On Level II, several jailers went out to investigate what had happened, and that's when they saw the giant hole in the floor.

"Marginal, we've arrived at Level II. Can you see the image on the screen?"

"We can keep us posted on what you find down there."

"Roger that."

"What happened here? Look at the size of this hole. It's so big the Sphinx could have fallen through it."

"What in the hell is Dragon looking for?"

Then they heard footsteps and what sounded like chains rattling. They were horrified to discover that a whole mess of prisoners had escaped from their cells.

Up in the monitoring room, they could see the prisoners had gathered and could see they had outnumbered the guards.

"That does not look good."

"I don't know how they got the keys, but the prisoners on Level II are out of their cells."

"Don't tell me that Dragon and his friends did this? Those guards are in trouble down there."

The prisoners then began to move their shackles and laugh maniacally.

"Let's hear it for our Saviour, Captain Buggy."

They all cheered as they tossed their shackles into the air.

"Now it's payback time."

They then began to advance towards the guards, trapped between them and the giant hole in the floor.

"Level II reporting!" said the guard, shrinking. "We need backup here! The prisoners are all free! I, the prisoners, are…"

The prisoners jumped at them, and out of pure instinct, the guards jumped back, forgetting about the giant hole. They managed to grab hold of the ledge, but now they were completely surrounded.

In the monitoring room, everyone was scrambling.

"Quick Blugori to Level II!"

"Hey, good, his men!" said a guard entering the room. "We know what Dragon and the War Maiden is doing."

"Yeah? Who told you?"

"Fleet Admiral Sandle himself, just send word to us. Little did we know that Hiccup D Haddock and our condemned prisoner Ace D Portcus have more in common than the D in their names. It turns out they're brothers, and their father is Stoick the Vast!"

Everyone in the monitoring room gasped as all the pieces started to come into place.

"Hold on! Are you saying they are trying to stop the public execution, break-in and breakout with Dragon's brother before we can transport him?"

"What else could it be?"

"That would explain why they keep going down. We were so focused on Stoick's attack that we let them sneak inside. They managed to pull this off all hell is going to break loose. We've got to stop them! Inform Warden Magellan immediately! And get that riot on level II under control now!"

At Navy headquarters, Sandle was beside himself with the situation caused by Hiccup, and he took out his frustration on Winkly.

Wrinkly found the entire thing amusing.

"Think this is funny, do you?" Sandle roared, slamming his hand on his desk.

Wrinkly just kept on laughing, much to his annoyance.

"We're at the crossroads that could change the future of the sea, and yet that troublemaker grandson of yours seems to undermine our efforts at every turn. Just like at Enies Lobby and then the Celestial Dragons!"

He then slammed his fist on the desk. "Damnit! This is unprecedented, I say!"

Wrinkly just kept on laughing.

"Let this sink in; we haven't had a single breakout at Impel Down in the past 20 years! The Golden Lion was the last; no one else has challenged these walls from the inside or the outside. Impel Down is more than a prison; it is a symbol of unyielding justice with an iron-tight reputation that Dragon is attempting to tarnish. And to make it even worse is the grandson of a Marine, whose daughter married one of the most fearsome pirates the world has ever known!"

"If I was in my grandson's position, I would have done the exact same thing," Wrinkly shrugged.

"Damn that, Kuma," Sandle muttered. "He said he took care of the Dragon Rider crew at the Sabaody Archipelago. I should have known better than to trust that fool."

"Man is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. What did you expect?" said Wrinkly. "What I want to know is how he and that little girlfriend of his managed to get through the defences we got set up."

Sandle then marched over towards him and lifted him off his feet. "That's enough! If you weren't known all over the Grand Line as the hero of the Navy Wrinkly, I will make you take responsibility for your family!"

Wrinkly just laughed it off. "Go ahead and lock me up and execute me. It won't change a thing. Nothing, you hear me? It's too late for that."

"Laugh it out while you can, but a blow like this to our reputation will have serious repercussions," Sandle warned. "Salem and I have been trying to keep this under wraps, but there's only so much we can do."

Meanwhile, Hiccup and the others were now in Level III, which felt like a scorching desert. It was like they were sitting in the middle of ancient desert ruins.

Buggy was in pieces, and his head suddenly became red-hot as he lay in the sand. This woke him up, and he quickly pulled himself back together, though the sand was rather hot itself. He then began hopping around.

