Building Snake lifted the signal lantern to the wooden gunwale, his massive hands masking the flame as he shuttered a quick, rhythmic pattern across the water. Three short flashes, a long pause, and two sharp bursts.
High on the black iron ramparts of Impel Down, a sentinel peered through a brass telescope, cross-referencing the light pattern with the day's ledger.
"Ration transport Vigilant," the sentinel called down to the gate detail. "Clearance code matches. Primary arrival window is valid."
With a groaning screech of heavy iron, the portcullis protecting the outer harbor rose clear of the entrance channel. Building Snake kept his eyes forward, his Marine cap pulled low over his face as he guided the stolen transport through the narrow entry. The massive shadow of the monolith swallowed the ship, blocking out the pale sun of the Calm Belt.
The transport bumped softly against the timber fenders of the outer receiving dock. A dozen Marine guards in white uniforms lined the stone pier, led by a mid-ranking sergeant carrying a wooden clipboard.
"Deck and sail crew stay aboard," the sergeant barked, stepping over the gangplank as two guards secured the mooring lines. "Standard cargo verification. Unseal the forward hatch."
Below deck, hidden in the dark recesses between stacks of grain sacks and salt-pork barrels, the strike team held their breath. Giovanni leaned against a wooden pillar, his left hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, his injured right arm bound tightly against his chest. Shanks stood beside him, silent as a shadow.
A guard pulled back the canvas tarpaulin covering the central cargo locker, shifting the top box to check the official seal underneath. His hand brushed against cold steel.hauling back the wooden crate, he revealed a stack of heavy flintlocks and boarding axes stamped with pirate markings.
"Sergeant!" the guard yelled, reaching for his sidearm. "We've got concealed—"
The hatch cover exploded upward in a shower of splinters. Shanks surged out of the hold, smashing Gryphon's pommel into the sergeant's temple before the man could finish shouting.
The pier erupted into immediate chaos. Marines scrambled for their weapons, blowing brass whistles as officers shouted orders toward the upper battlements.
"Intruders on the lower dock! Raise the inner gates! Prepare the harbor batteries!"
On the upper platform, a heavy triple-barreled cannon began to pivot on its iron mounting, its barrels angling down toward the docked transport. A sharp, whip-like crack echoed across the open water from two miles away. High atop the mainmast of Shanks's trailing vessel, Yasopp fired a single lead shot that shattered the cannon's primary gear assembly, jamming the mechanism completely before the crew could fire.
"Signal the ship!" Beckman shouted, dropping two guards with swift, precise strikes from his flintlock stock.
A red signal flare snapped above the dock. Out in the haze, Shanks's main ship immediately began closing the distance toward the open harbor mouth. Snake stayed on the pier alongside Lucky Roux, using his heavy twin swords to keep the receiving dock clear until the main vessel entered grappling range. Throwing an iron hook, Snake caught the forward anchor chain, hauled himself across the churning gap, and vaulted onto the main deck to retake his proper helm.
On the pier, Limejuice and Hongo held the gangway, keeping the captured ration vessel intact for their eventual retreat. Giovanni charged alongside Shanks, his sword flashing in a tight arc with his left hand. Despite his sling, his footwork was sharp and precise, parrying a Marine's bayonet thrust before driving the butt of his hilt into the attacker's ribs.
"Robin! The portcullis!" Shanks yelled.
Robin sprinted toward the dockmaster's guardhouse. A Marine lieutenant barred the doorway, but Robin sprouted three pairs of arms directly from his shoulders, pinning him to the floor. She ducked inside, grasped the heavy iron gate lever with both hands, and threw her weight onto it, locking the mechanism into place with a heavy iron pin. Outside, the descending harbor gate slammed against the lock, jamming half-open and securing their exit route.
"Path's clear!" Robin called out from the doorway.
