"Here it is—the entrance to the underwater prison, Impel Down. Going in is complicated, so I won't be accompanying you," Tokikake said seriously, standing at the massive gate to Impel Down. "Let me remind you one last time: don't cause trouble. Even Garp might not be able to get you out of a bind here. This place holds the most heinous criminals."
"Don't worry, I'm just here to ask someone a question and leave," Ryu reassured him with a nod.
"Welcome to my personal hell, Impel Down!" A man wearing an Egyptian pharaoh's headdress, sporting a grimacing face like a Noh mask, and small black demon wings on his back greeted them with a dramatic flair.
Ryu and Tokikake were both momentarily speechless, exchanging glances at the bizarre welcome. Was there something wrong with this guy?
"Ah! My apologies, I may have revealed my ambitions a bit there. I'm Hannyabal, the acting vice-warden. Nice to meet you!" Hannyabal said with a grin.
"Hello. I'm Tokikake, Vice Admiral, and this here is Rear Admiral Ryu. He has some business down on Level 5. I'll be leaving him in your care," Tokikake introduced, nodding politely.
Hannyabal nodded and replied, "The warden, that mixed-up Magellan, is currently in the warden's office on the fourth level, so I, along with Deputy Chief Guard Domino, will escort you. But first, you'll need to go through a security inspection."
"I'll pass; just take him in," Tokikake said, motioning towards Ryu.
After a thorough series of security checks, Ryu finally reached the frigid Level 5, the Freezing Hell.
"Alright, I'll go in alone from here. I hear it can get dangerous in there—and I believe there's even talk of a 'demon's invitation' in this place?" Ryu remarked, standing before the Freezing Hell's gates.
"You're aware of that?" Hannyabal and the Level 5 guards looked surprised.
"Is it strange for a Rear Admiral to know these things?" Ryu laughed, stepping through the gate. Hannyabal and the others didn't react quickly enough to stop him, so they simply watched him enter.
"Vice-Warden, are you sure it's fine to let him go in alone?" one of the guards asked, sounding concerned.
"It's fine; even if something goes wrong, that's Magellan's problem. And if he's out of the picture, Impel Down would finally be mine! Haha—ah, oops, I let my ambition slip again!" Hannyabal chuckled to himself.
The other guards were used to it by now. Even the prisoners knew Hannyabal's ambition to take over Impel Down like an open secret.
Once inside the Freezing Hell, Ryu had to circulate his inner energy to fend off the biting cold of the wind and snow. The temperature here was as low as he'd expected.
"I remember there was a forest entrance somewhere… Luffy's crew encountered a pack of wolves and, after getting injured, were saved by the Revolutionary Army's Inazuma, right?" Ryu murmured, recalling the details as he ventured forward in search of the forest.
After fending off a third pack of snow wolves, Ryu searched through several similar forests, yet he still hadn't found the secret layer within the Freezing Hell.
"Damn it, where on earth is this Okama King, Ivankov?" he muttered. While he wasn't pressed for time, lingering in the cold was beginning to wear on his patience.
With no sign of Ivankov yet, Ryu continued his search, pondering his next move.
"From the anime, all I remember is that it's supposed to be a passageway between the fifth and sixth levels, but they never explained how to actually get in! Really irresponsible!" Ryu muttered as he surveyed the sewer entrance in front of him.
After a brief pause, he decided to check it out. Though the thought of wading through a sewer wasn't particularly appealing, a hidden passage like this between the two levels could very well be what he was looking for.
"Who's there?" As soon as Ryu stepped inside, his Haki picked up on a presence nearby.
His Observation Haki and Armament Haki weren't his strongest points, even after training with Garp. He'd managed to train his Armament Haki enough to cover his entire body, but his Observation Haki was still pretty weak. As Ryu would say, just awakening it was a stroke of luck.
"Who are you?" A figure with a distinct split-color appearance, sporting a clover-shaped hairstyle and holding a wine glass, appeared before him. The striking individual was none other than Inazuma.
"Phew… finally found you all. You're Inazuma, right? I'm here to find Ivankov," Ryu sighed in relief.
After so much searching, it seemed his efforts had finally paid off in finding the Revolutionary Army's hidden group in Impel Down.
Inazuma looked slightly surprised. Knowing about him, and even knowing Ivankov's name, yet having no recognition of this person himself… a certain suspicion began forming in Inazuma's mind.
"Are you… a comrade?" Inazuma asked cautiously.
Ryu's face twitched. Although he knew what Inazuma meant, the straightforwardness of the question made it difficult to respond.
"Just take me to see Ivankov. I'll explain everything to both of you once we're there," Ryu said, smoothly sidestepping the question.
Taking this as an implicit confirmation, Inazuma led Ryu deeper into the sewers.
"Eeh~ Who's this BOY~?" A flamboyant voice rang out as they entered a hidden chamber, where Ryu finally came face-to-face with the legendary Okama King, Ivankov.
Ryu took a moment to gather his thoughts before speaking. "Let's cut to the chase. I want to meet with Dragon."
"Dragon? And who are you?" Ivankov's eyes narrowed in surprise. Inazuma, standing nearby, also tensed up, eyeing Ryu warily. "You're not one of our comrades, are you?"
Ryu shrugged. "I never claimed to be part of the Revolutionary Army. But I have no hostility towards you, either. I came here with vital information, which is why I risked coming all the way here to find you."
Ivankov raised an eyebrow. "BOY~ if you want us to trust you, then start by revealing your identity."
Ryu gave a helpless smile. "I can tell you who I am, but would you even believe me?"
Ivankov and Inazuma exchanged a glance. They realized he had a point; knowing he wasn't part of the Revolution, they wouldn't be inclined to trust anything he said about himself.
"So my identity isn't what matters here—what matters is my information. I need to speak with Dragon. If you're not comfortable with that, then at least pass the information along. He can come to me. This is urgent," Ryu said with a serious expression.
"Eeh~ BOY, even if we did believe you, do you really think that, locked away in the depths of Impel Down, I have any way of contacting Dragon?" Ivankov replied, blinking at Ryu.