Theo fidgeted anxiously as they waited in line to board the ship to Impel Down. They had arrived two days previously and laid low until Raven edited the records of their assumed identities. The World Government had received the original applications to work at Impel Down many months ago, so all Raven needed to write was the explanation of why, despite their records showing they had been on Sioca Island for several weeks, they had not been seen until yesterday.

The officer looked them up and down when they reached the head of the line. "Name?"

"Owen Weany, beast tamer," Cassandra said, offering her ID. "I rescued Gino during my last expedition for Level 2."

"Why isn't it in a cage?"

"Because she's tame. Beast tamer," she repeated, pointing between herself and Shinobu. "She's no threat unless she eats spoiled meat. She even follows simple commands."

"It's wearing clothes."

"And don't they look good on her?"

The officer continued to eyeball them. "You look different from your picture."

She raised the deep scar she had instead of an eyebrow. "I'm sorry that I was mauled and didn't have time to get a new picture taken. Do you need a doctor's note?"

"…You're cleared."

Cassandra took her ID back and lightly tugged on the leash in her hand. Shinobu followed slowly behind her, staring dully around. "It's okay, it's okay," Cassandra said soothingly. "We can go in a bit at a time."

Several people went by before they heard, "Name?"

"Forklift. Yes, that's my real name; please don't laugh; my parents were dicks. Electrician by trade, built my own assistant because for some reason, people don't want to work with a gal named Forklift. B3NP6 here - I call it Ben - does everything a human can do except be human, you know what I mean? I got four boys - a lot, I know, I'm older than I look but heart of a maiden - although one of them's been acting up lately and-"

"You're clear," the officer said frantically. "In, in."

Cassandra leaned away from Shinobu's chest, and extended her hand. "Owen, pleased to meet you."

"Forklift," Yin announced, shaking it so hard that Cassandra thought her arm would be torn off. "Don't mind me; just got a bit nervous. What do you call this fine thing?"

"Gino. Let's get out of everyone's way."

The journey to Impel Down could have been worse. As an 'animal', Shinobu couldn't claim a bed in any of the tiny rooms, but nobody commented on Cassandra sleeping beside her in the cargo hold. Theo stayed out of sight unless she needed to use the toilet, whereupon she accompanied Yin to the bathroom on the pretense of helping with Yin's 'embarrassing situation' that she joked about with the others without directly saying what it was. There were a few close calls when people said they heard multiple voices coming from the corner of the hold, but while Cassandra would never be able to match her sister's skill at ventriloquism, she was good enough to convince them that she was just talking to herself.

After several days, they all ascended to the main deck as they approached Impel Down. The colossal tower protruded from the ocean floor, only its parapet visible above the surface. The newcomers silently passed the ring of Marine battleships, mostly intimidated by the massive vessels, and filed off their own tiny boat when it reached the small dock. Imposing double doors behind a portcullis marked the entry to the prison itself, 'LOWER YOUR EXPECTATIONS WHEN YOU WALK INSIDE' carved into the archway above them.

"Welcome to Impel Down!" shouted the irritatingly cheerful man standing at the end of the dock. "I'm Loufrani, and I'll be getting you settled in. Any of you who are just stopping by, be sure to be back here by 5 o'clock tomorrow morning! Remember, you're stuck here for a week if you aren't! If you'll follow me, I'll give you a brief tour."

Cassandra's gaze lingered on the doors that stood between her and her crew. She reluctantly turned away when Shinobu hugged her head. One day, just one day separated her from her nakama. That would also be one day sooner to when she would have to say goodbye to her Sisters again. She put her arms around Shinobu's forearm and held her close.

A whispered consensus was reached that Loufrani was being intentionally overenthusiastic to annoy the newcomers as much as possible. A castle sat on top of the prison, its outer walls rising like a stone crown, which would have seemed more majestic if that fucking asshole had shut his fucking mouth for five fucking seconds. Another checkpoint later, they were being lifted by an elevator to another gate, giving them a view of the sun shining on the flat, empty ocean. The complete lack of wind was slightly eerie, and Cassandra could make out the shapes of enormous Sea Kings swimming beneath the surface.

