Time left before Ace's execution: 45 hours
As night fell, Thousand Sunny was following its route to its next destination. But, as dinner time arrived, the mood within the boat was not the same as usual. The first reason was the fact that there were only eight people in the dining room, while their captain seemed to be missing.
"Luffy is still on the bow?" Usopp asked, showing a face betraying a slight concern.
"He hasn't moved from his position since the start of the day." Franky affirmed. "I've never seen him so calm and depressed."
"You have to understand him." Nami stated, as she carefully inspected the sketch of a huge building. "Knowing of Ace's capture was a shock to him! As soon as he learned of this, he ordered us to leave Sabaondy and go to Impel Down! And now all that matters to him is go save his brother! That must be on his mind."
"Impel Down..." Robin said. "This is definitely not the place a pirate should go to! The place is reputed to be a real nightmare for any criminal in this world! Besides, few people really know what is going on inside. inside this impenetrable fortress! But if we want to rescue Luffy's brother, we have to go there! If the Navy manages to take Ace to Marineford, we won't have a chance to save him anymore."
"In that case, don't hesitate. " Zoro affirmed, while cleaning his sabers. "We have only one solution: to go to Impel Down and leave this place taking Ace with us! No need to make a plan too complex."
" If only things could be that simple. " Sanji replied, while he was busy cooking. "Impel Down's reputation is international! Everyone knows that it is the most secure prison in the world."
"Is this prison that dangerous?" Asked Brook.
"This is where the worst criminals captured by the Navy are taken." Robin told him. "It was to this prison that Gol D. Roger was taken before his execution! Everyone claims that no one has ever been able to escape from this impenetrable prison."
"It's really not reassuring." Chopper said, as he struggled to make more Rumble Balls. "Do you think we'll be able to save Ace?"
"We have no choice." Sanji asserted, coming towards them, with a few plates in his hands. "During this ordeal, we have to support Luffy! Anyway, even if each of us was against this idea, I think everyone already knows that Luffy would go to Impel Down, even if he is forced to go there on a raft. "
"Nobody's going to let him go there alone." Franky assured. "Anyway, to get to Impel Down, other than a Navy ship, only a ship like Sunny can get a pirate there."
Suddenly, the dining room door opened and Luffy appeared. Not having his usual smile on his face, the pirate simply asked.
"Nami...is the heading still good?"
"Of course." The redhead assured. "I watch my log-pose every two minutes! Luffy, you can count on me to get you to Impel Down as soon as possible! From what I know, we'll be there in half a day." "
Nodding, Luffy turned around, returning to sit on the bow of the boat. Nevertheless, Sanji grabbed the back of his shirt.
"Where do you think you're going? It's time to eat."
"I'm not hungry." Luffy retorted.
However, the next moment, Sanji made him sit on a chair, before putting a plate in front of him.
"Eat while it's hot."
"Hey! I said that..." Luffy began.
"Luffy, I know how you feel." Sanji assured him. "But did you hear what Nami-swan said? We'll reach Impel Down tomorrow."
Seizing Luffy's hand, he opened it, before putting a fork between his fingers.
"Tomorrow is going to be a tough day! You will surely need all your strength to save Ace! So, eat! Fill your stomach, to the point of making you sick! Tomorrow, you will need all your strengths. "
" Luffy, he's right. " Zoro affirmed, grabbing a piece of octopus. "Your worry for Ace shouldn't make you sick! You need to eat and sleep! This will allow you to save him."
"Luffy-san…you have no reason to worry." Brook assured. "Even if I've never met him, I'll do like everyone else! I'll do my best to allow you to save Ace."
"Luffy, you can count on me too." Usopp assured, pointing at himself. "With me by your side, you know your chances of victory increase by 1000 percent! Unleashing Ace is already a foregone conclusion."
Hearing them, Luffy stood still for a few moments. Then finally, he planted his fork in a plate of spaghetti and managed to grab all the pasta, before making it disappear in his mouth.
Then, despite his swollen cheeks, he grabbed a huge ham, which he devoured in an instant.
"You're right." He agreed. "I have to be at the top level."
Seeing him eating, Usopp then turned to Nami.
"By the way Nami, did you manage to come up with a plan to allow us to get inside Impel Down undetected."
"Unfortunately, the only informations I have are what Robin told me."
Pointing to the sketch she was looking at, she declared.
"Impel Down is an underwater prison separated into five levels! Prisoners are locked up in these different levels, depending on how dangerous they are! So I think Ace must be in the most secure level, level 5."
"Besides, before even thinking about infiltrating Impel Down, we must not forget to specify where Impel Down is." Robin affirmed. "This building is on the Calm Belt."
"Calm Belt?" Luffy repeated, between bites. "That tells me something."
"That's where we met Apis." Sanji reminded him. "The ocean zone where the wind never blows."
"Is that really possible?" Chopper asked.
"It's not the worst," Usopp affirmed. "This area is best known for being a veritable nest of sea monsters! No pirate ship takes the risk of traveling to these cursed places."
"For this hurdle, Sunny will have no trouble overcoming it." Franky assured. "Getting to and from Impel Down won't be complicated! However, to get us to Impel Down, we'll have to get the boat closer to the prison pontoon."
"That's not going to be possible." Robin retorted. "Normally warships surround the prison to protect it from any outside attack! But now that Portgas D. Ace is imprisoned there, surely the Navy has decided to double or maybe even triple the number of ships there! It wouldn't be surprising to see more than ten Navy ships there."
