Elsewhere, Sabo and Baby-5 were still searching for Luffy.
They moved cautiously through the corridors, keeping away from the guards whenever possible. Now they had to rely on caution alone. Every door had to be checked carefully, and every intersection carried the possibility of another patrol.
"We lost him," Baby-5 whispered.
"No." Sabo shook his head.
Sabo followed the trail of broken doors and scattered debris. Wherever Luffy went, subtlety rarely survived for long.
A distant crash echoed through the prison.
Both of them stopped.
Baby-5 stared toward the sound.
"That sounded like Luffy."
Sabo sighed.
"Exactly."
They hurried in that direction.
The corridors narrowed as Luffy descended, forcing him through increasingly confined passages.
Buggy's ability to split his body apart allowed them to bypass several locked passages, while Luffy's rubber body let him survive obstacles that would have stopped an ordinary prisoner. Their progress was messy, loud, and completely lacking in subtlety.
Eventually, another familiar face appeared.
A man with a long nose and a wax-like substance covering his body stood behind the bars of a cell.
"Straw Hat!"
Luffy stopped.
"Who are you?"
"...Excuse me?" Mr. 3's eye twitched.
"I don't remember you."
Mr. 3's eye twitched again. "You don't remember me?"
Luffy shook his head.
Mr. 3 took a deep breath, clearly struggling to remain calm.
"It is I! Galdino! Mr. 3! We fought together at Little Garden! You should remember me!"
"Little... Garden?" Luffy stared blankly.
"Yes!"
Mr. 3 leaned closer.
"You fought a certain Baroque Works agent there! A man who could create wax with his Devil Fruit!"
Luffy continued staring.
Mr. 3's expression became increasingly desperate.
"Wax! Candle! Giant candle! Does any of that sound familiar?!"
Luffy slowly shook his head.
"Nope."
"HOW CAN YOU NOT REMEMBER?!" Mr. 3 nearly collapsed.
Buggy burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHA! He really doesn't remember you!"
Mr. 3 straightened himself and took another breath.
"Fine. Perhaps my appearance has changed."
He raised both hands.
His black hair suddenly shifted.
The strands twisted and curled until they formed a large, unmistakable number.
3.
"Look closely!" Mr. 3 pointed proudly at his hair.
Luffy stared at the giant 3 sitting on top of his head.
His expression remained completely blank.
"...Your hair is weird."
"THAT IS NOT THE POINT!" Mr. 3's jaw dropped.
"Are you sure I know you?" Luffy blinked.
"I give up." Mr. 3's shoulders sagged.
"Wait! You're the wax guy!"
"Yes!" Mr. 3's eyes lit up.
"You can make candles!"
"Exactly!"
Luffy grinned. "I remember now!"
Mr. 3 stared at him in disbelief.
"That's what you remember?!" Mr. 3 reluctantly restored his hair to normal. "At least you remembered something."
"Yeah! You're Mr. 3!" Luffy gave him a thumbs-up.
Mr. 3 froze again. "...You finally remembered my name."
Luffy nodded proudly.
"Yep!"
"Straw Hat, did the Marines catch you?!"
"I'm breaking into Impel Down to save Ace!"
Mr. 3 adjusted his glasses.
"You came here voluntarily?!"
"Yep!"
Mr. 3 looked at Buggy.
"You're helping him?"
Buggy crossed his arms.
"I have my own reasons!"
Mr. 3 sighed.
"Of course you do."
A moment later, his Candle-Candle powers became the key to opening another obstacle. The wax hardened into a protective structure, allowing them to move through areas that would otherwise have been impossible to cross.
But their luck could not last forever.
As they reached the lower levels, the atmosphere changed.
The corridors became darker.
The air grew hotter.
And somewhere beyond the walls, something massive roared.
Luffy stopped smiling.
"What was that?"
Buggy's face turned pale.
"You don't want to know."
Mr. 3 swallowed.
"That's the kind of question you should never ask in this prison."
A heavy sound echoed through the corridor.
Then another.
Luffy tightened his fists.
He started forward.
Neither Buggy nor Mr. 3 had time to stop him.
Not long afterward, Sabo and Baby-5 finally reached the same lower section.
Sabo looked at the damaged doors and scattered debris.
"He passed through here."
Baby-5 crouched beside a broken section of wax.
"Mr. 3?"
Sabo nodded.
"That means Luffy isn't alone."
They continued downward.
Neither of them realized that the greatest danger in Impel Down was already moving toward Luffy.
The three continued through the dim corridor, moving cautiously through the unfamiliar levels of Impel Down.