After going through one last checkpoint, they finally made it inside Impel Down Town. The combination of her perfect mental map of the area and Loufrani's exuberance made the tour even more unbearable. Shinobu 'acting up' gave Cassandra an excuse to leave the group, and Yin glared daggers at them as she helplessly continued on.

Shinobu openly displayed her amusement at the lack of interest she received. Those new to Academy were usually unnerved when they first saw a migoi, but nobody here spared her a second glance. Even when she hung around the entrance of one of the mess halls while Cassandra was eating, the countless people going in and out only gave her a cursory look as they passed by. Evidently, a member of one of the rarest Human races was less interesting than the debate with one's friend over which book to read next.

"How was the tour?" Cassandra asked Yin, avoiding her retaliatory punch as they set off together.

"You're so lucky you're shipping off tomorrow," she responded. "There's no way I'll be able to finish everything in less than a day. Why're you still here?"

"Gotta make sure Gino's comfortable. I'm not just going to throw her in with the animals. There's no point in me going to my room."

"Yeah, you're definitely the kind of person who seems like he'd sleep with animals."

Cassandra scoffed as she held out her finger for a hawking wasp to settle on. "When'd you have your first boy? 13? And you immediately decided one wasn't enough?"

"You're just jealous you don't have any. Though you're not the ugliest thing I've ever seen. You up for a roll in the hay?"

"In the hay sounds good."

They kept bantering all the way to the animal pens, where they settled in and waited until everyone had left. They sat in silence, leaning against each other, until Theo stepped out of NYMPHE. "Clear."

"I'm okay," Shinobu said instantly, wrapping her arms around her Sisters. "It's only one more night."

Cassandra gestured for Theo to lay down beside her. "One more night."

Yin squeezed Shinobu tightly. "Doesn't mean it makes us like it more. You sacrifice too much for us, Second."

"Okay, we're going through this one last time," Cassandra said as quietly as she could. "I miss the boat out of here because I'm hooking up with Yin, so I'm stuck here for the week. The warden takes his sleeping pills at 14:45. That allows me to go in at 14:58 with Shi to help her get settled in."

"I'm already in with Theo-"

"I fool the scanners enough to get us inside!" Theo chirped.

"-and down to the refrigeration problem on Level 5."

"Where I get into the system!"

Cassandra nodded. "After the security check, they'll take me straight to Wild Beast Hell at 15:07, where I bid Shi a sad farewell. Py will know we're there, and I'll need one minute to get to Lyn. At 15:18, Py will suddenly go berserk-"

"Ten minutes is still ridiculous, First."

"I'm just being realistic. Lyn goes in Py's robe after getting eaten by animals, and Py smashes the floor. Level 3 and up will go into lockdown, and Levels 4 and 5 will go on guard. Shi will act confused and target both guards and prisoners. I find Aisha by 15:21 and get back to the middle by 15:23 with or without her. Py breaks the floor again, we go down to Blazing Hell. There the guards will make their big stand, but Jay will be there instead of the warden. At 15:24, make sure the cauldron spills towards the left side of the prison while I pick up Alexander on the right. He'll get pushed into a furnace."

Shinobu smiled. "Jellybean has enough practice to convincingly fight Popsicle as Olin. It's just a matter of the hive not losing focus."

"The floor between Levels 4 and 5 is thicker than the others. If she hasn't broken through by 15:27…"

"I give her some light assistance," Yin finished. "Since I'll be waiting with C-"

They fell silent when Theo scrambled behind them. A guard came over to find Cassandra shirtless on top of Yin, who glared at him when he shone his light at them. "50 grand if you want to watch," she snapped.

"Owen Weany, beast tamer," Cassandra said over her shoulder. "Staying here for the night with my animal Gino to make her feel safe. Can't blame us for a little privacy, since we both share rooms."

The guard eyed them before lowering his flashlight and walking away. Cassandra rested her forehead against Yin's until Theo crawled out of the hay and they returned to their previous positions. "It will take a while to break down to Level 6 without using tricks, and you'll help in the following order: Cain, Yin, Shi, Jay. Worse comes to worst, Alexander can soften things up."

"I'll be there too!"

