Impel Down, Level 6.
After Roman and Magellan left—
"Hahahahahaha~!!!!"
"I'm dying of laughter, the Pirate King's son, is this it? Is this it?!"
"Did Whitebeard eat the 'Stupidity Fruit'? As soon as he takes someone as his son, their brain gets taken too~~ Hahahaha!!!"
A group of pirates laughed so hard they were rolling on the floor, tears streaming down their faces.
They didn't even want the life-saving key handed to them, what kind of Pirate King's son is this? More like the Ironhead King! Who in this world hasn't lost? Who hasn't run away? Who hasn't bowed their head?
If you think you can succeed by being stubborn, humans would have long become god.
Facing the ridicule around him, Ace lowered his head in silence. On the ground beside him, blood quietly spread. The person who looked exactly like him, whom Roman had prepared to 'replace' him, was gradually growing cold.
Since he had become a corpse, he obviously couldn't be used as a mount anymore. And Roman—
Do you expect a Celestial Dragon to 'collect the body'?
Soon, after Magellan escorted Roman out, a few prison undertakers came to drag away the 'substitute' Roman had killed with a single sword, leaving only a pool of blood on the ground.
Unlike the other prisoners who thought they had seen a good show today, the true top 'experts' in the prison all had a flash of insight in their eyes, showing thoughtful expressions.
---
"Saint Roman, please take care."
Facing the Impel Down officials who were seeing him off like a plague god, Roman boarded the warship with a scowl, accompanied by black-suited and armored guards, preparing to head to Marine Headquarters.
"Hmph, since he refuses to bow to us Celestial Dragons, I'll watch him die in tears myself!"
These were Roman's words. Unlike other foolish Celestial Dragons, in front of a Celestial Dragon like Roman, who had some strength and intelligence, the black-suited guards remained silent like statues.
Because fools with power are not scary, but smart people with power are terrifying!
"Set sail, destination: Marineford."
As the warship slowly set off, Roman, sitting in his spacious and luxurious cabin, lifted his eyelids in annoyance.
Success!
With Ace's stubborn temper, during the Summit War, so many brothers sacrificed themselves to save him, but as soon as he was freed, he turned back to confront Akainu and got himself killed. Even Akainu was stunned at that moment! So Roman never expected Ace to bow down and become his mount to escape Impel Down.
Fortunately, as long as the 'White Knight' was sent in, there would be plenty of room for maneuver.
After all, even with the protagonist's halo constantly shining, in the 'original story,' Luffy barely survived Magellan's poison, losing over ten years of his life in the process. If things continued this way, Luffy might fall just as he became the Pirate King.
That wasn't the ending Roman wanted to see!
Facing Magellan head-on would definitely result in Roman's instant defeat, but the White Knight, being weaker than the original, was immune to poison! This allowed him to fully utilize the puppet's advantages. So:
Roman's goal from the beginning was to save Luffy's life, not Ace's. The previous series of events were just 'acting.' Even if Luffy didn't ask for his help, Roman couldn't let him face Impel Down alone.
As for Blackbeard,
Roman closed his eyes. With Blackbeard's arrogant and reckless nature, keeping him around to draw fire away from Luffy wasn't a bad idea. Besides... the real obstacle for the Straw Hat crew might not be the Blackbeard Pirates.
Those eyes...
---
"Vice Admiral Momonga, arriving at Impel Down!"
Shortly after Roman left, another Marine warship arrived at Impel Down. Disembarking were Vice Admiral Momonga, who had appeared during the Enies Lobby incident, wearing a light purple striped suit and dark blue shirt, with a tie, mohawk, and beard. Alongside him was:
A tall woman with long black hair styled in a hime cut, deep blue eyes, and wearing snake-shaped gold earrings. Even with a fur cloak, her stunning beauty was undeniable.
"Seven Warlords of the Sea, 'Empress' Boa Hancock has arrived."
Boa Hancock, the Empress of the pirate nation Amazon Lily and captain of the Kuja Pirates, was known as the Pirate Empress. Her unparalleled beauty was considered the world's greatest. She was also one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
"Ah, so beautiful~~~"
"Empress, please step on me!!"
"I can't breathe! I'm going to faint—"
As the tall, stunning beauty slowly descended, the surrounding Marine personnel collectively turned into Sanji! Hearts flew everywhere, making the scene quite awkward.
"Shut up, can I turn these idiots into stone?"
Facing the arrogant words of the peerless beauty, even Vice Admiral Momonga, a skilled Marine, could only persuade her politely.
"Please show mercy..."
"Regarding your request to meet the catalyst of this incident, Whitebeard's second division commander 'Ace', it has been approved. However—"
Vice Admiral Doberman turned his head, still not daring to look at the peerless beauty behind him.
"Even if you are one of the 'Seven Warlords of the Sea', you must undergo a body search and wear Seastone handcuffs. —Please understand."
'Luffy, they want to search me...'
No one would have guessed that beneath the cloak of this proud beauty, a man was clinging to her like a koala bear.
'I have a way, just go in...'
"As you wish."
Facing the cold and proud Empress Hancock, Doberman nodded.
"Open the gate."
"Open... the... beautiful... beauty... open!"
"Open your hearts... open them all!!"
