Hi guys Azza here!

Ok so I was initially going to have this combined with the preparations for the War Arc but I decided it would be best to just have the end of the Impel Down Arc as its own thing and start off fresh for the next chapter since the beginning is basically fat build-up for what's about to go down.

I won't say anything else other than I'M HYPED!

Ok, onto the reviews!

Dragonborn2704 – Thanks! Though I feel like there are heaps of ways to improve it sometimes is difficult to keep certain characters … in character. Good to know I'm doing alright on that front though!

Greer123 – Thanks Greer! Glad I did a good job of it since they are pivotal for later arcs.

DarkFireCat – Yeah I watched the reveal for Lostbelt 6 live and was shocked to see the Fairy Archers as a thing. To be honest I'm actually slightly disappointed by Morgan I was hoping she'd be more like Lancer Artoria in appearance but still glad she's at least finally in the game. Surprised at the Berserker Class though, that threw me way off!

Alright guys, onto the story!

I do not own Fairy Tail, One Piece or the Nasuverse.

Escaping Hell

/Impel Down – Level One Crimson Hell/

"Keep running guys, don't look back," Luffy cried as the entire group of prisoners smashed through the guards stationed at the stairwell, the entire prison shaking violently.

"Heh, Dragneel sure isn't giving Magellan an easy time," Bullet laughed as an aerial slash attack ripped through the ground behind them and up through the ceiling just ahead of them.

"He'd better watch it though, we still don't have these cuffs off yet," World growled as part of the ceiling collapsed, blocking off a section in front of them, forcing them to go around.

"Where the hell is the Warden's Office anyway," Luffy growled in frustration as they came across another clearly disoriented group of guards.

"All of you, get the hell down!"

Everyone slid down as Crocodile flew over them, a veritable sea of sand arching up behind him like a tidal wave.

"Sand Sand: Desert Marea!"

The large sand wave came crashing down upon the helpless guards who had no chance of outright harming Crocodile due to his Logia based body. The Sand Logia User grinned as the guards found themselves slowly withering away, their bodies completely drying out to leave them as little more than husks.

"Heh."

"Come on, keep moving," Ivankov called out over the sound of gunfire as more guards appeared from the way they'd come. "Croco!"

"I know, Sand Sand: Sables!"

Holding out his right hand, a miniature sandstorm flared to life that quickly grew to encompass the entire corridor. Throwing the sandstorm at the guards, it picked up the bullets and flung them right back and forced the guards to retreat which in turn allowed the group to continue on.

"Ivan, the Warden's Office," Luffy called out over the cacophony of prisoners and dying guards. "Where is it!?"

"Near the front gates, fortunately for us!"

"Then all we've got to do is get someone up there to get the cuffs!"

"I'll go, I'm the fastest one here short of Dragneel," Bullet said as he looked down toward the end of the massive hallway. "Oi, Okama? Which way do I go from here?"

"Down to the end of the corridor, make a right then a left and you'll see a massive set of double steel doors. Next to that should be a stairwell that leads upward!"

"Right," Bullet nodded as he shifted his entire body into the beginnings of a sprint. "Might be a bit rough wearing Sea Stone shackles, but I'll manage."

Everyone was blown back as Bullet vanished, the entire floor beneath him collapsing from the force generated by his take-off. The rest of the group looked down the hole and were shocked to see that they could see Level Three from there.

"Where did Level Two go," Luffy wondered aloud as Bon Clay shrugged.

"I'd wager Dragneel and Magellan's battle caused it to collapse," Ivankov noted as they continued on. "Remember, aerial slash attacks have been flying up from there for quite some time now."

"We've got more company," Jimbei called out as he pointed to what appeared to be the last of the Jailer Beast, Blugori backing them up from behind. "Let's take them out as quick as we can!"

"Right," Luffy grinned as they group charged toward them. "Gum Gum: Gatling!"

