Aria's Pov
I told myself I wasn't going to cry.
Ace was going to die, or at least, that's what every cell in my body screamed whenever I thought of him. Flirting my way through pirates, Marines, and chaos itself didn't sound fun anymore.
It didn't feel right to move on to the next shiny One Piece character when a man who actually made me care was somewhere chained, waiting for execution.
So yeah, obviously, the logical thing to do was to break into Impel Down, the most secure prison on the planet.
Brilliant plan, me. Absolutely foolproof.
I stood at the edge of the deserted island I found myself in when I got isekai'ed into one piece, and where I always go back to think of where to next. Staring at the waves in the ocean and thinking of what I remembered. Impel Down. The prison under the sea. Gloomy halls, iron bars, poison men, and monsters. I could picture it… vaguely.
My Devil Fruit wasn't exactly built for "vague." The Wish-Wish Fruit or Isha Isha no Mi demanded clarity. If I didn't see it in my head, my body just did whatever it wanted.
Still, I'd done worse with less.
"Okay, Aria. Dark. Bars. Depressing. Screams. That should do it."
I pressed my palms together, shut my eyes, and whispered, "I wish I was in Impel Down."
The air rippled, the world lurched, and—
"AAAAAAAAHHHH!"
I materialized in the middle of hell. Not metaphorical hell. Actual, roaring, teeth-filled, monster-infested hell.
Level Two of Impel Down — the Wild Beast Hell. The ground shook beneath me as some gigantic chicken-lizard hybrid something screeched, and a prisoner screamed right after. Chains rattled, fire flickered, and I realized every pair of eyes in the area — human and not — were on me.
Me who just materialized from thin air, definitely not wearing prisoner clothes.
"Hi," I said weakly. "Lovely neighborhood you've got here."
One of the guards pointed his spear at me. "Who the hell are you?! You just appeared out of thin air!"
Think, Aria. Think.
I straightened, dusted myself off, and adopted my most self-important smile.
"I'm here for a surprise inspection! Very official! Very classified! Continue… whatever this is."
The guards exchanged looks.
One muttered, "Why isn't she in uniform?"
"Undercover inspection!" I chirped. "I'm testing your alertness! You passed… barely."
That bought me about three seconds. Then someone shouted, "She's obviously lying!" and the next thing I knew, three guards charged.
I ran.
I tripped over something, dodged a creature's horn, and mentally promised myself I'd work out more if I survived this.
"This is fine!" I panted. "Totally fine! Not dying today—ah!"
Something big slammed into the ground beside me. Poison steam hissed through cracks in the wall. The guards' yells stopped, replaced by terrified silence.
Then I saw him.
Tall. Purple. Dripping poison like it was cologne. Magellan.
Oh. Fantastic.
I froze as he approached, boots leaving corrosive prints in the floor. His eyes narrowed. "You don't look like a prisoner."
"Thank you!" I squeaked. "I take care of my skin."
He didn't blink. "Who are you, and how did you get in here?"
"Teleportation accident?" I tried. "Wrong turn at Marineford?"
Still nothing. The man had the emotional range of a rock. I sighed dramatically. "You know, I usually like dangerous men, but this feels… toxic."
A few guards snorted. He didn't. Poison began to leak from his shoulders, that purple vapor that melted the floor like butter.
"Wrong answer," he said.
I backed up until my heel hit the wall. "Okay, okay! I was just trying to get to Ace, alright? Fire Fist Ace. He's—he's my…"
I hesitated. "Travel partner. Friend. Complicated thing."
Magellan's expression didn't change, but his tone did, colder, final.
"Fire Fist Ace is already bound for his execution."
My breath hitched. I opened my mouth — maybe to argue, maybe to scream — but then the gas hit. Burning, choking, acidic.
I collapsed, coughing, clawing at my throat as everything blurred violet. My last thought before darkness swallowed me was, So this is how I die. Again.
When I woke up, I thought I was dead.
Then the smell hit — iron, rot, and despair. Nope. Definitely still alive.
I groaned and tried to sit up, but metal cuffs yanked me down. Seastone. My wrists burned where the edges dug into skin. The energy-draining weight pressed against my Devil Fruit like a vice.
"Of course," I muttered. "The one time I get captured, it's by people who actually know what they're doing."
My cell was small — stone walls, bars, one flickering torch. Classic prison chic. Across the corridor, a skeleton stared at me. I waved. "Seen Ace anywhere?"
He didn't answer. Rude.
After what felt like hours, I got bored. And Aria plus boredom equals chaos.
"Hey!" I shouted at the nearest guard. "I haven't committed any crimes!"
He didn't look up from his Den Den Mushi.
"I'm serious! You people can't just arrest a beautiful, sexy, innocent woman for teleporting incorrectly!"
Nothing.
I glared. "Fine. You leave me no choice."
I leaned forward dramatically. Deciding to bluff like always. "I know people. Important people. Higher-ups. Higher than your warden. If they find out I'm rotting down here—"
The guard finally looked up, unimpressed. "Sure you do."
"I do! I'm best friends with—uh—Fleet Admiral… uh…"
Before I could come up with a name, the ground rumbled.
The guard frowned. "What the—"
Screams echoed down the hallway. Distant explosions. The lights flickered.
Dust rained from the ceiling as the earth shook again.
I pressed against the bars, eyes wide. "What the hell is going on?"
The guard grabbed his Den Den Mushi. "All units report! Intruders on Level Two!"
Intruders? Oh no. Oh yes.
The sound grew louder — footsteps pounding, shouts, laughter that could only belong to one idiot I knew.
Then the wall exploded.
Smoke, debris, and chaos filled the corridor. When it cleared, a familiar straw hat rolled to my feet.
And then—
"Aria?! I knew I heard a familiar voice!"
Luffy, covered in scratches, grinning like a maniac, stood among unconscious guards.
I blinked. "Oh, perfect. The chaos incarnate himself."
He grinned wider. "You're in jail too? Cool! Let's escape together!"
I grinned. I didn't make a bad decision after all.