Chapter 12: Support

At this moment, inside Marine Headquarters.

Sengoku braced both hands on the desk, brows tightly knit, a grave expression on his face as he stared at the sea chart before him; the planned time was drawing ever closer, and now even the slightest mistake could cause the plan to fail.

Purupuru, purupuru...

The Den Den Mushi's urgent ringing shattered the office's silence.

Sengoku frowned, reached out, and picked up the Den Den Mushi.

"Hello, this is Sengoku. What is it?"

From the other end came a Marine soldier's anxious, slightly trembling voice: "R-report, Fleet Admiral! A jailbreak has occurred at Impel Down! Former Warlord of the Sea Jinbe, Former Warlord of the Sea Crocodile the Sand Crocodile, and Whitebeard's Second Division Commander Fire Fist Ace, plus one criminal of unknown identity — four men have joined forces to stage a breakout!"

"What?!" Sengoku shot to his feet, his face instantly turning iron-blue. "Where are they now? How are Impel Down's defenses holding?"

"Reporting, Fleet Admiral," the Den Den Mushi's voice grew even more frantic, "the four criminals are extremely powerful; our guards simply cannot stop them. Vice Warden Hannibal and many Prison Guards have fallen in battle, the entire prison is in chaos, and countless prisoners have taken the opportunity to escape!"

"Bang!" Sengoku slammed his fist down hard on the desk; the tabletop instantly split open with a crack.

"That bastard Magellan, what's he doing at the critical moment?!" Sengoku asked through gritted teeth.

The voice on the other end trembled even harder: "R-reporting, Fleet Admiral, Warden Magellan engaged the four escapees and sustained heavy injuries..."

"Bastard!" Sengoku took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "If Ace manages to escape, then the entire Marine, no, the entire World Government will lose all face!"

Sengoku seized the Den Den Mushi and barked an order: "Immediately seal off all entrances and exits of Impel Down! Mobilize all nearby forces; stop the criminals from escaping at all costs!"

"The prison must be held to the death until reinforcements arrive; absolutely do not let them break through the line! Reinforcements will arrive soon; make sure these criminals are brought to justice!"

"Yes, Fleet Admiral!" The soldier's firm reply came from the other end.

Sengoku hung up, then opened the safe beside him, picked up a specially made yellow Den Den Mushi; its shell bore the Marine insignia, clearly a special device for communication among high-ranking officers.

Sengoku dialed the number; the call connected quickly.

"Moshi moshi~" A lazy voice came from the other end, accompanied by sounds of chaotic fighting.

"Aaaah! Stop hitting me! I surrender! I surrend—" A pirate's scream came through the receiver.

Immediately followed by another roar: "Bastard! You Marines, don't think just because... ugh ah!"

"Ara ara, truly a bunch of disobedient pirates~" Kizaru's lazy voice rang out again, seemingly utterly unaffected by the surrounding chaos.

Listening to the commotion on the other end, Sengoku's brows knit tight: "Kizaru, it's quite lively on your end."

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, do you have orders? I'm just cleaning up some restless fellows here." Kizaru's tone remained lazy, as if discussing a trivial matter.

Sengoku said at once: "A jailbreak has occurred at Impel Down; Fire Fist Ace is escaping. You go to Impel Down at your fastest speed right now; you must stop them!"

"Ace-kun? How scary~" Kizaru feigned terror. "That's Whitebeard's Second Division Commander, you know; these old bones of mine probably aren't his match~"

Hearing the reply, Sengoku's tone instantly turned severe. He sharply raised his volume and rebuked: "Kizaru! You know full well how important this is; there cannot be the slightest carelessness! If he escapes, the consequences are unthinkable!"

Sengoku took a deep breath, his tone still stern and brooking no refusal: "Kizaru, you are a Marine Headquarters Admiral, bearing the heavy duty of protecting Justice. Right now, Impel Down urgently needs your support. I don't care what method you use; you must arrive on scene at the earliest possible moment and stop the criminals' jailbreak at all costs. Understood?"

The other end fell silent for a moment, then Kizaru's voice came through, the laziness in his tone reduced by a few degrees, a touch of seriousness added: "Understood."

Kizaru hung up, gaze sweeping over the pirate ship below. Kizaru lifted his right foot, seemingly casually giving a light kick, yet his toe instantly erupted with astonishing power.

Boom! The pirates beneath his foot had no time to react; the entire pirate ship shattered in an instant as if struck by a giant hammer. Planks flew in all directions, the hull snapped in two, and the pirates' screams intertwined with the crashing of seawater.

Then Kizaru took a deep breath, his body instantly turning into a blinding beam of light, flying toward Impel Down at a speed the naked eye could barely catch, leaving only an afterimage behind.

At this moment, inside Impel Down.

Orochimaru and the others swiftly passed through the prison corridors, arriving before the final great gate leading to the outside.

At this moment the gate was already closed.

Crocodile lowered his head to look at the tightly shut iron gate, his golden hook lightly tapping the wall with a crisp sound. The corner of his mouth curled into a cold, disdainful smile.

"A mere door, and it wants to stop me?"

He raised his right hand and lightly touched the iron gate.

"Shhla."

In an instant, a stream of fine sand sprayed from Crocodile's fingertips, spreading rapidly like countless gnawing ants, swiftly covering the entire gate; soon the whole gate had turned into a pile of fine sand.

"A truly convenient ability." Orochimaru murmured, "No hand seals or preparation needed to launch an attack."

A glint of interest showed in his eyes, the corner of his mouth curving slightly upward: "The power of a Devil Fruit, huh."

Soon the prisoners rushed out of Impel Down, but the sight before them made their faces instantly fall.

The Marine warships that had originally been moored nearby — not a single one remained in sight.

Crocodile narrowed his eyes and gave a cold snort: "Damn it... the Marines have withdrawn all the ships."

The prisoners looked at each other in dismay, chatter rising; anxiety and unease permeated the crowd — with no ships, they could only stay here waiting for the Marines to catch them.

Orochimaru scanned the surroundings, then suddenly spoke: "Not all of them have withdrawn."

The moment his words fell, everyone's gazes focused on him.

Crocodile turned to look at Orochimaru, a flash of anticipation in his eyes. All along the way, the extraordinary means this mysterious man had displayed had already given him a whole new grasp of his strength.

"You have a way?"

Orochimaru didn't speak; he went to the platform's edge, hands rapidly forming hand seals: "Hundred Snakes Surveillance Technique!"

As the words fell, a mass of snakes surged from his body like a flood, swiftly slithering in all directions, feeding the surrounding scenery back to Orochimaru.

As the snake swarm spread, more and more information flooded into Orochimaru's mind. He closed his eyes, expression intent, as if sketching a meticulous map in his brain.

A moment later, the silhouettes of a group of ships appeared in his perception. It was a small Marine fleet, quietly moored in the distance.

Orochimaru snapped his eyes open, a smile tugging at his lips: "Found it."

(Chapter End)