Ch. 7- From One Hell to Another

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

On Level 2, some of the guards had surrounded the hole that the Sphinx, as well as Luffy, Blizzard, Buggy, and Mr. 3 had fallen through.

"Monitoring room, come in," said one of the guards, speaking into a Mini Transponder Snail. "We're at the site on Level 2! Can you bring up the image?"

"What happened here?" asked another guard. "This hole is so huge, the Sphinx could've fallen through it!"

"What are Straw Hat and White Wolf trying to do?" questioned a third guard.

Unbeknownst to the guards, a large group of shadowy figures were skulking towards them.

XXX

In the monitoring room, the staff were watching the screens and gasped.

The shadows that were creeping up behind the guards were the escaped inmates!

"We got trouble!"

"The prisoners of Level 2 have escaped!"

"But how'd they get the keys?"

"Is this more of Straw Hat and White Wolf's work? Those guards down there are in danger!"

XXX

One of the guards turned and gasped to see the horde of prisoners, their wrists and ankles free of their shackles.

"We owe you our respect and gratitude, O great Captain Buggy," said one.

"Our savior!" declared another.

"This is L-Level 2," said one of the guards, "requesting immediate backup! THE PRISONERS ARE RIOTING!"

That was all he could manage to say before the inmates jumped at them, planning to carry out their revenge on the hapless guards.

XXX

In the monitoring room, the other guards were prepared to go out to Level 2.

"Get the Blugori Level 2, as well!" ordered one.

"Hey!" one of the staff called. "I just found out why Straw Hat came here in the first place!"

"You did? How?"

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku at Marine HQ says that there's no doubt about it!" He looked to Luffy's wanted poster. "The intruder, Monkey D. Luffy, and the condemned prisoner, Portgas D. Ace…are brothers!"

"So that means that Straw Hat and White Wolf are trying to rescue Fire Fist before his execution! That has to be it!"

"So that must explain why they're going down from one Hell to another! We were too preoccupied with Whitebeard's impending attacks! If Straw Hat and White Wolf succeed, we could have a major disaster on our hands!"

"Hurry up and inform Warden Magellan of this! And someone, get those prisoners on Level 2 under control!"

XXX

At Marine HQ…

"BWAHAHAHAHAHA~!"

"And just WHAT is so funny, Garp?"

Monkey D. Garp was laughing his head off while eating rice crackers, once again, while Sengoku was scolding him.

"At such a critical time like this in the world's seas…!" Sengoku said. "What a crisis! First, Enies Lobby, then the attack on the Celestial Dragons, and now THIS! IT'S UNPRECEDENTED!" He sighed, trying to regain his composure. "Even if we take into account the escape of 'Golden Lion' Shiki, the flying pirates, that was still just 20 years ago! Out of hundreds of thousands of prisoners, no one else has ever been able to break in or out throughout its history! The Great Prison, Impel Down, has been impregnable for all these years!" He then turned and pointed an accusing finger at Garp, who was still laughing. "And one of the two first beings who would be foolish enough to actually break INTO it and ruin its reputation IS YOUR DAMNED GRANDSON, GARP!"

"I'm so proud of Luffy!" Garp said as he laughed.

"Bartholomew Kuma said that he had eradicated the Straw Hat Pirates at Sabaody," Sengoku growled. "That liar…!"

"Well, I'd never believe a Warlord's words to begin with," Garp said. "But I wonder how Straw Hat and White Wolf managed to get through the blockade surrounding the prison?"

GRAB! Sengoku clutched at Garp's coat and pulled him up to his face, but Garp was still guffawing.

"If it weren't for your title as the 'Hero of the Marines', Garp," the Fleet Admiral began, "I'd make you pay for the sins of your entire family!"

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" Garp laughed. "Are you kidding? This old geezer's life isn't worth NEARLY enough to pay for a disaster like this! BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!"

XXX

Down in Level 3, the unconscious Sphinx was lying on a sandy, desert-like floor with Luffy, Blizzard, Buggy, and Mr. 3 jumping around because it was so hot.

