The Sea Floor Prison Impel Down

In the depths of Impel Down, Garp sits across from the chained Ace and says he would have preferred for Ace and Luffy to have become great Marines, but they did the opposite and turned into rogues. Ace answers only, "Yeah." Garp mentions that he told Luffy about his father and that Luffy was surprised his father was even around. Ace says that matter has nothing to do with either him or Luffy, because they both have the blood of an infamous criminal running through their veins and never would have become Marines. Ace adds that he took the name Portgas to show gratitude to his mother; his good-for-nothing father never gave him anything aside from half his blood. He says he has no memories of that man and owes him nothing.

Garp looks at Ace and says, "You look like you're about to die, kid..." In memory or echo, Whitebeard extends his hand and asks, "Why don't you take on my name and run wild...? Become my son!!!" Ace's face shifts from exhausted pain to fierce conviction. He tells Garp, "The only father I have... is Whitebeard...!!!" Garp falls silent. The page makes clear that Ace does not define himself by the bloodline Garp mentions, nor by the infamous criminal father whose name he rejects. His chosen bond is with Whitebeard, the man whose name he accepted and whose crew gave him the place he wanted. That emotional answer also explains why Whitebeard's coming war cannot be separated from Ace's identity.

At sea, a lookout calls to Vice Admiral Momonga that a pirate ship has been spotted at ten o'clock. The flag looks familiar, and one Marine says he feels like he has seen it before, while another offers to look it up. Momonga decides that if they do not know it, it cannot be anyone important, and orders them to leave it because they are on a tight schedule. The Marine ship carrying Luffy and Hancock is approaching the "Tri-Current," the Marine-use current that ties together the Government's three central points. A map shows Marineford, Impel Down, Enies Lobby, and the ship's current position. Momonga identifies the ship by Marine code G10066 and reports that they will soon enter the current, ordering preparations to open the gate.

Buggy's ship trails through the Calm Belt, with a giant Sea King rising in the distance. The crew panics: "We... we've made it this far..." and "UWAAH!! Look at that!! A giant Sea King!!" Alvida tells them there is nothing more they can do, and Buggy begs them not to look at him. His followers insist they have to save Captain Buggy, who got imprisoned in Impel Down, and point out that they even paid all that money for his eternal pose. Hancock, watching from the Marine ship, explains the hopeless situation. The sea ahead is the Calm Belt where monsters make their nests, and they cannot do anything in such a little ship. Even if they survive that, the other path is reserved for Marine use, and the Gates of Justice would never open for a pirate ship.

Buggy's followers wail that if they do nothing, Captain Buggy will be executed just like their friend Ace. The lion and crew cry out with sounds like "Garu!! Garuru ruru!!" and insist they cannot even get there. Hancock tells them plainly that Impel Down is the world's greatest prison: impenetrable and inescapable. She says Buggy the Clown's luck as a pirate has run out and tells them to give up. The pirates refuse, shouting that Captain Buggy is not the kind of man who would die there and that they will follow him until the day they find Captain John's treasure island. Their loyalty becomes comic and sincere at once, even as the sea and the prison both make their rescue plan look impossible.

Hancock gives the pirates permission to take their own boat, though she warns she will be keeping the big top. They protest that this is Captain Buggy's ship, but she says she is not sailing to certain death and will not let them waste the ship. If they want a boat to pursue their captain, they can have one, though they will probably die before even glimpsing Impel Down. The pirates thank Captain Buggy for everything he has done until now, promise they will never forget the debt they owe him, and send off a melodramatic farewell: "We hope you have a good death!!" and "Let us meet on the other side!!" Hancock's ship sails away while Buggy's men cry and howl in the distance, left behind in the Calm Belt.

The world's greatest prison, the sea floor prison Impel Down, is revealed in a massive underwater view. The prison rises like a huge iron tower from the seabed, surrounded by enormous Sea Kings and grotesque marine beasts. Bubbles and current sounds like "gobo... gobo..." drift around the structure. Along the side panels, prisoners scream from inside: "Wa... haaa...!!" "Buhaah...!!!" "Aaaahhh...!!!" and "Please...!!! Just kill me!!!" The cries make the prison feel less like a building and more like a living hell. The scale of the fortress, the monsters around it, and the sounds of torture inside all confirm Hancock's warning that this is not a place pirates can simply attack or escape.