Targeting the Blugori, Luffy tore through their rank with ease. Looking to his left, Jimbei turned another into paste using the same technique he had on Level Four. His gaze then moved toward Crocodile who had created a massive scythe out of sand that protruded from his right arm and charged toward the nearest Jailer Beast.

"Sand Sand: Barjan!"

The moment the sand made contact with the Jailer Beast, it roared in pain as its entire body was completely drained of fluid in seconds. The beast dropped its club and died on the spot, leaving Crocodile free to charge onward and drain multiple Blugori before vanishing around the corner.

"Come on guys, let's get moving," Luffy cried with the majority of the prisoners roaring in agreement.

As they ran, they didn't notice Bon Clay stop and walk over to the dead body of one of the guards, having overheard something from the man. Crouching down, he touched the man's face before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a ringing Den Den Mushi.

Frowning, Bon Clay placed a hand to his face and turned into the dead guard before picking up.

"Hello?"

"Blugori Squad, report!"

"Heavy casualties … they destroyed us," Bon Clay gasped as he put his acting skills to excellent use. "Everyone else is … oh God!"

"Hang in there, we're about to be saved so just hold out a little longer," the voice on the other end cried out confidently.

"We are!?"

"Word just came down from HQ, we're free to deploy every last countermeasure in order to stop the mass breakout! We've got a team headed to central control to put in the passcode now!"

"Really," Bon Clay replied, secretly horrified as the guard on the other end laughed darkly.

"These bastards won't know what hit em! We've got this place rigged to gas out all the bastards and the doors won't open without central control lifting the lockdown!"

"Right …"

"Anyway, you should try and get out of there before you get yourself killed! Find somewhere to hold out until this is all over!"

"Will do," was the final reply before hanging up the Den Den Mushi, a grim look on his features. "I can't let them activate whatever it is they plan on doing. I'll just have to stop them myself!"

Nodding, Bon Clay dragged the body of the dead guard he'd copied out of sight and stole his uniform. Exiting the darkened corner, Bon Clay looked like the guard he'd just hidden to a T and proceeded to head toward the one place that would hinder their escape attempt.

He could only hope he'd make it before it was too late.

/Impel Down – Level Three Starvation Hell/

"You're pretty good Magellan," Natsu grinned as he flew out of the way of a barrage of poisonous droplets. "But you'll need to do a lot better than that!"

"Curse you Dragneel," the Warden growled as he swung his arm outward to create a giant tidal wave of toxic sludge. "Venom Venom: Poisonous Stream!"

"Devil's Aura: One Sword Style – Great Dragon Shock!"

Swinging his blade upward, Natsu split the attack clean in two which sent it veering off to either side of the now thoroughly trashed Level of the prison. The attacks struck the walls but seemed to immediately turn around and come right for Natsu yet again however he was ready for them.

"Devil's Aura: One Sword Style – Great Flame Rotation!"

Spinning around in a circle on the spot, he quickly whipped up a giant firestorm which expanded outward to meet the two streams of toxic sludge. Magellan's attack seemingly bounced right off of his own and fizzled out, turning into little more than giant pools of toxic waste that already began to burn through the floor it had come to halt on.

"That one was unexpected, but not something I couldn't deal with," Natsu muttered with a sigh before looking upward. "Seems they made it to Level One alright."

"I would strongly advise holding Magellan back a little while longer Natsu. From what I can sense, the front gates are made from powerful Sea Stone and will need to be opened via whatever mechanism the prison uses rather than brute force."

"And I suppose just blowing a hole through a random wall just won't cut it, eh?"

Not unless you want to kill all of them with seawater, I'm afraid. I'll keep you updated on their progress."

"Right," Natsu sighed as Magellan charged toward him with eight of those Hydra heads poised to strike. "You really are an angry man, aren't you?"

"Do you not understand just how dire the current situation is!? If you criminals escape then the world will be plunged into an era far worse than the one we live in now!"

"Oh, will it now," Natsu laughed as he vanished just in time to avoid the Hydras, the attacks smashing through the floor to expose Level Four. "And just how exactly have I made the lives of the common folk worse?"

