Chapter 26

Four days later, the "Prison of the Sea Depths" moved toward the city.

On the sixth floor, powerful pirates and holders of "Silver Medals" of the sea world were held. To prevent a revolt, the prisoners were given only a minimal amount of food to keep them from starving to death.

This "generosity" wasn't out of kindness, but out of fear: many inmates had strong Devil Fruit powers, and the authorities didn't want these fruits to end up in someone else's hands and create a new powerful pirate. The sixth floor was damp and gloomy, without even a torch.

In one of the cells sat a grandfather and grandson, cross-legged. Their hands were bound with sea prison stones.

The young man was 21 years old. He had black hair, a normal skin tone, freckles on his cheeks, a bare upper body showing the emblem of the Whitebeard Pirates on his back, and black shorts.

This was Portgas D. Ace, the man who ignited a war, the captain of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Opposite him sat the legendary hero of the fleet, Monkey D. Garp—the grandfather who adopted Ace despite having no blood relation.

Garp had short gray hair and wore an admiral's uniform. His bulky presence was intimidating.

At this moment, the strongest man in the world, who had roamed the seas, clenched his teeth, his face contorted in pain.

"The war is now inevitable. We've angered the strongest man in the world."

Garp, recalling the characters of his two grandsons, sighed.

"I had hoped for you and Luffy to become Marines , but now..." you both became infamous villains at sea. Luffy seized Judicial Island and declared war on the World Government. Then he beat up the Celestial Dragons at the Sabaody Archipelago. You're just wearing me out.

— And when I told Luffy about his father, that fool was so bewildered he asked, "He had a father too?" Only an idiot could say that! — Garp chuckled.

Ace, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

— All of this, you know, is a big problem. Luffy and I inherited the blood of a world-renowned criminal. How can we become marines. ? Even if I took my mother's surname, "Portgas D"...

— I am still ashamed that half of my blood comes from that scoundrel, my father, because he left me not a single pleasant memory, not a drop of kindness.

Garp saw that Ace still held prejudices against his biological father, his best friend, and wanted to explain.

— But still...

— Still...

When Garp was about to speak about his father again, Ace interrupted him, his voice quivering with emotion:

— Old man, in this sea I have only one father—just Whitebeard.

— …

Garp remained silent. Edward Newgate, the strongest man in the world, one of the Four Emperors, and the sole bearer of the "Golden Medal" of this era, undoubtedly deserved Ace's recognition for the care and love he gave him after he ventured out to sea.

The silence between grandfather and grandson was broken by the sound of footsteps. Ace was to be taken to Navy Headquarters, Marineford...

A warship was approaching the Gates of Justice.

The Gates of Justice were used by the navy to manage the exclusive naval currents of the fleet. These currents allowed the navy to swiftly move between the three central institutions:

Judicial Island, the Navy Headquarters at Marineford, and the Prison of the Sea Depths, Impel Down.

These three locations were the most crucial for the navy.

With the help of the Yang Currents, a normally multi-day journey was reduced to less than an hour.

A soldier on the warship reported:

— Vice-Admiral "Flying Squirrel," a pirate ship has been spotted in the distance.

Flying Squirrel was surprised. A pirate ship so close to Impel Down? Could it be the Whitebeard Pirates? Looking through the telescope, he saw a medium-sized pirate ship with a flag resembling a clown. The large red nose was very noticeable.

— Don't worry, just report the situation to headquarters. And sink the ship if it dares to approach.

— Yes, Vice-Admiral "Flying Squirrel."

In the distance was Buggy's Pirate Ship. Since Buggy the Clown was imprisoned in Impel Down, his crew demanded the release of their captain, which is why they came here.

The loyalty of Buggy's Pirates to their captain was considered the best in the world.

However, no matter how eloquent Buggy's men were, they did not impress the current acting captain, Alvida, the holder of the Devil Fruit "Slip-Slip Fruit."

This beautiful pirate woman was once overweight and unattractive. After being beaten by Luffy, she was fortunate enough to eat the "Slip-Slip Fruit," also known as the "Plastic Surgery Fruit," and transformed into a voluptuous, sexy beauty.