"This sand is like a frying pan," Astrid winced as she stood up.

"It feels like when the middle of a desert," said Hiccup.

"Level III," said Buggy, who had finally stopped hopping around. "Oh, I never wanted to end up here. Dragon, if I have to land one more crappy place with you, I'll lose my mind."

"Not exactly how we plan to get down here, but I'll take it," said Hiccup.

Astrid looked at the Sphinx. "Looks like the big guy is out cold."

Mr. 3 tried creating a wax sculpture, but the heat caused it to practically melt the moment he made it.

"This place is especially bad for someone like me," he said. "I am a wax man, after all."

Hiccup then transformed his dragon form and flew into the air to look around, but all he could see were ruins and more sand.

"Do you see anything?" Astrid asked.

"No, at least nothing from what I can see," he said as he flew back down. "Does anyone here know where the stairs are located?"

"Haven't a clue," said Mr 3.

"He's going to melt if we don't get moving soon," said Buggy.

"Then we better start trekking," said Hiccup.

They began making their way through the desert; Hiccup remained in his dragon form so he could better withstand the heat. Mr 3 was riding on his back, and Hiccup raised his wings directly over Astrid and Buggy in an attempt to shield them from the heat.

"On second thought, maybe we should have sat down and died," Buggy groaned.

"Don't waste your energy complaining," said Mr 3. "There's no way I'm going to carry you if you collapse."

"How are you holding up, Hiccup?" Astrid asked.

"I'm good so long as you remain in my dragon form, but what we really need is to find water," said Hiccup.

Then suddenly, a bird landed right in front of them.

"Is that a grilled bird?" Astrid blinked.

"That is not natural," said Buggy.

"A bird fluttered down from above; it was grilled in the open heat," said Mr 3.

"How hot is it down here?" Astrid and Buggy asked.

Then suddenly, some buildings came into view.

"Look, do you see that," said Buggy.

"Easy to forget that was still in the prison," said Astrid.

"Maybe we can ask the prisoners who can latest the stairs or at the very least find some proper shade," said Hiccup.

"Just when I was thinking," said Buggy. "Mr 3, make some keys!"

They began rushing towards the prison cells, but Mr 3 was in no rush to join.

"I'm afraid there's just no place to hide," he sighed.

They then approach one of the cells.

"Hey, buddy, you mind telling us where the—" Astrid began but stopped when they realised they were just talking to a corpse.

In fact, all the prisoners in the cell were exactly the same.

"A miserable site if ever ever see one," said Mr 3 as he approached them. "You wouldn't think looking at them now, but the prisoners on this floor are all hardened criminals commanding bounties over 50 million Gil. Beneath here is the Burning Heat Hell cooking the ground; also, these men are deprived of food and water, leaving them half dead. A shell of their former selves… this is Level III, the Starvation Hell."

They looked around and saw that all the other cells were exactly the same; it didn't appear that anyone was alive on this floor.

"Yes, now you know why this floor is covered with what appears to be sand," said Mr. 3.

Buggy's eyes widened when he realised what he was getting at. "Oh no."

"You don't mean…" said Astrid shocked.

"Alas, yes," Mr 3 nodded, "chances are what you're standing on right now are the remains of prisoners who have completely dried up."

Buggy began panicking.

"If we remain in this place too long, we will become sand beneath someone's feet just like they did," Mr 3 warned. "In other words, let's move while we have the sweat to spare."

"This is horrific," said Astrid, shaking her head. "I understand rocking prisoners up, but this kind of treatment is just too brutal, and this is coming from a pirate."

"The Navy has always wanted to stamp out what they considered evil by any means necessary, and I doubt very few Marines actually step foot in this prison or know exactly what's going on here," said Hiccup. "Either way, we need to make our way to Level IV, and we don't have any time to lose."

"We need to take the stairs to the left," said Buggy.

"And how can you be so certain?" Astrid asked.

"I think we should take the pass on the right," said Mr 3.

"We need to make a decision," said Hiccup.

A jailer on Level III was observing them without them knowing.

"Reporting in, sir," he said, pulling out a transponder snail, "the targets are proceeding to the back."

"Understood, keep an eye on them for now," said a voice. "Be patient, all is going according to plan."

Meanwhile, on Level II, prisoners were rioting, and the guards were doing everything they could to keep them at bay, but there will be overpowered by their sheer numbers. The men in the observation room could only watch as everything fell apart.

