72: Tony Stark's Shenanigans
"…Alright. Let's try it. Follow me."
Sabo wanted to see Ace too—and waiting any longer risked being spotted anyway.
Might as well gamble on infiltration.
His plan was simple:
Disguise themselves as Marines and sneak inside.
Through careful observation, Sabo had noticed the patrol shift schedule.
Warships didn't patrol constantly—they rotated shifts at fixed times.
Every so often, a returning patrol ship would dock at Impel Down, making it their best chance to blend in.
"Luffy, just hang on a bit longer. We're almost there…"
Sabo floated in the water, carrying Luffy on his back.
He was waiting for a Marine warship to get close enough to latch onto it unnoticed.
"Ugh… I feel so weak…"
Luffy lay limp, barely able to move.
For a Devil Fruit user, seawater was just as deadly as Seastone.
Normally, even half-submersion would drain his strength—but right now, most of his body was submerged.
If not for Sabo holding him up, Luffy would've sunk like a rock.
"…Here it comes."
Sabo shifted position, timing it perfectly.
Nobody would ever suspect that—
Just outside the gates of Impel Down, floating in the ocean, were two dangerous infiltrators.
The warship passed through the gates, docking at the fortress.
Neither the prison guards nor the Marines aboard noticed anything strange.
After all, Impel Down's defenses were designed to keep prisoners from escaping—not to stop people from breaking in.
Because who would be stupid enough to sneak into the world's most secure prison?
Yet, at that exact moment, just beyond the prison waters—
A fleet of Revolutionary Army ships was standing by.
---
"Dragon-san, my marker just moved. The Chief of Staff has successfully infiltrated Impel Down!"
The voice came from Vicente, a Revolutionary officer and user of the Mark-Mark Fruit.
His ability allowed him to place marks on objects or people, tracking their exact location and status.
"…Can you still sense Ivankov?"
Dragon remained calm, showing no emotion—
Even though the two people breaking into the world's deadliest prison were his only son and his chosen successor.
"No problem. I can sense both Ivankov and Inazuma."
Vicente nodded.
The Revolutionaries had been infiltrating Impel Down for years.
It wasn't just a prison for criminals—it also held dissidents, rebels, and anyone who defied the World Government.
In secret, Ivankov had established Level 5.5, turning it into a hidden Revolutionary base within the prison itself.
Their original plan had been to stay hidden until the Revolution rose in full force, using an inside uprising to weaken the prison from within.
But with Marineford War looming, Dragon saw a better opportunity—
If the Revolutionaries and Whitebeard both attacked at once, even if they failed to defeat the Navy, they could still send a message to the world:
The age of the World Government's absolute rule was ending.
Even if they couldn't save Ace, just participating in the battle would rally support for their cause.
"…Prepare to move. Wait for Ivankov's signal, then storm Impel Down."
Dragon took a deep breath.
This attack would decide the future of the Revolution—
Even his ties to Admiral Kizaru weren't enough to make him share this plan.
Not because he doubted Kizaru's loyalty, but because the risk was simply too great.
One leak, one mistake—and the entire Revolutionary movement could collapse.
Meanwhile, Kizaru, sailing back to Marine Headquarters, was completely unaware that Dragon was about to attack Impel Down.
Otherwise—
He definitely would have warned Vice Admiral Strawberry.
Because Strawberry's luck was just that bad.
If this world wasn't so full of freakishly tough people, he probably wouldn't have survived this long.
"…Tch. Being too strong has its downsides, too."
Aboard his warship, Kizaru—lounging in the captain's quarters, holding a sleeping Nami—sighed.
With no way to burn off energy, he had no choice but to entertain himself.
Bored, he opened the group chat to see what kind of bullshit his fellow members were now up to.
---
[Fubuki: I have a variety of branded bags and outfits for sale, along with some exclusive Hero Association gear. Here's the price list if anyone's interested.]
[Random Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: Uh… I don't think I have anything valuable to trade… Anyone need a Beat Someone Up service?
[Kobayashi]:
Hm, Tohru asked me to sell her shed dragon scales and, uh, a large amount of dragon dung. Discount for bulk orders! (Only on the dung, dragon scales are limited.)
[Haibara Ai]: Too bad I don't have the right research equipment, or I'd consider buying some dragon dung for scientific study…
[Orochimaru]:
Heh. If you're interested, Haibara, I can provide the equipment—and even hire you to conduct the research for me.
[Borsalino]:
Yo~? Why is the chat so lively? What's this talk about "trade goods"?
[Random Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: Admiral Kizaru!! It's Tony—he wants to set up a currency system in the group to make trading resources across worlds easier.
[Tony Stark]: Hey, long time no talk, Borsalino! Come take a look at your favorite genius billionaire's latest masterpiece!
Tony Stark uploads "Dimensional Chat Group Currency Exchange · Version 3".
Curious, Borsalino downloads the document—along with Versions 1 and 2—to see what kind of nonsense Tony is cooking up this time.
Tony argued that barter trade was too primitive and inconvenient.
Aside from big shots like Borsalino and Orochimaru, most group members didn't even qualify to participate in major trades.
This resulted in valuable resources going to waste and members in need struggling to get what they wanted.
Thus, Tony proposed the creation of a universal currency—Dimensional Credits (DCs).
Each participant would receive 100 DCs per month.
Tony himself would guarantee that 1 DC = $10,000 USD in his world.
Members could earn more DCs by selling unique resources from their worlds.
DCs could then be used to buy resources from other worlds.
Of course, there were challenges:
If everyone joined, Tony would need to spend $9 million per month to back the system.
