Chapter 490: Assault on Impel Down: The Plan to Save Ace

“That’s right. The Navy Headquarters is just half an hour away from Impel Down, so we can’t make too much noise. If we draw attention, not only will we fail to rescue Ace, but we’ll also end up stuck here ourselves.”

Franky, the resident blueprint expert, set a sketchpad down on the deck and started drawing the surrounding structures. At the very center was the underwater fortress Impel Down, behind it was Navy Headquarters, and on both sides stretched the Calm Belt—no islands in sight. Underwater, countless Sea Kings lurked, and towering behind everything was the massive Gate of Justice.

“Good thing it’s nighttime. If our ship showed up this close to Impel Down in broad daylight, the Navy would spot us instantly.”

Sanji reached for a cigarette, ready to light up.

Clang!

“Sumimasen!”

With a bump rising on his head, Sanji dropped to his knees and begged Nami for mercy.

An angry Nami waved her fists. “You realize it’s pitch black and there aren’t any buildings around, right? You dare light up a cigarette out here? What, you want to send the Navy a signal flare?”

As the group stood before the giant Gate of Justice, staring up at the door piercing the clouds and unsure how to get inside, Franky stepped forward.

While no one was watching, Franky had been quietly upgrading the Thousand Sunny—even turning the Going Merry into a giant war robot, thanks in part to Merry’s unique spirit. It looked a bit bulky and couldn’t fight, but for climbing walls, this thing was a breeze.

Guided by Merry, the Thousand Sunny scaled the Gate of Justice in a matter of moments and arrived at the front of Impel Down. By the time they made it, though, night had already fallen.

At this hour, even the tiniest bit of light would be enough to alert the guards at the prison gate. If they slipped up here, all their efforts would be wasted.

“Of course we’ve got a plan, but whether the captain will go along with it is another story. You all know what he’s like.”

Robin smiled, snapped her journal shut and stood up from her rocking chair. Their captain had never followed a plan in his life.

Even if Robin had the entire operation mapped out, actually sticking to it depended on Luffy and the others.

Luffy never stuck to the plan—but things always worked out somehow, so the crew just made a rough outline. What happened next, they left to Luffy.

“Impel Down! We’re finally here! We’re going to see Ace and Ye Fan soon!”

“La la la la la!”

Nami watched in exasperation as Luffy, Usopp and Chopper danced around the sketchpad, their loud voices echoing. Worrying they’d get caught, she hurried over.

“They’re going to be the end of me!”

Bang, bang, bang!

After three crisp knocks, all three clutched the lumps on their heads and dropped to their knees, crying in unison, “Sumimasen!”

Thanks to Nami’s fist-based guidance, the group quickly edited Robin’s plan. Usopp was sent to the Gate of Justice with Johnny, Yosaku and Gin to stir up some noise and cause a commotion inside Impel Down.

Once chaos broke out, Franky would drive the underwater submarine, sneaking Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Brook, Chopper and the rest beneath the fortress.

Meanwhile, Nami, Robin, and Merry stayed on the ship, guarding their escape route.

“Alright, Operation Ace Rescue starts now!” Luffy thrust his right hand forward, eyes locked on the distant speck of light that was Impel Down. Inside waited not just his brother, but the crewmate they respected most—Ye Fan.

The crew split up. Rayleigh watched their departure with a smile, then looked over at Navy Headquarters. Tomorrow, that place would erupt into a war that could outshine even the God Valley Incident.

“The fire’s burning again, Roger!”

…

Usopp and the others climbed atop the Gate of Justice, finding a spot that faced the prison entrance. He propped up his sniper rifle and pulled out a special bullet packed with extra gunpowder.

Johnny and the rest drew their swords, ready to fend off any attack from Impel Down.

Usopp slipped on his goggles, took careful aim, and squeezed the trigger.

“Special Attack—Exploding Star!”

Boom!

A sudden explosion ripped through the prison gate on the first level of Impel Down, blasting two guards into the air. They died instantly.

“Whaaaa!”

Sirens wailed at the entrance to the first level of Impel Down.

“What’s going on? Are we under attack?”

“Go! Check it out!”

“Hey! Wake up!”

The blast hadn’t broken open the gate, but that didn’t matter. The gate slowly opened anyway. Two squads of guards—four in each—stepped outside, only to find their comrades already dead.

The guards immediately realized something was wrong. Could pirates really be bold enough to attack Impel Down?

Right now, all the Navy’s elites are at Headquarters!

What kind of pirate had the guts to raise hell right at the prison gates?

“Hurry and report to Magellan! Someone’s attacking Impel Down.”

“Yes, sir!”

Ordinary guards didn’t carry Den Den Mushi. After all, nobody ever expected a direct assault on Impel Down. Not even the legendary Golden Lion had done that—he was the only one to ever escape, and even then, he broke out, not in.

Even Golden Lion’s escape was from the inside out, not from the outside in.

One of the guards rushed back inside, while the remaining seven kept a lookout for more attackers and waited for Magellan himself.

“Like headless flies, huh? Guess I’ll give you one more clue.”

Usopp aimed his massive sniper rifle at one of the guards by the gate. Time was tight. Every second wasted put Ace and the others at greater risk. Usopp wouldn’t waste any more time—he had to make sure the guards realized how serious this was and lure out the warden.

As long as they drew out the prison’s strongest fighter, the warden himself, Luffy’s group could sneak into Impel Down and save Ace and Ye Fan.

“Special Attack—Exploding Star!”

A red flash streaked from the top of the Gate of Justice, and a bullet shot straight for the door.

Boom!

“Up there!”

The explosion and the muzzle flash immediately gave away Usopp’s location atop the gate. In the dark of night, such a bright burst stood out for miles.

Luckily, Usopp hadn’t planned to keep his position hidden. He kept pulling the trigger, firing off round after round.

“It’s coming from the Gate of Justice! Take cover!”

The lead guard, seeing bullets flying his way, dove onto a comrade. The next moment, a shot struck a guard square in the chest, tearing him apart and blasting a gaping hole in the ground.

Three more rounds followed, pulverizing the leader and leaving three brand new craters at the prison gate.

“Sniper! Fall back!”

The surviving guards scrambled, running and crawling back inside the prison and hurriedly shutting the giant doors—leaving only a crack behind them.