Cassandra rubbed Theo's head after pulling her shirt back on without buttoning it up. "There will be a dummy ready so Cain can freeze to death. There is a hollow just below the woodshed and another floor you have to go through. Reach Level 6 by 15:34. Jen and Morgan will be ready to get us to the waterlock and escape at 15:36. Stick to those times as closely as possible. The vice-warden can make it by 15:38, the chief of security by 15:37 if he immediately resolves Theo's distraction.

"The warden shouldn't show up with Jay impersonating him, but if he somehow gets contacted right as Py flips out, he can make it to Eternal Hell at earliest 15:41. He'll know it was a bona fide escape attempt instead of a series of seemingly unrelated problems cropping up simultaneously, and that will make getting Miserie and Damien much harder than I want it to be."

"And if all else fails, Popsicle will flood Level 6 and we'll take our chances from there," Shinobu added.

"Exactly. Impel Down has a seastone shell as part of its framework, but there's no way the shell is a single solid shape. Py can keep hitting the walls until one of the seams gives instead of just making the minor leak that will tragically drown Morgan. They'll be too busy trying to keep the whole prison from flooding to deal with us. Theo, never make a plan that can cause that many casualties. My willingness to drown all of Impel Down isn't something you should emulate. Your precision allows you to be more dangerous than most without involving bystanders. Keep it that way."

Theo sat up slightly to look at her. "But they're all criminals."

"So's Aisha."

She rolled this around in her head. "Oh. Yeah."

"Accidentally get in the guards' way if it seems like they're getting the better of Py. We obviously don't have to worry about Jen, but Jay might get in trouble if people figure out she's not really the warden. Raven will help her if that's the case, but that means you two will be fending for yourselves for a bit. Kill the lights if you need to; Py's hive will make it look like a mechanical failure."

"Won't come to that," Yin dismissed. "The Fourth can step in."

Cassandra chuckled. "No, I put her on Level 6 for a reason. The less we leave to her, the better."

"Why?" Theo asked. "She can't handle it?"

The Moon Sisters fought hard to stifle their amusement. "No," Shinobu squeaked. "That's… that's not it."

"Jen reminds us at every opportunity how helpful she was when she's asked to do something that would otherwise need multiple people. This is slightly different because our Sisters are involved, but if a situation came up where I'd have to trust ten hired strangers or just ask Jen, I would really need to evaluate which one would be better for my sanity. Regardless, Raven will get her if things aren't going well. I still love Jen to pieces no matter how annoying she can get. If there's one thing I've learned over the past few years, it's that I can't live without any part of my family for too long."

They all hugged her tightly. "You won't," Shinobu said. "Not ever."

\\'/.\\'/.\\'/.\\'/.\\

Cassandra stared at the words above the doors into Impel Down, her expectations remaining high. She idly scratched her fake facial tattoo and scar as the portcullis slowly crept upwards. The guard beside her kept glancing at Shinobu, whose eyes were fixed solely on him. His hand tightened on his gun when she peeled her lips back and bared her tusks, but she stopped when Cassandra nudged her with her elbow. "Don't tease the poor man, Gino."

The double doors opened as the metal grate finished rising. "Ah, Mx. Weany," said the officer, idly picking her nose. "You're late."

"Don't remind me," Cassandra grumbled. "I didn't plan on staying here."

The officer's eyes twinkled. "I'm sure you didn't. I'm Sandcu. I understand you've requested to escort your animal to Level 2 yourself."

"I've grown quite fond of Gino in the short time we've been together. I just want to see how she'll be living since I'm fucking stuck here until next week."

Sandcu waved the guard away and gestured for Cassandra to follow her through the first security checkpoint. "It's unusual for people to accompany their animals here."

"I'm called a beast tamer, but I'm really more of an animal rescuer. My job isn't just finding rare species. Gino was abducted as a baby and raised for gladiatorial activities and being hunted for sport. If she's ever going to adapt to being in the wild, she needs to learn socialization."

"What about with others of her own kind?"

"Finding other high mountain apes is exceedingly difficult, and there's no guarantee they would accept her if I just dropped her off." Cassandra paused in the doorway to an inspection room. "I'm okay leaving her out here, but don't try to take her away. She wouldn't like it very much."

"Of course." Sandcu led her into the room and closed them both in. "Strip."

