Chapter 178 – Buggy the Clown's Prison Break Adventure (Part 1)
The time shifted back a few hours earlier.
The location: the massive underwater prison—Impel Down.
It had only been an hour since Ace and the others broke out, stealing a Marine warship and forcing their way through the Gate of Justice, heading straight for Marineford.
But far above the seas north of Impel Down, another warship was approaching… flying through the sky.
At its helm stood none other than the newly appointed Shichibukai, Marshall D. Teach, better known as Blackbeard. Behind him were his crew—the Blackbeard Pirates.
Their purpose was the same as in the shadows of fate: infiltrate Impel Down, recruit powerful allies, and then, in the coming war, seize an opportunity to claim Whitebeard's ability.
Though Teach already possessed the stolen power of the Golden Lion, his ambitions hadn't changed. What he truly craved above all else were two Devil Fruits: his own Dark-Dark Fruit (Yami Yami no Mi)… and Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit (Gura Gura no Mi).
If he could wield both at once, he would be unstoppable. The entire world would fall into his grasp.
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"Captain! Something terrifying just showed up outside Impel Down!"
From the deck, Van Augur, rifle in hand, peered through his telescope.
"We've seen it already," answered Jesus Burgess, the "Champion." His face was a mix of awe and disbelief. "The whole prison is surrounded by flames… What the hell is that?! Truly spectacular!"
"Zehahahaha!" Blackbeard roared with laughter as his eyes fixed on the blazing inferno encasing Impel Down. "That must be the handiwork of Fire Fist! To think he could create such a sight… he's gotten stronger indeed!"
"Fire Fist… you mean the man who cut off your wrist, Captain?" asked Laffitte, the "Demon Sheriff."
At those words, Blackbeard instinctively raised his left hand, running his fingers over the scar where his wrist had once been severed. Though Doc Q had reattached the limb, the phantom ache remained—a constant reminder of the man who scarred him.
That lingering pain had festered into something more. Every throb of the scar rekindled Blackbeard's hatred, his killing intent sharpening like a blade.
---
By now, the flying warship had reached the skies above Impel Down, immediately drawing the eyes of its defenders.
"Look! In the sky—what is that?!"
"It… it looks like a warship?"
"Don't be ridiculous, warships can't fly—!!! Damn it, it really is a warship! Contact the Vice Admirals immediately!"
The guards panicked. Ever since Ace's escape, Magellan and the stationed Vice Admirals had been trapped inside the inferno of Ace's Burning City. Their attempts to break free had failed, forcing them to return into the prison to quell the internal chaos.
And now, a new nightmare had arrived.
"Zehahahaha!!" With that laugh, Blackbeard and his crew leapt down from the warship, landing heavily at the front gates of Impel Down. Without Blackbeard's ability supporting it, the vessel plummeted from the sky and crashed into the sea below.
"Who are you?! Why are you here?!"
"Wait—those faces! That's the newly appointed Shichibukai, Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach, and his crew!"
"Shichibukai? Why would they be invading Impel Down at a time like this?!"
"We owe you no explanations," Blackbeard sneered, his hand already stretching toward the ground.
"Black Hole!!"
The dark abyss spread from his palm, swallowing the sea, the flames of Ace's barrier, and even the warships anchored nearby. All was consumed into his void of darkness.
Moments later, he clenched his fist and roared:
"Liberation!!"
From his palm erupted dozens of shattered warships, hurled forth like cannonballs. They smashed into the massive gate of Impel Down, blasting it apart in an explosion of iron and stone.
"Zehahahaha! What a delightful power!!" Blackbeard reveled, striding forward into the prison's depths.
---
Thus began Impel Down's darkest hour.
Magellan, the Warden whose might was said to rival even an Admiral, was overwhelmed and nearly slain—betrayed by his own subordinate, Shiryu of the Rain, who now sided with Teach.
Blackbeard's rampage tore through every level, unleashing chaos. Countless prisoners escaped—among them some of the most notorious criminals the World Government had ever condemned.
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Level 1: Crimson Hell.
In one of the cells sat a ridiculous figure in a striped prison uniform, idly picking his toes. His bright red nose and gaudy face paint marked him unmistakably—Buggy the Clown.
As he yawned, the ground beneath his cell suddenly erupted.
BOOM!!
A monstrous half-man, half-koala beast—one of the demon guards known as a Mino Koala—was sent flying through the floor, landing in a heap.
The impact crushed Buggy's unfortunate cellmate flat.
"…Eh?!" Buggy froze, snot streaming from his nose in shock.
"That's… a Mino Koala?! What the hell's going on out there?! Did something terrible happen to Impel Down?!"
But then his eyes caught on something glinting by the beast's side.
"…Wait a second…" Buggy's jaw dropped as he spotted the ring of cell keys dangling from the fallen guard's body.
"The key… to the cells?!"
With trembling hands, Buggy snatched the keys. He stared at them for a heartbeat, and then his face twisted into an exaggerated grin.
"Fufufufu… looks like Lady Luck has finally chosen me!!"
And thus, the legend of Buggy's accidental rise began.
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