Alvida put aside her massive mace and said:

— I'm not going to die with you. If you want, go and save your captain Buggy. I won't stop you.

— How can you say that?!

Buggy's crew shouted and pointed their boats toward them. If they sailed too far, they would surely be devoured by the Sea Kings. This was a calm belt area that frightened ordinary pirates.

Faced with a choice between life and death, everyone ultimately abandoned their beloved captain Buggy and sailed away on boats…

At the port of Impel Down, the large warships of "Flying Squirrel" arrived at the Gates of Justice. They were guarded by five vice-admirals of the navy. Under their command were ten large warships that surrounded Impel Down to prevent the Whitebeard Pirates' attack.

Magellan personally met with Shichibukai Hancock. It was a sign of respect, as well as a means of surveillance.

Hancock, wearing a Chinese blouse, once again captivated everyone. The indescribable fleet was once again petrified, and the captain of the "Flying Squirrel" was stunned.

— Please, let me leave. I don't want to disgrace the fleet again.

Magellan, nearly four meters tall, saw Hancock's beauty with his own eyes and was a bit moved, but remembering his duties, he maintained a calm facade:

— Welcome to Impel Down, pirate queen. Allow me and the deputy prison chief to give you a tour of Impel Down.

Shortly after Hancock and her entourage entered Impel Down, Luffy, cloaked in the Invisibility Cloak, carefully disembarked from the ship. He still remembered that Sal had advised him not to get close to Magellan, as this exceptional warrior would surely notice him.

Luffy patiently waited for someone to open the door and slipped inside with ease.

The dark blue interior of the prison exuded menace. The elevator ride to the first floor felt like a labyrinth, with large and small cells full of prisoners everywhere.

Most of the prisoners on the first floor of Impel Down, in the "Crimson Lily Hell," were newcomers. Only on the second floor, in the "Beast Hell," were pirates with bounties in the tens of millions held. On the third floor, in the "Starvation Hell," were pirates with bounties around 30 million. The fourth level, "Blazing Hell," housed about 60 million prisoners, and every prisoner on the fifth level was a pirate with bounties exceeding 100 million.

As Luffy navigated the narrow corridor, he suddenly heard a noise above and saw several large traps falling. Fortunately, though startled, Luffy deftly dodged them.

Barely catching his breath, he was immediately targeted by dozens of spears flying from the walls.

Terrified, Luffy dodged the trap again. His limited mind couldn't comprehend why he was being attacked, as he was invisible.

Suddenly, there was a clamor in the distance, and he could see a prisoner with a red nose running from a group of prison guards in blue uniforms. He was running, constantly pressing buttons on the wall.

— That's Buggy the Clown, ask him where Ace is.

Suddenly seeing a familiar face, Luffy joyfully rushed after him, completely forgetting that he was partly responsible for Buggy being here. Luffy shouted as he ran after Buggy:

— "Buggy, Buggy!"

Hearing this voice while running, Buggy flinched. He looked around but couldn't find the source of the voice. He shouted, asking:

— Who's there? Come out, I've found you.

Suddenly, a head wearing a straw hat appeared in front of him, and Luffy said happily:

— "Buggy, you've found me . That's amazing. And, Buggy, long time no see."

— Straw Hat Boy, it's you. How did you get here? I didn't hear about you being arrested.

Luffy took off his cloak and ran after Buggy. He could have simply pulled Buggy under his cloak but decided to show himself.

— I snuck in here myself.

Hearing this, Buggy immediately started having wild thoughts, deciding that Luffy had come to rescue him. He was, of course, a bit touched but pretended, saying:

— How could you be so foolish to come and rescue me?

— No, I came to save Ace.

— …

His great captain Buggy was too sentimental…

Meanwhile, as Luffy met Buggy in Impel Down, Sal returned to the Sabaody Archipelago on the Kuja pirate ship.

As his left foot stepped onto the dock, he couldn't hold back:

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