As more members joined, the cost would increase, potentially bankrupting Stark Industries.
However, if the system ran smoothly, Tony—as the issuer—would profit immensely.
More importantly, anyone joining this system would owe Tony a favor—a strategic advantage in future crises.
For example, if he ever got kidnapped by terrorists again, getting help would be much easier.
[Borsalino]:
Not bad. Count me in~.
Half of the issued DCs go to me. I'll back them with gold—50 DCs can be exchanged for 10 kg of gold from me.
[Random Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: WOOOAH! BIG BOSS MOVE!!
[Haibara Ai]: 10 kg per person? That's… almost a ton of gold per year.
[Kobayashi]:
One ton?!
[Tony Stark]:
Wow~ that's insane.
[Borsalino]:
No big deal~.
A few years ago, I happened to meet a guy who called himself a God on an island in the sky.
After a friendly chat, he gifted me a golden ship.
[Haibara Ai]:
"Friendly chat, huh."
[Random Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: Holy crap. That's Enel, right? You got the Ark Maxim?! Big boss!!!
[Fubuki]: Island in the sky? Like, an actual floating island?
[Borsalino]: More or less~. Once this war is over, I'll do a livestream tour of Sky Island for you guys.
[Orochimaru]: Hmm… If I can directly exchange DCs for gold, I'll need to start stockpiling.
[Esdeath]: Master, I need gold as well.
[Haibara Ai]: …What?!
[Random Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: Wait… Esdeath is calling Kizaru "Master"?!
[Esdeath]: Correct. I lost to Master in combat.
From now on, I am his slave.
[Kobayashi]:
Uh… That doesn't sound great…
Esdeath-san, Borsalino-san is a good person, he wouldn't force you into slavery… right?
[Esdeath]:
Losing means becoming a slave.
The strong rule the weak—this is natural.
@Borsalino, can you send me some gold? I need to reward my troops before we conquer the northern tribes.
[Borsalino]:
Ah~ of course. I'll send one ton of gold over first. Is that enough?
[Esdeath]:
More than enough.
Master, is there anything you want?
Imperial Relics?
Or perhaps… my body?
[Random Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: damn…I'm jealous.
[Haibara Ai]:
???!!!
[Kobayashi]:
Stop flirting in the group! Spare a thought for us single people!
[Tony Stark]:
Hey, single ladies are always welcome to chat with me~
[Haibara Ai]:
Hello, FBI? Yes, I'd like to report a dangerous lolicon. Please arrest him immediately.
[Tony Stark]:
Hey, hey, I was joking! No need to take it so seriously!
[Orochimaru]:
That's enough for now. If anyone needs to trade or request missions, just @ me.
Orochimaru uploads "Current Exchangeable Resources & Mission Services in Konoha".
---
Borsalino was the first to check out Orochimaru's uploaded list.
As Konoha's Fourth Hokage, Orochimaru had plenty of high-value resources to offer.
Most notably, he was completely fine with spreading chakra training methods.
The basic chakra refinement technique cost just 1 DC, making it cheap enough that almost everyone would be tempted to try.
Once someone mastered chakra refinement, they'd naturally want more powerful jutsu, which meant… they'd keep coming back to exchange more DCs.
Most ninjutsu cost between 10–99 DCs.
Advanced & forbidden jutsu cost 100+ DCs.
He even offered body modifications and Kekkei Genkai implants—for a price.
And for those too lazy to train, they could simply hire summon beasts from Ryūchi Cave to fight for them.
Had it not been for the dimensional chat restrictions, preventing regular Konoha ninjas from traveling to other worlds, Orochimaru would've probably monopolized the group's mercenary missions.
If Sengoku, the Marine Fleet Admiral, ever discovered this group, he might've even hired Konoha ninjas for the Marineford War.
–-—
[Haibara Ai]:
That's so cheap! Can I exchange right now?
[Tony Stark]:
Of course. The Dimensional Credit system is officially active.
Kobayashi-san has agreed to act as our temporary financial officer—you can check your DC balance with her.
[Tony Stark]:
Physical DC tokens are being manufactured. Shouldn't take long to distribute.
[Kobayashi]:
Alright! Hello, everyone! As of today, I'm the temporary DC finance manager.
Currently, everyone except Old Man Zhang and Jotaro has joined the system.
Your starting balance is 100 DCs—that's this month's allowance!
Want more DCs? Then submit your world's tradable resources ASAP!
By the way—Tohru's shed dragon scales cost 10 DCs per piece, and 10 kg of dragon dung costs 1 DC~
[Orochimaru]:
Can biological samples be traded? If you can provide live dragon specimens, I'm willing to pay a high price.
[Kobayashi]:
Ahaha… sorry, no. Tohru doesn't mind, but I think that's crossing the line, so it's a no-go.
[Haibara Ai]:
@Orochimaru
I'd like to exchange for:
Chakra Refinement Technique
Shadow Clone Jutsu
Several medical ninjutsu from the list
If possible, some ninja blood samples
[Orochimaru]:
That will be 100 DCs.
If you're interested, I could also hire you for my research projects.
[Haibara Ai]:
I accept—but I reserve the right to refuse unethical experiments.
[Orochimaru]:
Heh… deal.
[Kobayashi]:
Okay! Transaction recorded!
Haibara -100 DCs, Orochimaru +100 DCs…
[Random Passerby Who Wants to Hug Luo Feng's Thigh]: @Haibara Ai Poison-tongued girl, let me remind you—chakra refinement depends on spiritual & physical energy.
If you're frail, you won't be able to refine much chakra!
°°°
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