Well, Luffy, Buggy, and Mr. 3 were. Right now, Blizzard was just panting and sweating because of the heat, and the fact that he had a thick coat of fur didn't help matters.

Damn, it's so freaking hot, Blizzard thought.

"Ah, man," said Luffy. "It's so freaking hot."

I just said that, Blizzard thought.

"Why's it so quiet?" Luffy questioned.

"I can't believe it," said Buggy, sweating like a pig. "Level 3, of all places…how the devil did we end up down here?" He then turned to Luffy, furiously. "DAMN YOU, STRAW HAT! YOU'RE THE WHOLE REASON I'M IN THIS MESS!"

"The lion got knocked out," said Luffy, not paying attention.

"My Wax-Wax powers are useless in this heat," said Mr. 3 as he tried to make a little wax doll in his hand, only for it to melt.

Just then, something fell from above and became stuck in the floor. It looked like a dead bird, its body baked by intense heat.

"Ooh!" Luffy chirped. "A barbecue birdie!"

Okay, thought Blizzard. I'm NOT watching you eat that.

"A hummingbird from the upper floors must've wandered in here gotten itself baked by the heat," Mr. 3 explained.

"It's like an oven in here!" Luffy and Buggy barked.

"Look around, inside the cells," said Mr. 3.

Luffy, Blizzard, and Buggy looked around and saw the inmates inside, only…they all looked so emaciated and dehydrated.

The hell…? Blizzard thought. What's wrong with these guys?

"Those men are now shells of their former selves," said Mr. 3. "All the inmates on this level…had bounties of at least 50 million Berries on their heads. Here, they torture the prisoners by restricting food and water, and to make matters worse, the heat is coming from the Inferno Hell, which is below us. All of them are close to death. This is Level 3, the Starvation Hell! We'd best get a move on…or else we'd end up like these wretches."

Gulp! Buggy swallowed the lump in his throat.

"You're right," said Buggy. "I don't wanna end up like these guys!"

"Right then," Luffy said, munching on the roasted hummingbird. "Let's get moving…to Level 4."

"HELL NO!" Buggy and Mr. 3 snapped.

"Why not?" Luffy asked. "I thought you guys you wanted to save Ace, too!"

"We said no such thing!" Mr. 3 remarked.

"You keep confusing what really happened with what you WANT to happen!" Buggy added.

Thank you, Blizzard thought before his eyes went wide in realization. Oh, my god…I'm agreeing with a couple of fools!

Unknown to the quartet, a guard happened to be eying from around the corner.

"They're in range," he spoke into a Transponder Snail. "Pull the net!"

"Roger that."

"Fine then," said Luffy. "Blizzard and I will go by ourselves."

Suddenly, Blizzard's ears twitched, and out of the corner of his eye, he spotted what looked like ropes being pulled.

RUFF! Blizzard barked in warning, but it was too late.

SWUP! Luffy, Blizzard, Buggy, Mr. 3, and the Sphinx were pulled up in a huge net!

"AAAAAHH!" Luffy yelped.

"WHAT THE HELL'S GOING ON?" Buggy questioned.

"WE'VE WALKED RIGHT INTO A TRAP!" Mr. 3 cried.

CHOMP! CHOMP! Luffy tried to bite through the ropes, but couldn't.

"Dammit!" Luffy cursed. "These ropes feel like they're made of iron!" He suddenly started going limp. "Ugh…I feel weak…"

"I knew it!" Buggy said. "This net is made of sea prism stone!"

"They'll torture us twice as hard for trying to escape!" Mr. 3 exclaimed. "That's it! The end of the line! We're done for!"

Big deal! Blizzard thought as he bit through the ropes. Sea prism stone doesn't bother me!

Down below, the guards and jailers soon gathered, as well as the Blugori.

"We've successfully capture Straw Hat, White Wolf, and the other two."

"WHAT?" Buggy roared. "DO YOU NOT KNOW WHO I AM?"

