"So this is Impel Down..."
Meiser observed the massive underwater structure from within the ocean depths, his eyes flickering with intrigue.
How had they constructed such an enormous prison beneath the sea?
Had they built it elsewhere and transported it using special abilities? Or perhaps centuries ago, this had still been dry land before rising sea levels submerged it.
Glancing downward at the ocean floor, Meiser considered the depth. The latter explanation seemed more plausible—perhaps this world's sea levels rose unusually fast.
After a moment's observation, Meiser shifted his gaze toward the Gates of Justice behind him. The massive gates had begun closing slowly after their entry and were now nearly shut.
"Seems we won't be exiting through there later," Meiser mused silently.
Unless, of course, the gate controls were inside Impel Down itself. Then his Sharingan could simply manipulate someone into opening them. Riding the special currents would allow for a swift escape.
"Guess I'll need to locate the control mechanisms once inside."
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Meiser swam toward Erha's location.
"Next step—infiltration," Meiser stroked his chin. "I'll try the Transformation Technique first."
If that failed, the Sharingan could always compel some guards to escort them in.
Just then, movement caught Meiser's attention. A section of Impel Down's wall near the surface slid open, revealing yellow light. Several oversized blue humanoid creatures wielding massive axes emerged, scanning the waters for Sea Kings to hunt.
Meiser's eyes narrowed.
"So there's an underwater entrance after all..."
Observing the illuminated doorway, a grin spread across his face. "How convenient... they've provided the perfect infiltration point."
Watching the blue giants chase their prey, Meiser formed a Shadow Clone with minimal Chakra. The clone nodded before silently maneuvering to conceal itself among the military warships, keeping watch on Impel Down's entrance. Once Hancock successfully departed, the clone would disperse, relaying its observations.
Meanwhile, Meiser's true form activated the Transformation Technique, morphing into a shark before stealthily approaching the Brugeli hunters.
At that moment, several Brugeli cornered a Sea King and struck.
"Thwack!"
"Thwack!"
"Thwack!"
Their massive axes effortlessly cleaved the eel-like creature into thick circular cuts of meat. As the Brugeli gathered their quarry, one noticed the approaching shark and froze in confusion.
Brugeli: ???
Are there really fish this small here?
Although he wasn't sure what was happening, grabbing this guy and taking him away shouldn't be a problem.
With that thought, Brugeli quickly charged toward the shark.
However, the moment he got close, Brugeli felt his vision blur before a pair of terrifying eyes appeared right before him!
Brugeli: !!!
"What... what the hell is this?!"
As this thought flashed through his mind, Brugeli was already under Meiser's control.
Hmm, the plan's going smoothly. Using Brugeli to shield his position, Meiser glanced at the gap above and thought: Seems these guys aren't as sharp as I imagined—they didn't even notice their companion going missing.
Shaking his head, Meiser controlled Erha to swim over before grabbing Brugeli and rushing into Erha's mouth.
The instant he returned to Erha's mouth, Meiser canceled his Ninjutsu.
"Meiser?"
Seeing Meiser return, Luffy exclaimed excitedly, "How'd it go?"
"No time to explain now. Come out first."
"Okay."
Though unsure what Meiser was planning, Luffy obediently stepped out of the storage room.
Without wasting words, Meiser immediately sealed the storage room into a Scroll and returned it to his Ninja Tool Pouch.
After finishing this, Meiser turned to Luffy and said, "Luffy, I'm about to enter the seawater—that's the only way to get into Impel Down. Take a deep breath, and don't make a sound until I tell you to come out, got it?"
"Got it!" Luffy replied.
"Good."
Meiser nodded, then activated the Transformation Technique, taking on Brugeli's appearance.
After casually picking up Brugeli's axe, Meiser stuffed Luffy inside his clothes.
"Luffy, I'll count to three before rushing out. Be ready."
"Okay!"
"1... 2... 3!!"
Splash~!
