Departing to Impel Down
The conversation between Kid and Lucci continued as the other Supernovas were standing around and watch, hoping to learn more about haki from their conversation.
"How you use it is not really my problem, is it? If you want to learn more, you can always use the black market and buy some training manuals for haki I don't have the time to explain it to you but as my last advice since we are from the same generation and you falling too quickly would not be good for us either I strongly suggest you not to go to New World without learning it if you don't want to become just another pirate under the emperors command that is!" After leaving behind these few words, he vanished from their view, returning to his boat, where the girls were waiting for him.
After this encounter the rest of the time passed quietly, soon the time for them to depart arrived and all the people involved gathered to a more remote corner of the archipelago where Lucci transformed into his bat like form and signaled everyone to get on.
Their journey towards Impel Down officially started.
Before leaving, the Blood Moons contacted Kaku to make sure he will be in position in time for the to depart from there.
With all the things in place, they rushed over the Gates of Justice, rapidly approaching their target.
.... Some time later...
The entrance to the underwater prison was in their sight as Blueno immediately took the lead and opened his door dimension bringing everyone in, securing their way inside without being discovered.
Their first destination was the transmission room, making sure no one will get the word to Marineford before they are done, which was quite easy to achieve as Lucci used his power to hypnotize the guards inside the room and even get from them the entire lay-out of the prison.
Which leads them to the second place they must take care of before the start of the raid, the surveillance room. Where they repeated the process just as easily, and with all this in place the raid officially commenced.
Starting on level one of the prison, they went down slowly, unbothered by the looks the prisoners were throwing them as they look like anything but the guards, some even swearing eternal locality if they release them. However, no one managed to attract Lucci's attention enough for them to release them. And thanks to Lucci's Sonar ability, they evaded every guard that was patrolling around.
As they were going deeper and deeper in to the level they meet a certain character which will in due time make his name known to the whole world, the man, the myth, the legend, THE ONE TRUE CONQUEROR OF LUCK, LORD BUGGY!
The meeting between the two parties ended with Luffy somehow bringing him with them for some reason, making Lucci believe it's the hand of the natural power of Buggy doing its job.
They eventually got to the big hole in the level where Kumadori made use of his fruit to slow their fall, not to alert the creatures scatter on level two, so far they have been able to descend quietly not alerting anyone thanks to their preparation.
On this level, making use of the same tricks to evade the guards and some small conqueror bursts from Lucci to tame any misbehaving beast they stumble upon.
As they were going on through the dark corridors, they heard someone calling to them from a certain cell, it turned out to be Mr.3 who was offering his services in exchanged for letting him go to which Vivi opuses immediately due to the fact that he was part of those who attacked her country but Lucci did not listen as he stepped forward look at him.
"You are the owner of Wax-Wax Fruit, correct?" Asked Lucci.
"Yes sir, I promise I can be of great help if you release me from here!" Galdino hopefully promised.
"Lucci, please don't, he really hurt Vivi's people, we can't let him out!" Said Nami.
"I do what I want or do I need to remind you that we only work together, beside his fruit will be useful in not only dealing with the chef warden but also make the keys necessary to release people from the lower floors! Hey you, if I agree to get you out of here, I want you to join me and serve as a member of Blood Moon pirates also since the crybaby princess does not agree with me freeing you it's up to you to earn her forgiveness by the time we are out of this place, is this alright with you, princess?" Said Lucci finding a middle ground, not wanting to part ways with the Straw Hats too soon.
"I swear my loyalty to you, captain! As for your country princess, I'm deeply sorry for the part I played in Arabasta incident!" Replied Galdino in a very polite manner.
"Fine, but he better be useful in freeing Ace!" Said Vivi resigning to the outcome.
As they were done freeing Galdino, Buggy was about to do the same with the people on this level but was stopped by Lucci telling him to do that when they come back as this will most likely alert all the guards. Most of the prisoners were already moved somehow by the simple act of wanting to release them, and some ever promise to become loyal forever to Buggy. They even assured him that he can do it when they come back, and they will assist him in escaping. Their weird attitude was attributed by Lucci to his Conqueror of Luck buff, which seems to keep happening for some reason.
After this incident, the pirate alliance members continued to rush towards the entrance to level three but unlike level one where all they had to deal with were some week guards on level two beast were rooming the all over outside the cells and even if most could be downed by a controlled wave of Conqueror Haki from Lucci the noise they made did attract some attention but thanks to them taking control of the surveillance room the noise was passed as some restless beasts and nothing was done about it. Their hardest challenge was getting past the two named beasts who did not back down from Lucci's still somewhat weak haki namely the Basilisk and the Sphinx, but under the attack of the two groups they could deal with them swiftly.
As they were descending to the level three of the prison, the floor of starvation, they have gotten quite relaxed by how easy everything was going.
"Yosha!! Level three here we come, just a few more and we'll be able to save Ace!" Said Luffy in his cheerful way.
"Calm down Straw Hat the hard part did not even begin, or tricks might have worked so far, but sooner or later we'll have to face the true might if Impale Down." Said Lucci cutting down his mood.
The desert like floor was truly a hell for them as the heat slowed them down ever so slightly. During their travel to the next level, what greeted them were prisoners that have felt the heat rising up from Level 4 and are given little to no food and water, keeping them in a near death state. They all are reduced to the point where, by merely looking at them, one cannot tell that they were once frightening criminals. Also, while the temperature here is nothing compared to the level below, it is intense enough to cause overwhelming dryness.
'If I remember correctly, everyone here has more or less a bounty around 50.000.000 Berries put on their head, with those numbers they should at least have some talent, so I could take them in and force them to learn the six styles if they prove useful. They must also be quite desperate living in those conditions, this kind of people make for the most loyal subordinates if I save them.' Though Lucci as he already decided before coming here to get some people from the level three and four to be part of his future fleet. Most of which will probably come from this level, after all most of the level four inmates have been through incredible amounts of torture which left most with different disabilities and already broken mentality, even if he could fix that is not worth it as it will take a large amount of time which he does not have.
He was stopped from analyzing the situation as the Straw Hats have come across Mr. 2 who at the end of Arabasta arc in the series has sacrificed himself for their sake, so they immediately released him which made Lucci quite annoyed because they did the same thing as them, but Vivi did not say anything this time.
"I didn't expect you to have such double standards, princess." Stated Lucci in a sarcastic manner which made her blush.
"Ok, let's go and not waste more time or Ace will be gone by the time we reach him, after all there is not much left before the execution." Continued him as he tried to rush their exaggerated reunion.
"Right! Let's go get Ace!!!" Added Luffy as he rushed ahead by himself.