Facing the equally lovestruck Impel Down staff, both sides' higher-ups were embarrassed.
"This is Deputy Warden Domino," a graceful woman with reddish-brown glasses, a hat tilted to cover one eye, and long, curly golden hair saluted.
"Yes, I will conduct the search for Lady Hancock... ahem."
Soon, accompanied by the crowd, the peerless beauty arrived at the sixth level. Compared to being led by the grim-faced Magellan, Hancock was surrounded by cheers.
"What day is it today, so many people coming to see this kid?"
"First it was a Celestial Dragon, now it's a great beauty~~"
The surrounding comments made Hancock frown, as the most hated word kept appearing, and the gazes were all blatant. But thinking of Luffy...
I can endure!
"What do you want from me..."
"Nothing... just wanted to see the person who dragged me into this war."
While Magellan was scolding the men who hadn't seen a woman in decades, the peerless beauty whispered to Ace and then decisively turned to leave. —Soon, the place returned to silence. Only:
"Ace, that woman just now..."
Sharing the same cell, the burly whale shark fishman Jinbe hesitated to ask. Although he had heard her words, it was still too—
"She said my brother... is here too!"
Swish,
From the spot where the 'substitute' had fallen, a piece of paper the same color as the ground 'stood' up. Rolling and flying, it slipped through the cell bars.
?!
As the disguise on the paper disappeared, its true form was revealed: a piece of white paper with a large bucket-like mouth drawn on it.
Poof,
The paper's mouth spat out a pure white figure!
"Wha—"
"Who?"
Swoosh!
In a flash, the white figure struck, and two guards silently fell. At the same time, several pieces of white paper flew to the surrounding Den Den Mushi, showing a still image of the prison.
If you look closely, you can certainly spot the differences, but the sixth level is already dark, so this little trick can still buy some time.
Faced with this strange sudden situation, all the prisoners around didn't make a sound, but looked at the pure white figure outside with trembling, excited, and longing eyes.
Although many of them could easily tear this guy apart, right now he was their hope!
The white figure silently turned his head, and the luxurious white armor came into Ace's view.
"It's you?!"
"Luffy is here, Ace."
The White Knight took a few steps to the front of the cage and looked at the person inside.
Under the watchful eyes of a master like Magellan, Roman didn't dare to make any moves on Ace. But if he made moves on the slave he brought with him beforehand, — no one would question a Celestial Dragon killing a slave, and no one would think that Roman was actually a multi-ability user.
"What do you think he's here for?"
"How far do you think he can get?"
"If he encounters Magellan, you know what will happen, right?"
"Please help him—"
"No need to beg me," the White Knight interrupted Ace, "I came here for Luffy, — not for you."
"Hey, have you guys talked enough?"
A low voice sounded nearby, and an impatient prisoner clung to the cage.
"Let me out! Just let me out—"
...
In an instant, the surrounding cages fell silent.
These were all pirates worth hundred millions, vicious criminals that the World Government wanted to erase all traces of! And this pure white armored puppet was obviously the ability of the previous Celestial Dragon.
So, the question is, what conditions could they offer to persuade him to let them out?
"Guhahaha, who do we have here?"
In the nearby cage, a figure stood up. Even the ugly prison uniform couldn't hide his wicked and unruly aura, and of course, the golden hook on his left hand was even more recognizable.
Crocodile.
"Isn't this the 'chief strategist' of the Straw Hat crew?"
Crocodile walked to the edge of the cage and looked at the familiar white armor, — although it was more luxurious and powerful than before, this ability was undoubtedly:
"White Knight Roman, or should I say Celestial Dragon Saint Roman? What are you up to~~"
Facing Crocodile's question, the White Knight shrugged.
"I can't help it, I have a stubborn captain. And my captain has an even more stubborn brother."
As he spoke, the White Knight waved his hand, and the 'Swallow Page' on the ground flew into his hand. At the same time, the white paper that had been accumulating in the Swallow Page flew out with a rustle, turning into paper birds flapping their wings and spreading to the upper levels of the prison.
"Such a convenient ability~~"
"Let me out, quickly let me out!"
"If you let me out, all my treasures will be yours!"
"Kid, aren't you here to save someone? Let us out, we'll help you—"
"Yeah, yeah, if we all work together, that diarrhea man Magellan is no match for us!"
Facing the low calls around him, the White Knight turned and walked away without hesitation.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to save you."
At the corner, the White Knight looked back at Ace.
"That includes you, Ace."
"I'm here because I can't stop worrying about my captain—"
"Someone!!!"
"Someone's breaking out, it's a puppet with abilities!!"
"Their ability is paper, and they also have spatial storage! Catch him quickly! And he has an accomplice! Magellan, what are you doing, you diarrhea man!?"
Facing the sixth-level prisoners who went from whispering to shouting in an instant, the White Knight didn't even bother to look, simply reaching out to recall the paper that had been blocking the surveillance Den Den Mushi.
A bunch of rabble.
When they see hope, they can keep quiet, but once they despair, they immediately turn on you! Even pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions have often lost their edge after being tortured by prison life.
The White Knight quickly glanced at the unmoving figures in the cells, these true experts...
Forget it, better to meet up with Luffy first.
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