[Third-person perspective]
After helping Luffy infiltrate the Undersea Prison, Hancock was guided by Chief Warden Magellan and his men down to Level 6, where she carried out her ostensible purpose of "getting a look at Fire Fist Ace."
She spoke a few words to Ace on that occasion, then retraced her steps back toward the prison's exit. Along the way, however...
"Tell me, Magellan, was it... Is what I heard earlier true? That the 'Pirate Literary Master' is... already dead?"
"Yes, it's true. Just the other day, there was an accident inside the prison... I'm not at liberty to go into details, for certain reasons, but... it was something entirely unexpected on our end as well."
From Hancock's perspective, Magellan did not appear to be lying.
And in fact, Magellan and all the staff working in the prison genuinely believed Sue and the others were dead. They believed they had been caught up in a feeding incident caused by overpopulated Wolf Units on Level 5, devoured along with other prisoners and guards.
No bodies had been found, but this was not considered unusual.
That was how far beyond concern such a detail was, because the scene of the incident could only be described as horrific. The corpses ravaged by the wolves were so mangled and scattered that it was impossible to tell how many people there had originally been, or which remains belonged to whom.
Many had been reduced to such small "fragments" that no one would have recognized them as human without prior knowledge. Even the Impel Down staff, accustomed as they were to witnessing brutal torture and executions on a daily basis, reportedly had people falling ill left and right.
The Government had issued orders to "break her spirit through torture and secure her commitment to cooperate with the Government," and the prisoner in question had been allowed to die. Not just Sue, but two others under identical circumstances as well. Magellan had been hearing quite a bit from the Government about this.
In the end, the matter was resolved with a judgment of "as long as the possibility of them becoming enemies has been prevented, we'll consider it acceptable." Fleet Admiral Sengoku of the Marines also expressed his understanding that it had been "an unfortunate accident," so no formal repercussions followed. But the tongue-lashing must have stung, because Magellan let out a sigh at the memory.
Hancock, meanwhile, perceived that they did not appear to be lying "intentionally," and yet... she touched the Vivre Card of Sue's hidden beneath her clothes.
A soft rustle, and the unmistakable texture confirmed it was still there against her fingers.
'I cannot begin to guess what happened that led them to believe her dead, but... well, as long as she is safe, that is enough. It was needless worry after all. She most likely has not escaped, but is still inside... hiding somewhere, I would think...'
Hancock recalled the movement of the Vivre Card she had checked just before bringing Luffy into the prison. At that time, Sue's Vivre Card had been straining downward, as if indicating that Sue herself was somewhere inside Impel Down.
'If I recall correctly, Sue was already acquainted with Luffy. If at all possible, I would like her to lend him her strength should something go wrong, but...'
***
[Sue's Perspective]
I knew it was coming, but still... after Luffy's infiltration, events barreled forward at breakneck speed.
Luffy promptly threw away his promise, or rather warning, from Hancock to "not cause a scene." Well, to be fair, it wasn't entirely his fault. He tore through the levels in a rampage, descending deeper and deeper.
On Level 1 he freed Buggy, on Level 2 Mr. 3, and on Level 3 Bon-chan, steadily growing his roster of allies.
Along the way he defeated the Sphinx, the beast lord of Level 2, and Minotaurus of the Jailer Beasts, scattering guards and jailers as he pressed forward with unstoppable momentum.
The Newkamas watching on the monitors were going absolutely wild.
We got to watch too, from a spot off to the side. Sandwich courtesy of Beauty in hand.
But on Level 4, he ran into Chief Warden Magellan. He didn't go down without landing a blow of his own, but between the Hydra and the barrage of other poisons, he was overwhelmed and collapsed.
Afterward, under Magellan's orders that "he'll die on his own, but get him out of the way," Luffy was sent to Level 5.
There's no surveillance equipment on Level 5, so we couldn't see what happened after that, but if things followed the Original Work, Bon-chan would risk his life to save Luffy, then wander Level 5 in desperate search of "Iva-san, the Miracle Worker," and collapse somewhere along the way.
And in the Original Work, Inazuma would find them and bring them to Newkama Land, but this time, I went instead.
I'm a mutual friend of both Luffy and Bon-chan, and on a personal level, I just couldn't leave them.
He must have been using Conqueror's Haki unconsciously. I found the two of them passed out in the middle of a sea of wolves and carried them to Newkama Land.
On the way, Luffy regained consciousness.
"...Huh, where... am I...!? I... Sue...!?"
"Oh, thank goodness... You're still alive, Luffy."
He could barely see, it seemed. At least he could still speak.
Even so... he was barely breathing. The poison looked like it was progressing rapidly.
"How come... I thought you got... caught... but, no handcuffs or... nothing...? Ugh, gah...!"
"Shh, it's fine, stop talking, Luffy. The poison's gotta be killing you, and you're practically frostbitten all over."
"Agh, ghhh...! Please, Sue... help me...!"
"I know, I know. I'll help you, just hold o--"
"Help Bon-chan... please...! Treat him... he's... my friend...!"
