At Impel Down.
Monkey D. Luffy followed behind Renji and whispered, "Brother Renji, how are we getting in?"
This was the most heavily guarded prison in the world. Guards patrolled everywhere. Even if it was not literally five steps a sentry and ten steps a post, it was not far from that.
Looking at the patrol routes ahead, Luffy felt troubled.
If he had come alone, he probably would not think much and would simply rush in.
But this time he was following Renji, and he still remembered the warning from Silvers Rayleigh before they departed.
"Move slowly and avoid the surveillance. My Observation Haki can now cover the entire prison. Just follow me and stay quiet."
Luffy immediately nodded and looked unusually obedient.
If anyone from the Straw Hat crew or even Monkey D. Garp saw him like this, they would probably be shocked.
"You…"
The guard at the entrance barely had time to speak.
Before the word could leave his mouth, Renji had already killed him.
"Luffy, move the body to that corner. There are no cameras there."
"Got it!"
Luffy immediately dragged the body away.
That had been their method all along.
Renji silently killed the guards, and Luffy used his rubber body to move the corpses.
Soon, the two of them reached the second level of Impel Down.
Using the same method, they quickly advanced toward the center.
"Hey!"
A head suddenly popped out.
When it saw Renji and Luffy, it screamed in shock.
Fortunately, there were no guards nearby, so the noise did not alert anyone else.
"Luffy?!"
The head immediately became furious. "So it's you. Die!"
The head tried to attack.
But he had forgotten something.
His body was still locked inside the cell. Only his head had slipped out while the guards were gone.
"Do you know him?" Renji asked.
"Yes, but he's not with us. We can ignore him."
Renji naturally recognized him.
It was Buggy, someone who had appeared since the very beginning of the story.
However, Renji did not care about him at all.
Since Luffy said they were not allies, Renji simply raised his hand and activated the power of the Gura Gura no Mi.
"In that case, I'll just kill him. Better than letting him make noise and expose us."
Luffy had no objection.
"Wait!"
Buggy stared at Renji's right hand. Especially the Armament Haki flowing around it. The sight nearly scared his soul out of his body.
His strength was not impressive, but his experience was not lacking.
Buggy clearly understood that anyone capable of using Armament Haki infusion was definitely a top-tier fighter. And this was someone who had infiltrated Impel Down.
He immediately shook his head.
"Don't kill me. I have a route map from the second level all the way to the fifth level. I only have one request. Take me with you when you escape."
Renji looked puzzled.
After thinking for a moment, he nodded.
Bringing one burden was bringing one burden. Bringing two was not much different.
Besides, Buggy had a map leading to the fifth level. That was far more useful than relying on Monkey D. Luffy.
"Alright."
Renji deliberately took a slightly longer route.
When they reached Buggy's cell, he did not immediately open it.
Seeing Renji stop, Buggy looked confused. "What's wrong?"
"There are too many people around. If I take you out now, too many will see it. Someone might report it to the guards."
Buggy understood the concern. But he could not think of a better solution.
"But if you don't go in, how are you going to get my body out?"
Renji answered calmly, "Don't worry. Leave it to me."
Then he looked at both of them.
"Remember this. Hold onto your minds and don't get affected by me."
Buggy frowned. Luffy also looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Renji's eyes flashed with dominance.
A powerful aura suddenly burst from his body.
Boom.
An invisible shockwave swept through the area for hundreds of meters.
It was the fastest way to clear weak enemies. Haoshoku Haki.
Renji deliberately controlled its range to about three hundred meters. Everyone nearby who could have discovered them immediately lost consciousness.
"Wake up. Wake up."
Renji slapped both Luffy and Buggy on the face.
His hand was coated with Armament Haki. The strikes were not strong, but the pain was very real.
"Ow!"
"That hurts! That hurts!"
Very quickly, the two of them woke up from the pain.
The moment he opened his eyes, Luffy looked at Renji with admiration. His eyes were practically shining.
"What kind of ability was that?"
Buggy rolled his eyes and looked at Luffy with disdain.
"Don't make a fuss. It's just Haoshoku Haki."
Buggy looked at Luffy and spoke in a serious tone.
"Conqueror's Haki. It's a type of Haki that relies completely on talent. It cannot be trained. It is said that only one person out of several million has the qualification to awaken this ability."
"And that number doesn't even include the countless people who never get the chance to encounter Haki in their lifetime."
"You could say this ability is even rarer than a Logia-type Devil Fruit."
As he finished speaking, Buggy looked at Renji with growing excitement.
At that moment, he believed even more strongly that Renji could truly lead them out of Impel Down.
Since the prison was built, there had only been one successful escape.
They might become the second.
Renji looked at Buggy with slight surprise.
"You seem to know quite a lot."
"Of course."
Buggy proudly lifted his head.
"I was…"
Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly covered his mouth.
He could not reveal that he had once been a member of the crew of Gol D. Roger.
If people knew that, then with his mediocre strength, the World Government or powerful challengers across the seas would definitely hunt him down.
"I mean, I'm already this old. It's normal for me to have seen a lot."
"That makes sense."
Renji nodded.
After that, Renji released Buggy's body.
Now that Buggy was acting as a living map, Renji no longer needed to constantly use Observation Haki and waste stamina.
Before long, the three of them arrived at the gate connecting Level Five and Level Six.
Along the way, they had also encountered Mr. 3.
Renji originally had no intention of bringing him along.
But after hearing that his Doru Doru no Mi could create keys capable of opening even seastone chains, Renji agreed to let him join.
Buggy pointed at the massive gate in front of them.
"This is the entrance connecting Level Five and Level Six. I don't know what the inside of Level Six looks like."
"Alright."
Renji nodded.
"In that case, Mr. 3 and I will go to Level Six to rescue Portgas D. Ace."
"You two start releasing the prisoners on Level Five."
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