"Haven't you been able to contact Warden Magellan yet?"

"No! Not yet, sir."

"What about the Blugori?"

"They had off to catch the invaders with their commander, sir."

"Damnit! The security of Impel Down shouldn't fall to pieces this easily!"

On Level III, Hiccup and the others found themselves back at the unconscious Sphinx.

"Why?" Buggy moaned. "Why are we back where we started?"

"Simple, we walked around in a circle," Astrid pointed out.

"Quit being so relaxed! We're having a crisis here!" Buggy yelled.

"I knew we should have gone to the right," Mr 3 moaned as he fell to his knees.

"We're running out of time, not survive long in this heat, and we do get to Level IV as soon as possible," said Hiccup, and Astrid nodded in agreement.

"Go by yourselves!" Buggy and Mr 3 snapped. "We're getting out of here."

"The two of you have already helped us enough as it is," said Astrid, folding her arms, "though you have very little choice in the matter. Until we can find the stairs going up or down, we'll be stuck here."

"So until we find those stairs, we're stuck with each other," said Hiccup.

"Look, we'll work with you until we find those stairs," said Mr 3.

"Or until we find the next opportunity to get away," said Buggy.

"And then you two are on your own."

"Works for us," said Hiccup.

The jailer from earlier had followed them and reached for his transponder snail.

"They returned and are in place, sir," he said.

"Good. Then, draw the net."

"Yes, sir!"

They then began to call on a large cable, and a large stone arc shot out from the sand. Attached to the arch was a net which trapped Hiccup and the others with the Sphinx.

"What is this thing?" Astrid asked.

"A trap, obviously," said Buggy. "Damnit, we're done for."

Hiccup tried to rip the net apart with his fangs, but it wouldn't snap. "I think it's made of iron; I can't bite through it."

"What's with this?" Buggy asked as he found himself incapable of separating his body. "I should be able to use my Chop-Chop powers. This net must be laced with Sea Prison Stone."

"I fear they'll give us more than a slap on the wrist for our attempted escape," Mr 3 moaned. "We'll be tortured to death."

"We then capture the invaders, Dragon and the War Maiden, along with two others," said a jailer merging from his hiding spot.

"What do you mean to others?!" Buggy snapped. "I've got a name!"

"Don't antagonise them, Buggy," said Mr 3 gloomily, "you'll only make it worse. It's more bad enough already."

"Must be some way out of this net," said Astrid as she tried to move. "If only I could reach my axe."

Then, they saw a number of guards and the Blugori began making their way towards them.

"The guard and the Blugori are coming!" said Buggy.

"But the Sea Prison Stone handcuffs on them."

"Yes, sir!"

Then they saw a small guy stepping out of the open, a three-spiked Trident wearing a white suit with a top hat.

"Who's that guy?" Astrid asked.

"This guy is called Saldeath," he said. "There's no point for you to resist; you're in a highly secured underwater prison, so needless to say, there was nowhere for you to run. You know you're fortunate that I was the one that captured you. There are four other guards prowling around on the floors beyond this one, and they're demons."

"He's right; this little guy is downright huge compared to what is down there," said Buggy.

"If only we had turned right, we were so close," Mr 3 moaned.

"It wouldn't have mattered," said Saldeath. "They both circled around and we were watching you the entire time. So, if you hadn't ended up in this trap, we would have gotten you with another one."

"That's how it is," said Buggy and Mr 3 in unison.

At that precise moment, the Sphinx woke up.

"Chief! The Sphinx!" a guard yelled.

The Sphinx then began to squirm around, trying to free itself from the net, which sounded as if it was not able to hold the strain.

"The Sphinx is awake!"

"Oh, no," said Saldeath. "He's going to break the net! Be careful, men; they can't escape, especially Dragon and the War Maiden."

The Sphinx used all his strength and finally managed to rip the net apart, freeing everyone.

"That was a lucky break," said Buggy.

"Yeah, but we're still surrounded!" Mr 3 pointed out.

"Who cares? We're free!" said Astrid as she grabbed hold of her battleaxe.

"Then it's time to make our getaway," said Hiccup.

The Sphinx hit the ground because the guards scramble, and Hiccup and Astrid use this to their advantage.

"After them!" Saldeath ordered.

