Two Dreams, One Adventure

Impel Down Part 5: Beasts of Many Kind

Hearing Crocodile was busting out, other prisoners started to talk. "Whoa, if you're taking him, take me too!"

"Shut up, level six! Death wink!" Somehow Ivankov's fruit gave him the power to create shockwaves from his eyes by blinking. So interesting how people use their devil fruits. Luffy felt the pulse and swallowed it down. He was glad he had the new arm band to cover it. Anyone seeing it at Marineford would be suspicious.

Then the fishman behind that smelled like blood, too, begged them to take him with them. "I promise I will be of use to you! I know Ace-san! I have known him ever since he joined the Whitebeard Pirates. He has even told me tales of you, his younger brother!" The fishman was locked up here because he opposed the war. "I want to save Ace-san myself as well! Please let me die an honorable death!" Ivankov said his name was Jinbei.

Luffy looked at him, but he didn't hesitate to accept his help. He was a warlord, Luffy heard his name mentioned before by Domino when they entered the place.

"We know nothing of his personality! Is this the best choice?" Inazuma asked. Luffy stuck to his decision in taking him.

"He wants to come with us despite me. Fishmen know something is up with me," Luffy said. "Right?" The warlord nodded.

"I am in your debt!" Jinbei said. More of the prisoners of level six started begging to be let out and Ivankov let out another death wink. Inazuma used his scissor power to unlock the cages and cuffs of their two unlikely allies. Crocodile asked if Ivankov knew of Luffy's issues. He said he did.

And added, "If you tell anyone, our deal is off."

"Keh, I wasn't planning on blabbing anyways," Crocodile said dismissively. "I was just wondering if you knew of the danger he is."

Luffy scowled and said he wasn't going to do that again. Crocodile seemed amused with upsetting Luffy, but he moved on, and didn't do it again. At least, not at the moment. Jinbei said he wouldn't let the logia hurt Whitebeard. He respected the man, and Luffy didn't ever think he was going to meet the guy in a warzone.

He was going to a war. What kind of place would that be? He'd only ever seen the war in Alabasta, but that wasn't up close and personal. More in the background. But this war wasn't between normal guys and palace guards and an army. This was between the strongest marines and the strongest crew in the world.

His face was set. Luffy had planned to do anything from the start and lay his life on the line for this mission. He looked to Ace's cage and got the seastone cuffs and stuffed them in his backpack. Then he went to Crocodile's cage and got his. Crocodile asked what he was doing with those as they left the place. Now they had two former warlords! More people added to their strong allies. It was lucky, even if he had to team up with an old enemy.

"He was able to hand a hit on Magellan with seastone cuffs. It's a good resource in case of a desperate situation," Inazuma said as he cut up the ground and made a spiral ramp up to the ceiling that Crocodile had dissolved. The perfect break out team. Luffy planned on recruiting some more strong allies.

He'd heard there were more of the demon guards like the minotaur. Having them help out would be great. He felt he could be scarier now. More than before. He felt the 20 hours in agony changed him. Made him stronger, at least mentally. He failed his friends, and he failed to save Ace from the prison, but was he a failure as a person? He didn't think so. Not anymore. He shouldn't have given up on his dreams and done what Garp wanted.

They went to level five again and Iva got everyone, but Luffy, Jinbei and Crocodile were already on their ways up the staircase. Luffy had a mantra of his brother's name in his mind. He was coming. At the very least, he wanted Ace to know he wasn't dead and wasn't in jail in his place. The scream he'd heard, the last voice of his big brother, had been one of terror for his safety.