A dull sound echoed across the hall as Ivankov, under the stunned gazes of Rorschach and the others, let out a long sigh. Instead of resisting Magellan's venomous dragon, he dropped to his knees.
"Stop, Magellan. I surrender."
Magellan raised his right hand, and the massive, menacing venom dragon came to a halt just two or three meters above Ivankov's head.
"You'd better not try any tricks in front of me, Emporio Ivankov."
"I won't. I only ask that, in light of my voluntary surrender and the fact that I caused no unnecessary damage to Impel Down, you spare the innocent newkama boys and girls."
Ivankov gave a bitter smile, pressing both hands to the ground and lowering his head heavily to the floor.
"I beg you, Magellan."
"Lord Ivankov!"
Lightning rushed back from the passageway, looking at Ivankov with a mixture of confusion and disbelief.
Ivankov let out a helpless sigh.
"I'm sorry, Lightning. I failed you all."
"No, you haven't, Lord Ivankov!"
At that moment, the okama who had managed to escape began returning one by one, following Lightning back into the hall. They gathered in the passage behind Ivankov, turning back toward the center of the room.
Their eyes were red with emotion, their voices choked as they knelt before Magellan, pressing their heads to the ground.
"It's us who held Lord Ivankov back!"
"Magellan! If you must punish someone, punish us! Please, don't harm Lord Ivankov!"
"That's right! Ivankov is a man of miracles! He has brought new life and hope to countless countries! He is kind and righteous—please, do not hurt him!"
"We'll take responsibility for everything! Please, Magellan!"
The giant Palmer stood in shock, looking at the sea of okama bowing on the ground before him.
"These disgusting okama… actually have such loyalty? They're all real men… Looks like I judged them too quickly by their appearance."
Rorschach's expression grew complicated as well.
He stepped forward from behind Magellan, looking up at him.
"Uncle Magellan, what do you think?"
Magellan remained expressionless as he scanned the crowd of kneeling okama.
"The decision of how to handle you is not mine to make."
"But since you have chosen to surrender, I can promise you this—"
He locked eyes with Ivankov.
"As long as they are not unforgivable criminals, none of them will be sentenced to death."
Ivankov and Magellan stared at each other for a long time. Then, with a solemn expression, Ivankov once again pressed his forehead to the ground.
"Thank you… truly, thank you!"
A few minutes later…
In the frozen hell's surface passageway, fully armed prison guards, led by Sadi, Hannyabal, and Domino, moved in with shackles in hand. One by one, they restrained and escorted the okama emerging from the massive hole in the floor.
Law, carrying his Kikoku sword, watched in disbelief as Rorschach put his clothes back on.
"You just stepped out for a bit… and ended up capturing this many escaping prisoners? Including the legendary 'Miracle Man' Ivankov?"
Rorschach buttoned up his shirt, shielding his sculpted abs from Sadi's greedy gaze, and adjusted the cape on his shoulders.
"It was Uncle Magellan who caught them, not me. I'm not that strong."
"Really?"
Law's face was full of doubt.
"Colonel Rorschach is incredible! He knocked out 500 strong okama with just his Conqueror's Haki, then transformed into a scaled monster and fought the Okama King to a standstill…!"
Behind Him Came the Giant Palmer's Voice, Full of Admiration. At this moment, Palmer—who had briefly been turned into a woman—had been restored to his original male form by Ivankov.
After experiencing that short but nightmarish ordeal, Palmer was now completely devoted to Rorschach.
He had decided to join the Marines and follow the silver-haired young officer standing before him.
He believed that under Rorschach's command, he too could grow stronger and become just as powerful!
Hearing the giant's deep, rumbling commentary, Law's expression gradually turned numb.
"I have a feeling… you're about to get promoted again."
"You've got to be joking, Law. What did I even do? I didn't do anything! Don't listen to Palmer's nonsense—I got beaten up by Ivankov back there! It was Uncle Magellan who arrived and saved me."
Rorschach glanced toward the edge of the massive pit.
There, Ivankov had already been shackled with Seastone handcuffs.
Thus, the decades-old rumor that had haunted Impel Down—the terrifying legend of a demonic realm swallowing prisoners—was finally put to rest.
The vast underground space between Impel Down's Freezing Hell and Eternal Hell, known to the okama as Newkama Land, had now been fully exposed before the prison staff.
The wardens stared in shock as a massive procession of okama emerged from the underground, recognizing among them many prisoners who had mysteriously vanished from their cells over the years.
Many of these wardens had even been punished in the past for those disappearances.
Their crime? Negligence in duty.
Now, this decades-long mystery—one that had affected hundreds, if not thousands, of prisoners—was finally solved.
Immediately, all eyes turned to Rorschach, the one who had uncovered this grand case, with an awe bordering on reverence.
If his earlier defeat of Shiryu had earned him the wardens' respect for his strength—
Then now, he had won their absolute admiration and loyalty.
"Long live Colonel Rosha!"
Suddenly, one of the more enthusiastic wardens couldn't hold back his excitement and shouted the words.
Then, in the cold, desolate depths of Freezing Hell, a chorus of cheers rang out—
"Long live Colonel Rosha!"
The deafening cries reverberated, even startling the prisoners who had been frozen into delirium.
Rorschach scratched his head, embarrassed, as he was surrounded by wardens looking at him with admiration and worship.
Then, all of a sudden—he felt a shiver run down his spine.
His body stiffened.
"Colonel Rorschach, you're truly the hero of Impel Down. Tonight, you must come to my room… I'll make sure to give our great hero a special welcome. Mmm~."
Sadi extended her snake-like hands, greedily running them down Rorschach's back.
Just before Rorschach could use Soru to flee, she withdrew her hands with a teasing smile.
Watching Sadi's sultry laughter as she walked away, Rorschach's face burned red like fire.
Trying to regain his composure, he coughed a few times and turned to walk toward Magellan—only to see Law eyeing him sideways.
Rorschach's steps faltered. He let out a dry laugh.
"Hmph. Acting all grown-up."
Law muttered softly before turning to leave.
"Hey! Law! It's not what you think! I have nothing to do with Sadi! I'm still just a fourteen-year-old kid!"
Rorschach reached out, trying to grab Law and explain.
But Law had already sped up, walking away.
"You don't need to explain to me. I'm not Hibari."
Rorschach was on the verge of tears.
"Seriously, it's not what you think. I'm innocent!"
(End of Chapter)
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