of us?"
"No, Kaito of the Four Emperors."
Marcus' eyes shot wide open. "Did you say Kaito?"
"That's correct, sir. Apparently, Kaito was after Stoick, I hear it was just a skirmish, but Alvin intercepted him. I can't say to what end, though."
Marcus was deeply troubled by this report. "Bad tidings, but not unexpected. These are turbulent waters indeed. A brush like this with the Four Emperors is a deadly serious circumstance beyond our control. With Stoick safe, he'll likely come after us. I fear it may be all out more."
"You think his response will be that extreme, sir?"
"Stoick's men are the strongest pirate crew in the world. He would be facing the entire Navy, including three Admirals and the Seven Warlords of the Sea. No matter who comes out on top, this war will shape the very course of history."
The Marine officer gulped.
"Set sail for Marinford!"
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, on Level IV, the prisoners began to notice that the guards were acting unusual.
"What's going on? The entire upper brass showed up here, including Magellan, Hannibal, and the Demon Guards."
"I've got a bad feeling that something is about to go down."
Many of the guards at the station were not used to the heat of Level IV.
"Fashion you fireproof coats!" a guard ordered. "Dragon Conqueror Hiccup and the others should be coming out of this door."
"No update so far."
"That's good; maybe they only got beaten by Minotaurus."
Hannibal then approached a mobile office where Magellan was sitting.
"A true warden should face adversity instead of hiding," he said. "Get your ugly mug out here."
He then pulled back the curtains, and Magellan immediately screamed.
"Could you warn me first!" he yelled, covering his eyes. "It's too bright!"
"When you inevitably pass this seed onto me, I would appreciate it if you make it more open for me first," said Hannibal.
"Shut up," Magellan snapped. "This seat was custom-made to my liking, and I like it closed, private and dark. It's a metaphor for how I feel about you."
His eyes shot wide open, and he placed a hand over her stomach. "It's coming!"
He then immediately pulled the curtains back, and Hannibal heard what appeared to be a fart inside. Then he heard the sound of a toilet flushing, and he realised that the office was, in fact, a portable toilet.
"What?!" he yelled. "It's a toilet? That is gross."
"I can hear you," said Magellan from inside.
Sadie tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. "Ah, if I had known that we were just going to stand around and wait for them for this long, then I would have gone hunting."
"Patients, Mistress Sadie, please," said Magellan.
"Oh, it doesn't bother me, but my boys here don't know what patience is," he said, gesturing to the three Demon Guards standing behind her. "The only thing they know is bloodlust."
Standing with the other free Demon Guards, all of them resembled Minotaurus, but each one was a different animal. First, there was Minokoala, who was half man and half koala, and he was currently eating a number of leaves in his pouch. Then there was Minorhinoceros, who was half man and half rhinoceros; he was trying to avoid anyone from looking at him. Lastly, there was Minozebra, who was half man and half zebra, and strangely, he was hiding behind Minokoala as the latter was trying to force-feed Minorhinoceros.
Then suddenly, a guard rushed over to them. "I have an update!"
Magellan then opened a small window in his portaloo, surprising Hannibal.
"Dragon Conqueror Hiccup and the others are now located inside the well tower on Level III, which means we're unfortunately unable to monitor them."
"They've made it that far?" Sabie gasped.
Hannibal smiled. "If they pull this off, all I have to do is lay blame on the warden, then I'll be—" Magellan punched him across the head, and he rubbed his head. "It's not fair! I really want to be warden." He then suddenly remembered that Magellan was standing directly behind him. "I mean, I love your chair."
Magellan ignored that he had other concerns. 'It would make our life a hell of a lot easier if they simply plummet to their deaths from there. The boiling pool of blood is right beneath them; all of them, apart from the War Maiden, have Devil fruits powers after all. As strong as the War Maiden is, I very much doubt she will be able to rescue all of them and save herself.'
Hiccup and the others were still plummeting downwards.
"If I die here, it's all your fault, Dragon!" Buggy yelled.
"I don't want to go to Level IV. It's hot enough already!" Mr 3 cried.
"Speaking of hot, we're heading for the pool of blood!" Bon Clay yelled.
