Arrival at Level Six

"What? Your father is Dragon, and Dragon's father is the Marine hero Garp? What a strange family."

Ivankov finally accepted that the boy before him was the son of his close friend and superior. Then he remembered that Luffy's older brother, Ace, was also Dragon's son. As their aunt—uncle—he absolutely could not stand by and do nothing.

"Luffy, I'll help you rescue Ace. Boys, let's raise hell in Impel Down. Inazuma, I'll leave the rest to you."

"Leave it to me."

The man called Inazuma had a hairstyle resembling the club suit in a deck of cards. The left half of his hair was orange, while the right half was white. His clothes were similarly split between orange and white. A lightning-shaped scar ran from his forehead to his right eye.

He was the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Army's G Army—the Grand Line Army—and Ivankov's right-hand man. He was the user of the Snip-Snip Fruit and also a Newkama. Newkama were citizens of Kamabakka Kingdom.

Ivankov had come to Impel Down precisely because Inazuma had been captured, intending to rescue him.

Within this heavily guarded prison, his power might not have matched the Push-Push Fruit, but it was still perfectly suited to the place.

The Newkama army sprang into action. A group of burly men in women's clothes and fishnet stockings appeared directly at the entrance to Level Six. The incredibly sturdy gate was effortlessly snipped apart by Inazuma, turning into strips of flower-like silk. The Snip-Snip Fruit's power was somewhat similar to the Push-Push Fruit.

Visitors had once again arrived on the gloomy sixth level, but this time, their arrival excited every prisoner.

"How could Okama King Ivankov be with you?"

"I don't care what kind of Okama King he is! Hurry up and let me out!"

Luffy and the others paid no attention to the prisoners' commotion. They only kept searching for any sign of Ace.

"Ace! Ace, where are you?"

The familiar name made someone in the shadows pause before asking,

"Are you Ace's younger brother, Luffy?"

"That's right, I am! You know Ace? Where is Ace now?"

Faced with Luffy's urgent questions, the eyes of Jinbe, one of the Shichibukai, dimmed.

He and Ace had become acquainted through fighting. Since the Whitebeard Pirates had always protected Fish-Man Island, he was deeply grateful to Whitebeard.

Two years ago, when Ace came to the New World intending to challenge Whitebeard, Jinbe had been the one who stopped him and advised him not to throw his life away.

The two had then fought for four days and four nights, exhausting themselves without a victor. Today, in Impel Down, they had coincidentally become neighbors.

After today, he and Ace might be separated by life and death. As for whether the Whitebeard Pirates could defeat the Marines, he held little hope. Having long dealt with Whitebeard, Jinbe knew Whitebeard's current condition all too well.

If they rescued Ace and retreated, there might still be a chance.

The old injuries Whitebeard had sustained from using the Tremor-Tremor Fruit in his youth, combined with the ailments of old age, had erupted together. The body of the world's strongest man was already nearing collapse.

Jinbe said regretfully,

"Ace has already been taken away. You're too late."

"..."

Upon hearing the news, Luffy dropped to his knees as though all strength had been drained from his body, muttering to himself,

"Ace was taken away... I have to save him. Right, Sal said that when I reached Level Six, I should pat that piece of paper."

Having been saved twice by the same person, Luffy had developed an inexplicable trust in Sal. He immediately searched the inside of his clothes, where he had sewn the talisman to keep it from getting lost.

After taking out the talisman, he kept patting it until it began to glow and floated into the air.

"That's amazing! It can float on its own!"

The miraculous sight drew everyone's attention.

"Luffy, what did you do? What is that paper for?"

"I don't know either. Sal told me to do it."

Luffy shook his head and waited alongside Ivankov for the talisman to change.

The Avatar Talisman burned amid the light, and energy slowly formed a body. Its features became distinct, and Sal, bare-chested and wearing only underwear, fully appeared on Level Six of Impel Down.

The sudden appearance of a living person set the prisoners who had been watching them buzzing with discussion. The Newkama's gazes were especially strange.

Sal opened his eyes and saw Luffy looking at him expectantly, along with a group of cross-dressing burly men? Yet the gazes of those muscular men were particularly strange.

Ivankov casually stepped forward, feeling Sal's shoulder and biceps before saying approvingly,

"What a strong BOY! Interested in becoming one of the Newkama?"

At the mention of Newkama, every Okama became excited. Sal's eye twitched. He had no desire to become such a terrifying creature as an Okama.

Still, it seemed that in the original story, Kuma had sent Sanji flying to Kamabakka Kingdom. After being tormented by the Okama there for two years, both his body and mind had nearly taken on the shape of an Okama.

Being forced to wear women's clothing and dance among flowers with an Okama even more outrageous than Ivankov was truly a terrifying scene.

Upon seeing Sal, Luffy immediately rushed over, grabbed his arm, and said anxiously,

"Sal, Ace was taken away. I'm planning to go to Marine Headquarters and rescue him. Do you think it can be done?"

"Then let's go to Marineford and rescue him. I believe that even if I tried to stop you, you would still go."

"Haha!"

Luffy scratched his head. That was indeed his nature. Even if he had to die, he would die on the way to save Ace. Still, having Sal's support gave him greater confidence in accomplishing his goal.

The dim surroundings prevented Sal from clearly seeing the prisoners in the distance, so he used Observation Haki in an attempt to survey all of Level Six in Impel Down. Unfortunately, his Observation Haki could only extend halfway across the space.

Level Six was not much larger than the upper floors. Its walls had merely been built thicker to withstand the water pressure.

However, it also held the fewest prisoners. He had found only a little over thirty people within less than half the area, so the entire sixth level likely contained fewer than a hundred.

What was more terrifying was that the weakest prisoners held on Level Six possessed strength at least equal to a Headquarters Vice Admiral. Powerful figures at the level of the Shichibukai were everywhere.

Sal also discovered two familiar figures, both undoubtedly SS-rank top-tier powerhouses.

"Douglas Bullet" and "Count Patrick Redfield."

One had once been Roger's crewmate: Bullet, whose potential was second to none. Called the Devil's Heir by the Marines, he possessed strength comparable to an Admiral when he was only around twenty.

The other, Count Patrick Redfield, was a lone wolf and a powerhouse from Roger's era. He possessed strength no less than that of Roger, Whitebeard, and other top experts. He had once fought the former Marine Fleet Admiral, Steel Bone Kong, one-on-one, ultimately defeating Steel Bone Kong at the cost of severe injuries.

Unfortunately, after his strength had greatly declined, he was ambushed by a schemer and eventually imprisoned on Level Six for decades. That schemer was the current Fleet Admiral, Sengoku the Buddha.

When Sal sensed Bullet, a trace of regret appeared in his eyes. With memories of spending time with Bullet, he understood just how terrifying Bullet's potential was.

If Bullet had been able to train peacefully for ten years, he would have been qualified to contend for the title of world's strongest. Unfortunately, he had been locked in Impel Down for twenty years, wasting twenty years of his life.