Bonk Punch and Monster rushed past her, slamming through the reinforced doors leading into the lower access shaft. Bonk Punch flattened two guards with a sweeping blow of his heavy fists, while Monster leapt onto the ceiling arches, snapping key lantern lines to plunge the staircase into shadow and securing the choke point between the docks and Level 1.
Deep within the stone corridors of Level 1, a young guard lieutenant stumbled into a secondary communication alcove, his face pale with panic. He grabbed the receiver of an independent Den Den Mushi mounted to the wall and dialed the emergency relay to Marine Headquarters.
"Emergency! Emergency!" the lieutenant screamed into the shell. "This is Impel Down Harbor Detail! The Red-Haired Pirates have breached the outer gates! Red-Hair Shanks is inside the facility! I repeat, Red-Hair is—"
A heavy boot smashed through the alcove door, but the signal had already transmitted.
Across the ocean at Marine Headquarters, static hissed over the primary relay in the strategic operations room.
"Alert every available patrol near the Calm Belt!" a Vice Admiral ordered, slamming his fist onto the primary chart table. "Find out which ships can reach Impel Down fastest! Send an immediate priority relay to Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Across the region, nearby Marine patrols began changing course. There was no pre-positioned ambush fleet waiting in the haze; central command was scrambling to react to an attack no one had anticipated.
Deep in the subterranean depths of Impel Down, Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat in a stark office on Level 6. A sealed folder lay open on the wooden desk before him—the reclassification file Sengoku had personally ordered. Renji's intake report had been amended, the Level 6 transfer recorded, and every ordinary access channel closed.
Sengoku adjusted his glasses and reread the restraint notes, still irritated that such a prisoner had sat misidentified in Level 3 for close to 5 years, how he had survived starvation hell for that long was another terrifying question entirely.
The Den Den Mushi on his desk began to ring violently, its eyes bulging as it let out a harsh alarm.
Sengoku snatched up the receiver. "Sengoku here."
"Fleet Admiral!" Magellan's deep voice boomed through the speaker over the faint sound of distant explosions. "We have an emergency at the harbor entrance. A disguised transport bypassed the outer warning zone. The main gates have been jammed, and hostile forces have breached the Level 1 access corridor!"
Sengoku stood up so fast his chair scraped harshly against the stone floor. "Who is it? A local pirate crew? A breakout attempt?"
"We haven't confirmed their identity yet, sir," Magellan replied. "The perimeter guards were neutralized before they could give a full visual report. I am deploying the demon guards to Level 2 and moving to reinforce the main stairwells."
"No," Sengoku commanded, his voice cold and precise. "Hold your position in the lower levels, Magellan. If this is a coordinated strike, their objective is deeper down. Secure Level 4 and Level 5. Do not let anyone descend into the lower block."
"Understood, Fleet Admiral."
Sengoku hung up the receiver and buckled his heavy gold-trimmed Marine coat over his shoulders. He pulled his cap low over his eyes and stepped out of the office, heading straight for the central intake lift.
Up on Level 1, the heavy iron doors leading into the main intake hall were blown completely off their hinges, crashing onto the polished floor.
Smoke rolled through the doorway as Shanks and Giovanni stepped through the breach together. Shanks carried his drawn saber loosely at his side, his eyes scanning the cavernous room with calm focus. Beside him, Giovanni adjusted his left-handed grip on Ace, his breathing steady.
From the far end of the hall, heavy footsteps approached through the settling dust. Fleet Admiral Sengoku stepped into the center of the intake hall, his immense presence filling the room. His golden-trimmed white coat flared behind him as his sharp, stern eyes locked onto the invaders.
Shanks's expression changed. Giovanni's grip tightened around Ace. Neither had expected the Fleet Admiral to be inside the prison.
Sengoku stopped ten paces away, his gaze cold enough to freeze water.
"Red-Hair, Giovanni" Sengoku said, his voice echoing off the stone walls like thunder. "What in the world do you think you are doing here?"
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