"This is not exactly how I wanted to get down to the next level," said Hiccup.
"We need to think of something fast," said Astrid.
They then landed in the boiling pot of blood.
Magellan and everyone were waiting for any sign of Hiccup when the guard rushed over to them.
"Warden Magellan! Another update!" he yelled. "I'm afraid Dragon Conqueror Hiccup and the War Maiden Astrid have already reached this level."
"They did pass us," said Magellan as he stuck his head out the window. "How is that possible?"
"They apparently fell down through the well," said the guard.
The guards looked at one another, shocked.
"But the well leads directly to the pool of blood," said Magellan. "How the hell are they alive?"
"From what I gather, they used a massive piece of the falling floor to shield themselves and leap to safety."
'The bastards have luck on their side,' Magellan grumbled.
"One more thing," said a guard.
"What now?"
"It stinks, Warden," said Hannibal, pinching his nose. "I mean, this situation stinks."
Magellan glared at him.
"Well, sir, the Demon Guard Minotaurus has also fallen into the well, and apparently he's not moving," the guard reported.
"That impossible!" said Sadie. "They defeated him?"
"It appears so."
"The poor baby," Sadie cried. "I won't believe it!"
"Pull it together," Magellan growled and stepped out of his portaloo. "You will follow my orders carefully. There are only two ways to get out of Level IV, which does not include dying. We have two staircases which they can take that aren't currently protected by security guards.
"From this point forward, we're splitting our forces into three. Hannibal, I want you in charge of this stairwell and block all access to Level III. Mistress Sadie, I want you and the Demon Guards to defend the stairwell leading to Level V."
"No way!" Sadie protested. "That sounds so boring. I want to punish those bad boys and that naughty girl. Surely, my outfit makes it clear enough to you."
'Maybe I'll just let them slip past me and have the warden take the blame,' said Hannibal cunningly.
"Any objections?" Magellan growled as he exhaled his poisonous breath.
All of them quickly covered their mouths.
"Please, warden, don't do that!" Sadie pleaded.
"But I didn't complain this time," Hannibal protested.
"You don't need to; I can sense you plotting against me," he said. "Oh, and once they're captured, you are free to do with them as you wish with them."
"Yes, sir," Sadie smiled. "I can get behind that idea."
"And as for the rest of the guards, I want you to pursue them at all costs!" Magellan commanded. "You bring them to me dead or alive."
"Sir!"
"Almost dead works, too," said Sadie.
"This ends right now," said Magellan. "They have toyed with me long enough. We have a reputation to uphold. The Burning Heat Hell shall be their last stop, but first…"
'The Warden is about to unleash his power!'
Everyone just stood there and looked at Magellan, terrified about what might happen next. However, Magellan merely re-entered his portaloo and used the toilet.
"You're dumping again!" everyone protested.
Hiccup and the others were now safely on the ledge, but the ground was red-hot as such; they were all dancing around.
"Damnit! Ow, ow, ow, ow!" Buggy cried. "The flaw is insanely hot in here!"
"It's so hard I feel as if my lungs are on fire!" Mr 3 yelled.
"The faster we move, the faster we get out of here!" said Hiccup.
"But which way should we go?" Astrid asked.
"You guys sound like babies," said Bon Clay as he spun around. "Whiny babies. It's a simple matter of mind over matter; you need to think as fire as your friend. Honestly, I don't blame you, know. I know it's a little steamy in here, even compared to that desert. Actually, maybe more than just a little."
Bon Clay then started to feel the heat as well. "I think, my friend, the fire might be turning on me. Oh, crap!"
"You're blathering is worse than the damn heat!" everyone said in unison.
"Well, we can either go left or right," said Astrid.
"Then let's go right," said Hiccup.
"Why?"
"We have to start somewhere."
"Then after you."
Hiccup and Astrid then immediately dashed off towards the right.
"Hey! Where are you two going?" Buggy yelled.
"So hot!" Bon Clay cried.
"We get it already!" Mr 3 snapped.
Bon Clay then saw Hiccup, and Astrid had already left.
