The plan for Jerry's team to operate separately had been discussed extensively beforehand.
Considering the uncertainty of whether Jerry could complete his mission on schedule, most of their allies—led by Ace—were quietly waiting in a concealed location while only a select few accompanied Jerry on this infiltration.
Since the high-priority criminals scheduled for today's execution were not housed here, Impel Down appeared to maintain its usual garrison strength. However, they had added several warships in the surrounding waters to strengthen surveillance.
Surprisingly, the personnel aboard those warships made no attempt to intercept Jerry's group.
This unexpected development puzzled Jerry and his team, though they chose not to dwell on it too deeply. If the Marines weren't going to challenge them, it would save precious time that would otherwise be wasted on explanations and arguments.
Jerry's small ship encountered no obstacles as they rapidly approached the massive underwater prison and docked at the main entrance.
"Something's definitely changed," Jerry said in a low voice to his companions.
Everyone nodded slightly in agreement—they could all sense an unusual atmosphere in the air.
At the entrance to Impel Down's first level, the guards in the distance appeared agitated and distracted, with their attention focused almost entirely on the prison's interior rather than monitoring for external threats.
Signaling for everyone to follow his lead, Jerry's entire expression and demeanor transformed. He began striding toward the entrance with Doflamingo's characteristic swagger, projecting an aura of arrogant authority.
Soon, they approached the guards who were still staring anxiously through the entrance doors.
Their undisguised footsteps finally drew the guards' attention. When they turned around, they heard Jerry's imperious voice:
"I assume you all recognize me as Leviathan Jerry, one of the renowned Seven Warlords of the Sea, correct? I—"
However, before Jerry could complete his prepared introduction, the guards' faces lit up with expressions of surprise and genuine relief. "Excellent! Leviathan Jerry of the Seven Warlords! Did you also receive word about the situation and come to provide assistance?"
"Uh... what? Oh! Yes, absolutely! I'm here to help restore order. Brief me on the current situation," Jerry replied, initially confused but recovering instantly. His expression became serious as he nodded with grave authority.
Brook and the others behind him exchanged bewildered glances, communicating their confusion through meaningful looks.
At this moment, everyone inexplicably felt that their meticulously planned strategy—which they had debated so intensively and believed to be carefully prepared—was suddenly obsolete in the face of these unexpected developments.
A guard representative immediately stepped forward to explain: "Here's what happened..."
Through their straightforward briefing, Jerry and his team gained a comprehensive understanding of the chaos engulfing the prison.
It turned out that earlier that morning, just before Jerry's arrival, Blackbeard Teach had unexpectedly visited Impel Down, claiming he wanted to tour the facility and "meet some old friends."
However, after Teach's group had entered, Buggy the Clown—who had been imprisoned on the first level—had mysteriously escaped from his cell.
This had triggered a chaotic pursuit throughout the facility.
During the manhunt, Buggy had wandered through multiple levels, inadvertently triggering prisoner riots wherever he went.
Even more perplexing was that, for reasons still unknown, prisoners on other floors had somehow seized the opportunity to escape as well, plunging the entire prison into unprecedented pandemonium.
Additionally, Blackbeard Teach had ignored all official warnings and insisted on descending to Level 6—Infinite Hell. He had acted recklessly throughout his journey, deliberately releasing prisoners from various levels and significantly contributing to Impel Down's current state of chaos.
Although Warden Magellan was personally pursuing Teach and his crew, the other levels had already descended into complete disorder, with countless prison guards suffering violent attacks from freed inmates.
Since Impel Down had previously requested external reinforcement and received confirmation that help was coming, the guards naturally assumed Jerry's arrival was part of that promised support.
"Excellent... ahem, well, now that I'm here, I'll restore the peaceful order that Impel Down is known for. You have my word," Jerry declared while cracking his neck and rubbing his hands together, projecting the image of someone eager for a challenging fight.
The lead guard nodded unconsciously. "Understood, sir."
As Jerry's group began walking into the facility, the guard glanced uncertainly at Usopp, Chopper, and the others. "But what about them..."
"Oh, they're my crew members—my pet rabbit and raccoon. Listen, time is of the essence here, so let's skip the bureaucracy. After I help resolve this situation, I need to return to Marine Headquarters for the execution," Jerry interrupted with a dismissive wave, continuing his confident stride forward.
Hearing this reference to the day's highly publicized execution, the guards didn't dare cause any further delays and quickly opened the main gate for Jerry's group.
As they descended the initial staircase, Usopp finally released a sigh of relief, patting his chest nervously. "Phew! That scared me! I thought they had figured out..."
Sanji placed a restraining hand on the sniper's shoulder while scanning the corridor walls carefully. "Keep your voice down. There are surveillance Den Den Mushi monitoring everything along this route."
"So this is where that moss-headed swordsman is imprisoned? It's quite depressing in here."
By this point, they had entered Level 1—Crimson Hell. Hearing Sanji's observation, Jerry, Nami, and the others couldn't help but nod in agreement.
The interior of Impel Down truly lived up to its hellish reputation. The environment, facilities, and methods of prisoner torture on each level were completely different, but most shared the common trait of creating an extremely oppressive, negative, and hopeless atmosphere.
This place felt like a dark realm completely isolated from the outside world, sending chills down anyone's spine who experienced it firsthand.
Noticing that Level 1 maintained relatively stable order compared to the chaos described above, Jerry casually slipped his hands into his pockets and took the lead, walking briskly while speaking in a calm, authoritative tone:
"We're heading straight down to Level 4—Blazing Hell. Show no mercy to any prisoners we encounter along the way unless I specifically tell you to stop."
"Mr. Jerry, don't worry about a thing! I'll handle them all! Yo ho ho ho!" Brook twirled his cane sword with obvious confidence, a determined gleam in his skeletal eye sockets.
Hearing this assurance, Chopper felt his earlier fear completely evaporate. With shining eyes, he said to Brook enthusiastically, "Mr. Skeleton, you're so dependable!"
"That's... that's right! Our safety is completely in your hands now, Mr. Skeleton!" Usopp shuddered but bowed deeply, instinctively wanting to cling to someone stronger for protection.
"SMACK!" Nami delivered a sharp slap to Usopp's back, making him stagger forward. "Usopp, pull yourself together! If I'm not scared, then you have no excuse to be terrified!"
Then, noticing Brook turning toward her with what was probably a hopeful expression, she immediately raised her hand to cut him off. "Don't even think about it, you perverted skeleton! I'm not showing you anything, so just give up that dream!"
Seeing Carina give her an approving thumbs-up, Nami ignored Sanji's outstretched hand and his hesitant, lovestruck expression. She quickly ran forward two steps to follow closely behind Jerry.
Obviously, Nami understood perfectly well who would keep her safest in this dangerous environment.
"BOOM! Get out of my way! Don't block our path!"
Witnessing this protective dynamic, Sanji instantly transformed into a ferocious beast, delivering devastating kicks to any prisoners who attempted to approach their group.
Thanks to the intensive training period he had completed alongside Ace and the others, Sanji's combat abilities had improved significantly.
As expected, the strength levels of Ace, Cavendish, Brook, and the other crew members had also been steadily advancing during their preparation time.
However, compared to the normal progression of the others, both Ace and Cavendish seemed to have broken through previous limitations and entered a period of rapid development. In a remarkably short timeframe, their power had increased at a visibly accelerated rate.