"You even need to ask that question," Magellan snarled as he retracted his Hydras, Natsu reappearing near the now destroyed stairwell leading to Level Two.

"Its rather unfortunate that I do, actually. You see Magellan, aside from what I did on Sabaody, I've actually done nothing but save people and push back far worse threats than pathetic bands of Pirates," Natsu replied with his amused expression slowly fading. "You dogs of the World Government all seem to believe you're the heroes of this world, parading yourselves around like people aren't actually afraid of you, cowering behind a mere word!"

"We do not cower-!"

"The name of Justice is bastardized under you lot and its nothing short of a disgrace!"

"How dare you insult Justice itself," Magellan roared as his Hydras all reared up to strike once again. "You're nothing but a menace and I won't allow you to escape Hell!"

Magellan shot toward him with surprising speed, prompting Natsu to take to the skies to avoid the eight attacks directed at him. The Hydras veered off at the last moment and struck the ground instead of the walls however Natsu was shocked as Magellan suddenly appeared right next to him.

"Geppo!"

"Shit-!"

"Venom Venom: Armament Hardening – Corrosive Blow!"

Flipping his blade into a reverse grip, Natsu blocked the punch but was blasted back across the room. He quickly realized Magellan had used Shigan in addition to his Devil Fruit and Armament Haki Hardening in order to generate the force necessary to match his strength.

"Heh, impressive!"

"Soru!"

"You think Six Paths is gonna be enough of an addition to match me, even as I am now!?"

"Venom Venom: Armament Hardening – Poison Stinging Barrage!"

Arching his neck back in an unnatural way, Magellan fired a barrage of Haki coated barbs from his mouth. Morphing his blade into a lance, Natsu spun it around fast enough to generate a powerful gust of wind that blasted away most of the attack with the weapon itself deflecting the rest.

This however seemed to only be a prelude to Magellan's true attack as he reached Natsu's position in moments using Soru. Looking at the man, he noticed that Magellan was holding a massive sphere coated in Haki in his right hand and had moved to throw it at him.

"Venom Venom: Armament Hardening – Sludge Bomb!"

Jumping backward as Magellan threw the attack, Natsu made sure that as he ceased his defensive spinning attack, the very last motion with his lance fired a powerful aerial slash attack that struck the ball of toxic sludge. The attack didn't slice all the way through, but it did cut a hole through the Haki which in turn caused the attack to grow unstable.

"Getting a little bit cocky here, aren't we Magellan!?"

"Die Dragneel!"

"You think this will be enough," Natsu laughed as the attack came crashing down on his position. "Hehehehehe … HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

As Magellan's attack struck the ground proper, the entire floor collapsed in on itself which sent everything that remained back down to Level Four. A sea of toxic sludge had been released from Magellan's attack however it obviously wouldn't affect the man so he was content to just stand inside of it and wait.

"That was risky of me," the Warden panted as he looked around at the damage to his prison. "I could have damaged the external structure of the prison …"

"Almost, you almost did."

Magellan's eyes barely had the time to widen before he felt something stab him through the back, the head of a lance protruding from the centre of his chest which caused him to drop to his knees on the spot.

"I have to admit Magellan, wasn't expecting you to actually have fight like that in you," Natsu said as he yanked the lance out and vanished, reappearing in mid-air where Level Three would have been. "Still, I'd say out of all the World Government forces I've fought so far that weren't Servants, Kizaru still takes the cake."

"Damn you," Magellan said through grit teeth before coughing up blood. "How the hell could you survive my poison!?"

Looking up at Natsu, the Warden's question certainly was valid since there clearly was Venom on Natsu's body however it appeared to be having no visible effect whatsoever. In fact, it almost appeared that he found it funny.

"Oh Magellan, you poor poor man. The thing is, a little poison isn't going to be enough to stop me," Natsu teased as he shook the substance off of him. "This would normally be the part where I'd eat it to freak you out but considering this came off of your body … I'll pass."

"This is all just a game to you, isn't it," Magellan panted as he slowly rose to his feet. "You think this prison break is funny!?"