"Huh? That way leads to kitchens," he said, surveying the mental map in his head. "Not a bad idea, I'm famished anyway. Wait for me, my friends!"
He then began to skip after Hiccup and Astrid.
"I'm not gonna lie. Food does sound like good," said Buggy as he followed them. "And some booze as well."
"No!" Mr 3 cried, grabbing him. "Wait a minute, Buggy!"
Hiccup was in his dragon form, and he could smell the food. "I think we are heading towards the kitchen."
"We've been running around all day. We haven't had a chance to eat anything," said Astrid.
"Then they are!" said a voice in front of them. "It's Dragon and the War Maiden!"
They looked ahead of them and saw a number of guards charging towards them.
"Looks like we got company," said Astrid.
"Then what you say we charge right in?" Hiccup asked.
"You read my mind," she said as she drew her battleaxe.
"Stop right there!" a guard yelled.
Hiccup jumped right over them and swatted them in the face with his tail. Astrid then jumped in and spun around, swinging her battleaxe, sending a number of guards flying.
Hiccup then opened his mouth. "Plasma Barrage!"
Hiccup fired several plasma blasts, which exploded, taking a number of guards.
"Valkyrie Storm!" Astrid yelled, swinging her battleaxe, unleashing a powerful tornado and blowing them away.
Hiccup then transformed his hybrid form and began swinging his tail.
"Dragon Whip!" he yelled.
His tail slammed into the guards, knocking them out cold instantly.
Bon Clay had jumped into the air and began spinning like a top. "Around and around I go! Memoirs of a Summers Day!"
He then swooped down a group of guards and appeared directly behind them. A few seconds later, the guards were sent flying in all different directions.
A guard then rushed over to Magellan to give him a report.
"We have found Dragon Conqueror Hiccup and War Maiden Astrid, sir!" he reported. "Team A is locked in battle with them now."
"Team B has just arrived, too!" said a second guard. "They've teamed up with Team A and are closing in on them. They don't seem to be holding up too well, though."
"Both teams are requesting backup, sir. What should we do?"
Magellan was absolutely furious.
"A and B Teams have been wiped out!"
There "C, D and E have major losses!"
"Asking for backup upstairs won't cut it. They're too powerful for us. We can't hold up the position."
Magellan growled furiously.
"Oh, woe is me," said Hannibal. "If only I were warden, I could fix this."
The guards looked at one another, unsure what to do; they had never been in this position before.
Magellan stepped out of his portaloo and had finally had enough of these transgressions.
Mr 3 had pulled Buggy to one side to explain his concerns.
"What are you freaking out about partner?" Buggy demanded.
"Open your eyes and take a look," he said, pointing down as Hiccup and Astrid cut through the guards. "There's an ocean of guards down there, and this level is devoted to the agony of the prisoners, and yet there isn't a single guard manning the fire torture pit. The first thing we should do is check the staircases. I've got a bad feeling they ambushed us. With all these guards, may probably box just in on this level."
Buggy's eyes widened. "What if they've been waiting on Level IV this whole time? That means they just want Dragon; we won't even try to come down here."
"Maybe not, but we are still trying to break out, and they know our names and faces. Still, there is something even more troubling. If they're sending this many guards after, it's extremely likely they are also sending the Impel Down all-stars to put an end to this chaos, and I am not just talking about the other three Demon Guards either. Warden Magellan himself might make an appearance, and then we are dead, my friend."
Hiccup, Astrid and Bon Clay were still making their way through Level IV.
"I'd get out of the way, you," Hiccup advised the guards.
He was just about to fire another plasma blast when a drop of poison suddenly fell from the ceiling, and he quickly jumped back before it touched him.
"I thought it was a spear or something," said Hiccup.
More drops of poison fell, and Bon Clay instantly recognised it.
"No! No! No! Look!" he cried, pointing to the ceiling.
Magellan suddenly landed directly in front of them, and Bon Clay screamed.
"It's time to put an end to your mayhem once and for all," he said.
"And who are you?" Hiccup asked.
"It's Magellan!" Bon Clay screamed.
"The warden?" Astrid gasped.
"I've got you now, you criminal scum," Magellan growled.