Ace and Wrinkly were now sitting in front of one another, with only a cell door keeping them apart.

"I wanted both you and Hiccup to grow up and be Marines like me," said Wrinkly. "But hope be damned as you both turned out to be hooligans, notorious and dangerous ones at that. I'm sure you've heard about what your brother's been up to. I don't expect us to get along perfectly, but challenging the World Government head-on and wrecking Enies Lobby is over the line. After that, I met him at Water 7 and tried to knock some sense into the boy with a little tough love, but that boy didn't listen to what I said. In fact, he just ran off to Sabaody and caused an even bigger mess, but I'm proud he sticks to his guns."

He then shackled, and Ace couldn't help but give a small smile.

"Oh, by the way, I told a little punk about his mother," said Wrinkly. "Of course, the news took him by surprise. Can't blame the boy."

"If you ever believe that we could become Marines, you were living in a dream world," said Ace. "We both have got the blood of criminals flowing through our veins, I can't speak for Hiccup, but that was the only gift my father ever gave me. I took the name Portgas from my mother because I owe her so much, but I don't owe my father a damn thing. I don't even remember the bastard; he can keep his name."

"I know, I know," Wrinkly sighed. "But the man tried. He wanted you to…"

"Enough, all right!" Ace snapped. "Listen to me…"

Ace then began to think back to when he challenged Stoick; unsurprisingly, he lost.

"You're worth too much to die in a place like this," said Stoick, extending his hand. "Don't fight it; run wild with us. Our flag will be yours, and I will call you my son."

Ace then narrowed his eyes at Wrinkly. "Stoick is my only father, got it, old man?"

Wrinkly just sat there in silence.

Meanwhile, Marcus' Navy ship was still sailing towards Impel Down, but they noticed a pirate ship following them.

"Admiral Marcus, I've spotted a pirate ship," said a Marine looking through his binoculars.

"You know who it belongs to?" Marcus asked.

The Marines zoomed in towards a pirate flag. "Well, the flag does look familiar, I'll look into it."

"Well, if you don't recognise them, then they can't be anyone important," said Marcus. "Just leave them be. We can't be bothered, not right now, at least."

"Sir!"

The pirate ship was, in fact, Buggy's ship, but he wasn't on board. They were sailing on the edge of the Calm Belt, and they had just witnessed a large sea king jumping out of the waters.

"That sea king is huge!" said Page. "What if it attacks?"

"He'll eat the whole ship in one bite, and that would be the end of us," said Maddox.

"Just stay over there," said Page as the sea king dived back into the water and sighed in relief. "It's gone. You know we came all this way, but now…" He turned and looked at Alvida. "What are we supposed to do? What can we do? Come on, Alvida, you have a plan, right?"

"Don't ask me; it's your idea," she pointed out. "You're the geniuses that spent all our money on an eternal pose. Don't act like I'm the one who dragged you out here."

"Well, of course," said Maddox. "But still, we can't just leave Buggy at Impel Down; as his crew, we've got to save him. Poor Captain."

Then, everyone began to burst into tears.

"Look around you," said Alvida, looking towards the Calm Belt. "We're about to enter the Calm Belt, which is the same as saving into a nest of Sea Kings. Do you think this ship is ready for that? Of course, there is one other way for us to get there, but that is reserved for the Navy vessels. We're a pirate ship; the Gates of Justice won't be open for people like us."

"You're kidding me," said Maddox. "I thought breaking him out was the hard part, but now this? We find out we can't even get to the place."

"He's going to be killed; we got to help somehow," said Page.

Fang cried out.

"Oh, Fang, you miss the captain too, don't you, big guy?" said Maddox.

"This would never work," said Alvida. "Don't kid yourself; you can't break in or out of the greatest prison in the whole world. Better for us to quit while we're still ahead. Buggy the Clown had a good run, but I'm afraid his luck as a pirate has run out."

The entire crew then slammed their hands on the ground, clearly upset.

"No!" Maddox cried frustratingly. "I refuse to accept it! He's a man among men; the only way for a captain like Captain Buggy to go out as a blaze of glory!"

"Our captain is not going anywhere!" said Page. "Especially not the grave until he finds Gold Roger's treasure Island, and that's final! And until that day that comes, we're sticking with him."

"Captain Buggy!" the crew cried as they looked at his wanted poster.

Maddox then looked at Fang, who was joining the rest of the crew in grieving. "You just let it all out, don't be afraid to cry. We all feel the same way."

The crew then hugged Fang.

Alvida merely rolled her eyes and walked off. "Fine, have fun. I'm gonna take the Big Top and get the hell out of this place. You guys can use a life raft or something."

The entire crew stopped crying and looked at her.

"What?!" they yelled.

"How could you," said Maddox. "This is Captain Buggy's ship, not yours."