"I mean I'm pretty handicapped here since I can't use any of my real good attacks so I'm being a little experimental with what I can use, but still. I wouldn't go as far as to say it's a game buuuuuuut, ok maybe I do find enjoyment from your suffering just a teeny tiny bit!"

"Y-you're a monster," Magellan growled as he clenched his fists. "You definitely don't deserve to leave this place alive!"

"Oh yeah, and what exactly are you gonna do to stop me Magellan?"

"You …"

Magellan growled as his entire body began to leak a strange crimson sludge that seemed to burn the very ground itself away upon contact. Watching as the substance quickly began coating Magellan's entire body, Natsu was surprised when the substance began adding mass to the man.

"Hm … I have to say," Natsu muttered as Magellan's form rapidly began to expand, reaching the roof that would be the floor of Level Two within less than a minute. "That is rather impressive."

Level Four was now gone entirely; the lava and all the structures having been absorbed into the towering mass of toxic sludge as a Demonic looking entity now loomed over Natsu's miniscule form.

"Venom Venom: Venom Demon – Hell's Judgement Soldier!"

"Yeah, that definitely looks like somethings straight out of Hell," Natsu muttered to himself as the Demonic face of the beast roared in his direction, toxic clouds of smoke exiting from its eyes and mouth respectively.

"No one escapes Hell, not even you … DRAGNEEL!"

"Is that so," Natsu replied with a savage grin. "Well then, Magellan … I'd like to see you stop me now!"

His lance quickly returned to that of a sword, the blade now coated entirely in Devil's Aura as Magellan moved to strike him directly. Sliding the blade back into its sheath, Natsu moved to place his feet on the back wall and closed his eyes.

"Devil's Aura: One Sword Style – Arch Demon's Sinful Liberation!"

Opening a single eye, the Aura around the attack flickered before becoming Pitch Black as Natsu vanished and appeared on the opposite side of Magellan, sliding the blade back into its sheath once more.

Magellan froze in place as his giant body began to expand in the middle. His eyes darted around to try and find Natsu and end things but it was already far too late to consider that.

"What … I can't move!?"

"Five …"

"What have you done-!?"

"Four."

"Why can't I feel anything-!?"

"Three."

"What's going on-!?"

"Two."

"DRAGNEEEEEE-!"

"One."

The centre of Magellan's body simply faded away, severing him from the rest of the corrosive substance that made up his body below, the mass simply falling down to the bottom to create a giant pool of inactive sludge.

As Magellan's top half began to fall and his eyes locked onto Natsu, he quickly realized just how dire the situation had truly become. Natsu wasn't looking at him, but at the back wall instead and it took some effort but he managed to focus his vision enough to realize just what he'd truly done.

The entire circular exterior of the prison had been sliced cleanly through, not enough to cause the place to flood immediately mind you, but just enough to allow water to begin flowing through at a controlled pace.

"Like it? Probably the most precise cut I've ever done with a blade in my entire life," Natsu said as he finally turned to look down at the falling Demonic form of Magellan, his eyes glowing Blood Red. "My Wife would surely be proud, I'm sure."

"You," Magellan gasped as his form fell further and further down into the depths of the prison. "Damn you … DRAGNEEL!"

Magellan tried reaching out to grab him however by that point Natsu had already begun to ascend to Level Two, landing on what remained of the stairs before looking downward one last time.

"Let this watery grave be a stark reminder to all those in this world who would stand in my way. Goodbye, Magellan."

And with that, Natsu left as Magellan fell further into total darkness.

/Impel Down – Front Gates/

"Whoa … Hey, did any of you guys just feel that," Luffy said as he placed a hand onto the ground. "It felt like the whole prison just moved a little, right?"

"Yes, no doubt the result of Magellan and Dragneel's battle," Jimbei replied as they looked around the front gate. "I wonder if Bullet found the keys to the cuffs yet?"

"Yeah, I got em," Bullet grinned as he emerged from the stairwell leading to Magellan's office. "Here, get those two out so we can blow this joint."