The Blugori quickly rushed in and jumped at the two of them, but Hiccup transformed into his hybrid form.

"Dragon Combat!" Hiccup yelled

"Valkyrie War Dance!" Astrid yelled.

The two of them then began attacking the Blugori, taking them all down in an instant. It was then that they noticed Buggy and Mr 3's absence.

"Where did those two go?" Hiccup asked.

Then, a piece of wax fell on his snout. He looked up and saw the two of them clinging to the archway's ledge.

"Come on, Mr. 3, hurry up," said Buggy as Mr. 3 himself climbed onto the ledge.

"I can't move quickly in this heat," said Mr 3.

"They're on top of the archway," said Astrid.

Buggy laughed at them. "So long Dragon! Tell your brother that I said hello; if he's still alive, buy him a drink."

"And by the way, thanks for being our live bait, you imbeciles," Mr 3 added.

"We should have seen this coming," Astrid huffed.

"It doesn't matter. I wasn't exactly expecting them to stick around," said Hiccup. He then looked up at the two of them. "We appreciate you getting us this far; just make sure you take care of yourselves from here on out."

Buggy and Mr 3 suddenly felt as if someone was grasping their hearts.

"He's so sweet," said Buggy.

"My heart is breaking!" Mr 3 cried.

"Stay sharp, men," said Saldeath. "The two of them together have over 400 million Gil bounty."

The two of them proved just how strong they were as they began knocking back the Blugori. The guards then jumped in to assist, but Astrid managed to deflect one of their spears with her battleaxe and then slammed him into the ground. Hiccup then jumped in and swung his tail at two guards, who jumped at Astrid. Well, her guard was down.

"This is our chance; run for it!" Buggy yelled.

"Right, let's go," Mr 3 nodded.

The two of them then dashed off.

Hiccup and Astrid were now completely surrounded by Blugori and guards.

"We really don't have time for this," said Hiccup.

Astrid nodded. "We can't stay hunkered down like this."

Then suddenly, the Sphinx arrived and began swiping his claws at anyone that moved. Hiccup quickly grabbed Astrid, and they flew into the air just in time to avoid getting crushed.

"As if things were difficult enough, now he's going on a rampage," said Hiccup.

"Then let's get out of here," said Astrid.

Hiccup nodded and transformed into his dragon form, and Astrid rode on his back. He began to fly through the Blurgori and guards while flying; Astrid began deflecting their attacks with her battleaxe.

"They're on the run!" Saldeath announced. "After them!"

"We really need to find the stairs to go down," said Hiccup as he flew off.

Meanwhile, Atali was starting to reach the bottom floor.

"We're close, only a bit further, and we'll arrive at the floor where Ace is being held," said Magellan.

"Took long enough; it feels like we've been riding in this elevator forever," said Atali.

"It just makes sense; the area where we're headed to must be isolated," Magellan explained. "It's filled with the most dangerous criminals all over the world, not just Fire Fist. With inmates like these, we can't afford to take any chances. We wouldn't be going all this trouble if you weren't a Warload you know."

"Then it's fortunate that I am," said Atali, smiling at him. "So you are more than happy to help me, aren't you?"

"Oh, but of course," Magellan smiled back flirtatiously. He then noticed the look that Hannibal was giving him and cleared his throat. "Incidentally, there's a prisoner down here who was once a Warlord just like you."

"Well, I have no interest in him," she said bluntly, "I only came here to see Fire Fist Ace. I promise to behave."

"And I intend to hold you to that."

Buggy and Mr 3 were now trying to make their own escape, but there was a lot easier said than done. The two of them were finally starting to be overcome by the heat, and they were nowhere close to locating the stairs.

"So hot," said Mr 3.

"I think we're safer up here," said Buggy. "Their attention is on Dragon and his little girlfriend like we planned."

"They'll seal off the staircases leading up," said Mr 3, looking as if he was going to faint any moment, "and it's far too hot for me to remain here any longer."

They then started to hear singing.

"Hey, who's that singing?" Buggy asked.

Mr 3 listened and recognised the voice.

Deep in one of the cells was Mr 2, who was dancing and singing to his heart's content. The other prisoners in his cell were doing the same thing but didn't have his energy, and they collapsed.

"It's all about the ways of boys and girls, but I'm special because the best from both worlds," he sang terribly. "That is why we're always free when you're queer. You'll never fear. Never fear. Come my way. Come my way."