Impel Down, Level 4—Blazing Hell.
Disguised as prison guards, the Straw Hat Pirates had successfully made their way here by blending in with a group escorting prisoners. Now, they needed to reach Level 6—Eternal Hell!
But there was a problem—the elevator was in use, and they couldn't access it.
"Hey!"
"Marine, your job is done. You can leave now," a prison guard shouted at the disguised Straw Hat crew members who were still lingering.
"Ahahaha~~~"
"We'll be out soon! This place is really something… One second it's burning hot, the next it's freezing cold…" Sabo laughed awkwardly.
They started moving toward the elevator at a slow pace.
They knew that once someone else was done using it, they would have to leave, so they were running out of time. Luffy, in particular, was getting restless.
Suddenly, the elevator stopped—right on Level 4.
The Straw Hat crew members immediately froze.
They could feel it—someone strong was inside that elevator.
"The warden is coming!"
"Is everything ready? The restroom and all that..."
The guards started moving, making preparations as if they were about to welcome someone important.
Among the Straw Hat Crew, Sabo and a few sharp-minded members exchanged glances (except for Luffy). They understood right away—the person inside had to be Warden Magellan!
With no other choice, they braced themselves and kept walking toward the elevator.
Just then, the elevator doors slowly opened. The moment there was enough space for someone to pass through, a massive figure burst out.
"Restroom!"
"Where's the restroom?! I can't hold it anymore!" Magellan shouted as he ran.
"Warden Magellan, sir! The restroom is ready!" A guard quickly reported.
"Hmm?"
"Marines? How did you get in here?" Magellan, who had been rushing to the restroom, suddenly stopped when he passed by the Straw Hat Crew.
"Huh?"
"Uh… Warden Magellan, sir, we're here to escort prisoners," Sabo quickly said.
"Warden, they said they wanted to take a look around Impel Down, so the higher-ups approved them escorting the prisoners to Level 4," a guard explained.
"Hmm~~~"
"Ugh, no time for this! I need the restroom first!"
Although Magellan found them a little suspicious—why did these Marines feel so strong?—he was at his limit. He didn't have time to think about it and dashed toward the restroom.
The Straw Hat Crew let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Alright, Marines, you're done here. Time to leave!" the two accompanying guards urged them.
"Got it, thanks for everything. We'll be on our way now," Sabo replied gratefully.
The guards nodded and led the Straw Hat Crew into the elevator. The moment they stepped inside, Rayleigh swiftly disabled the surveillance Den Den Mushi, and Sabo knocked out the two guards in an instant.
Kuro quickly pressed the button for Level 6—the Infinite Hell!
The elevator immediately started moving down to the sixth level.
In the Impel Down monitoring room, the staff noticed the elevator's feed had disappeared and immediately contacted Level 4.
"The elevator's surveillance just went dark?"
"The elevator is heading to Level 6?"
"Send guards to the Level 6 exit immediately!"
Impel Down's Deputy Warden, Hannyabal, gave the order right away. The message was quickly relayed, and guards on Level 6 rushed to the elevator doors to stand by.
Meanwhile, Hannyabal kept his eyes glued to the Level 6 surveillance screens.
Inside the elevator, the Straw Hat Crew was already preparing for battle.
The moment Magellan noticed something was off, they knew there was no way out of this except through force.
*Ding!*
The elevator reached Level 6 with a heavy sound.
As soon as the doors opened, the guards raised their guns and charged forward. "Freeze, Marines!"
*Buzz!!*
Suddenly, a powerful aura exploded through the room, instantly knocking out all the Level 6 guards.
Even the surveillance Den Den Mushi went silent.
"Those Marines are suspicious—no, they're definitely not Marines! All guard beasts, move in to support Level 6 immediately!" Hannyabal shouted, his face tense.
"Yes, sir!"
"Deputy Warden Hannyabal!" Guard Captain Sadi quickly issued the command.
"That useless warden! He couldn't even tell they were fakes. This is all his fault!"
"When we capture those imposters, I'm definitely going to report this to Marine Headquarters. I'll make sure Magellan gets demoted to deputy warden… and I'll take his place as warden! Heh heh heh heh~~~" Hannyabal cackled, already dreaming about his promotion.
"Uh… Deputy Warden, I think *you* were the one who let them in…" a guard muttered.
"You idiot!"
"This is impossible! I would never make such a stupid mistake!"
"And shut down the elevator immediately! No one is allowed to use it!" Hannibal snapped, giving orders in frustration.
Even though he was furious, he still rushed toward Level 6. After all, if the high-security prisoners escaped, he, as the deputy warden, would have to take responsibility.
······
"Ace!"
"Where are you, Ace?!"
Inside Level 6, Luffy shouted excitedly, running between the cells.
The rest of the Straw Hat Crew was also checking each cell one by one.
Their unusual behavior caused a stir among the prisoners in Level 6. It didn't take long for these criminals to realize that these Marines were fakes.
"Who are you? Why are you looking for Ace?"
Suddenly, a voice came from one of the cells. As soon as they heard it, the Straw Hat Crew immediately ran over.
"Jinbe?"
"Why are you here?" Rayleigh was shocked.
The one who had just spoken was none other than Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea—someone Rayleigh happened to know.
"Rayleigh-san!"
Jinbe was equally surprised when he recognized Rayleigh.
Without hesitation, Rayleigh unlocked Jinbe's shackles and asked, "Jinbe, the Marines are summoning the Seven Warlords right now. How did you end up imprisoned in Impel Down?"
"It's a long story. When I found out that Marine Headquarters planned to publicly execute Ace-san, I tried to persuade Fleet Admiral Sengoku…"
Jinbe started explaining everything to the Straw Hat Crew.
"What?!"
"You mean Ace has already been taken away?!" Sabo exclaimed.
"That's right!"
"The Marines took Ace-san before you arrived. By now, he's probably already at Marine Headquarters," Jinbe said in a deep voice.
"Sabo, what do we do now?!" Luffy asked anxiously.
"It looks like… we have no choice but to storm Marine Headquarters," Sabo said firmly.
"Then let's go! We have to get to Marine Headquarters before the execution and rescue Ace-san!" Jinbe said in a serious tone.
"Yeah!"
Without hesitation, the group took action.
"You're… Sabo?"
Suddenly, a wall was cut open, and a huge head popped out from the hole.
"Huh???"
"Ivankov? Inazuma? You…!"
Sabo instantly recognized the big head and the figure holding a glass of wine.
"It really is you! We thought there was a problem with the surveillance system. What are you doing here?" Ivankov asked in shock.
"We're here to rescue my brother!" Sabo replied firmly.
"Brother???"
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