Cassandra unhurriedly removed her clothes one piece at a time. "Doing that is why I was late, for the record."

Sandcu rolled her eyes as she put on gloves. "Amateurs. Squat and cough."

"You got it." Cassandra winced at the manual cavity search. "Fuck, are you straight. You need tips? Even that chick I overslept with had better technique."

She winced again when Sandcu withdrew more roughly than necessary. "Funny."

Cassandra continued talking through the X-ray scan, but hesitated when brought to the scalding bath. "You won't let me drown, right?"

Sandcu giggled. "No, don't worry. I know Paramecia are the worst Devil Fruits, but super senses? That's all you get?"

"It helps me track animals," Cassandra said defensively. "You think I would have found Gino otherwise?"

"Get a hound." Sandcu guided her onto the rack. "It won't actually burn you, but it won't be comfortable."

Cassandra took a deep breath. "I hate getting into hot water."

She didn't mind the extreme temperature due to the constant training she had undergone. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as her body slipped from her control. Nobody had any reason to believe she was anybody but an above-average beast tamer who missed the boat home. All she was doing was getting sanitized. There was no motivation for her to be left to drown inside the nearly scalding liquid.

She gasped for breath when she was brought back up and couldn't hide her relief. "Like the baptism, Weany? Welcome to Impel Down."

Cassandra groaned as feeling seeped back into her body. "Bracing."

"Well? Put your clothes on and let's go. This isn't a spa."

"Could have fooled me." She clenched her hand into a fist after she got dressed. In half an hour, she would be wearing her gloves again. Once she was finished, she followed Sandcu outside and lightly patted Shinobu's arm. "I'm fine. I knew it was going to be thorough."

"Put this on." Cassandra obligingly closed the seastone cuff around her wrist. They went through the second security checkpoint without a problem, but Cassandra's eyes narrowed as they passed the major elevator. "It's temporarily out of order," the officer said, "but you and Gino are small enough to take the stairs, so that doesn't matter. GOD's going on in Level 1 right now, though, so you'll get a nice eyeful on the way down."

"Surely there are stairs that go directly to Level 2."

Sandcu smiled. "There are. For us. You have to take the long way. Security and all that."

"Sure, that works," she said lightly. "Gets me that much more time with Gino."

"Good. Gaoler Depik will take you."

Cassandra whistled merrily as she followed Depik to a large staircase. Shinobu sympathetically gripped her shoulder, and she rested her hand on Shinobu's. Snags were inevitable in plans; life wasn't fully predictable. There were two buffer times in her schedule, but she had really wanted to use those for other purposes. She looked at the guards she passed, matching names to faces and confirming their identities. There was no reason to lose her head.

"Is this your first time here?" Depik suddenly asked.

"To Level 1? Yes. To Impel Down? No, I've delivered two animals in the past. The elevator worked then."

He nodded the whole time she talked. "Are you weak of stomach or heart? The Good Old Days can be quite disturbing."

"I've picked teeth out of my partner's face when his face practically got bit off and kept him from bleeding out until the medics arrived. I'll be fine."

His head kept bobbing up and down. "Good. We'll be going past Level 1, also known as Spiky Hell. It was known as Crimson Hell in the old Impel Down for its forest of bladed trees and needle grass stained completely red with blood. Prisoners were chased by guards and venomous spiders. It was pretty rare for someone to survive more than a week."

They turned the corner and stepped out onto the balcony that ran all along the top edge of the cylindrical room. Thick glass protected them from the gale-force winds and fist-sized burs that whirled around the room. The cells lining the bottom edge had no such protection, the prisoners inside huddling as far away from their cell doors as they could. A copse of bladed trees grew near the far wall, and a large hole to Level 2 lay below Cassandra's feet.

"Am I supposed to be able to see something?" Cassandra asked.

Depik pointed at the staircase ahead of them. "We'll get a better view from down there."

The bottom of the stairs connected with a balcony just above the cells and very close to the copse. Cassandra peered through the trees to see prisoners running as fast as they could away from several large dogs. "Seems you haven't really moved on from Crimson Hell."

"That's why they're called the Good Old Days," he said with a lopsided grin. "We took out the needle grass, and the trees have been slightly blunted. The spiders were replaced with guard dogs-in-training to kill two birds with one stone."

