Chapter 488: Shadows Beneath the Prison: Secrets of the Seventh Floor

“You’ve heard the rumors about Luffy, haven’t you?”

“He defied the World Government in Water 7 and even took down Enies Lobby.”

“I rushed there as fast as I could, but I was too late. Couldn’t stop him.”

“After causing so much trouble, I guess he really is my grandson!”

“Ahaha, ahaha, ahaha!” Garp laughed heartily, proud of Luffy’s courage. Yet tears shimmered at the corners of his eyes.

After all, for a parent to outlive their child—nothing could be more painful.

Ace struggled to lift his head and looked out from the cell at Garp.

“Both Luffy and I carry the blood of a world-class criminal. How could we ever become Navy officers?”

“But even though I inherited my mother’s noble name—Portgas—the blood of that bastard father of mine still shames me.”

“Because he left me nothing. No memories, no care, no kindness.”

“You’re not wrong, but he was still…”

Before Garp could finish, Ace cut him off. “So you see, old man…”

At that moment, Ace seemed to recall what Whitebeard said to him when he first challenged him.

Whitebeard: “It’d be a waste for you to die here, kid. Go cause a stir across the seas with my name. Be my son…”

Ace squared his shoulders and managed a faint smile. “To me, Whitebeard is the only father I have.”

Garp came here just to see his grandson one last time and say a few words from the heart.

Once he finished, he stood up to leave. As he passed the Fifth Floor, he glanced at Ye Fan’s cell. “I hope things turn out the way I want.”

With that, Garp hurried off, guided by Magellan and the others. They vanished quickly into the depths of the Fifth Floor.

“Tch, if it weren’t for your son, you’d have died eight hundred times over by now.”

Ye Fan sneered as he watched Garp leave.

As calm returned to the Fifth Floor, Ye Fan got up, left his cell, and headed into the bramble forest in the center. He followed the passage down to Level 5.5.

Nothing had changed inside, except for a steady rumble echoing from deep within.

Since this wasn’t Ye Fan’s first time here, nobody stopped him as he entered. Still, someone quick-witted dashed ahead to alert Ivankov.

“Hey, boy!”

“Is there really a Seventh Floor below like you say? Morley has been digging for ages!”

Ivankov waved off the onlookers and led Ye Fan all the way in. There, a five-meter-wide tunnel plunged straight down into darkness. From the yawning hole, booming noises echoed up again and again.

“I sensed it myself—about 150 meters beneath the Sixth Floor. There’s got to be a secret of the World Government down there. I could also sense the power of those imprisoned—way beyond anyone of this era.”

The first time Ye Fan used Observation Haki to scout the Seventh Floor, he only managed to peek for a single second. But that was enough to get a feel for what was below.

There were dozens of people still clinging to life in those cells. Their strength rivaled today’s admirals—who knows how powerful they once were?

“Boom, boom, boom!”

Just as Ivankov was about to speak, the tunnel reverberated, and both of them stepped back. In the next instant, Morley burst out of the hole.

“Well? Did you break through?”

“Mission accomplished. Just one meter left.”

For Morley, digging the rest of the tunnel was a breeze. He could open the way to the Seventh Floor at any moment—but only held back because Ye Fan told him not to finish yet.

“Good thing you didn’t open it. There’s definitely a terrifying guardian on the Seventh Floor—otherwise, those monsters down there would’ve broken out long ago.”

“Monsters? You mean they’re even stronger than the infamous pirates on the Sixth Floor?”

Ivankov couldn’t believe it. If it really took drilling a tunnel hundreds of meters long to even reach the Seventh Floor, then how did the people down there ever eat or drink?

And over all these years, no one had ever mentioned a Seventh Floor. If it existed, it must’ve been built a very long time ago.

If someone’s in charge of watching the Seventh Floor, how could there be no record with the Navy or the World Government?

“No need to guess. Just leave the tunnel as it is. I’ll be back tomorrow—then you’ll meet someone you’ll find interesting.”

Ye Fan pointed at Ivankov, nodded in satisfaction, and left. With the passage ready, once his real body arrived tomorrow, he’d finally get to uncover the truth.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Seriously? We dig him a tunnel, and now he just leaves it here? Are we just his lackeys or what?”

Ivankov sounded annoyed. Ye Fan clearly didn’t trust them, not even seeing them as valuable allies. The Seventh Floor… even he wanted to see it himself.

“I think it’s because the ones below are just that powerful.”

A shadow flickered in Morley’s eyes.

He hadn’t avoided digging that last meter out of laziness—he could sense the mass of terrifying presences just beyond it. If he broke through, his life might end on the spot.

The threat to his life was enough to suffocate even his curiosity.

“Are there really people down there?”

Hearing the fear in Morley’s voice, Ivankov was shocked. It was the first time he’d ever heard his trusted partner sound so scared.

Even Magellan and the pirates of the Sixth Floor had never made them flinch. Was the Seventh Floor really filled with demons?

“Yeah. There are some terrifying auras down below.”

Morley’s firm answer decided it for Ivankov. He quickly gathered a pile of materials to seal the tunnel and ordered that no one was to go near it.

“Come on, let’s report this to Dragon…”

Ivankov knew this was serious.

If the Seventh Floor held people more vicious than those on the Sixth, it could throw their whole plan into chaos—for better or worse.

Dragon needed to know, just in case things spun out of control.

Morley said gravely, “You’re right. We have to tell Dragon. From what I sensed, whoever’s locked up on the Seventh Floor isn’t just stronger than the Sixth—they feel like pure devils.”

Back in his cell, Ye Fan silently counted down the hours. In two or three, Ace would be taken away, and a dozen hours later, Luffy would arrive. In one more day, the great war on the summit would begin—the real show.

All Ye Fan needed to do now was rest and wait for the moment to strike. This was all part of his plan, and there was no need to make any reckless moves.