"MORE THAN TEN SHIPS?" Usopp shouted. "But it's even more than during the Buster Call."
" I doubt the Navy will let the Sunny approach the prison without reacting. " Zoro remarked.
"We have no choice." Franky retorted. "In any case, we have to face the facts! An underwater prison surrounded by ten warships and which has never known the slightest escape? It is impossible for us to enter there discreetly. "
"Hey! What are you talking about?" Luffy shouted. "Are you trying to tell me to give up on Ace?"
"Calm down, you! I didn't say that." Franky retorted. "The original plan was to enter the prison unnoticed! I am simply saying that following this plan will be impossible. This place is far too secure for us to enter undetected."
" We don't have a choice though. " Sanji retorted. "Even if Sunny is tough, I doubt he can stand up to ten Navy ships! But I understand what you're trying to tell us! Even a carpenter like you can't do anything to make our ship invisible."
"In that case, we'll do the opposite." Nami affirmed.
"Huh?" Usopp wondered. " Opposite ? "
"Yeah! We're going to get spotted on purpose to get the Navy's attention."
"WHAAAAAT?"
Time left before Ace's execution: 33 hours
Yawning, a Navy soldier tried to stay focused as he stood atop the mast of a battleship. Looking around with a pair of binoculars, he began to find the time long. However, he knew that the situation was not ordinary.
Today, twelve ships were guarding Impel Down. The only time such a thing had happened was when Gol D. Roger was inside that same prison.
"Portgas D. Ace... he's really not a prisoner like the others! However, I don't think even Whitebeard would risk coming all the way here."
So, being certain that no attack was going to take place here, the soldier allowed himself to yawn again.
However, he froze, hearing a strange noise.
"Huh?" The man wondered, looking straight ahead again.
Initially, he saw nothing. However, still hearing this strange noise, the soldier continued to stare at the horizon. Then, suddenly, his eyes widened. Raising his gaze slightly, he saw a dot appear in the sky.
" What ... ? "
Little by little, the point approached and took the silhouette of a boat.
"WHAT?" the man repeated.
Finally, the strange figure hit the surface of the water, not far from Impel Down. And so, the Navy soldier saw Sunny, in front of the Navy ships.
"A…a boat?" He wondered. "A boat fell from the sky?"
First hidden by the waves produced by the shock wave, the sails of the boat were visible, allowing the soldier to recognize the symbol that was painted on it: a skull and crossbones with a straw hat.
"Mu...Mugi...Mugiwa..."
Immediately, the soldier rang a bell to set off the general alarm.
"WATCH OUT! MONKEY D. LUFFY'S SHIP IS HERE."
"What?" asked a surprised soldier, below the mast. "Mugiwara?"
"Is this a joke? What is he doing here?"
"Is it really his boat that just fell from the sky?"
"Monkey D. Luffy?" repeated the ship's captain, turning to the pirate ship.
Immediately his eyes widened as he saw the Sunny's mouth open. Then, a cannon appeared.
" What is that ? "
Finding himself inside the Sunny's head, Franky grinned as he spoke.
"Sunny...today, I'm going to give you the biggest mission you've ever known! You'll have to face twelve warships! But I know you can destroy them! GRAOU CANON !"
Pulling the lever, Franky activated his ship's most powerful weapon, as a real laser beam shot out of his mouth.
Racing towards Impel Down, the attack slammed into one of the Navy ships, piercing it in an instant, triggering several explosions, which pulverized the ship. Then, a second later, the attack slammed into Impel Down's entrance gate, causing another explosion.
Without anyone having time to react, one of the Navy ships had just been pulverized, while the entrance door to Impel Down was nothing more than a huge hole.
" What happened ? "
"The gate to Impel Down...it has been destroyed."
Impel Down ( Level 4 )
Sitting on a toilet, a satan-looking man looked up at the ceiling, as he was sure he felt strange vibrations coming from the top of Impel Down.
" Huh ? "
"What does that mean?" A soldier asked, seeing one of their ships fall apart.
"This ship flew in and destroyed a battleship without a hitch! Ship 8 was destroyed."
"It's Mugiwara's boat! Why is it here?"
"Whatever his reasons for being here! Mugiwara will bitterly regret coming here." A captain asserted. "All boats 1 to 5 ... Chase this pirate ship and destroy it."
Coming out of Sunny's head, Franky had no trouble seeing several boats coming his way.
"Oh? They didn't hesitate to send us several battleships! Perfect! At least, thanks to that, the security around the prison has been halved! That's more than enough."
Then, rushing to the helm, he hastened to activate a new lever.
"Let's go! You will understand why Sunny has no reason to fear the Calm Belt! CHANNEL 0: PADDLE WHEELS !"
Appearing on the sides of Sunny, huge water wheels began to activate and began to move the boat at full speed.
"What's that?" asked a surprised soldier on one of the boats chasing Franky.
"Water wheels appeared?"
"HAHAHAHA!" The carpenter sneered, as he let Sunny go to the Calm Belt area. " Sunny can move anywhere and at such impressive speed that no monster has a chance to catch up with it. "
"It runs away."
"Idiots! What are you waiting for shoot this boat! Sink it."
" Aye, sir. "
Seeing them prepare to use their cannons, Franky whispered.
"Guys, I'll keep them busy for as long as possible! But don't worry! When you free Ace, I'll come get you! Try not to be careless."
And it was while leaving alone on the Calm Belt that Franky was pursued by five warships, while eight people began their infiltration inside the most secure prison in the world.