Buggy walked ahead while Mr. 3 followed close behind. Luffy, however, seemed completely unconcerned with the danger surrounding them.
Then—
"♪ Ohhh, what a beautiful day! ♪"
The singing echoed through the corridor.
Buggy stopped.
Mr. 3 raised an eyebrow.
Luffy froze.
"...That voice."
Another burst of singing followed, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of someone dancing.
"♪ A prison can't stop the spirit of an okama! ♪"
Buggy slowly turned toward Luffy.
"You know that guy?"
Luffy's eyes widened.
"Yeah!" Luffy immediately ran toward the sound. "BON CLAY!"
Buggy and Mr. 3 exchanged confused looks before following him.
They reached the end of the corridor and found a familiar figure dancing energetically inside a cell, completely ignoring the gloomy surroundings.
His prisoner uniform was slightly disheveled, but the flamboyant makeup and dramatic movements were unmistakable.
"BON CLAY!"
The figure stopped mid-dance.
His eyes widened.
"...Straw Hat?"
"It's really you, my friend!" Luffy grinned from the other side of the bars.
Bon Clay stared at him for a moment before his entire face lit up.
"STRAW HAT BOYYYY!" He rushed toward the bars.
Luffy grabbed the bars with both hands.
"Bon Clay! You're alive!"
"Of course I'm alive!" Bon Clay shouted dramatically. "An okama's spirit cannot be extinguished so easily!"
Luffy laughed. "I thought you were still in Alabasta!"
Bon Clay's expression softened.
"Alabasta..."
For a moment, his excitement faded as memories returned.
The desert kingdom.
The pursuit by the Marines.
The escape route.
And finally, the moment he had stayed behind.
Bon Clay smiled. "I couldn't let you leave that place alone."
"You stayed behind so I could escape." Luffy's expression became serious.
Bon Clay placed a hand against his chest. "That was my choice."
"You saved me." Luffy tightened his grip on the bars.
Bon Clay immediately turned his face away, pretending to be offended.
"Don't say something so embarrassing!" Mr. 3 stared at them.
"So you two already knew each other?"
Luffy nodded. "Bon Clay is my friend."
Bon Clay gasped dramatically.
"Friend...?" His eyes began to sparkle. "You called me your friend!"
"Straw Hat Boy!" He burst into tears.
Luffy laughed. "Yeah! You're my friend!"
Buggy folded his arms.
"Why does everyone in this prison keep becoming friends with each other?!"
Mr. 3 adjusted his glasses.
"Don't ask me."
Bon Clay suddenly wiped his tears and looked toward the corridor.
"But what are you doing here?"
Luffy's expression immediately changed.
"We're looking for my brother, Ace."
Bon Clay's smile disappeared. "Your brother?"
Luffy nodded. "He's being held here. We're going to save him."
Bon Clay stared at him for a moment.
Then his familiar grin slowly returned.
"Then why are you standing there?"
He pointed dramatically toward the cell door.
"Come and get me out, Straw Hat Boy!"
Luffy grinned. "Of course!"
"Wait! Why does this suddenly mean we're breaking another prisoner out?!" Buggy's face dropped.
Bon Clay raised both arms triumphantly.
"Because destiny has brought us together once again!"
Mr. 3 sighed.
"I have a bad feeling about this."
Luffy laughed.
"Let's go, Bon Clay!"
The prison corridor erupted with Bon Clay's laughter.
For the first time since entering Impel Down, Luffy felt something familiar amid the darkness.
He had found another friend.
And this time, he had no intention of leaving him behind.
The alarm continued to echo through Impel Down.
Luffy sprinted through the corridor, his breathing already growing heavier. Behind him, the sounds of chaos gradually faded as Buggy and Mr. 3 disappeared into another passage, choosing to escape while they still had the chance.
A tall figure waited ahead.
Purple smoke drifted through the air.
The guards surrounding the area immediately stepped back.
Luffy's expression changed.
The man walked forward slowly, his eyes fixed on the intruder.
"Straw Hat Luffy."
Luffy stared at him.
"You're…"
"RUN, STRAW HAT!" Buggy shouted from a distance.
"Don't get caught!" Mr. 3 glanced over his shoulder. "Especially by that monster!"
Luffy barely heard them.
His attention was fixed on the corridor ahead.
Then a massive figure stepped into his path.
Magellan.
The name alone was enough to make the surrounding guards fall silent.
Magellan raised one hand.
"You have caused considerable trouble since entering my prison."
Luffy clenched his fists.
"I don't care." His voice was firm.
Luffy lowered his stance. "I don't have time for you!"
He charged.
"Gomu Gomu no—"
Before Luffy could finish, a wave of venom surged across the floor.