Tossing the keys to Luffy, the Straw Hat Captain quickly moved to free World and Red who both seemed to be more alive upon being freed.

"BARORORORORO! Feels good to be back," World grinned as Red shrugged off his own shackles.

"Indeed. You really don't appreciate what you have until those cuffs drain it away, do you?"

"So what now?"

"Now we've just got to get these gates open," Ivankov said with a slight frown. "Problem is, they're made of Sea Stone and I don't see any controls anywhere?"

"Well now, fortunate for you guys that I just so happen to know how to open them!"

"Buggy," Luffy grinned as both Buggy and Mister Three appeared from around a corner. "Where have you guys been!?"

"Huh? You aren't gonna try beating us up for ditching you earlier!?"

"Nah, made sense really," Luffy grinned back. "You guys are pathetic compared to me so you'd have died for sure!"

"I feel both insulted and flattered at the same time," Buggy cried as both he and Mister Two recoiled from Luffy's words. "But anyway, all that aside we've got to get to Central Control to open the-!"

A loud rumbling sound followed by ear shattering screeching signalled that the doors were being opened right beside them. The entire group looked at them suspiciously, expecting there to be guards or probably an Admiral on the other side.

"Ah," Jimbei sighed as the light from the gates finally granted them the ability to see the outside world. "Why am I not surprised?"

"This puts a bit of a dent in things," Crocodile scoffed as they all walked outside.

"So what do we do now," Daz asked curiously, more looking at his Boss than anyone else.

"They were smart, we should've expected this," Crocodile sighed as they all looked out to the empty dock. "Pulling the ships away means we won't be able to bail."

"You wanna know what I wanna know though," Luffy said as he looked back toward the entrance to the prison. "Who opened the doors?"

"That's actually a good question," Red agreed as they all looked back toward the entrance. "If you had to open them from Central Control then that could mean only one of two possibilities …"

"They wanted to demoralize us," Jimbei frowned.

"Or they've led us right into a trap," Bullet growled as they all turned their gazes back to the open sea.

"Does anyone else hear that," Mister Three said as everyone focused their hearing.

"Yeah … what is that?"

"Sounds like footsteps, right?"

"So, it was a trap," Bullet grinned, cracking his knuckles as he moved back to the doorway. "I'm pretty pissed so don't mind me if I literally tear them all apart!"

"ALL OF YOU, GET BACK TO THE DOCKS!"

"Hold up, that's Natsu's voice," Luffy said with a grin as they all looked back inside to see Natsu sprinting down the hallway. "OI!"

"GO! GET OUTSIDE RIGHT NOW," Natsu roared as everyone looked at him in confusion. "GO!"

Suppose we should just do as he-!"

Everyone suddenly found themselves falling over as the entire prison began to shake violently, with more force than it had during Natsu's fight with Magellan. As the prison shook, a voice could be heard coming through what appeared to be a PA system.

"Can all of you guys hear me!? Hope so, because I don't have much time! Listen, this is Bon Clay! Apparently, something is being sent from Marineford to wipe all of us out so you all need to get going! I disabled the thing that was gonna kill us here but they figured that out!"

"Bon," Luffy gasped as he seemingly realized the man was nowhere among their group.

"Guess we know who opened the front doors then," Crocodile sighed as they all slowly backed up onto the docks.

"Listen, you all need to get the hell out of here! The thing I stopped was called a Servitor but when I shut it down it activated some kind of trigger inside of it … The thing is gonna blow!"

"So the prison shaking was-?"

"Actually, that's my fault," Natsu said as he skidded to a stop near the rest of the assembled group. "I'll get us out of here but it has to be right now!"

"But what about Bon!?"

"Luffy, there's literally no time to go back for him," Natsu said quickly. "Magellan-!"

"DRAGNEEL," Magellan's voice boomed throughout the entire prison as massive sludge-based tendrils erupted through the ground floor. "I WON'T LET ANY OF YOU ESCAPE!"