The moment Meiser finished counting, Erha opened his massive jaws, letting seawater rush in.
The powerful current immediately swept the unconscious Brugeli in the mouth downward.
But Meiser remained completely unaffected, darting through the water at top speed until he emerged in Impel Down's special water chamber.
Splash~!
Meiser burst through the surface, hauling a large chunk of meat.
"Finally back."
Seeing the last Brugeli return, the jailer sighed in relief before telling his companion, "Close the hatch."
Though unsure why this Brugeli was so late, since he was back, there was no need to keep the hatch open.
Soon, under the jailer's control, the massive hatch gradually closed, completely sealing off the seawater outside.
"Good work. Take the meat to the first-floor freezer," the jailer said to Meiser.
Meiser didn't respond, instead scanning the room's interior.
Only two people, huh...
With that thought, Meiser set the meat down and said to the two jailers, "Look into my eyes."
Poof~!
As Meiser spoke, his appearance reverted to normal.
The two jailers instinctively looked into Meiser's eyes, only to find something strange appearing in their vision.
"Submit before these eyes!"
"Clang!"
Mangekyō Sharingan—activated!
The two jailers were instantly controlled.
After they fell under Meiser's spell, Luffy tumbled off his back and landed on the ground with a thud.
"Phew—" Gasping for air, Luffy felt like he'd narrowly escaped death.
He had been pressed against Meiser's clothes, unable to move a muscle, and had nearly suffocated. But he didn't blame Meiser—after all, this was all part of their infiltration plan!
"It's done," Meiser said. "These two are under my control."
"I see."
Luffy nodded, adjusting his hat as he got up from the ground. He glanced around and asked, "Where are we?"
"Probably a specialized hunting exit for Impel Down," Meiser replied.
At least, that was the only purpose he could discern for now.
"Let's go save Ace!" Luffy urged.
"Hold on. First, we need to figure out where Ace is being held," Meiser said.
With that, he turned his gaze to the two jailers and demanded, "Tell me—where is Fire Fist Ace imprisoned?"
"Fire Fist Ace is a heinous criminal with a bounty exceeding hundreds of millions... so he's being held on the fifth level!"
"The fifth level?" Meiser stroked his chin. "How many levels does this place have?"
"Five."
The jailer paused before adding, "Though there are rumors of a sixth level, Warden Magellan has never publicly confirmed its existence."
Hearing this, Meiser frowned. "Rumors? As jailers here, you don't even know if it's real?"
"Sorry, I've only heard the rumors. I can't verify their truth," the jailer replied.
Meiser fell silent, then turned to the other jailer. "What about you?"
"Same here."
Rubbing his temples, Meiser muttered, "Guess we'll have to catch a bigger fish to ask."
Since they were under the Mangekyō Sharingan's control, their words were trustworthy. Still, it frustrated Meiser that ordinary jailers knew so little.
Fine, let's assume there's a sixth level. As for how to get there—that'll have to wait until they caught someone higher up.
Shaking his head, Meiser asked, "How do we get to the fifth level?"
"Jailers move between levels 1 to 5 using elevators. But the hallways and elevators are monitored by surveillance Den Den Mushi, which transmit real-time footage to the control room."
"Surveillance Den Den Mushi?"
Meiser blinked. This world even had Den Den Mushi specialized for surveillance?
Seriously, how many uses did these things have? Communication, eavesdropping, anti-eavesdropping, photography, cameras... Was there any type of Den Den Mushi that didn't exist?
"Yes, surveillance Den Den Mushi," the jailer nodded. "Once a prisoner appears on screen, the guards in the monitoring room will sound the alarm and notify the jailers on that floor to deal with the escaping prisoner."
"In that case, we'll have to avoid those surveillance cameras," Meiser mused, stroking his chin.
Otherwise, they might end up confronting the most powerful individual in Impel Down.
But if they failed to rescue Ace, clashing with that person would be meaningless.
Thinking this, Meiser asked, "Is there any way to avoid the hallway surveillance?"