Alvida stopped in her tracks and pointed her bludgeon at them. "Well, I don't see Buggy anywhere, do you?"

"No, I guess not," said Maddox, confused.

Alvida then slammed her bludgeon onto the deck and looked at them sternly. "I am not going to march to death's doorstep. And as for this ship, I won't let you waste it. Those conditions aside, if you want to rescue Buggy alone, I won't stop you."

The crew looked at one another, horrified, as they all realised that the chances of rescuing him were slim already, but without the ship, it was now utterly impossible.

"But I'll be frank, boys, you're not going to waste five minutes in those waters," said Alvida.

With no other choice, the crew immediately turned to face the direction of Impel Down and saluted for what could be Buggy's final farewell.

"Captain! Thank you for everything, but this is farewell!" Maddox cried.

"Your dream will live on in our hearts at least!" Page yelled.

The rest of the crew began saying their farewells and sailing in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Marcus' ship was making its approach to Impel Down.

"This is Marcus, Marine code G100660!" said Marcus of the transponder snail. "We'll be sailing on the current shortly, so prepare to open the gate."

Impel Down was located on the edge of the Calm Belt. It was practically a fortress, though most of its structure was beneath the waves. As for the prison itself, calling it hell would be far too kind to the inmates.

Many of the inmates were just locked up in cells, and many of them were tortured, but not for information. They were tortured for the pure goal of making their life in prison bearable.

Many of the prisoners tried to form their own formal audit within their cells, most of which were overcrowded. One new prisoner began to experience his first few days in prison when he began eating a loaf of bread.

"Hey, new guy," said one of the prisoners. "You don't get to eat until you pay your respects to the cell leader. Them the rules around here."

The prison merely scoffed. "What? You want me to do a little curtsy every time I take a bite out of something. Screw you."

"No, I want you to give your food to the boss so I don't have to pound your sorry brains in."

The prisoners began cheering him on as he began making his way to the prison and began to beat him up. Other prisoners in other cells were watching the spectacle. They began cheering them on, as it was rare for them to get such entertainment.

However, this caught the attention of one of the fearsome guards who patrolled the area, and it was well-known that fighting within the cells was prohibited. The guard stopped cheering as the guard made his way inside the cell.

"You get it now?" the prisoner laughed.

The guard then raised his mighty bludgeon, and the prisoner just turned around in time to get hit by it. Then, even though the new prisoner had not started anything, he grabbed both of them, and the prisoners cheered as they watched the guard dragging the prisoners away.

The guard dragged them to a separate cell and locked the door before leaving.

"Hey, buddy, no need to get bent out of shape. It was just a little disagreement."

"I just got here, man; I'm not even on death row! Now let me out!"

They soon discovered they weren't alone in the cell, as if this beast was also occupying it. They screamed as the beast approached them, looking at them rather hungry.

There are many levels of Impel Down, each a different hell for the prisoners that inhabited these areas.

Marcus' ship had finally reached Impel Down after four and a half days of sailing, and they had now approached the Gates of Justice.

"Vice-Admiral, we have arrived at Impel Down!"

"Hurry and open the gate!"

"Aye-aye, sir!"

The Gates of Justice opened, and Hiccup and Astrid watched through the window.

"We've finally made it," said Hiccup.

Astrid nodded. "Impel Down."

They were heading straight towards the prison, meaning there were no longer any delays.

"I'm sorry, sir, it's just that we're a bit late, sir," said a Marine. "The headwinds delayed us, but we contacted the prison."

Marcus then looked at his watch. "We are late, damn. Call Atali and quickly!"

"Sir!"

The Marines then made their way to Atali's cabin.

"Atali, ma'am! We've arrived!"

"One moment!" Atali yelled.

"Look at all those ships," said Hiccup.

Astrid nodded. "There's way more here than they did for the Buster Call."

"Considering the circumstances, this might be the most dangerous place in the world right now," said Atali as she put on her cloak. "But wait… the two of you have seen a Buster Call? It's amazing you survived, I've heard it said that they're quite terrifying."

"It's not something we want to repeat," Astrid admitted.

Atali nodded. "The strongest military action the Navy is authorised to take, an all-out attack from five Vice-Admirals and a fleet of 10 vessels."

"You sure Ace is here?" Hiccup asked.

"Yes, though I imagine he's deep underwater," said Atali. "Now hurry, the two of you step inside my cloak."

Marcus' ship finally reached the dock, where they were greeted by a large number of Marines.

"Welcome to Impel Down Vice-Admiral Marcus!" said the Marines.

Marcus then began to disembark with Atali, and immediately, all the Marines began to marvel at her.

"Whoa, she's so pretty."

"Yep, she sure is. She's the best in the world."

"Beauty is power. She's the Queen."

Atali frowned. "These men are an affront to my poor ears, Marcus. May I please turn them to stone?"

