One piece :Nox ( Before Dawn)

What? Your father is Dragon, and Dragon's father is the naval hero Garp? What a strange family they have!" Ivankov remarked, finally accepting that the son of his Colleague Dragon stood before him. Remembering Ace, Luffy's brother, he realized that he, too, was Dragon's son. As their aunt or uncle, Ivankov couldn't ignore this matter.

"Luffy, I'll help you rescue Ace. Guys, let's put on a show in Impel Down. Lightning, I'll leave the rest to you."

"Leave it to me."

The person known as Inazuma sported a hairstyle resembling the "Jack of Diamonds"—half of his hair was orange on the left, and half was white on the right. His clothing mirrored this pattern, with half in orange on the left and half in white on the right. A scar resembling a lightning bolt ran from his forehead to his right eye.

He was the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Army's G (Grand Line Army), Ivankov's right-hand man, the possessor of the "Scissor-Scissor" fruit, and also a new human (new humans are citizens of the kingdom of hermaphrodites).

Ivankov had come to Impel Down to rescue Inazuma, who had been captured. Even in this heavily guarded prison, though his ability wasn't as powerful as "Push-Push," he was still like a fish in water.

The army of hermaphrodites began their movement. A group of sturdy men in women's fishnet stockings appeared right at the entrance to the sixth floor. The powerful door was effortlessly sliced into thin threads by Inazuma. The ability of the Scissor-Scissor fruit somewhat resembled Push-Push.

The dark corridors of the sixth floor once again received a visitor, but this time, it stirred an uproar among the prisoners.

"How could the King of the Hermaphrodites Ivankov be yours?"

"I don't care what kind of devil king he is, just set me free already!"

Luffy and his companions paid no attention to the noise from the prisoners; they were searching for Ace.

"Hey, Ace, where are you?!"

The familiar name made a person in the shadows tremble.

"Are you Luffy, Ace's brother?" a hoarse voice sounded.

"Yes, I am. You know Ace. Where is he now?"

In Jinbe's eyes, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, a faint light reflected.

You could say they were bound by a common battle. The Whitebeard Pirates protected the Fish-Man Island, and Jinbe was very grateful to them for that.

Two years ago, when Ace ventured into the New World and decided to challenge Whitebeard, it was Jinbe who stopped him, advising against battling such a powerful opponent.

Back then, they fought for four days and four nights, exhausting each other without determining a winner. Today in Impel Down, they found themselves neighbors.

After today, they could be separated by heaven and earth. Jinbe, who had communicated with Whitebeard, was well aware of his true condition.

If they could rescue Ace and retreat, there would still be a chance for them.

When Whitebeard was young, he used the Tremor-Tremor fruit, leaving himself with a hidden injury. Adding to this were age-related ailments. The body of the world's strongest man was on the brink of total exhaustion.

"Ace was taken. You're too late," Jinbe said sadly.

"..."

Hearing this news, Luffy sank to his knees as if all his strength had been drained.

"Ace has been taken. I have to save him. By the way, Sal said we need to tap the paper on the 6th floor."

Having been saved twice by the same person, Luffy had unwavering trust in Sal. He immediately reached into his pocket. The talisman was sewn into his clothing so it wouldn't get lost.

He took out the talisman and began fiddling with it until it glowed and soared into the air.

"Amazing, it's flying on its own!"

The magical sight attracted everyone's attention.

"Luffy, what are you doing? What's the purpose of that paper?"

"I don't know myself. Sal said we're supposed to do this."

Luffy shook his head and, along with Ivankov, waited for the spell to change.

The incarnation talisman lit up and began to take shape. The outlines of a face became clearer, and Sal, bare-chested and wearing only his underwear, fully materialized on the sixth floor of Impel Down. The prisoners observing the events were restless. The eyes of the disguised men looked very strange.

Sal opened his eyes and saw Luffy, brimming with hope, and a group of disguised men. The eyes of these sturdy guys seemed especially strange.

Ivankov approached Sal, touched his shoulders and biceps, and knowingly said:

"What a strong boy. Aren't you interested in becoming a new man?"

Hearing the phrase "new man," all the hermaphrodites became ecstatic. Sal, the person at that time, nervously twitched his lips. He didn't want to turn into such a dreadful creature as a hermaphrodite. However, as evident from the original story, Sanji was hit by a bear and ended up in the kingdom of hermaphrodites. Everyone who was subjected to hermaphrodite's torture for two years turned into hermaphrodites physically and mentally.

Being forced to wear women's clothes and dance among flowers with a hermaphrodite even more shocking than Ivankov was truly terrifying.

Noticing Sal, Luffy immediately stepped forward, grabbed his hand, and hurriedly said:

"Sal, Ace was taken. I plan to go to the headquarters of the Marine Guard and rescue him. Do you think that's feasible?"

"Then go to Marineford and save him. I believe you'll go even if I try to stop you."

"Ha-ha."

Luffy scratched the back of his head. That really was his character. He might die, but he preferred to perish saving Ace. However, with Sal's support, he felt confident he could achieve his goal.

The gloomy atmosphere didn't allow Sal to see the prisoners nearby clearly. He used Observation Haki to scan the entire sixth floor of Impel Down. Unfortunately, the Observation Haki extended only halfway.

The sixth floor wasn't much bigger than the previous levels but was built thicker to withstand water pressure.

However, it was also the floor with the fewest prisoners. Only about 30 people were found on half of the floor, and there should be less than 100 in total on the sixth floor. The scariest part was that the prisoners who could be held on the sixth floor were at least equivalent in power to the vice-admirals of headquarters. Among them, there were many strong individuals who had reached the level of the Shichibukai.

Sal also discovered two familiar faces who were already top-tier—SS-rank.

"Douglas Barrett" and "Red Count Baroric Redfield."

The first—a former member of Roger's crew. Barrett, whose potential was unrivaled, was given the nickname "Heir of the Devil" by the Marine Guard. At the age of twenty, he possessed strength comparable to that of an admiral.

Redfield—a loner, a contemporary of Roger. His power was on par with the best masters like Roger and Whitebeard.

He fought against the former Marine Guard admiral with the "steel skeleton," Kong, and ultimately defeated him, though he sustained serious injuries. Unfortunately, he was ambushed by an old man whose strength had significantly faded, and he ended up being imprisoned on the sixth floor for several decades. That old man is the current Marshal Buddha Sengoku.

When Sal noticed Barrett, a flash of sadness crossed his eyes. He remembered being friends with Barrett and knew just how terrifying his potential was.

If he had been able to train diligently for ten years, he would have had a chance to become the strongest in the world. Unfortunately, he spent twenty years in Impel Down, wasting two decades of his life

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