"Give it a rest, Buggy," said Mr. 3. "It's over."

"LEMME OUTTA HERE!" Luffy barked.

"Put the sea prism stone cuffs on them!"

"Roger that."

SNAP! Blizzard managed to break free and fell to the ground. He faced the guards and jailers, growling and snarling. However, he was still quite weak from the heat. So much so, that he couldn't even lift a paw.

Damn, Blizzard cursed in thought. I forget, I'm useless in this heat!

"Blizzard!" Luffy called as he kept biting the ropes. "Hang on! I'll be right there, buddy!"

"Don't bother."

At that sound of that voice, a newcomer entered center stage.

It was a little man with the appearance of that of a little devil or an imp in a white suit with a yellow shirt and black tie underneath. He also had a pair of yellow gloves. He wears a white sun hat with two horns coming out of it with a the Blugori insignia. Also, like Magellan and Hannyabal, he had wings protruding from his back.

He also didn't seem to have any ears.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked.

"I am Saldeath," said the impish-man.

A monkey? Blizzard thought.

"You don't look like one," said Luffy.

"NO, YOU FOOL!" Saldeath shouted. "YOU JUST CALLED ME A MONKEY!"

"So you are a monkey," said Luffy.

"HEY!" Saldeath shouted before he regained his composure. "Just give up, now. Resistance is futile. You and your cohorts are trapped in an inescapable undersea prison. You never had a chance to begin with, but you should be glad that I captured you, because the floor beneath this one is being patrolled by the four roaming Jailer Beasts."

Jailer Beasts? Blizzard thought.

"He's right," said Buggy. "I definitely don't wanna run into them, or the Warden!"

Suddenly, the Sphinx's eyes opened.

"Chilled noodles," he said.

Oh, crap! Blizzard thought.

"Captain!" shouted one of the jailers. "The Sphinx woke up!"

GRAAAARR! The Sphinx as he thrashed about in the end.

"Fried noodles!" he shouted.

"Oh, no!" said one jailer. "At this rate, the net will break!"

"We can't let those four escape!" said Saldeath. "Especially 'Straw Hat'!"

RRRRRRIP! The Sphinx ripped the net open.

GRAAAAAAAAAAWWRR! He roared.

"Spaghetti soup!"

"All right!" Luffy exclaimed as he, Buggy, and Mr. 3 fell from the net. "We're out!"

KRASH! The Sphinx fell to the ground.

TMP! Luffy landed on his feet, next to Blizzard.

"You okay, Blizzard?" Luffy asked.

Blizzard panted, sweating buckets.

Too…hot…! Blizzard thought.

"Get them!"

Luffy turned to the Blugori, who charged at him and Blizzard.

Blizzard attempted to attack, but he was still weak from the heat. Knowing this, Luffy had to step in.

"Gum-Gum…GATLING!"

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! WHAM! Luffy unleashed a series of rapid-fire punches upon the Blugori and the jailers, taking a great number of them with ease.

At that moment, he noticed that Buggy and Mr. 3 were missing.

"Hey," he said. "Where'd they go?"

"C'mon, Mr. 3! Hurry up!"

"This heat…I can't…!"

Luffy looked up and saw the two in questions, walking upon the rafters.

"Hey!" he called. "What are you guys doing way up there?"

Buggy and Mr. 3 smirked and made taunting faces at Luffy and Blizzard.

"So long, Straw Hat!" Buggy called. "Give your brother my regards! If he's still alive, then tell him that we should have a drink real soon!"

"Lead them away for us!" Mr. 3 called down. "Sucker…"

Bastards, Blizzard thought. If I wasn't so hot, I'd rip their tongues right outta there mouths!

Luffy, on the other hand, had a different view at it.

"But…we just met up, again," he said. Then he smiled and waved up to them. "Okay, guys!" he called. "Thanks a lot for getting me this far, anyway!"

"AGH!" the two villains gagged at Luffy's positive attitude.