If they could evade the cameras, taking the elevator would be the fastest way to descend.
"No," the jailer shook his head. "The cameras in the elevators and hallways never change direction. They're monitored 24/7—there's no way to avoid them."
"More importantly, the elevator is currently in use. There's no telling when it'll return."
"In use?"
"Yes," the jailer nodded. "Pirate Empress Boa Hancock came to visit Impel Down. She took the elevator down."
"I imagine she's probably meeting with Warden Magellan by now."
All the jailers on the first floor knew about Boa Hancock's visit to Marine Headquarters.
"Warden Magellan..." Meiser pondered for a moment. "So he's the strongest in this prison?"
"Yes."
"How strong is he?" Meiser asked. "How does he compare to an Admiral?"
"Warden Magellan is terrifyingly powerful. As a Venom-Venom Fruit user, he's invincible here!" the jailer said. "We all believe he's no weaker than the Admirals!"
This piqued Meiser's curiosity. Was the man truly that strong?
Or... was this jailer simply ignorant of how terrifying an Admiral's power really was?
One thing Meiser could confirm, however, was that this Warden Magellan definitely had the strength to suppress the pirates here.
Otherwise, he wouldn't be called invincible.
"Venom-Venom Fruit..." Meiser muttered. "A guy covered in poison, huh."
"Yes."
"Warden Magellan is a poison man who ate the Venom-Venom Fruit," the jailer explained. "And his favorite food..."
"...is all kinds of deadly toxins."
"But because of the poison, he suffers from diarrhea every day."
Meiser: "..."
Was this a side effect of his Devil Fruit Ability?
Diarrhea every day?
A guy who's constantly plagued by diarrhea can still suppress the pirates here... He must be pretty strong!
Still...
'Please don't let me run into that guy,' Meiser thought to himself.
It wasn't that he feared the man's strength—he just didn't want to beat the crap out of him. That'd be disgusting.
"Can we go yet?" Luffy asked.
"You idiot, I told you to stop rushing," Meiser snapped. "How are we supposed to rescue anyone if I don't figure out how to get to the fifth floor?"
If they didn't even know how to get there, they'd just be running in circles inside Impel Down.
We'll be discovered by the Marines sooner or later this way, so we must figure out the route to the lower levels.
"Alright."
Seeing Luffy obediently sitting down to wait, Meiser shook his head before turning to the jailer and asking, "Aside from that elevator, are there other ways to reach the lower floors?"
"There are."
The jailer nodded. "Each floor has a large gate. Behind this gate is a spiral staircase that leads to the next level."
"But entering the gate requires a key. Without it, there's no way to open those incredibly heavy doors."
Even with several people working together, opening those massive doors would be a challenge—and that's only if they had the key.
Without the key? Forget about opening them.
"Incredibly heavy doors?" Luffy grinned upon hearing this. "Those won't stop us."
Both he and Meiser possessed immense destructive power. Smashing through a door would be child's play.
"Don't oversimplify things, you idiot," Meiser said. "Sure, we can break the door down, but that would just attract more enemies."
"Then it wouldn't be infiltration—it'd be a full-on assault!"
If a Marine Admiral showed up to reinforce them... rescuing anyone would become exponentially harder.
Facing a powerful warden like Magellan plus a Marine Admiral? The odds of a successful rescue would plummet.
So... if possible, Meiser preferred this operation to stay covert. Ideally, they'd slip in and out unnoticed.
"Oh, right." Luffy scratched his head. "Got it."
Thinking about it, that made sense.
"Where are these gates located?" Meiser asked.
"The one on this floor is in the southwest corner," the jailer replied. "I've seen it there."
"Just this floor?" Meiser frowned. "What about the others?"
"No idea."
"You?"
"I don't know either."
"How do you know nothing?!" Meiser groaned.
"We're new here—only arrived a month ago. We've never been to the lower floors, so we don't know where their staircases are."