She watched one prisoner trip and immediately be pinned to the ground by a dog. "GOD for you, see and do?"

His grin nearly split his face in half. "You have been here before. 3 and 5. You'd think watching a forced march would be boring, but I love it. Bit of cold never bothered me. You?"

"I mean, I've never been here long enough to see any, but I'd obviously do 2."

"Never been here long enough? What changed this time?"

She stared at him evenly. "I overslept."

He looked up at Shinobu as she sniggered. "That's it? You overslept?"

"Yeah, I had a sleepover."

"Oh." She could practically see him processing her words. "Oh. That good, huh? I know guys have needs, but you couldn't have waited until you got back to wherever you came from?"

"No. Guys have needs."

He lightly punched her shoulder. "Fair enough. Seen everything you want to see? Good. Let's get you to where you need to be."

She could sense Wild Beast Hell well before they reached it, but the sounds and odors still hit her like an oncoming train when Depik opened the door. Level 2's cells were positioned similarly to Level 1 with the notable exceptions of the gates periodically spaced along the walls. The center of the area was largely dominated by animal pens, where cautious prisoners were nominally rehabilitating abused animals, but were accurately targets for animals upon which to relieve their aggression.

"You know where you're going?" Depik asked.

"Enclosure 122."

"Good, good. Hey, did you hear we got a new GOD boss?"

"No, I didn't. What is it?"

Depik's head wobbled from side to side. "We're… not entirely sure. A World Noble brought her a few weeks ago, I think, but they never said what exactly she is. She is a she; there's no doubt about that. Our best guess is she's one of Dr. Francine's experiments. Sorry, do you know who Dr. Francine is?"

"Never heard of her," Cassandra lied.

Smug superiority twisted his smile. "How do you not know who Francine Francine is? She's only the best doctor in the world; too good, some say. She makes all sorts of freaks when she's bored, and some manage to get off her island. The thing we got looks sorta like a giant and even wears clothes, but let me tell you, there is nothing Human about it. It definitely would have been hunted down if it hadn't come here. Come to think of it, I guess it was hunted down. It just wasn't killed."

Shinobu's displeased growl startled him slightly. "She's uncomfortable with new places," Cassandra explained as they reached the floor. "I can take it from here."

"You know the exit procedure. Don't overstep." Depik dipped his head towards her and retreated up the stairs. Cassandra walked through one of the gates into the large room that surrounded the prison area. Animals of all shapes and sizes lounged in their enclosures, and she couldn't help but be impressed by the sight. Impel Down may have been constructed to torture its prisoners, but its animals were more than comfortable in their expansive compounds.

They stopped after they entered Enclosure 122. An amazing amount of effort had been put in to create an environment suitable to migoi, heavy fans blowing wintry air around the room. Shinobu smiled as Cassandra shivered and pressed their foreheads together. "You still have a few minutes before Popsicle kicks things off," she whispered.

Cassandra hugged her tightly and waved goodbye. She set off at a brisk jog, the ticking of a clock echoing in her head. Some of the employees took notice of her, but were more focused on taking care of the animals. She swiftly reached the biggest enclosure and placed her hands on her knees, panting heavily. "Anyone know what this thing is?" she yelled loud enough for Pythia to hear.

Everybody nearby shrugged, and she took off back towards the nearest exit to the rest of the floor. Every tick of the second hand in her mind was louder than the previous one. Her thoughts raced as she determined the fastest path to her destination. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. She was so, so close, but she couldn't be impatient.

Everyone on Level 2 jumped when Pythia hammered on the wall of her enclosure and loudly roared, "ACT UP A LITTLE BIT LIKE YOU DID A FEW MINUTES AGO, BUT QUIET DOWN QUICKLY!"

Cassandra took advantage of the havoc and sprinted as fast as she could. The few seconds of chaos would be enough for her to go unnoticed until she got to her destination. Darting into the cell, she swept its occupant into her arms and spun her around. Every kiss her hookup partners had ever given her put together didn't feel as good as kissing Lyn for just a fraction of a second. Eons went by before their mouths were apart enough for Cassandra to say, "I'm back, amica."