"How can he be so optimistic?" Buggy questioned.

"It hurts!" Mr. 3 gasped. "Oh, it hurts so much inside!"

Blizzard couldn't help but snicker.

"Don't let you guard down, even for a minute!" Saldeath said. "He and White Wolf's bounties combined are 300,250,000 Berries!"

BAM! Luffy kicked another Blugori away, not just trying to protect his weakened dog, but also because he just wanted to get to Ace, and fast.

"Dammit!" Luffy cursed. "I don't have time to fight with you guys!"

GRAAAAAARR! The Sphinx roared, once again.

"Oh, crap!" Luffy cursed, again. "I forgot about him!" He grabbed Blizzard and held him to his side. "Hang on, buddy!"

I don't think I can make any promises, there, Blizzard thought.

KROOM! The Sphinx slammed his paw down at the two Straw Hats, but Luffy jumped out of the way, hopping on the heads of two other jailers. WHUP! WHUP!

Just as another Blugori was about to attack, WHAP! Luffy grabbed one by the arm.

"OUTTA OUR WAY!" he shouted.

SWUP! KRASH! Luffy threw the Blugori at the jailers and other Blugori.

SWIP! TUMP! Luffy carried Blizzard off as he jumped through the prison.

"Stairs! Stairs!" he said. "Where are the stairs?"

Wait! Blizzard thought. Hang on! I think I'm gonna…

BLEEEEEGGH! Blizzard threw up.

"Ah, yuck! Buddy!"

"After them!" said a jailer. "Don't let them get away!"

XXX

"Hah…hah…it's so hot."

Buggy and Mr. 3 were still on the rafters, resting due to the heat of the Level.

"Okay," said Buggy. "I think we should be safe here, for now. Lucky for us, they went after Straw Hat and that mutt."

"Yes," agreed Mr. 3, "but the stairs leading up are blocked and just being here is torturous!"

As the two rested they suddenly heard what sounded like…singing.

"Un, deux, GRAGH~!

Un, deux, UGH~!"

"Who the hell is singing?" Buggy questioned.

"Un, deux, GRAGH~!

Un, deux, BLEGH~!"

Mr. 3 gasped, as if realization had struck.

"That voice…" he whispered. "It can't be!"

"This world is made for men and women,

But when you're me, you're both a man and a woman~!

That's why I'm the strongest!

(Strongest)

Strongest!

(Strongest)

OH, COME MY WAY~!

Oh, the strongest!

(Strongest)

Strongest!

(Strongest)

Mmm~

Oh, COME MY WAY~!"

The one who was singing was revealed to be…Bon Clay, otherwise known as the former Baroque Agent, Mr. 2.

He was still alive, after all!

Behind him, there were other prisoners who were frail and weak from hunger and exhaustion while Bon seemed to still have energy to burn.

FWUMP! The inmates soon collapsed.

"You did quite well!" said Bon as he did a pirouette. "I'll just keep spinning, spinning, and spinning! Like the bewildering we live in! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Hey! C'mon, you lot! Get up!"

At that moment, Mr. 3 and Buggy appeared at the cell.

"C'mon!" said Bon. "This stifling heat is nothing! Why, I can be more stifling than this!" As he spun, he noticed Mr. 3 and Buggy. "Oh! Well if it isn't Mr. 3! Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

"It's you…" Mr. 3 muttered.

Bon continued to hum, but then he did a double-take and got the shock of his life.

"WHAT?" he cried. "MR. 3? W-what are you doing here? Does this mean that you were captured, too? Wait a minute, what am I saying? I'M the one who got captured! Oh, just look at me! I was so taken back, that I had to do a double-take! It's my latest Oh-Come-My-Way Karate Move: Looking Back on that Autumn Night's Dream!"

"Suddenly, I've changed my mind about setting him free," said Mr. 3 as he slumped against the cell bars.

"Just what is this strange creature?" Buggy asked.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Yay! Bon's here~!

Sorry I took so long, everybody.

Anyway, as always, review please!