Meiser rubbed his temples. Had they been kept in the dark to prevent captured pirates from extracting intel?
That... actually seemed plausible.
Guess they'd just have to grab another jailer after reaching the next floor.
Shaking his head, Meiser pressed on. "Where's the key to open those gates?"
"The key...?" The jailer thought for a moment. "Probably with Warden Magellan."
Meiser: "..."
Well, that was awkward.
To get the key, they'd have to face Magellan. Facing Magellan risked drawing Marine Admirals. This... was a real headache.
No wonder Granny Nyon had called Impel Down "the impregnable fortress."
With security this tight, rescuing someone unnoticed was nearly impossible for ordinary people.
"Sigh... Looks like we'll have to try cutting an opening with Wind Release," Meiser said.
If all else fails, we'll just have to fight our way through.
Well, as long as we eliminate all witnesses, it still counts as a perfect infiltration, Meiser thought to himself.
"So in the end, we're still going to force our way in?" Luffy stood up and said.
If fists were needed to solve the problem, he was the man for the job.
"Not necessarily," Meiser explained. "If we can silently cut an opening in the door, we can quietly reach the next level."
The question was what material the gate was made of. If it was entirely Sea Stone, cutting through with Wind Release would be difficult.
"Cutting an opening, huh..." Luffy glanced at the Grass Sword at Meiser's waist and nodded. "When do we leave?"
"Now."
Meiser glanced toward the gate and said, "I'll have these two go check the situation first. Once we confirm there's no one else around, we'll move out."
With that, Meiser controlled the two men to walk outside, carefully surveying the surroundings. After confirming no one else was present, they nodded to Meiser.
"All clear outside."
"Seems this isn't a place people frequent," Meiser mused, stroking his chin.
Makes sense—this was the fishing port of that big blue spirit. Ordinary people had no reason to come here.
"Let's go, Luffy."
"Coming!"
Following behind Meiser, Luffy quickly stepped into the corridor and looked around.
"This place is huge..."
"Of course. It's Impel Down, after all—the prison that holds countless pirates," Meiser said with a laugh.
According to Shakky, Impel Down might have existed for hundreds of years, and the number of pirates imprisoned here was beyond count.
If the space wasn't enough, it would've burst from overcrowding long ago!
"Are we taking these two with us?" Luffy asked, eyeing the two jailers.
Bringing them along would only increase the risk of being discovered.
"They're already under my hypnosis," Meiser shook his head. "Don't worry about them—they won't leak any information."
Jailers controlled by the Mangekyō Sharingan couldn't break free on their own. If Meiser wanted, he could even make them kill themselves.
"Alright."
Meiser considered for a moment before asking, "Do you know where the controls for the Gates of Justice are?"
"Yes," the jailer nodded. "The controls are in this level's power room. We go there often."
Before Fire Fist Ace was imprisoned, a new batch of pirates would arrive every few days, requiring the Gates of Justice to be opened. These two had occasionally been stationed there.
"Talk about... effortless gains," Meiser grinned. "Tell me the location."
With a way to open the Gates of Justice, they could escape this place as quickly as possible.
"South-east corner of the first level," the jailer said, pointing in the direction for Meiser to confirm.
Glancing in the direction the other person pointed, Meiser narrowed his eyes and said, "Over there... Alright, I got it."
"You two act like you never saw us. Go about your business as usual."
"Yes, sir!"
The two jailers nodded, then turned and walked down the corridor behind them to continue their unfinished tasks for the day.
After watching them leave, Meiser turned to Luffy and said, "Luffy, let's go. We need to find that gate."
"Got it!"
"Idiot, don't shout so loud," Meiser scolded irritably. "We're on enemy territory, got it?"
"Oh..."
Ignoring the fool, Meiser narrowed his eyes as he gazed down the distant corridor. "Hopefully we can sneak into the fifth level smoothly this time."
It'd be best if they didn't have to fight—after all... Hancock was here!
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