Deep inside the dark underground passage, the two of them slowly turned a corner.
Flickering, yellow light danced weakly in the tight hallway, constantly fighting against the heavy shadows.
Just as they stepped past the corner, a massive, incredibly thick iron vault door suddenly appeared in front of them, looking tough enough to block out the rest of the world.
The iron gate stood like a small, towering mountain, giving off a heavy, suffocating pressure.
The giant skull emblem of the Beasts Pirates painted on the metal still looked terrifying and dangerous under the dim light.
A flash of pure determination crossed Nami's eyes, and she tightly squeezed her right fist without even realizing it.
Pink scales, looking like beautiful, living flower petals, slowly grew out of her skin, layer after layer spreading down to completely cover her hand, shining with a strange, magical glow.
Then, facing the massive iron gate blocking their path, Nami threw a brutal heavy punch!
In that split second, the air itself seemed to be crushed solid by the force of her punch, letting out a loud, ringing hum.
Boom!
A deafening explosion ripped through the hall, sounding like a sleeping monster from ancient times had just been violently woken up and was roaring in pure fury.
Under the massive, crushing force of the impact, the thick iron door was blasted wide open, leaving a giant, jagged hole right in the center.
Shattered chunks of heavy metal flew in all directions like meteors shooting through the dark room.
Without missing a single beat, Nami grabbed the edges of the hole with both hands, her veins popping as she ripped the damaged iron door completely apart with raw, brute strength.
With a massive throw, the heavy metal doors were tossed aside like cheap, broken toys, crashing into the dirt with a heavy thud.
From inside the vault, an ancient, musty smell rolled out to greet them.
It was a smell that seemed to have survived endless centuries, carrying the heavy weight of history and deep mystery, perfectly mixed with the salty smell of the ocean.
It was enough to make anyone who breathed it in feel a deep sense of awe.
Right in front of the two of them lay a massive underground cave.
The cave ceiling stretched high up into the darkness, looking like it had no end.
Along the stone walls, faint carvings of strange patterns and symbols could be seen, quietly whispering the stories of a forgotten age.
And sitting right in the very center of the cave was a towering, blood-red stone block, completely covered in strange, carved writing.
"This is... a Poneglyph!" Nami gasped, her eyes wide with total shock and pure excitement.
She naturally held her breath, terrified that even a heavy sigh might disturb the mysterious stone sitting in front of her.
Her stare stayed glued to the massive block, the flickering torchlight reflecting in her eyes and casting a creepy, magical glow over the ancient relic hiding in the dark.
The entire massive stone was covered in a thin layer of moss—green vines of time gently wrapping around its surface, making it look as if it had sat here for thousands of years, quietly watching endless eras pass by.
Ron stepped forward with steady confident steps, his eyes showing a mix of deep curiosity and sharp caution.
As his fingertips lightly brushed against the freezing cold surface of the stone, a heavy chill ran straight through his entire body.
He carefully felt the rough texture of the block and found that, besides being freezing cold, it felt exactly like normal stone—there was nothing obviously magical about it.
"Should we call Robin to translate it?" Nami asked, quickly pulling out a visual Den Den Mushi to set up a video call.
Her movements were sharp and fast, her eyes showing a clear sense of urgency.
She was obviously overflowing with curiosity about the mysterious red stone.
Ron slowly pulled his hand back, a knowing smirk curling on his lips.
He looked up slightly toward the stone ceiling above them, where the faint, muffled sounds of explosions and screaming could still be heard.
"Yes, but we must hurry. There is still a lot of trash to take out up there."
"Yes, Ron," Nami answered respectfully.
Without wasting another second, Nami expertly dialed the Den Den Mushi, her fingers moving rapidly as she called Robin.
Her eyes shined with pure excitement, dying to hear Robin translate the Road Poneglyph she was so obsessed with!
...
Meanwhile...
The heavy, dark air over Udon Prison seemed to pull tight, as if gripped by an invisible, crushing hand.
A massive flash of blue lightning, looking like an angry, roaring Dragon, tore across the sky with world-breaking force, instantly lighting up the pitch-black storm clouds.
Enel's tall, thin body hovered high above Udon Prison, bathed in the blinding, flashing light and looking like an absolute god.
He slowly lowered his eyes, looking down at the broken, filthy prison below him.
The four tomoe drums mounted on his back swayed gently in the wind, reflecting a mysterious, freezing glare.
On his face, that famous, arrogant smirk was as cold as winter frost. In his eyes, everyone and everything in this world was as totally worthless as ants.
"What a filthy, disgusting place..." Enel mumbled softly, his voice echoing quietly in the silent sky above.
Udon Prison was completely different from the clean, pure white clouds of the Sky Island in his memories.
The dirty, stained brick walls showed clear signs of rotting age, with thick moss growing wildly over the stone like a green blanket, proudly showing off just how deeply this place had decayed.
The heavy iron bars had long lost their shine, completely eaten away by thick rust.
The air itself was heavy with the sharp, disgusting smell of rotting flesh and old blood—a smell that seemed to drill right into the soul, enough to make anyone sick to their stomach.
However, what annoyed Enel the most was the scene his massive Mantra picked up from inside the prison.
Down in a dark wet corner of a filthy cell, Ace was chained tightly to the wall with heavy Seastone cuffs.
His orange cowboy hat was knocked sideways, and his bare chest and back were completely covered in brutal, bloody whip marks—each deep cut horrifying to look at.
The blood had long since dried, turning into dark, crusty scabs.
Ace had already passed out.
His face was completely pale and totally drained of energy, the flame of his life slowly burning out.
"Tsk. To think they have reduced our Ace to looking like this... Tsk tsk tsk..."
Enel's pupils shrank slightly, a barely noticeable flash of pure anger showing in his eyes.
These worms had nearly ruined his mission—totally unforgivable!
Highly dangerous sparks of blue lightning began to dance wildly around his body, twisting and snapping like angry snakes.
But what actually made him laugh out loud in pure, burning rage was the sight of over twenty armed prison guards, waving sharp swords and spears like a pack of starving wolves, charging right toward Ace's cell.
The Head Jailer, his ugly face twisted into a sick, vicious sneer, waved a heavy ring of keys in the air and screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Quick! Execute Fire Fist Ace right now!"
His rough, scratching voice echoed loudly through the dead, quiet halls of the prison.
"Ignorant monkeys of the Blue Sea..." Enel's voice was low and freezing cold. "How could a god ever allow you to ruin his plans?"
In the very next second...
His body appeared like a ghost right inside Ace's cell.
Enel slowly raised his right arm, his pale fingers long and relaxed, and snapped them lightly.
"El Thor."
As the words left his mouth, a massive, roaring pillar of lightning over ten feet wide blasted straight down out of thin air!