Luffy jumped over it and swung his fist.
"Pistol!"
His fist stretched forward.
Magellan barely moved.
The punch stopped inches from his face as a poisonous substance spread across his body.
Luffy immediately pulled his arm back.
"Whoa!"
"Don't touch me."
Magellan smiled coldly.
"You're about to learn why nobody escapes Impel Down."
Luffy launched himself forward.
"Gomu Gomu no—!"
Magellan's poison surged across the floor.
Luffy barely avoided the first wave, but the confined chamber left him with little room to maneuver. He attacked again, only for the poisonous substance to spread across Magellan's body.
One mistake was all it took.
Magellan slammed his fist into the ground.
Venom erupted through the corridor.
Luffy leaped backward, narrowly avoiding it.
Behind him, Hannyabal charged forward with his weapon raised.
"Straw Hat! You're not getting any farther!"
Luffy turned.
Before Hannyabal could attack, a figure suddenly stepped between them.
"Sorry, but I can't let you do that." Bon Clay grinned.
"Mr. 2 of Baroque Works, Bon Clay!" Hannyabal's expression twisted with anger. "Get out of my way!"
"No can do!"
Bon Clay raised his guard.
"Luffy-chan has somewhere very important to be!"
Hannyabal swung his weapon.
Bon Clay blocked the strike and slid backward across the floor.
"Luffy! Go!"
Luffy glanced back.
"Bon Clay!"
"I'll handle this!"
Hannyabal snarled.
"You think you can stop me alone?"
Bon Clay grinned despite the pressure.
"I don't need to beat you."
He tightened his fists.
"I just need to keep you busy."
Luffy's expression hardened.
"Okay!" He turned back toward Magellan.
"You won't escape this prison." The Warden's eyes narrowed.
He rushed forward again.
"I'm going to save Ace!"
Magellan opened both arms.
Venom poured across the corridor like a living tide.
The poison engulfed the path before he could finish.
He tried to leap over it, but Magellan anticipated his movement.
A massive poisonous fist struck Luffy in midair.
Pain immediately shot through Luffy's body.
His eyes widened.
"Gah!"
He stumbled backward.
Magellan advanced.
"You cannot defeat me by charging forward blindly."
Luffy tried to stand.
His limbs began to weaken.
The poison was already spreading.
"No…" He forced himself forward again. "Ace…"
Magellan's attack struck him.
Magellan's expression remained cold.
"Then suffer the consequences."
Luffy collapsed.
The guards watched in silence as the Straw Hat captain lay motionless on the floor.
Magellan turned away.
"Take him away."
Luffy's fingers twitched weakly against the stone.
His vision blurred.
But even as consciousness slipped from him, one thought remained.
A…ce…
Luffy lay motionless on the floor, his body covered in Magellan's deadly poison. The Straw Hat captain had fought with everything he had, yet the Warden had overwhelmed him in only a few exchanges.
Bon Clay froze. "Luffy-chan…"
He took a step forward.
Every instinct told him to run to his friend.
But he stopped himself.
Magellan was still standing there.
The Warden looked down at Luffy before turning toward Bon Clay.
"You're next."
Bon Clay clenched his fists.
He wanted to attack.
He wanted to carry Luffy away.
But he knew the truth.
He couldn't defeat Magellan.
Not here.
Not alone.
And if he attacked now, there would be no one left to save Luffy.
Bon Clay lowered his fists. "Damn it…"
Magellan turned away. "Take him away."
Several guards began approaching Luffy.
Bon Clay's eyes followed them.
He could not let them take Luffy.
But he couldn't rescue him in front of Magellan, either.
Then an idea came to him.
His expression changed.
"That's right…"
He glanced toward the surrounding corridors.
"If I can't save him now…" A faint smile appeared on his face. "…I'll wait for the right moment."
Bon Clay suddenly turned and sprinted down the corridor.
"Stop him!"
Hannyabal immediately gave chase.
Bon Clay reached the corner and slapped his hand against his face.
His appearance changed instantly.
Using the Mane Mane no Mi, he transformed into one of the prison guards.
He disappeared among the passing personnel before Hannyabal could catch him.
"Where did he go?!"
Hannyabal looked around furiously.
Bon Clay had vanished.
Hidden among the guards, Bon Clay kept his head lowered and continued walking.
His expression was no longer playful.
He was watching.
Waiting.
His eyes remained fixed on the direction where Luffy had been taken.
"Hang on, Luffy-chan…"
His hands tightened into fists.
"I'll come back for you."
He disappeared deeper into the prison, patiently waiting for the moment when Magellan's attention would finally shift.