Toku arrived at Impel Down like a breath of invisible wind.
No alarms triggered. No guards noticed the faint ripple in the air as he passed through the outer gates, descended level by level, and slipped straight down to the deepest floors where the most dangerous prisoners were kept.
He stopped in front of a reinforced cell.
Inside, Donquixote Doflamingo sat chained to the wall, seastone cuffs biting into his wrists, pink feathered coat tattered but his grin still sharp.
Toku made himself visible just enough for the conversation, still cloaked in shadow, face hidden.
"Well, well, well," he said with a low, maniacal laugh. "If it isn't Donquixote Doflamingo… or should I say, Don-in-Prison-go."
Doflamingo's head tilted. His sunglasses reflected the dim light.
"Who are you? Who's there?" His grin widened. "Are you perhaps the one lurking in the shadows, pulling the strings of the current events? I see you've replaced me."
Toku stepped closer, voice calm and cold.
"Mingo. Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Since you already know what I am, it makes this faster. I'll give you two choices. Die here and get dumped at the bottom of the sea… or become my underling and help me overthrow the World Government, the Marines, and the pirates. I alone shall be No. 1. I alone shall be the Emperor of the seas and of the skies itself."
Doflamingo frowned for a long moment, thinking it through. Then his signature grin returned, wide and feral.
"Well… we both have a common interest, and that's the World Government. Besides, I'm too young and famous to die here." He laughed. "Alright. I'm in. Let there be pandemonium."
Toku unlocked the seastone cuffs with a hidden tool. The chains fell away.
Doflamingo stood, stretching his arms with a satisfied crack.
Toku gave the first order immediately.
"Release all prisoners. Kill all Marines. Recruit every released pirate into your group. Henceforth, you shall be called SOS — Shadows on Seas. You will all wear black cloaks for the rest of your lives. One last thing: activate your Birdcage. No one enters. No one leaves without your permission. I'll take care of the rest and open the path for your safe passage."
Toku vanished completely.
Doflamingo laughed — loud, manic, delighted.
"Fufufufu… this is going to be fun."
---
Alarms blared throughout Impel Down.
Magellan was already rushing down the corridors, poison dripping from his body, face twisted in fury.
Toku met him head-on.
Invisible hands plunged straight into Magellan's chest, fingers closing around his heart. He crushed it in one brutal squeeze.
Magellan gasped, poison flooding out in a lethal wave meant to kill every escaping prisoner.
But Toku made Magellan's entire body invisible along with himself.
The poison disappeared with its source. The Warden collapsed to the floor, lifeless, eyes wide in shock.
Toku moved like a ghost through the chaos.
He slaughtered elite guards with silent efficiency — throats slit, hearts pierced, bodies left where they fell. When the backup Marines converged at the harbor, he carved through two thousand of them in a whirlwind of invisible death.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo unleashed hell.
He activated his Birdcage. The massive string dome sealed the entire prison.
Parasites controlled Marines, forcing them to kill each other. Awakened Ito Ito no Mi turned walls, floors, and guards into strings that sliced everything apart. Released prisoners rampaged, killing their fair share with glee.
Everyone had fun.
In the end, six thousand Marines and guards lay dead.
Impel Down remained trapped inside the Birdcage.
Doflamingo and his new SOS minions escaped on stolen Marine ships, black cloaks billowing as they sailed into the distance.
Toku was already gone.
He had other preparations to make.
A luxurious hotel would soon be bought.
A date with Doll awaited.
And the shadows kept lengthening.