The Mastermind Behind the Summit War

"Fire Fist" Ace had actually come to him of his own accord, seeking to hunt him down.

He gladly accepted without hesitation.

After all, Ace carried far more weight than some rookie who had only just made a name for himself.

What was more, it was through Lafitte that he had leaked to Sengoku the news that Ace was the posthumous son of Roger, the Pirate King.

It could be said that Blackbeard had made a "tremendous contribution" to making this public execution happen.

And in return, he had gotten his wish: the title of Shichibukai.

That gave him a legitimate chance to visit Impel Down, the great undersea prison.

Then, under the pretense of touring the prison, he secretly set up a Dark Hole there.

When the Marines summoned the Shichibukai to Marineford for the war, he had also arrived ahead of schedule in public.

But just as the war was about to begin, he used the Dark Hole to slip into Impel Down without anyone noticing.

Although Sengoku discovered it, the war was imminent, and he had no time to deal with him.

Blackbeard's true purpose in infiltrating Impel Down was to recruit the prisoners locked away in LEVEL 6, the Infinite Hell.

They would become the foundation for his future conquest of the Grand Line and his bid for the throne of One Piece.

The recruitment itself went extremely well.

After all, given a chance to escape, what prisoner would willingly rot away in a cell?

Shiryu of the Rain, former Head Jailer of Impel Down, a murderous demon with peerless swordsmanship;

Avalo Pizarro, the Tyrant King, a savage and unpredictable former monarch who had once ruled a nation;

Sanjuan Wolf, the Colossal Battleship, a descendant of the Ancient Giant Tribe with a body as massive as