"You didn't finish him off," Bullet asked in disbelief.

"I cut him in half so technically he's rebuilding mass and rising upward to meet us, hence why we have to go RIGHT NOW!"

"And just how are you going to get us all out of here by yourself," Crocodile asked curiously as the prison shook again.

"Like this," Natsu said as he jumped off of the dock and transformed into his Dragon Form.

Rising up from the sea, everyone who hadn't seen it before gaped at the colossal beast before them. Bullet, Red and World simply grinned at it however since they were used to such foes.

"All right, all of you jump on and slide under my scales!"

Most of the regular prisoners didn't think twice and jumped on with the rest jumping on shortly afterward. Right as Jimbei was about to jump on, Magellan's face erupted from the front doors as the rest of the prison was lifted upward.

"HOLY FUCK!"

"GET US OUT OF HERE DRAGNEEL!"

Jimbei hopped on right as Natsu began taking flight however it was obvious that Magellan was going to be able to strike them all from where they were. A colossal sized fist emerged from the right side of the prison and came bearing down on the barely airborne group who all braced themselves for the worst.

"THIS IS IT FOR ALL OF YOU! DIE-AAARGH!"

Just as Magellan was about to strike them, his entire body recoiled violently which gave Natsu the time he needed to escape safely. Quickly gaining air, he looked back down on Magellan and quickly deduced just what stopped the Warden at that critical moment.

"So that's how you want it to be … I see."

Quickly flying up above the clouds in case Magellan decided to try shooting them down, Natsu inwardly sighed. It appeared, at least for the moment, that the prison break had been successful.

/Impel Down – Level Four Ruins/

Magellan growled as his form reverted back to normal, blood pouring from the wound in his chest as he collapsed to the ground. Quickly rolling onto his side he tried to get up but only managed to cough more blood up in the process.

"So … this is it?"

"I warned you Magellan that this was the ultimate Fate of your prison. You chose to ignore me."

"You," Magellan wheezed as the pitch-black space before him twisted and distorted until a man emerged. "Figures you'd be involved in all of this!"

"I set out to destroy the worst prison in this world and succeeded," the man grinned as black sparks coated his entire body, his glowing orange eyes the only light in the eternal darkness. "So, tell me now, Magellan, what Hell truly looks like?"

"You think … that this will be enough," the Warden wheezed as he managed to rise to his feet. "The World Government won't stop just because Impel Down has fallen!"

"I don't care about any of that. What matters, what has always mattered, is that the record of this place has been forever tarnished and its legacy lies where it always belonged! At the bottom of the sea …"

"I wonder … I wonder, are you a worse monster than Dragneel," Magellan gasped as he felt his body begin to lose strength. "You've haunted me since the day I assumed the title of Warden … tried everything to orchestrate a successful breakout! The world is going to pay for what you've done here …"

"And just what is a monster? Is it the one who kills, the one who steals, the one who pillages," the man asked curiously as he slowly began to advance toward Magellan. "Is it the man who killed the person who raped and murdered his children? The woman who steals so that her family won't starve? Is it the leader who steals because his lands have been picked clean by those who did not rightfully earn their toil?"

"…"

"This world is sick, diseased and this place a mere tool for those who would perform acts far worse than any who ever set foot here. The Celestial Dragons who kidnap anything that moves, enslaving them and performing untold horrors upon them because they don't believe them as rightful beings! The Celestial Dragons who tax its people to the point they can no longer provide for themselves let alone their families! The Celestial Dragons who strip entire countries bare just because they feel like it!"

"What ... is your point?"

"My point, Magellan, is that this is not just a strike against the World Government, but against the Celestial Dragons themselves! They had the military round up and imprison anyone who they couldn't kill directly however that all ends today! From this moment on, no longer shall the innocent be tortured and killed here under their gleeful gazes! No more shall the innocent fear the name IMPEL DOWN!"

Magellan cried out in pain as the man stuck his hand directly into the Warden's chest, bringing his frightening grin within mere inches of his own face.

