S/N: Second chapter. It'll include the setting to Marineford and the start of Luffy's breaking into Impel Down. Enjoy!

I don't own One Piece! Oda Eiichirō (or as I like to call him, "Kishi's One and True Rival") owns everything One Piece-related! I only own the plot! PLEASE DON'T SUE ME!

Entrance to Hell

"Are you still breathing?" Garp asked, "...Ace?"

Ace looked up, his face set in a permanent scowl. "Gramps..."

Suddenly, the cell, Ace and Garp faded into a black void.

"What the...?! What just happened?!" Usopp said.

The black void gradually started to turn into the blue sea, with a Marine battleship riding the waves.

"A...scene change perhaps?" Robin guessed.

"Why would there need to be a scene change?" Brook asked.

"Dunno. But nothing we can really do about it 'cept just watch what happens," Zoro said, eyebrows furrowing at the new scene.

Inside the battleship, Luffy was staring at the fading piece of Ace's Vivre Card. It crackled at it slowly burnt away along with Ace's life force. The emotion in Luffy's eyes was unreadable.

Before the Straw Hats had a chance to say anything, another scene change happened, and the eight pirates found themselves at Marineford.

"How often are these 'scene changes' gonna happen?" Sanji snapped irritably.

"It's gonna take a while to get used to them," Franky added.

Marine Headquarters are now even more on-edge...

"The hell?! Who was that?!" Usopp said.

….Whilst at the port of Marineford...

"Is it...some kind of narrative voice?" Robin said.

"Why would we need a narrative? We can already see what's going on," Zoro said.

"I'm not sure myself... Regardless, we should keep watching. Look who's up ahead."

The Straw Hats glanced at the bay, and found themselves staring at incredibly strong soldiers everywhere, marching towards the soon-to-be battlefield.

….Powerful soldiers who have made a name for themselves all over the world are arriving, one after another. Every shred of military force...

The Straw Hats recognized some of the forces about. Such as Captain Hina from Alabasta, Captain Smoker and Ensign Tashigi, Admiral Aokiji, Admiral Kizaru. Even the Fleet Admiral Sengoku was seen. It was clear that the Marines were prepared for nearly anything being thrown at them. This truly was going to be a battle that would shake the world.

Meanwhile, at the Holy Land of Mariejois...

The scene changed to a room in Mariejois, where a dinner was being held with some of the most powerful people the Straw Hats could ever imagine...

The Shichibukai who have thus far been assembled are in the middle of their own battle conference. Truly a gathering of villains and knaves...

"Holy shit," was all Franky could get out right now.

"I-it's all the Shichibukai we've encountered before!" Chopper said, scared.

"Moriah... Kuma... Hawk-Eyes... Doflamingo... They're all there, preparing to fight," Sanji said, disturbed.

"Wait a minute," Nami said, realizing something. "That guy... He's a Shichibukai?! Zoro look, it's that guy! The one from Jaya!" She pointed towards Blackbeard, who was feasting happily on some cherry pies.

Zoro nodded. "Really, him of all people being a Shichibukai," he scoffed.

"The fact that we've already met 80% of the people here unnerves me," Usopp said.

"This war...will truly be a sight to remember," Robin said.

But one thing, at least, is all too clear... for these men to fight together as a team... is entirely unthinkable...

"That narrator guy, whoever he is says it like it is," Zoro said, nodding in approval.

"I don't even want to imagine them fighting together like that," Usopp said.

"The Whitebeard Pirates would nearly be wiped out if they all went all out and worked together as a team in the war. The battle would be even more chaotic and blood-filled if that happened," Robin said.

"OI! I JUST SAID I DON'T WANT TO IMAGINE THAT!"

The scene changed to Garp visiting Ace in his cell.

"'Kill me' you say? Don't get ahead of yourself, idiot. That won't do any good at this point," Garp said. "Even if you were to die right here and now, that wouldn't stop Whitebeard... Nothing can stop him now. We have already angered... the Ruler of the Seas."

The way Garp said it sent shivers down the Straw Hats' backs.

"Wh-what does he mean by that?" Nami asked.

"He's saying it...almost as if he knows the worst possible thing would happen," Sanji added.

"You know..." Robin said, "...I have to sympathize with Garp."

The Straw Hats looked at her in confusion. "Sympathize? What do you mean, Robin-san?" Brook asked.

"It's because Garp had to watch his own grandson be tortured, beaten, and eventually killed. And he couldn't do anything about it because of his duties as a Marine."

The Straw Hats slowly took this in. "He had to see his own grandsons go through literal hell... That's the worst possible thing that could happen for a parent," Nami said.

"Still," Zoro said firmly, "he had the choice to choose whether or not to value his family over his duty. And we all know what happens at the end of this."

Sanji glared at the swordsman. "We don't know exactly what happened at the war, idiot marimo. It's too damn early to start implying things like that."

Before Zoro could retaliate, Garp continued. "Ah, I do wish you and Luffy had become great Marine soldiers like I wanted you to. To think that you would both do the very opposite and become rogues. Oh, yes. Come to think of it, I told Luffy about his father. He was rather surprised to learn that he even had one."

"It doesn't matter whether... we know it or not..." Ace replied. "The fact remains that both Luffy and I... have the blood of a global-scale criminal flowing through our veins... How could we possibly become Marines...?"

"Hm," Robin grunted, getting the Straw Hats attention.

"What is it, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked.

"...You all remember, don't you? The fact that Luffy and Ace don't have the same parents?"