"I would rather you not," said Marcus. "I daresay you've embarrassed the Marines enough for one lifetime. Now, about that condition of yours? Before aiding in his execution, you wanted to meet Ace D. Portgas, correct? Let me warn you once more that Warlord or not as a pirate, you're not welcome here. As a result, before you enter, they will perform a full body search. They will also require you to wear Sea Prison Stone handcuffs inside. They have to ensure that you do not launch any ill-fated attempts to rescue Ace or any other prisoners."

"Hiccup… Astrid… they're going to do a body check," Atali whispered.

"We'll figure something out," said Hiccup.

"It'll look suspicious of you back out now," said Astrid.

Atali looked at Marcus. "Very well, go."

Inside, the vice warden, barechested and wielding a three-point pitchfork, was talking over a transponder snail.

"What Buggy the Clown?" he said. "You said he's missing? And what's his power?"

He was interrupted when a woman with long blond hair in a guard uniform knocked on the door.

"Excuse me, sir, but Vice-Admiral Marcus and Warlord Atali of the Seven Warlords have arrived," she said.

"Right, I'll greet them," he said.

Marcus and Atali had reached the front gates, but the prison guards were fixated upon Atali just as much as the Marines.

"She's great… wait, I mean somebody open the gate."

"Come on, quick! Let her in!"

The gate then opened.

'All right, this is it,' said Atali.

She entered the prison, and all the guards stared at her.

"Careful in there," said all the guards and Marines. "We love you, Atali! Have a nice visit!"

"Silence imbeciles!" Atali scolded.

"Ah, she's so sexy when she's angry."

Regardless, Marcus and Atali soon entered the prison. They were only at the entrance level, and already they could hear screams from the prisoners.

"Let me out!"

"I'm dying in here!"

"Nobody deserves this!"

'It certainly lives up to its reputation,' said Marcus. 'This is quite hellish indeed.'

'We've made it this far,' said Atali. 'But I fear the worst is ahead of us.'

Hiccup and Astrid kept as quiet as they covered and as close to Atali as they waded into the prison.

The vice-warden then met them. "Welcome to my prison, Impel Down. Oops, jumped the gun there. It's not, exactly mind just yet. I am the vice-warden here, Hannibal, for now at least. It is a pleasure to meet you, Vice-Admrial."

"Likewise," he said, shaking his hand.

"We've been expecting you," said Hannibal, and his eyes then turned to Atali. "And this must be the Pirate Empress. The dumbass warden is… oops, that's not what I meant. The perfectly competent Warden Magellan is waiting in his office on Level 4; he said that he would like to meet with you. Our Vice-Manager of the jail here, Miss Domino, will be more than happy to guide you there."

He then gestured to the blonde-haired woman next.

"It seems you are in a rush, Empress, so allow me to get this unpleasantness out of the way," said Domino. "If you follow me, we'll conduct our body search and begin the tour."

Domino then guided Atali down the corridor.

"If you were a new prisoner, we would have you enter the cell over there," Domino explained as they walked. "Rip off all your clothes and push you into an iron pot filled with boiling water. We call it hell's hot tub. It's a baptism in segmentation solution all in one. Very economical, I think. We have several celebrity prisoners; as you know, Fire Fist Ace showed up recently, but that's not all. Jinbe of the Seven Warlords is a new addition, and the former Warlord Viggo has made his residence here for a while now. For the record, both are model prisoners who didn't bat an eyelash at their baptism."

They then reached the end of the portal when she opened the door. "And don't worry, we search our business in a private room. After you."

Atali entered the room, and Domino closed the door behind her. She looked around; it was a small room with no windows and only two doors.

"Before we start, could you please take off your cloak," said Domino. "It would be far too easy for you to hide something inside there, so I'm afraid you must leave it behind. Do not mistake thoroughness for mistrust; we simply have a reputation we would like to uphold, and as you can see on the wall here, we have surveillance transponder snails all over the prison."

She gestured to a transponder snail placed at the very corner of the ceiling, where it had a good view of everything.

"Their video footage is monitored in one of several security rooms," she explained.

Naturally, the guards viewing the camera immediately went crazy after seeing Atali.

"Whoa! So that's the Pirate Empress!"

"I heard she was hot, but like… wow!"

"Come on, snails, daddy needs a close-up. Zoom in! Zoom in!"

"She's so cute!" they said in unison as every monitor showed an image of Atali.

Domino then presented her with Sea Prison Stone handcuffs. "Oh, and don't forget these. Keep in mind their Sea Prison Stone."

"You call me a visitor here, not a prisoner, and then you put me in those?" Atali questioned.

There was a lot of tension as, at any moment, they would discover that Atali was harbouring Hiccup and Astrid. However, any kind of hesitation would seem suspicious, and all three of them could easily end up in the very prison they were trying to break into.