"This, is my gift. The gift of Edmond Dantes to the victims of Impel Down and those who are being tread upon by the elite just like I once was! Goodbye, Warden Magellan!"

Ripping his hand free from Magellan's chest revealed the Warden's own heart. Dantes grinned and lazily strolled through the darkness toward a bright flashing red light at the other end of the void.

"The rest," Dantes sighed as he placed Magellan's heart atop the Ebony surface of what was the Servitor stationed at Impel Down. "The rest is up to you now, King Of Balance."

The red light flashed faster and faster as a great pressure began to build up before the Count who could only grin wider and wider. Extending his arms outward, Dantes was caught in the explosion, his body vaporized within seconds along with Magellan's own moments after.

/Skies Above Impel Down – Same Time/

"Holy shit," Luffy muttered as a massive dome of fire burst forth from the ruins of Impel Down, signalling the outer edge of the massive explosion below. "Bon …"

"I know this isn't really what you probably want to hear Luffy, but Bon Clay died when Magellan fully emerged through the floor and lifted up the top half of the prison," Natsu's voice rumbled softly which could be felt throughout his scales by everyone who found themselves locked in. "However, he died making sure that everyone would get out safely. A Servitor would have made things complicated so remember that his death did matter."

"He also got the doors open," Luffy muttered in reply as the explosion finally died down to reveal that the prison was being swallowed by the sea. "At least that should've killed that bastard Blackbeard."

"Actually, he survived. It appears that he was able to somehow vanish right before Magellan expanded to the size of the prison, how though I can only speculate."

"Damn it!"

"So, this trip has been fun and all but I don't really feel like joining a World War right after breaking out of prison, so I think this is where we shall part ways," Red cut in as he slid out from underneath one of Natsu's scales. "I must say, this experience certainly was rather unique and I'm glad to have been a part of it!"

"I agree. The destruction of Impel Down is something I'm more than happy to have my name in," Bullet grinned as he also got out from underneath a scale. "I'm getting out of here too."

"So am I," World said as he joined the other two. "I have work to get back to now that I'm free!"

"I understand, that was the agreement after all," Natsu hummed in understanding. "Just remember, if we run into each other out there and you're doing stuff I don't like then we'll have to come to blows."

"Heh! I'm looking forward to the day," Bullet grinned.

"Barororororo! So am I! You'd be a real test to face off against once we're both at full power again!"

"Indeed. You have such a strange energy about you Natsu, perhaps one day I shall claim it for myself," Red grinned as all three walked to the edge of Natsu's body. "Until then, farewell!"

Jumping off first, Red's body transformed into a swarm of bats that screeched several times before taking off into the distance. Bullet and World followed after him using Geppo which left the rest of the group to ponder what was to come from this.

"For now, we should probably prepare ourselves for what Mister Two died warning us about," Crocodile said after several tense moments of silence.

"Yeah. The thing Marineford sent to deal with us will no doubt be well on its way," Jimbei agreed as the group began to speculate exactly what it might be.

Natsu however, had a pretty good idea of what it could be. He just hoped he could fight it and protect the others, otherwise their victory at Impel Down would be wasted.

/Meanwhile – Marineford/

The sound of footsteps could be heard as a lone man slowly ascended a set of cold, steel, stairs. The man was cuffed with Sea Stone chains which rattled upon each step. His body was still recovering from his fight before being captured however those wounds felt like nothing compared to the turmoil within his heart.

Emerging into the sunlight, the man didn't even bother looking up, instead simply following his assigned guard toward another set of wooden steps. Obediently ascending as instructed, he reached the top quickly and moved to stand before a well-known figure.

The man said nothing, instead merely nodding toward a spot where more shackles lay. Sighing, the man did as instructed as two more soldiers locked him into place. His mind couldn't help but wonder what had led him to this moment, and it was in this state that he finally looked up.

'So, this is how I die,' Ace thought as he gazed out upon the force sworn to ensure his sentence was carried out. 'Whatever happens … don't come, old man!'

Hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you in the next one!