Inside Impel Down, silhouetted guards and jailers move through dripping corridors while prisoners cry from their cells. One prisoner shouts, "Hey, new fish..." and others demand, "What're you doin'... chewin' on yer bread... without a word to the boss here...!?" The rule is that all new fish must give their bread to the boss. When a prisoner resists, the larger inmates beat him, while others yell that this is not like being on death row and beg to be let out. Metal doors slam with sounds like "gach!!" and a stairwell marked L-5 2660 shows how deep and ordered the prison levels are. The page establishes Impel Down as a hierarchy of guards, bosses, suffering inmates, and brutal rules even before Luffy enters.

The prison imagery continues through monstrous guards, barred rooms, chains, and huge creatures prowling the facility. The soundscape is full of clanging metal, heavy movement, and echoing cries. Finally the Marine ship reaches the front of Impel Down, and a report calls out, "Vice Admiral Momonga!! We've arrived at Impel Down!!!" Narration says it has been four and a half days since the ship departed from Amazon Lily. The ship sits beneath the enormous entrance, dwarfed by the prison's central gate and the surrounding sea. The page completes the journey that began with Luffy leaving Amazon Lily and confirms that he has reached the one place from which pirates almost never return.

At the front entrance, Momonga notes that they were slowed a bit by head winds but says there is no matter and orders everyone to hurry: "Get Hancock out here!!" Luffy, still hidden, hears someone call, "Lady Hancock!! We've arrived..." and realizes where they are. He sees the mass of battleships and says there are even more than the Buster Call had. Hancock explains that this is the most dangerous place in the world right now, so of course the Marines have come out in battle formation. Luffy asks, "So this is where Ace is...?" Hancock says Ace is probably far beneath the surface and tells him to quickly get into her clothes. The page shifts from the journey to the infiltration itself, with Luffy's fear and resolve both visible.

The Calm Belt front entrance of Impel Down opens before the Marine ships, a huge fortified gate surrounded by towers, flags, and anchored warships. Momonga receives praise: "Well done, Vice Admiral Momonga!!!" The Marines on deck erupt in hearts and worship as Hancock appears, saying, "That's the pirate empress...!! She's truly the greatest beauty in the world!" and asking how many millions of volts her beauty power is. They insist there is nothing about her that is not beautiful. The enormous fortress fills the page behind their infatuation, making the contrast sharp: the world's most secure prison opens under military protocol, while its guards and sailors can barely function around Hancock's beauty.

Hancock is irritated by the chattering Marines and wonders what all the noise is. An official asks whether she cares if they are turned to stone, while another begs her not to. The staff confirms her condition: she wanted to see the central figure in the incident, Portgas D. Ace. The vice chief reminds her that even pirates, including Shichibukai, are normally forbidden to enter, and if she wishes to go in she must wear a pair of Kairoseki handcuffs. She will also be given a thorough body search so they can make sure she is not planning to free any prisoners. Hancock silently warns Luffy that they will be searching her soon. Hidden in her clothing, Luffy thinks, "Go on ahead!! I'll take care of it!!" and Hancock agrees: "Very well...!!"

Inside the prison, a guard asks the vice chief about Buggy the Clown, who has disappeared from his cell, and wonders whether he has a Devil Fruit power. Before that can be pursued, a report arrives: "Vice chief!! Vice Admiral Momonga and the Shichibukai, Lady Hancock, have arrived!!" The vice chief says he will be right there. Outside the gate, Marines and guards are again overcome by Hancock's beauty, crying, "Waah... she's... she's so pretty... Come on, open the gate!!!" The massive door opens for Hancock and Salome while narration says that until Ace's public execution, thirty-three hours remain. Hancock thinks, "Here we go...!!! Luffy!!" as she steps into Impel Down, beginning the real infiltration.

No description for this page.