"..."
Ah. Right. That's the kind of guy you are.
Friends and crewmates before yourself. Doesn't matter if you're on the verge of death. Whatever the cost, whoever you have to defy, that's always the first thing on your mind.
Always honest with yourself. If you think something's right, if you want to do something, you do it. If something rubs you the wrong way, you won't allow it, and once you've made up your mind, nothing anyone says will change it.
It's exactly because you're like that, that the Straw Hat Pirates follow you. That former enemies like Bon-chan become your friends. That Hancock fell head over heels for you.
And it's probably why even someone like me, who knows the "Original Work," ends up thinking, 'I want to help this guy.'
"Please, Sue...!"
"...Relax. I'll save both of you. I couldn't face Hancock otherwise."
After that, we arrived at Newkama Land. Just like in the Original Work, Iva-san began Luffy's brutal treatment with Healing Hormones.
Bon-chan's injuries were fairly serious but within the range of normal medical treatment, so we patched him up ourselves in short order.
From there, a lull.
Until Bon-chan woke up, there was nothing in particular to do or that could be done.
So I ate a hearty meal in the cafeteria to fuel up for the chaos that was sure to follow, then returned to my room and ran through all the final checks on various things.
And now, it was time for mental focus.
I was trying out a method I'd once seen in a manga.
Holding the Seven Star Sword in my right hand, I balanced a wineglass filled about halfway with water on the flat of the blade.
Then, with the momentum of swinging the sword upward, I tossed the wineglass straight into the air...
Clang!
I flicked it with the blade, careful not to break it.
The glass was just ordinary glass, so the slightest error in force or blade angle would shatter it instantly, scattering the water everywhere.
Clang! Clang! Ting-ting-ting! Ting-ting! Ting-ting-ting-ting...
To prevent that, I had to read the tilt and trajectory of the glass as it bounced through the air, then move the sword with sub-millimeter precision, flicking it again and again to keep it aloft, never letting it fall...
Clang!
And finally, I caught the flicked glass back on the flat of the blade.
Success. Not a single chip or crack on the wineglass, and not a single drop of water spilled.
That made ten consecutive successes. Even I had to admit, I'd gotten pretty ridiculously good at this stunt.
Dynamic vision, precision of movement, control of force... every aspect was on a dramatically higher level than before.
'Could this also be a form of what Zoro and others talked about in the Original Work? The "sword that cuts nothing"? No, wait, that was more of a... communicating your will to the blade kind of thing, pretty spiritual stuff... Well, whatever.'
While I was pondering this, a hand reached in from the side and plucked the glass right off the blade.
Then Alice knocked back the water inside. What are you doing?
"Ahh~... Mmm, must be delicious because it's infused with the divine blessings of Mom's godlike technique."
"That's definitely a placebo, dummy. What's up? Did Bon-chan wake up, by any chance?"
"Right you are. Iva-san sent me to come get you. Said there's going to be some explaining about this place, and since you already know the guy, you should probably be there."
"Makes sense... Got it. I'll head over right now."
"Need a towel? For the sweat... actually, you're not sweating, are you?"
Nope. This was mental focus, not exercise.
This much wouldn't even make me break a sweat. Apparently I'd done a good job keeping my mind calm, because I hadn't even gotten nervous enough for sweaty palms.
"...Hey, Mom?"
"? What is it, Alice?"
"You're... planning to do something, aren't you?"
"!"
Out of nowhere, without any preamble, Alice just said it, plain as day.
...Well, I mean, I had been doing this whole mental focus routine, putting out a pretty intense atmosphere. A kid with instincts as sharp as hers could probably pick up on that easily enough.
On top of that, Luffy's presence, currently undergoing treatment, seemed to be another piece of evidence she'd factored in.
"'Straw Hat Luffy'... Mom's acquaintance, and the one Leona was indebted to on Sky Island, right? He's brothers with 'Fire Fist Ace,' currently imprisoned on Level 6, and he broke in to save him... Given the timing, Hancock-san arranged it, didn't she? Are you planning to help him too, Mom?"
"...Depending on how things play out, maybe. I mean, it's been fun here, but... this is still a prison at the end of the day. I've always intended to get out if the chance came along. Can't just leave Suzu and Leona missing me forever, right?"
"Ni-hi-hi-hi, that's right!"
I left it at that for now.
It came out a little evasive, but the end result would be the same. Probably.
"Goes without saying, but if you're going, I'm going too, okay? Let's break out together."
"When the time comes, I'll take you with me, don't worry. You think I'd leave just you behind in a place like this?"
I mean, in less than half a day, there was probably going to be a full-scale riot with practically all of Newkama Land mobilized. Unless someone actively chose to stay behind, we'd all be rampaging together.
"Well then, let's go see Bon-chan. It's been about ten hours since I picked them up... He slept quite a while. Then again, his injuries were pretty bad, so I can't blame him."
Did he sleep about this long in the Original Work too?
Glancing at the wall clock and briefly wondering, I headed off to where Bon-chan was.
From there, things moved along at a brisk clip once more.
