Hiding in the Walls and Floors

"Alright, Buggy. Tell me everything you know about Impel Down. I need information." Cherry said.

"Well, there's the Chief Warden Magellan, he's a poison man. Very dangerous. The Vice Warden Hannyabal is incompetent. There's also the 4 jailer beasts I've heard about, they're very strong zoan fruit users I think." Buggy started to explain.

"There are five levels of Impel Down, so Ace ought to be in the 5th one. I don't know how to navigate any of them except this one though." Buggy said.

"Five levels? Aren't there seven levels?" Cherry asked, which Buggy responded to with a shrug.

'Maybe the last two levels are a secret or something? The man I think is probably Ace is on the seventh.' Cherry thought.

"Okay, you'll lead me to the entrance to the second level. You can either come with me from there, or stay and hope that I can pick you up on the way out." Cherry said.

"And I'll say you shouldn't try to escape on your own. The warships outside aren't paddle boats and the prison is inside the calm belt. Even if you get outside, the only way out is through the giant gate." Cherry added.

Buggy seriously considered this choice. He definitely didn't want to go further down, but he didn't want to get left behind either. Cherry made a good point that he almost certainly couldn't escape by himself too. He hadn't actually thought that far in his escape fantasies.

"Ugh, I'll go with you. But why can't you just move through the walls like this?" Buggy asked, gesturing around himself.

"Because it's slow, I can't see where I'm going, if someone on the stronger side notices me somehow I can't dodge, etcetera. Plus, I'd no reason to bring you along if I could, so I wouldn't complain if I were you." Cherry explained.

"How do you plan to get Ace out anyways. You just said escape is nearly impossible." Buggy changed the subject.

"I'm not going to tell you that. You've got the face of a snitch. You'll rat me out the moment your skin is on the line." Cherry stated bluntly.

Buggy's face showed he was greatly offended, but soon after he nodded sagely because that was absolutely true.

"I'll open up the wall into the corridor. We'll have to be quick to avoid notice. You stop when I say stop and go when I say go, got it?" Cherry squinted her eyes while poking his chest to drive home that this wasn't up for debate. Buggy gulped and waggled his head up and down in affirmation.

Cherry opened up the wall and pushed Buggy out of the hole. "Lead the way."

"Okay, hold my feet so I can fly. It'll be faster and quieter that way!" Buggy whisper, detaching from his feet by the ankles.

They made very fast progress with Buggy flying high up out of sight and Cherry's unusual footwork that was both quick and difficult to follow with the eyes.

Cherry would signal for him to stop when she sensed a surveillance den den mushi coming up and they would pass by it's sight through the wall before continuing onwards.

The hallway opened up into a vast chamber filled with razor sharp red trees and grass, as well as numerous venomous insects and arachnids.

"This is the first level, the Crimson Hell." Buggy whispered.

"It'll be easy enough to avoid the sight of the guard balcony overlooking it." Cherry said, before jumping down into the hellscape below.

Cherry landed with a crunch as the needle-like grass was crushed under her feet, unable to pierce her tough skin and flesh.

Buggy followed close behind until they eventually found their way to the center of the room where a large hole could be seen leading down to the next floor.

Cherry waited a few moments, then confidently hopped down into the hole. Buggy hesitated, still not completely sure he wanted to go further down, but ultimately he chose to follow and place his bets on Cherry's capabilities.

The next level was called the Wild Beast Hell because it was filled with many vicious beasts. This level would actually be easier to navigate as Cherry didn't need to avoid most of the beasts, as they would instinctually fear and avoid her.

Coincidentally, one of the prisoners on this level was someone that Cherry had met before, Mr. 3. Cherry would not be helping him escape, he could rot here forever for all she cared.

Buggy didn't know anything about this floor, so they had to search it more thoroughly. Cherry didn't mind so much as they had plenty of time before Ace's execution date.

Cherry spotted something in her peripheral vision, a certain part of a wall behind some sleeping beasts that struck her as odd somehow. She snuck passed the sleeping beasts quickly to reach the wall with Buggy floating overhead.

Inspecting the wall, she found the reason she thought it was strange. It was actually a secret door of some kind. Where it led, though, was a complete unknown. Still she decided to take a chance on it, as it couldn't be much more dangerous than being out in the open.

She pushed on the wall and it swiveled, allowing herself and Buggy to pass through and closed up behind them. Before them was a narrow passageway that didn't seem like it was often traveled through, a good sign.

They both ventured at a downward trajectory that went on for quite a while. Soon it became clear that it was likely leading to a particular gathering of individuals around where Cherry believed to be the sixth level.

The raucous sounds of a party could be heard as the path stopped going downwards and leveled out.

"Why does it sound like a party? Is it the guards celebrating something?" Buggy wondered aloud.

They came to a set of double wooden doors and Cherry pushed them open, much to Buggy's dismay. Cherry already figured out these people couldn't be guards by the sounds of they made and the conversations she overheard.

The large room was well lit unlike the corridor and a large number of people, many with flamboyant fashion, ate and drank and danced and sang. On a stage by the far wall a tall woman with a purple afro and skimpy red leotard was singing bad karaoke whilst the crowd cheered.

"Who's this? New faces? I'm afraid you'll have to die, we can't let the secret of our paradise here be revealed!" The woman said in a sing song voice. "NOT REALLY~"

"Haha, you really fooled them Iva!" Someone shouted, others joined in with similar sentiments.

Although everyone in the room seemed relaxed, Cherry saw through it. They had just enough tension to act against them at a moment's notice if they needed to. Especially this Iva woman, she was a devil fruit user and a highly skilled martial artist.

"You're free to stay here, but know that this is a judgement free area." Spoke a man whose left half was in orange and right in white. "By the way, your dress is in some disrepair, would you like me to tailor it for you?"

Cherry clasped the hand of the man that wasn't holding a wine glass aloft. "Forget the dress, please make get me some proper martial arts clothes!"

Cherry didn't mind wearing a dress for a little while for Robin's sake, but she'd been wearing this dress for over 3 days. At least she could keep it clean, but it still didn't feel right.

Buggy on the other hand wasn't too fazed by the scene before him. His crew, while they weren't okamas, were somewhat flamboyant in their own ways, so he adapted to the atmosphere easily enough. He went to get a drink, since it's been a while.

"I think I'll stay here while you do your business." Buggy said. He figured that even if Cherry failed, he would at least be safe and comfortable here.