As Shiryu regained his freedom, Scissor Man finally met his young master—Straw Hat Luffy.
However, Luffy was clearly in terrible condition. The purple venom covering his body had already inflicted fatal injuries. With no time to hesitate, Scissor Man sprang into action. He hoisted the unconscious Mr. 2 onto his shoulder, grabbed the reins of the sled with his other hand, and sprinted toward the base.
"Mr. Kidd, is what you said really true?"
At this point, Emporio Ivankov could no longer stay calm, having asked the same question countless times already.
"Once Straw Hat wakes up, everything will be clear. Besides, you already have the answer in your heart—why keep asking me?"
In stark contrast to Ivankov's agitation, Kidd was completely relaxed, lounging with crossed legs and sipping red wine, living the good life.
As Kidd had said, even though Straw Hat hadn't arrived yet, Ivankov had already made up her mind. She chose to believe Kidd—they shared a common enemy, and as the saying goes, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Kidd had no reason to lie to her.
It was precisely because she believed Kidd that she was so tense. This matter involved Dragon's biological sons—not just one, but two. Who knew what kind of madness Dragon might unleash? If he disregarded everything and led the Revolutionary Army to attack Marineford head-on, the Revolutionary Army's future direction would be completely altered. Not only that, but the world's balance of power would shift as well. She had to take action!
"Then what's your goal? As far as I know, before this, you had no connection whatsoever to Ace or Luffy. So why get involved? What's in it for you?"
Having gradually calmed down, Ivankov turned her gaze back to Kidd.
She realized she couldn't see through this young man. His origins were unknown, his motives unclear. A pirate with a bounty exceeding hundreds of millions, yet he had willingly hidden on Level 1 of Impel Down, breaking through the chaos to reach this place. It was impossible not to wonder—what was his true purpose?
Rescuing someone? Or something else?
"My goal?"
Kidd raised an eyebrow. This question wasn't easy to answer. After a moment's thought, he slowly replied:
"Simple. This world has been too peaceful for far too long—so peaceful that people have forgotten the taste of war and blood. No matter how this incident ends, the current world order will change. The tempting cake that is the sea will be divided anew. How could I miss such an opportunity?"
A faint, confident smile played on his lips. Though he was still far from being a top-tier powerhouse, Kidd was certain he could grow rapidly during this process. By the time the war ended, he would undoubtedly become the next emperor of the new world.
Ivankov stared at the young man in shock. She never expected his answer to be this. His goal was to challenge the four reigning Emperors of the sea?
Had she been away from the seas for too long? Were young people nowadays this insane? Did they not know their own limits?
Just as Ivankov was about to mock Kidd, a commotion erupted outside.
Her instincts kicked in. She bolted out the door and anxiously looked toward the center of the crowd.
"Ivan, hurry! The young master can't hold on much longer!"
At Scissor Man's words, Ivankov's heart clenched. She shoved aside the bystanders in her way and rushed to Luffy's side.
Yet the first sight nearly scared her to death. The vast patches of purple venom far exceeded her expectations. What kind of battle had he fought to end up like this?
She cursed inwardly—Magellan, that bastard, had dared to injure their young master like this? He had a death wish!
But what shocked her even more was yet to come. Despite his condition, Straw Hat was still conscious.
"P-please… save my friend… save him…"
A hoarse voice suddenly cut through the silence, interrupting everyone's thoughts.
To their astonishment, the one speaking was none other than Straw Hat himself—the boy who was moments away from dying of venom poisoning.
At a time like this, he could still remain conscious? Still worry about his comrade?
"P-please… hurry… save him!"
When no one responded, Luffy spoke again, pleading.
"Stop talking! Don't worry, we'll save him!"
Ivankov was the first to react, reassuring Luffy while signaling the medics to step in.
"Luffy, do you remember me? I'm Kidd. I need you to tell this person yourself—confirm your relationship with Revolutionary Dragon. Otherwise, she won't let me leave, and I won't be able to save Ace."
Seeing Luffy on the verge of passing out, Kidd hurried forward. If he lost consciousness now, there'd be no way to proceed.
Perhaps hearing Ace's name, Luffy's unfocused pupils sharpened once more. With great effort, he turned his gaze to Kidd.
"A-Ace… I'm Dragon's son… Kidd… please… please save Ace… Give… give Ace back to me…"
With those final words, Luffy could hold on no longer. His head lolled to the side as he fell unconscious.
"Well? Do you believe me now?"
Kidd turned to Ivankov. He'd already wasted enough time here and didn't want to delay any further.
"Damn, that gentleness… just like his father."
A faint smile crossed Ivankov's lips. Though she hadn't explicitly confirmed it, it was clear she now trusted Kidd.
"Then it's time for me to leave. The rest is up to you."
Letting out a quiet breath, Kidd prepared to depart.
But before he could take a step, Ivankov called out from behind.
"Wait! Since you're the young master's friend, there's something you should know."
"Former Impel Down Head Jailer, Shiryu of the Rain, was just released by Magellan. Though Magellan has left, Shiryu remained on Level 6. From the looks of it, he's waiting there specifically for you."
"We don't know his exact location, but he's likely lying in ambush near the entrance to Level 6. If you don't want to run into Shiryu the moment you go down, perhaps Inazuma can help you out."
Her tone was noticeably gentler now, a sign that she fully trusted Kidd.
"Then I'll trouble you."
Kidd was momentarily stunned by Ivankov's warning. He hadn't expected his butterfly effect to cause such a significant change—Shiryu's early release.
This information was crucial for him. In his current state, facing Shiryu head-on would give him less than a 20% chance of victory—maybe not even 10%. Shiryu was a true Yonko Commander-level fighter. Avoiding him outright was the best option, allowing Kidd to first gain strength by harvesting abilities.
After all, this was Level 6. The prisoners here all had bounties of at least hundreds of millions. Given enough time, even if he encountered Shiryu later, Kidd wouldn't have to fear him.
"Inazuma, I leave this to you."
Having said her piece, Ivankov hurried off with Luffy.
"Understood."
"Follow me."
With that, Inazuma led Kidd to another area, stopping in a large open space.
"Later, I'll create a spiral slide here that leads directly to Level 6. Whether you run into Shiryu or not will depend on your luck."
Kidd nodded. He had nothing to add. If he wasn't discovered, so be it. Even if luck wasn't on his side and he did encounter Shiryu, it wouldn't matter—he'd just fight. As long as he wasn't instantly killed, there was always a chance to turn the tables.
Seeing no objections from Kidd, Scissor Man got to work. His hands transformed into giant scissors as he began cutting into the ground. Soon, his figure vanished from sight.