Since the substance is the same as the original... forgive me if this reads a bit like a highlight reel.
After reuniting with Bon-chan and sharing our relief that each other was safe, the "Don't you dare underestimate miracles!" speech from Iva-san had already been delivered after seeing Luffy's condition. I joined Iva-san in explaining the situation to Bon-chan.
The origins of Newkama Land, how it sits between Levels 5 and 6, and the assessment that Luffy's recovery probably wouldn't be in time before Ace's execution.
And then Bon-chan, alone, cheered tirelessly for Luffy as he fought the poison.
The Newkamas who had initially watched with a mix of exasperation gradually joined in the cheering.
I jumped in partway through too. I wanted to cheer for Luffy, and I wanted to cheer just as much for Bon-chan, who was doing the cheering.
Since doing it the same way as Bon-chan and the others, rally-squad style, wouldn't bring anything new to the table, Alice came up with the idea. Together with Alice, Blume, Beauty, and over a dozen female-type Newkama volunteers, we did a cheerleading routine.
Pom-poms in both hands, miniskirts, midriff-baring outfits.
...After changing, I remembered my actual age and felt a bit weird about it, but I made a deliberate effort not to care and just danced.
We hadn't worked out any choreography in advance, so it was completely improvised. Everyone just did whatever felt cheerleader-ish. Split jumps, panty-flashing front high kicks, C-jumps, that kind of thing. (I don't actually know the names for any of these.)
We also did a human pyramid, standing on each other's shoulders.
And then,
"I'm all betteeeer~~!!!"
He's BACK!
Monkey D. Luffy is BACK!
Monkey D. Luffy is BACK!
Monkey D. Luffy is BACK!
Monkey D. Luffy is BACK!
Monkey D. Luffy is BACK!
In barely a single day, he conquered the poison, then devoured and absorbed several days' worth of Newkama Land's food supply, kicking his death sentence square in the teeth.
Honestly, the miraculous recovery, Bon-chan's rallying cry of friendship... even knowing what was coming, watching it unfold was genuinely moving. My heart is seriously swelling right now.
And along with that, I've got this heat building inside me. This burning desire to take this wave of emotion, put pen to paper, and just write. A fire in my chest I haven't felt in years! Fuel injection, baby!!
...But unfortunately... truly, genuinely unfortunately, there was no time for that from here on out!
It was already past 8:30 AM on the day of Ace's execution.
From here, in just six hours, before the execution at 3 PM, events would cascade in a torrent, and one way or another, everything would come to an end.
If things followed the Original Work, both Ace and Whitebeard would die, and Luffy would be left with deep scars on his heart. But in this world, what would happen...? Oh!
"Hey, thanks to you too, Sue! I'm alive because of you!"
Luffy suddenly appeared right in front of me, startling me. For someone who'd been on death's door just moments ago, he was impossibly sprightly. His movements, his expression... no, his whole emotional energy.
"Ahaha... Don't mention it, really, it's nothing. More importantly, even if you're cured, you still haven't shaken the fatigue, right? You cheated death here, so you really should rest properly..."
I said it anyway, even though I could predict what his answer would be. He was visibly unsteady, and if you looked closely, his knees were shaking.
Going into battle in this condition, at the risk of sounding harsh... was sheer insanity.
But, true to form, Luffy shook his head vigorously.
"No time for that! I already lost so much time... I gotta go save Ace! ...But where is this? Where do I go to get to Ace?"
If anything, my words had flipped the switch in his brain straight to Ace's rescue.
He pulled out Ace's Vivre Card, checking its current direction. Still pointing downward. Probably hadn't been transferred yet.
"Sue! Sorry to keep asking you for stuff, but... look after Bon-chan for me! Once I save Ace, I'll come back for you guys, I promise! And if you can, tell me where Ace is. Actually, where am I right now? What level is this?"
"Whoa, slow down, that's way too many questions at once. Calm down. Ace isn't going to run awa... well, actually, he might get escorted out if you dawdle. Yeah, you genuinely don't have time."
"Before you go, here. Your hat and clothes, Mugiwara-san."
"Oh, thanks! ...I don't know who you are, though!"
Ah, that's my daughter. The youngest one.
Even at a time like this, Alice was running on her usual settings, watching Luffy change with a grinning smirk.
He wasn't exactly chiseled, but Luffy had defined abs and a pretty decent body.
...But if you go after that one, you'll make an enemy of Hancock, so knock it off.
Keep it to eye candy at most.
And then, afterward, Luffy let something slip during casual conversation...
"Dad!!!?"
That earth-shattering lineage was revealed, and just like that, Iva-san decided to cooperate with Luffy out of obligation to his father, Monkey D. Dragon.
With the plan now to attempt a jailbreak together after rescuing Ace, the order went out to all of Newkama Land: "Those who wish to come, steel yourselves for death, prepare for combat, and stand by."
Naturally, I was going to be part of this, but...
'From here on out, I think I'll be operating on my own script...'
Well then. Time to rewrite the Original Work.
To be continued...