Oguro immediately understood.
So Luffy had learned about Ace's execution.
Although he did not manage to capture Hancock's heart the same way as in the original story, the source of the information had not changed.
Hancock said coldly, "Where else could he be? Of course, Impel Down. All major criminals are imprisoned there."
"Impel Down? I understand. Thank you very much!"
Luffy bowed deeply to Hancock, then turned and left.
Seeing this, Oguro rolled his eyes and called out, "Luffy, are you really planning to just go like that?"
Luffy turned back, his expression extremely firm.
"Ace is my sworn brother! No matter where he is, I'm going to save him!"
Hearing this, disdain appeared on Hancock's face.
"Don't joke around. With your level of strength, you probably cannot even get through Impel Down's front gate."
"The warden there, Magellan, is a powerhouse comparable to a Marine Admiral."
"You are a rookie who cannot even use Haki. Other than boosting their performance numbers, you will be completely useless."
Even so, Luffy remained unwavering.
"Even then, I'm still going!"
As expected, Luffy was still Luffy.
He had his moments of cleverness, but far more moments of stubborn foolishness.
If he were not the chosen one of fate, he would have died on the road long ago.
Oguro sighed and pointed at Hancock.
"If you want to enter Impel Down safely, why not ask the person standing right in front of you?"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Luffy froze.
Oguro spread his hands.
"This is one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock."
"The Marines have summoned her to Marineford to ensure the execution goes smoothly. On the way, they will pass by Impel Down. With her help, you might have a chance to sneak in."
"Really? Then please, I'm begging you!"
Luffy immediately knelt down in front of Hancock.
Hancock frowned slightly and looked at Oguro.
"Lord Oguro, do you want me to go to Marineford?"
To be honest, Hancock was an extremely willful person.
She did not want to respond to the Marines' summons at all.
Oguro said helplessly, "You are the empress of Amazon Lily. You have to think about your people."
"Before you have the strength to confront the Marines head-on, I don't recommend turning against them completely."
Hancock nodded immediately.
"Lord Oguro is right!"
Whether she truly understood, or simply agreed so readily because it was Oguro who said it, was hard to tell.
Hancock looked down at Luffy with arrogance written all over her face.
"Since Lord Oguro spoke on your behalf, I'll reluctantly help you this once."
"Thank you so much!"
Overjoyed, Luffy slammed his head straight into the ground.
"Sister! You're being way too reckless!"
Sandersonia cried out.
"On the ship might be one thing, but getting into Impel Down is impossible! Someone that big cannot be hidden at all!"
As expected, Luffy immediately suggested hiding inside Hancock's long dress.
After all, Hancock was 191 centimeters tall, nearly twenty centimeters taller than Luffy.
And as a rubber man, Luffy could compress and fold his body even further, reducing the space he occupied.
However, unlike the original timeline, Hancock rejected the idea without hesitation.
"No! How could another man be hidden beneath my skirt!"
In the original timeline, Hancock agreed because she had fallen for Luffy.
She did not mind even if Luffy held onto her.
But now, her heart already held someone else's figure. Naturally, she could not accept Luffy being that close to her.
Seeing the burning look in Hancock's eyes, Oguro was no innocent rookie.
He clearly understood her feelings.
Since that was the case, there was no way he would let Luffy cling to his future woman.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Isn't Luffy a rubber man? Just find a slightly larger bag and stuff him inside."
"Have Marigold carry it. That way, you can enter Impel Down."
Among the three sisters, Marigold had the fullest build. Carrying a large bag would not look out of place at all.
"In an emergency, Hancock can also use the Love-Love Fruit to cause chaos on the scene and buy Luffy some time."
Hancock nodded.
"In that case, it should work."
The group discussed the details further.
Oguro even thoughtfully shared some information about Impel Down with Luffy.
"There's someone on the fifth level of Impel Down called Ivankov, the Okama King. If you run into him, you can ask for his help."
"He's very familiar with your father. As long as you tell him who your father is, he won't refuse you."
"Really? I'll remember that!"
Although he had no idea who Ivankov was, Luffy firmly etched it into his memory.
The Straw Hat Pirates soon learned about Ace as well.
Zoro and the others also wanted to go to Impel Down to rescue him, but Hancock helping Luffy get in was already the absolute limit.
No matter how unwilling they were, Zoro and the others could only stay in Water 7 and wait for news.
Over the next few days, Oguro did not pay special attention to Luffy's situation.
Instead, he got in touch with Aizen Sōsuke.
As a promising newcomer personally recommended by Garp, Aizen Sōsuke was also summoned to Marineford, using this opportunity to accumulate military merit.
Aizen Sōsuke took full advantage of the time before the war to interact extensively with the middle and new generations of the Marines.
People like Smoker and Tashigi had a very good impression of him.
Additionally, thanks to Garp's influence, he even managed to get acquainted with Admiral Aokiji.
"As long as I perform well in this Summit War, getting promoted to Colonel shouldn't be a problem," Aizen Sōsuke said confidently.
Oguro laughed loudly.
"You're being too conservative. In my opinion, at least a Rear Admiral."
Aizen Sōsuke was startled.
Commissioned officers were the backbone of the Marines. How could such a rank be granted so easily?
However, seeing how confident his lord was, Aizen Sōsuke wisely chose not to object.
Oguro could also see his doubt, but he simply smiled and did not explain.
In the original timeline, because of this Summit War, the Marine high command underwent massive changes and lost important combat power, forcing them to carry out a worldwide draft.
Even people like Fujitora and Ryokugyu, who had no prior qualifications at all, were directly promoted to Admirals.
With Aizen Sōsuke's merits, giving him a Rear Admiral position was only natural.
If even that were refused, the old-guard Vice Admirals would definitely not accept it.
The only issue was that Aizen Sōsuke's seniority was still a bit shallow.
Otherwise, Oguro would really have liked to let him go all out and directly seize an Admiral position.
"One more thing," Oguro said seriously.
"Be careful around Fleet Admiral Sengoku. His Devil Fruit carries the spiritual power of a Buddha, which will likely counter your Kyōka Suigetsu."
"Before you are fully prepared, don't try to hypnotize him lightly."
Oguro gave Aizen Sōsuke a very solemn warning.
After all this is pre-hogyoku aizen, although strong he's not a transcendent. It's better to be cautious since his power is not absolute.
***
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