“So, what’s going on?”
Vir asked calmly.
Based on his understanding of Luffy, it was better to stop things here.
If he let Luffy keep going, who knows? If the guy got desperate enough, he might just eat the damn door.
Hearing this, Luffy flailed around in panic. “Vir! Ace got captured by the Marines! He’s gonna be executed soon!”
Vir’s face went blank.
“Who told you that?”
“Yamato.”
“And who told Yamato?”
“You did.”
“So…?”
“What?”
Looking at Luffy’s face, which genuinely didn’t seem to be faking it, Vir just gave up.
Alright, fine. I underestimated you.
You win.
Here’s a thumbs-up.
You’re something else.
“I gotta save Ace! Vir, let’s go together! We’ll break him out of prison!” Luffy declared with sudden seriousness.
Vir was about to shoot that idea down—
Then he froze.
Prison?
Save Ace?
Hold up!
Had he just overlooked something huge?
Impel Down!
Damn it! He’d forgotten about Impel Down!
He’d been so focused on Marineford that he’d completely missed this prelude!
Impel Down wasn’t some optional side quest.
That place is crawling with heavy hitters.
Forget Blackbeard’s recruited goons for a sec.
There was the Red Count, who could go toe-to-toe with Garp, the monstrous Douglas Bullet, and even “World Destroyer”, the More-More Fruit user, Byrnndi World—all of them absolute powerhouses.
And the kicker? They’ve all got Conqueror’s Haki!
Vir hadn’t forgotten that he still didn’t have Conqueror’s Haki himself.
Even the prison’s warden was no pushover.
If he could get his hands on Magellan’s Venom-Venom Fruit…
Forget everything else—at the very least, it’d be a game-changer for whipping up poisons.
This place is a goldmine!
If he didn’t take a trip there, he’d be letting down the heavens, the earth, and even little Chopper!
He had to go.
Luffy was onto something.
They needed to save Ace.
No question about it!
They couldn’t leave Ace alone in that cold, miserable prison!
They’d bust him out!
That’s his brother!
Vir couldn’t just abandon him!
Even if Vir starved to death, died out in the streets, or jumped off a cliff, he wouldn’t leave his good buddy Ace hanging!
Vir’s imagination ran wild.
…Though, if not for the dollar signs in his eyes, his words might’ve actually sounded convincing.
At that moment, Marco and Rayleigh came out after hearing the commotion.
Chopper was perched on Marco’s head.
Ever since Chopper found out Marco was a doctor, he’d been super curious about him.
But the little guy was shy, scared of people.
When Marco heard Chopper was Vir’s apprentice, he scooped him up onto his head right then and there.
Treated him closer than his own son.
“What’s all this about?” Marco asked, looking puzzled as he stepped out.
Yamato, seeing Vir was busy, sidled over and filled them in.
When Marco heard Luffy wanted to break into Impel Down, his expression turned priceless.
Is this kid insane?!
How much did he drink to come up with this?!
It’s not like they hadn’t thought about a prison break, but it was obviously unrealistic.
That place was a fortress—easy to defend, hard to crack.
Even Whitebeard’s powers didn’t have much room to shine there.
One wrong move, and they’d be toast.
If Pops didn’t go himself, they likely wouldn’t even make it past the first gate.
And Magellan? That guy was no joke.
In those cramped corridors, he could poison an entire army without breaking a sweat.
It’d be easier to storm Marineford than Impel Down.
And yet, this kid—Ace’s little brother—was talking about breaking in?
This poor guy’s life must be rough, wanting to end it like this.
With that thought, Marco glanced at Yamato, saying with conviction, “Don’t worry. As long as Vir’s not crazy, he won’t agree to—”
“Alright! Let’s break into the prison!”
Marco’s words got cut off, and he just stood there, stunned.
“He… agreed, didn’t he?” Yamato said, a bit dazed.
When Marco didn’t respond, she repeated, “He agreed.”
“I KNOW! I HEARD! I’M NOT DEAF!” Marco nearly lost it.
Snapping back to reality, he rushed to dissuade Vir.
“Vir, think this through! That place is no joke—one misstep, and you’re dead!”
“I appreciate the dedication, but I can’t let you throw your life away! If this goes wrong, the execution platform will just have two more heads on display!”
Even Rayleigh chimed in, “Vir, that place really isn’t somewhere you should go.”
They both thought Vir didn’t know what Impel Down was.
He was young, after all—maybe he didn’t get how serious it was.
They were about to give him the rundown to talk him out of it when Vir raised a hand, cutting them off.
Seeing their worried looks, Vir nodded to himself.
Good friends.
But could he really not go?
Absolutely not.
“Relax. If I’m going, it’s because I’m 100% confident!” Vir declared boldly.
But the moment he said it—
“WHAT?! You’re 100% confident you can save Ace?!”
Yamato, Marco, and Luffy shouted in unison.
The three of them felt their hearts race.
Their jaws practically hit the floor.
Luffy and Yamato looked at Vir with stars in their eyes.
Absolute confidence.
If Vir really had that kind of certainty, wouldn’t this all be a piece of cake?
Marco even pulled out his Den Den Mushi, ready to call Whitebeard and tell him to stand down—just wait for “Vir Express Delivery” to bring Ace home.
After all, when Vir said he could do something, he did it—
(Except when he says “the surgery won’t hurt at all”…)
Vir, however, was taken aback by their reactions.
What’s wrong with you guys?
Did he say he was going to save Ace?
He definitely didn’t.
Didn’t he?
…Okay, well, he wasn’t planning to do it.
Saving Ace wouldn’t be easy.
The Marines aren’t stupid.
Now that they knew about his long-range teleportation ability, they’d definitely station someone strong in Impel Down.
Merry—she’d mentioned earlier.
Right now, there’s probably an old geezer snoozing right next to Ace, huh?
If Vir went in, that old man would probably bash his brains out.
Only Luffy could sneak a peek.
Anyone else who tried would be toast.
“No, I meant I won’t get stuck there. I won’t be in danger…” Vir clarified.
With Merry around, he’d be fine no matter what.
But whoever went with him? That’s another story.
The plan was simple.
He’d transform into Boa Hancock’s appearance, then stuff Luffy something small and discreet, and just smuggle him in.
He’s rubber, right? Squeeze hard enough, and he’d fit anywhere.
Why bring Luffy instead of just teleporting in himself?
Simple—only Luffy could stir up the kind of chaos they’d need.
Without that chaos, Vir couldn’t make a move.
Because Garp wasn’t just there to take a nap…