After the battle had ended, Luffy was invited by the Snake Princess to the castle as a guest. Meanwhile, Mizuchi, the so-called "troublesome brat," had no choice but to stay outside, under the watch of the Amazon Lily warriors.
"He's dangerous. Any unusual behavior, and you're to eliminate him without mercy!"
Recalling the orders the Snake Princess had given her subordinates, Mizuchi could only smile wryly. He hadn't done anything to offend her—did it really warrant such treatment?
After a long wait, Luffy was finally released by the Snake Princess. That night, she hosted a grand banquet for both Luffy and Mizuchi. But at the end of the evening, a piece of news struck Luffy like a plummet into the abyss.
"Portgas D. Ace is about to be publicly executed!"
Upon hearing the news, Mizuchi's mood turned as heavy as Luffy's. Like Luffy, he was determined to act to save Ace. This time, he resolved to change the situation with his own strength.
"Akainu! I've already acquired the powers of the Glint-Glint Fruit and the Sweet-Sweet Fruit. Once I obtain Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit, I won't believe you can stop me!"
Mizuchi held a cup of Amazon Lily's brewed sake, glaring angrily into the distance.
That night, at Luffy's request, the Snake Princess set out for Impel Down with Mizuchi accompanying her.
In the windless currents, the ship of the Kuja Pirates slowly approached the naval vessel where Vice Admiral Momonga was stationed.
"You finally made it!"
Momonga tore off a large piece of char-grilled Sea King meat with his teeth, looking impatiently at the Snake Princess.
"The terms are exactly as stated in the Den Den Mushi," the Snake Princess said calmly.
"You're going to Impel Down? That's been approved from above. Only you and that snake are boarding, right?"
Momonga held his sword with one hand, eyes alert as he watched the Snake Princess.
"This Luffy sure has good fortune… too bad I can only rush in," Mizuchi muttered at the stern of the Kuja ship. Taking advantage of Momonga's distraction, he flashed forward and slipped into the ship's cabin.
He had already discussed the plan with the Snake Princess. He could find his own way onto the ship, but to enter Impel Down, he would have to follow Luffy's lead and cling to the Snake Princess's body.
It wasn't that Mizuchi sought to take advantage of her; he simply couldn't enter Impel Down unnoticed on his own. Ever since Ace was imprisoned, the naval guards outside had increased exponentially.
Naturally, Mizuchi didn't want to waste time around the outer areas of Impel Down.
After several days of long travel, the ship finally arrived at Impel Down.
Under Vice Admiral Momonga's guidance, Mizuchi and Luffy squeezed beneath the Snake Princess's skirts and slowly advanced toward the prison.
Inside a private chamber, after the Snake Princess had petrified the deputy warden and the monitoring Den Den Mushi, Mizuchi and Luffy emerged from her embrace.
"From here on, we split up," Mizuchi suggested after glancing at the Snake Princess and Luffy.
Impel Down housed countless prisoners. Mizuchi could use the system to absorb large amounts of Devil Fruit power, so he decided to first search for a suitable Devil Fruit for the upcoming mission.
"Understood! Let's split up, then!"
Stretching his arms, Luffy easily climbed onto the ceiling of the room.
Seeing this, Mizuchi followed suit, climbing atop the Snake Princess.
After the Snake Princess lifted the petrification and completed the search, Mizuchi and Luffy exited the private chamber one after the other, officially entering Impel Down.
Not long after they left, the alarm in the first level blared.
"Is it Buggy? His abilities will be a significant help to me," Mizuchi muttered, briefly pondering the first level's main gate. Impel Down's storyline was too convoluted; even having seen it all, he couldn't fully recall every detail. He only remembered the beginning, Buggy's jailbreak, and later events involving the Blackbeard Pirates.
"Forget it. No need to overthink—just take it one level at a time," Mizuchi smiled faintly and kicked the massive gate.
"CRASH!"
The loud noise immediately drew the attention of the monitoring room.
"LV1 Gate breached! Attention! LV1 Gate breached!"
The shrill alarm echoed throughout the first level of the underwater prison.
"Hurry! The first-level gate has been breached!"
Numerous Marines armed with rifles rushed into the first level through the shattered gate.
On the Crimson Hell floor, wherever Mizuchi went, he drew the attention of the prisoners. Many demanded, threatened, or tried to bribe him into retrieving the gate keys.
"Annoying! Want the keys? Can't you get them yourselves?"
Frustrated, Mizuchi used the Sweet-Sweet Fruit to petrify every prisoner in the cellblock.
"This damn charm!"
Adjusting his hair in the mirror, Mizuchi briskly left the now completely quiet prison area.
"No… no… this is bad! LV1 prisoners petrified, suspected to be… the Snake Princess!"
When the report reached Deputy Director Hannyabal, who was riding the elevator with the Snake Princess, he immediately scolded the Den Den Mushi.
"She's right beside me! How could it be her? Wait—report immediately! Tell the top brass that an unknown intruder has entered Impel Down."
"Looks like the director's seat won't be mine for long," Hannyabal said with a grin as he set down the Den Den Mushi and promptly reported upward.
"Under attack? Need me to help?"
Momonga looked gravely at Hannyabal. He didn't want to waste time in Impel Down, but if anything went wrong and he, as Vice Admiral, failed to act, he'd bear the responsibility.
------------
"Buru Buru"
At Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was on alert, guarding against Whitebeard's arrival. Suddenly, a call from Impel Down came through.
"What? Impel Down's been breached? Who's there? Understood!"
Sengoku's expression hardened as he looked at Akainu. He had set up this entire plan to draw Whitebeard out. The net was ready, but the bait was in danger of being stolen… How could he tolerate this?
"Aokiji! Go immediately and make sure Ace is escorted safely to headquarters."
After setting down the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku decided to send Aokiji to Impel Down.
"Leave it to me!"
Aokiji said nothing further, taking the mission and leaving the room immediately.
"Whitebeard! This battle has now become unavoidable!"
Leaning heavily against his chair, Sengoku looked grave. In his eyes, Aokiji, Impel Down, and Marine Headquarters had all become key pieces in this great game.