"That's right. Luffy was Dragon's son while Ace was Gold Roger's son. But what does that have to do with this?" Nami said.

"Well, since Ace is Roger's son, how could Garp possibly get a hold of Ace? It doesn't make sense..."

The Straw Hats thought about it. It didn't make sense. How did Garp manage to take Ace and raise him like his own grandson?

"However," Ace continued, "I took the name 'Portgas' from my mother... whom I owe a great debt... I don't care one jot for that half of blood that comes from my useless father... I have no memories... or debt to him whatsoever."

"Well, I suppose that makes sense, that guy being how he is," Garp supplied.

"The way Garp's talking about Ace's dad seems a bit fishy to me," Franky said.

"It's almost as if he knows him personally," Nami said.

"Perhaps that explains how Garp was able to take and raise Ace under his own hand," Robin said.

"And that's why, gramps..."

The scene changed to Ace and tall, strong figure in a grayish color. Almost like a flashback.

"Is that... Whitebeard?!" Usopp said.

"H-he's huge!" Chopper exclaimed in fear.

"God, what kind of power does he have?" Sanji said.

"Well, he's not called the Strongest Man in the World for nothing," Zoro said dryly.

"This is no place for you to die, boy," Whitebeard said, standing over a beaten and battered Ace.

The boy looked up to glare at the man, who had his hand outstretched towards Ace. "Take my name upon your back, and rage across the seas to your hearts' content! Become a son of mine!"

Ace looked up to smile at his grandfather, a smile that held no doubt or mourn. "I have only one father... And that father is Whitebeard."

Garp stared at Ace, almost in self-disappointment.

The scene changed to and undersea view, with a large fortress-like structure with levels going down to the very bottom of the sea, the bottom level being the largest. Sea Kings everywhere swam around the structure like guards on prison duty, which was ironic. Even in the dense sea and the unbreakable walls, the tortured screams of prisoners rang in the Straw Hats' ears. Whips cracking, fire burning, knives and swords slashing, any kind of torture humanly possible was audible in the undersea prison.

It unsettled the Straw Hats.

"The Great Underwater Prison..." Nami muttered, "...Impel Down."

"So this is what the pirates of this age call 'Hell'," Robin said.

"J-just what did Luffy have to go through in this place?!" Usopp said.

"This isn't gonna be a pretty sight," Sanji said dryly.

The Straw Hats watched as the guard in the lowest level, the Minotaurus, proceeded to beat the living crap out of the prisoners who were too rowdy or fought over food in the cells. They saw the demon-like creatures roaming Level 2 (which includes giant spiders, making Sanji, Nami, and Chopper freak out while Zoro watched the chef in amusement), the sharp spikes and knives of Level 1, the blazing fires of Level 4, and the torture systems of all the levels in a whole.

Before anything could be said, the scene changed to a Marine battleship arriving at Impel Down's Gates of Justice.

"Vice Admiral Momonga!" a Marine said, "We've arrived at Impel Down!"

"Thanks to the headwind, we arrived a little later than anticipated."

"Damn it all," the Vice Admiral cursed. "Call Hancock out here immediately!"

"Yes sir!"

"Hancock? You mean Boa Hancock?" Nami said.

"That's right! Luffy mentioned getting help from Hancock before," Usopp said.

The scene changed to Luffy looking out the window in Hancock's room, proving Usopp's point.

"She's so beautiful~!" Sanji cooed, doing his lovestruck noodle dance while Zoro resisted the urge to whack him over the head.

Luffy looked outside in shock, disturbance, and concern. "What the hell...?"

"It is only natural, as protection for this, the most dangerous place in the entire world," Hancock said.

"There are more battleships here...than there were in the Buster Call. And Ace...in a place like this..." Luffy said.

"I daresay he is deep down under the waters," Hancock said, opening her coat. "Now quickly, inside my robes."

Sanji stopped fawning over Hancock's beauty to take what she had just said in. "Inside...her robes...? Inside... Inside her robes... In. Side. Her. ROBES?!" The blond burst in literal flames to express his anger.

"Sanji-kun, calm down!" Nami said, trying to burn out the flames. Meanwhile, Zoro watched Sanji's outburst and anger in amusement. The cook's luck was just hilarious to watch.

For once, Sanji didn't seem to process what Nami had to say. "DAMMIT LUFFY, WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING INSIDE HANCOCK'S ROBES?!"

Hancock walked outside the battleship and onto the prison's bay. She walked down alongside the Vice Admiral, with her pet snake beside her and Luffy hiding inside her robes. Momonga informed her of the requirements for a Shichibukai to enter Impel Down—entering while bound by Kairoseki handcuffs and going through a full-body search upon entering.

"Luffy, they're doing a full-body search," Hancock whispered, warning Luffy of the trouble ahead.

"I'll deal with it somehow! Just carry on!" he whispered back.

"So be it!" Hancock said, allowing her to be led to the hellish prison.

The prison guards lined up at the entranced, saluting formally despite initially being infatuated by Hancock's beauty.

"Here goes, Luffy!" Hancock said as she walked through the gates, into the hell where Ace is kept.

Until Ace's public execution...

….33 hours remain.

S/N: Next chapter will include Luffy finally entering Hell on his own, and his meet-up with "Captain Buggy" (who by the way is a Shichibukai Post-TS SPOILERS). I'm trying to put as much content into a chapter as possible, but it's kind of hard to do when you have a tight schedule. Regardless, the next chapter will but up as soon as possible, so be prepared!

DON'T FORGET ZE UPDATEZZZZ!

Ta-ta~

-Serena