After the fighting ended, Luffy was received by the Empress as a guest in her castle. Jiang Lin, however, the "annoying pest," was forced to remain outside under the watch of the Kuja warriors.
"He's dangerous. If he makes the slightest suspicious move—kill him without mercy!"
Recalling the Empress's order to her subordinates, Jiang Lin could only smile bitterly and shake his head. He hadn't even done anything to her—was such treatment necessary?
After what seemed like endless waiting, the Empress finally let Luffy go. That evening, she hosted a grand banquet in honor of Luffy and Jiang Lin. Yet when the feast ended, a piece of news dropped Luffy straight into the depths of despair:
"Portgas D. Ace is to be executed publicly!"
Jiang Lin's face grew as grim as Luffy's when he heard the announcement. Just like him, Jiang Lin would act to save Ace—this time, he was determined to use his strength to change fate.
"Akainu! I've already obtained the powers of the Glint-Glint Fruit and the Love-Love Fruit. Once I get Blackbeard's Dark-Dark Fruit as well, I don't think I won't be able to stop you!"
Clutching a cup of Kuja-brewed liquor, Jiang Lin glared into the distance.
That very night, at Luffy's request, the Empress set out for Impel Down—bringing Jiang Lin along.
Across the windless Calm Belt, the great sea serpent hauled the Kuja Pirates' ship steadily toward Vice Admiral Momonga's warship.
"So, you finally came."
Tearing off a hunk of roasted Sea King meat with his teeth, Momonga looked at the Empress impatiently.
"The conditions are the same as discussed over the Den Den Mushi."
The Empress replied with calm composure.
"Your request to enter Impel Down has already been approved. The only ones boarding are you and that snake, correct?"
Momonga's hand rested warily on his sword as he eyed her.
"Tch… Luffy's got it good. Too bad, I'll just have to slip through on my own."
At the stern of the Kuja ship, Jiang Lin seized the moment Momonga wasn't paying attention and vanished in a flash, sneaking aboard the warship's cabin. He had already arranged this with the Empress: boarding the ship, he would manage himself—but entering Impel Down, he would have no choice but to cling to her, just like Luffy.
It wasn't that Jiang Lin wanted to take advantage of the Empress, but there was simply no other way to slip inside unnoticed. Especially now, ever since Ace had been imprisoned, the security surrounding Impel Down was many times stricter than usual.
If he could avoid raising an alarm, Jiang Lin naturally preferred not to waste time fighting outside the prison.
After several days of voyage, the warship finally reached Impel Down.
Led by Vice Admiral Momonga, Jiang Lin and Luffy clung to the folds of the Empress's gown, moving step by step toward the prison gates.
Inside a holding chamber, once the Empress had petrified the assistant jailer and the surveillance Den Den Mushi, Jiang Lin and Luffy slipped out from beneath her robes.
"From here on, we split up."
Jiang Lin glanced at the Empress and Luffy as he laid out his plan.
Impel Down was filled with prisoners—meaning his system could absorb countless Devil Fruits. For the sake of what lay ahead, he intended to hunt down suitable powers first.
"Got it! Then let's split up."
Stretching his arms, Luffy clung to the ceiling with ease.
Seeing this, Jiang Lin followed suit, scrambling onto the Empress's head.
Once the Empress lifted her petrification and completed the frisking check, Jiang Lin and Luffy each slipped out of the chamber, officially stepping into Impel Down.
Not long after they left, alarms suddenly blared across Level 1.
"Buggy? His ability could be pretty useful for me, too."
Jiang Lin paused before the massive gate to the first level. The Impel Down arc was too complex—even though he'd seen it all before, he couldn't remember every detail. All he recalled was the beginning with Buggy's escape, and later, Blackbeard's crew.
"Forget it. No point overthinking. I'll just fight my way down, one floor at a time."
With a faint smile, Jiang Lin raised his foot and slammed it against the gate.
BOOM!
The deafening crash instantly drew the surveillance room's attention.
"Alert! Level 1 gate breached! Repeat—Level 1 gate breached!"
The shrill alarm echoed across the Crimson Hell of the first floor.
"Move, quickly! The Level 1 gate's been destroyed!"
Marines armed with rifles rushed through the shattered gate into Level 1.
Inside the Crimson Hell, Jiang Lin's presence drew attention wherever he went. Prisoners shouted at him—threatening, begging, bribing him to steal the key for them.
"Shut up already! If you want the key, get it yourselves!"
Annoyed, Jiang Lin unleashed the power of the Love-Love Fruit, petrifying every prisoner he encountered inside their cells.
"Damn this cursed charm…"
Fixing his hair in a mirror, Jiang Lin left the now-silent cell block behind.
"R-report! Many prisoners on Level 1 have been petrified—suspected to be the work of the Empress!"
When the report reached Deputy Warden Hannyabal, who was at that moment riding the elevator with the Empress, he shouted furiously into the Den Den Mushi:
"Impossible! The Empress is right here with me. No—this means an intruder must have infiltrated Impel Down!"
Lowering the receiver, Hannyabal's lips curled into a grin.
"Looks like the Warden's seat will be mine after all."
He quickly filed a report to headquarters.
"An intruder? Want me to help?"
Momonga's expression turned grim. He didn't want to waste too much time in Impel Down, but if something went wrong here and he, as a Vice Admiral, failed to act, the blame would fall on him when Marine HQ found out.
Meanwhile, at Marineford, Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat in command, bracing for Whitebeard's arrival. Just then, a call came in from Impel Down.
"What? Impel Down's been breached? Who's on-site? …Understood!"
Sengoku's face darkened as he turned to Akainu. This entire scheme had been laid to lure Whitebeard out—and now, with the bait possibly being stolen, how could he endure it?
"Aokiji! I'm sending you. Escort Ace to Marineford at all costs."
Setting down the receiver, Sengoku finally made his decision.
"Leave it to me."
Without another word, Aokiji accepted the mission and left at once.
"Whitebeard… this war can no longer be avoided."
Leaning back heavily in his chair, Sengoku stared ahead. In his eyes, Aokiji, Impel Down, and Marineford had already been drawn into the vast tide of this great war.