Chapter 481: A Day of Relentless Training and the Secret Passage

By sunrise on the second day Luffy and the others could already sense nearly point-blank attacks and dodge them by shifting just a centimeter, their control over Observation Haki becoming sharper and more precise.

“Looks like your fundamentals are solid. You refined your grasp of Observation Haki in no time.”

Rayleigh nodded in satisfaction. He hadn’t slept a wink either but with time running out he had to teach everyone the basics of both Observation and Armament Haki in three days.

“So hungry!”

Luffy, looking like he’d been through a meat grinder, slumped to the ground and stared at Sanji, who was just as battered.

Luffy had taken quite a beating while tackling advanced Armament Haki training.

Rayleigh’s method had them learning to cover their skin in Armament Haki in the split second before a surprise attack landed. Only then could they hope to block most real threats in battle.

“Phew, got it!”

Sanji, ever the picture of elegance, lit a cigarette and in no time headed into the kitchen to whip up breakfast for everyone.

“Ow!”

“My arms are so sore.”

“But the results are obvious, right?” Robin wiped the sweat from her brow, withdrawing all the extra arms she’d summoned.

Observation Haki training had pushed both her and Nami to the brink. Their arms throbbed, red and swollen from exhaustion.

“Yohohoho!”

“Nami darling, could I possibly have a look?”

Wham!

“Wakkata!”

“Baka!”

Nami’s arms still ached, but she didn’t have any trouble cracking Brook over the head, leaving a sizable lump. She’d learned long ago nothing good ever came out of Brook’s mouth.

“Let’s take a short break. No clue how far we are from Impel Down now.”

Rayleigh stood on the deck, eyes fixed on the horizon, gauging how much farther they had to sail to reach Impel Down.

“At this speed, we’ll need another five days, give or take.”

Since Franky had come on board, he and Gin handled navigation. After all, Franky had personally helped refit the ship, so he knew better than anyone how fast it could go and what kind of battles it could handle.

“That’s not enough time!”

Ace’s execution is only two and a half days away!

And there’s just a day and a half until Ace gets moved!

At this rate, by the time they made it to Impel Down, it’d be too late.

“Don’t worry, old man.”

“This ship is super!”

“The Thousand Sunny, which I personally built and equipped with the Coup de Vent Cannon, can shoot forward in a straight line—we’ll reach Impel Down on time, no problem.”

“We just can’t do it repeatedly. After every blast we’ll need to repair the ship a bit. Let’s eat first, then I’ll fire it up for the first time.”

“Hehe, flying ships? That’s a first for me.”

Rayleigh stood on deck, then glanced into the distance as if struck by a thought. In a low voice he murmured, “Roger, sasshi buri dana!”

Standing amidst the clouds, Roger looked down at Rayleigh and burst into laughter. “Kana, sasshi buri dana!”

After lunch, Franky fired the Coup de Vent Cannon and propelled the ship a day’s journey forward. Then, hellish training resumed.

…

Meanwhile inside Impel Down, Ye Fan woke and split half the elemental energy in his body.

His original clone stayed put while the new one advanced through the Fifth Floor, heading for a corridor leading to Level 5.5.

“Raaah—”

At the corridor entrance, three starving Ice Wolves had him surrounded, but he stayed calm, stroking his chin as he studied the passage.

“Here it is!”

“Isn’t this a bit too small?”

Hidden beneath the Ice Forest, the passage looked no bigger than half a manhole cover—barely enough for a ‘normal’ person to squeeze through.

If he hadn’t been skin and bones from hunger, he couldn’t have fit. No wonder Molly and the others picked only certain pirates for Level 5.5.

Most who made it had to be starving for at least ten days. That way the Navy’s spies couldn’t sneak in.

“Raaah!”

The three Ice Wolves, seeing no fear in Ye Fan’s eyes, lunged at him—fangs bared and claws out.

“Out of my way, pests. I’m not in the mood to get my hands dirty.”

Ye Fan gave off a strong aura, looking every bit the master as he spoke.

The Ice Wolves froze mid-leap, eyes bugging out in terror.

“We’re dead! We’re dead! We’re dead!”

“How can someone this strong be on the Fifth Floor? Shouldn’t he be on the Sixth?!”

With a burst of willpower, they twisted in midair and hit the ground running. Not once did they look back.

The Ice Wolves had been here a long time; they were clever. They knew exactly who to mess with and who to steer clear of.

Ye Fan’s face was new and unfamiliar. Hunger had forced them to attack this stranger—nearly costing them their lives.

“Good thing I’m an elemental body. This tiny hole’s no obstacle for me.”

Ye Fan reached the opening. His body shifted into pure energy and slipped right through.

After sliding along the narrow tunnel for several meters, he landed softly. The air was fresher and the temperature nicer than anything on the Fifth Floor.

If Ye Fan hadn’t known he was still inside a prison, he would’ve thought he’d stepped out into the world again.

Level 5.5, designed by the Okama Queen and Molly, was like paradise. Lush greenery everywhere, lights overhead, a sky painted across the ceiling, even the ground was damp soil.

“Not bad—they pulled this off way down here? Impressive.”

“Hey boy, you must be new!” Emporio Ivankov spotted Ye Fan tumbling from the hole the second he landed.

Suddenly a purple-haired giant appeared, head even larger than his body. Ye Fan nearly jumped out of his skin—the Okama Queen was right in front of him.

“You’re Emporio Ivankov, aren’t you!”

“Oh? You know me, boy?” Ivankov’s smile vanished, his face turning serious in an instant.

Most pirates who made it here were nobodies. None had any idea who Ivankov was. But Ye Fan was different—built strong and not a trace of misery in sight.

That’s because all of Ye Fan’s clothes were pure energy—he couldn’t wear prison rags.

“No need to be so jumpy. Who I am doesn’t matter to you.”

“Still, I do know the Revolutionary Army’s Dragon!”

“You lot are here on Dragon’s orders, right?”

Ivankov’s face didn’t budge.

“What Dragon? Never heard of him. Just the Okama Queen, that’s me!”

Ye Fan waved him off, like he wasn’t interested in this little act.

He reached out with his right hand—energy swirling into the form of a dragon.

“With me, you don’t have to hide a thing. I bet you keep in touch with Dragon—ask him and you’ll know who I am. I need your help, and it’s urgent.”

“Oh by the way, I’m Ye Fan—real name: Karl!”