Aria's Pov
I should've known better than to expect peace anywhere near Luffy.
The second he broke into my cell, grinning like a golden retriever with no concept of mortality, I knew subtlety had officially died in Impel Down. The guards were still screaming when he yelled, "Aria! You're here too! I knew I heard a familiar voice!" as if this was a surprise party and not a maximum-security prison.
"Luffy?" I grinned. "You're just in time!"
He grinned wider. "Yeah! I'm breaking out! Wait—no, I'm breaking in! To get Ace!"
Before I could say anything, he gestured to a wax guy. "This is Mr. 3! He's making keys!"
"I make art," the man corrected with a sniff, twisting wax into a perfect shape. "But sure, let's call it locksmithing."
He finished the key with a dramatic flick and popped the sea-stone cuffs off my wrists. They hit the ground with a clink.
He leaned against the bars expectantly. "A thank you would be nice."
"Sure," I said automatically, already pushing past him to face Luffy. "We need to get to Ace?"
Luffy blinked. "I thought you were caught with him. Can you take us to him?"
My chest tightened. "He fought alone. I came after him. He should be in the lowest level and we need to get there quickly."
Luffy nodded, his grin fading into something harder. "We'll save him together."
I smiled faintly. "You make it sound like a field trip."
"Kind of is," he said cheerfully, and that was that.
Suddenly, a clown stepped forward dramatically, hand on hip. "And who might you be, woman? Some stray fangirl of Fire Fist Ace?"
I stared at him. "And you're… discount Pennywise?"
He gasped. "I'll have you know I am Captain Buggy the Clown! Former member of the Roger Pirates!"
"Uh-huh. I see the 'clown' part. The 'captain' part is questionable."
He sputtered like I'd thrown water on him. Honestly, I'd forgotten how weirdly hot Impel Down Buggy was. The hair up, long. My type, basically.
I shook my head. No. No. I was here for Ace. Buggy could go find his husband Shanks and sort out his clown feelings.
We sprinted through Level 2 like a badly organized parade — Luffy in front punching everything that moved, Buggy screaming about "being the leader," and Mr. 3 making wax keys.
Meanwhile, I was relying entirely on dusty anime memories from months ago.
"Not that way!" I shouted, grabbing Luffy's vest before he ran straight into a corridor full of monsters. "Trap."
He blinked at me. "How do you know?"
"Intuition." I definitely remembered the episode.
Buggy glared. "Who even are you?!"
"Your unpaid therapist," I said sweetly.
"Unbelievable—"
"Also, left turn or we all die!"
He screamed again. He screamed a lot, actually. Like a stressed kettle.
By some miracle, we made it through the worst of the beasts. At some point, a Minotaur charged us and Luffy uppercut it into next week. Buggy fainted, then claimed he was "strategically retreating."
And then the floor broke.
We all fell through, yelling, flailing, me mentally writing my will, and landed hard on what felt like burning concrete.
Level 3.
It was so hot I could've fried two eggs on my shoulder. The prisoners were half-dead, the air reeked of sweat and despair. But then—
"LUFFYYYYY!"
A voice sang, echoing across the floor. We found the source and behold, a man in a prison clothes, mascara smudged but smile bright enough to make hell bearable.
"BON CLAY!" Luffy shouted, jumping him like a long-lost lover.
"LUFFY! My darling! You came for me!"
They spun in circles when he was free like drama queens at a reunion concert.
Then he spotted me.
"And who is this radiant creature?!"
I gave a mock bow. "Aria. Chaotic traveler, part-time teleporter, professional disaster."
He gasped, clasping his face. "A kindred soul!"
"Second on my 'need to meet but not smash' list," I said solemnly.
He teared up. "An honor!"
Buggy muttered, "Are you all on something?"
Bon Clay and I shared a look. Then he swan kicked Buggy so hard his head came off.
Instant best friends.
We needed to move deeper — Level 4, the blazing inferno. Unfortunately, guards were already closing in from every corridor.
Bon Clay's eyes gleamed. "Distraction?"
I grinned. "You read my mind."
He took my hand. "Let us give them a performance to remember!"
A performance we gave them. Bon Clay on his knees screaming, "Ariaaaa! My forbidden love!"
I swooned dramatically. "Oh, Bon! Our passion burns brighter than the fires of this wretched prison!"
Buggy looked like he was dying inside. Luffy wheezed laughing.
Bon started sobbing. I threw my arms over him, screaming and sobbing as well. The guards were utterly lost. Luffy used the distraction to get us to the next floor.
We crashed into Level 4, landing amid molten rivers and heat so intense I swore my eyebrows curled.
I should have stayed away.
Hey guysss, if a lot of things don't make sense , I wrote and edited this half asleep.
Also, it's been very long since I watched impel down and I don't know what I'm doing.