"It's true," Ivankov nodded firmly, offering reassurance. "I guarantee Ace is fine. What we need to do now is get to Marineford as quickly as possible and rescue Ace."
Hearing this, Luffy let out a long sigh of relief. "That's good. It's good that Ace is okay."
Just as the two were preparing to leave Level 6 and head for Marineford, several figures descended from the passage leading down from Level 5.
The man at the forefront had a messy black beard and a sinister smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
It was Marshall D. Teach!
Behind him followed several equally ferocious-looking figures.
Each of them wore grim expressions, their eyes tinged with impatience.
Clearly, fighting their way down to Level 6 had cost them considerable effort.
Blackbeard had long since calculated everything in his mind.
His greatest purpose in meticulously scheming to break into Impel Down was to reach this Level 6 and select a group of capable crew members from among those legendary, heavily guarded prisoners.
In his view, as long as he could recruit these top-tier fighters, he would possess the capital to dominate the New World and ascend to the position of one of the Four Emperors in one fell swoop.
But when he truly stepped into Level 6 and saw the scene before him, the greed on his face instantly froze.
His eyes widened, fixed unwaveringly on the ruins before him. His body trembled slightly, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The prison cells that should have held countless dangerous criminals were now completely empty, not a single living soul to be found.
The bloodstains and severed limbs on the ground all bore witness to the brutal massacre that had taken place here.
The men behind him also wore expressions of shock, stopping in their tracks one after another to stare at the scene before them, silent.
Blackbeard slowly regained his composure, the shock in his heart instantly replaced by towering rage.
He had painstakingly planned all of this, risking his life to break into Impel Down, all for the sake of recruiting crew members.
But now, all the prisoners had been slaughtered. His plan had completely evaporated, and his dream of dominating the New World was mercilessly shattered in this moment.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Blackbeard clenched his fists tightly, fury almost blazing from his eyes. "Who? Who the hell did this? Who killed all the men I wanted?!"
He suddenly turned his head, his sinister gaze locking onto Luffy and Ivankov not far away, demanding sharply:
"You two! Was it you? What the hell happened here? Do you know who killed everyone here?!"
Hearing this, Luffy's brow instantly furrowed, his gaze turning sharp.
Although he didn't know who was responsible for the carnage on Level 6, he recognized the man before him at a glance.
It was this man who had defeated Ace, handed Ace over to the Marines, and caused Ace to face public execution.
Old and new grievances surged in his heart at once. Luffy stared fixedly at Blackbeard, angrily retorting:
"I don't care who did it, and I don't know who killed the people here! But I know it was you who captured Ace and delivered him to the Marines! It's because of you that Ace is going to be executed!"
"Oh?" Blackbeard was taken aback for a moment, a flash of killing intent flickering in his eyes.
"Straw Hat Luffy, Ace's useless little brother, since you don't know who did it, there's no point keeping you alive. Perfect timing—killing you will let me vent some anger!"
As the words fell, a dense shroud of Darkness enveloped Blackbeard's body, rapidly spreading toward Luffy.
...
A night passed, and the shocking massacre that occurred in Impel Down Level 6 ultimately could not be completely sealed off.
Despite Hannyabal's orders to strictly suppress the news, paper could never wrap up fire.
The information still spread at an astonishing speed, reaching Marine Headquarters and ending up in Fleet Admiral Sengoku's hands.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters.
Sengoku sat at his desk, tightly clutching the report from Impel Down, his face ashen.
Impel Down Level 6 had been invaded by a mysterious intruder. All legendary heavy criminals had been killed, Chief Warden Magellan was severely injured and unconscious, and Level 6 was completely destroyed.
"Absurd! Utterly absurd!" Sengoku slammed his desk and roared furiously:
"A bunch of useless fools, all of them! Impel Down is hailed as the world's greatest prison, yet someone managed to slaughter every heavy criminal in Level 6! What in the world are you all doing?!"
After his rage subsided, Sengoku forced himself to calm down.
He knew very well that now was not the time to assign blame.
He immediately picked up the Den Den Mushi and barked orders:
"Immediately suppress all information regarding Impel Down Level 6! Strictly prohibit any leaks! Anyone found leaking information will be court-martialed on the spot!"
He understood clearly that if this news were made public, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Not only would it cause the Navy's accumulated prestige over many years to plummet, making them a laughingstock across the world, but it would also severely demoralize the frontline soldiers.
With only one day left until Ace's public execution, the Whitebeard Pirates could launch a full-scale assault at any moment. At this critical juncture where decisive battle loomed, any news that could shake morale was absolutely unacceptable.
If the soldiers' morale collapsed, the Navy would struggle to withstand the Whitebeard Pirates' offensive.
At the same time, Sengoku felt a secret sense of relief in his heart.
Fortunately, a few days earlier, he had sensed something amiss and ordered Fire Fist Ace to be transferred out of Impel Down ahead of schedule, escorted to Marineford, and placed under strict guard by the Admirals.
If Ace had still been imprisoned in Level 6, either killed by that mysterious intruder or rescued just before the execution, the Navy would become the world's laughingstock, with no face left to stand on.
Thinking this, Sengoku glanced sideways at Garp beside him, only to see the Navy Hero picking his nose, a hint of regret on his face.
Sengoku's anger instantly surged again. Pointing at Garp, he scolded sharply:
"Garp! What are you regretting?!"
Garp slowly withdrew his finger, looking utterly unperturbed, and said flatly:
"Such a pity. If Ace hadn't been transferred early, maybe he could've been rescued by now. Wouldn't have to face Navy execution either."
"Garp!" Sengoku trembled with rage, pointing at him, unable to speak for a moment:
"Get this straight! You are the Navy Hero, the Navy's spiritual pillar! Navy blood flows in your veins! Your duty is to uphold Justice and capture pirates! Not to regret the fate of some pirate! You are not a pirate, nor are you an accomplice to those two brats you call grandsons!"
Garp curled his lip and said nothing more.
He knew full well that as a hero of the Navy, his duty was to uphold Justice.
But Ace was his grandson, the boy he had watched grow up. He couldn't bear to stand by and watch Ace be executed.
Even if Ace was a pirate, even if he himself was a Marine, deep down, he still wished for Ace to survive.
Sengoku looked at Garp's state and felt helpless.
He understood Garp's stubborn and unyielding nature—once he set his mind on something, no amount of persuasion could change it.
Moreover, Garp was a hero of the Navy, with outstanding achievements. Sengoku couldn't truly do anything to him, so he could only suppress his anger and turn to continue handling the aftermath of Impel Down.
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