Kaede wasn't about to just sit there any longer. It was time to get out of this cramped, shabby little cell.
The moment her feet stepped past the threshold, two figures appeared before her—one in prisoner's stripes with a clown nose (Buggy), and the other wearing a straw hat (Luffy).
"Oi, Straw Hat. I know something about your brother. Can you unlock these handcuffs for me?"
The voice from behind made Luffy stop mid-sprint.
"You know about Ace? Tell me right now!"
He didn't know who Kaede was, but if it had even a shred to do with Ace, Luffy wasn't going to miss it.
"You've got it wrong. I'm not talking about your older brother, Ace—I mean your second brother, Sabo. He's alive. He's with the Revolutionary Army… and he's their Chief of Staff."
"You… you mean it? Don't lie to me!"
His body trembled uncontrollably, his mind going blank. Sabo and Ace were the most important people in his life—irreplaceable. But Sabo had vanished during the chaos in the Goa Kingdom when they were kids. Luffy had thought he was dead. Now, Kaede's words sparked a fragile ember of hope in him, and he couldn't help but confirm it.
"It's true. But… he suffered a serious head injury. His memory's a mess—he doesn't remember the past."
The benefits of being a transmigrator meant Kaede could easily gain Luffy's trust. Sabo really was alive—and it had been Luffy's own father who saved him.
"Sabo's alive… Sabo's alive. I have to rescue Ace, and then tell him the news!"
"Buggy, unlock her handcuffs. We'll save Ace together."
"Oi, oi… We don't even know if she's telling the truth. Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army? That's basically the second-in-command! You telling me your second brother's that strong?"
"My dad's the leader of the Revolutionary Army. You tell me if my brother's strong."
And just like that—the most awkward kind of silence fell. After Luffy dropped that piece of information, everyone just stared at him, jaws practically hitting the floor.
"Alright, yeah, I'm shocked too. But could you please unlock these handcuffs first?"
"Uh… sure. Right away."
Buggy was still mentally stuck on the whole "Luffy's dad is the Revolutionary leader" bombshell, so when Kaede asked, his hands moved on autopilot, unlocking the cuffs without a second thought.
As Kaede glanced at the dazed Buggy, her eyes flashed. She'd just acquired something incredible from him—Master-level Rend Lv7.
From Luffy, she'd only gotten Expert-level Navy Six Style—Soru Lv5. The Rend skill might have been the same concept level, but its effect and potential far outclassed Soru.
In the system shop, a skill like Soru cost less than half the exchange points of Rend. The difference spoke for itself.
Buggy's the user of the Chop-Chop Fruit, which lets him split his body into parts—making him immune to all cutting attacks. Even Mihawk, the world's greatest swordsman, couldn't cut him.
But Rend was… strange. The Chop-Chop Fruit only affects the user's body—it can't hurt the outside world. Yet Rend could directly damage external objects.
Kaede could only think of one explanation—Buggy's fruit had awakened.
For Paramecia users, only upon awakening could their powers affect the environment directly. If Buggy's fruit had truly awakened, then Rend made perfect sense.
And honestly? Despite Oda portraying Buggy as comic relief, two facts made Kaede certain he was more than he appeared:
First, he'd been an apprentice on the Pirate King Roger's ship alongside Red-Haired Shanks.
Second, Buggy was one of the earliest recurring characters—appearing before Mihawk, and with far more screentime.
Kaede was convinced—Buggy was hiding his true strength. Why? She didn't know. Maybe he wanted to keep a low profile. Maybe Roger had entrusted him with a mission. Or maybe something else entirely.
"I'm Luffy, the man who'll be King of the Pirates. This is Buggy."
Hearing his self-introduction in person made Kaede realize how much courage it took to say that. After all, almost everyone went to sea chasing the One Piece—and declaring you'd be King was basically declaring war on every other pirate out there.
"I'm Kaede."
"Yosh! Let's go save Ace together!"
With another companion, Luffy was all smiles, eager to rush ahead.
"Wait. I'm not going with you."
"Eh? Why not? Isn't it safer if we stick together?"
Luffy looked genuinely confused by her refusal.
Watching him, Kaede sighed. In the anime, she'd always thought Buggy suffered a lot thanks to Luffy's reckless optimism. Living it in person made her pity him even more—dragged from Level 1 all the way to Level 5 of Impel Down against his will.
"Sure, sticking together means we can cover each other. But it also means we're a bigger target. Too easy to draw the guards' attention.
If we split up, we're less likely to get caught, and the odds of saving Ace go up. Besides… I know how to get down there on my own."
"Whoa, Kaede, you're so smart! Let's do it your way. Buggy and I will go first!"
And without giving Buggy the slightest chance to object, Luffy grabbed him and charged forward.
"Wait! Why can't you go with Kaede? I'm fine on my own too—!!"
Buggy's screams echoed away until they vanished entirely. Meanwhile, Kaede began setting her own plan into motion.
The "less exposure" thing was true—but not the real reason. What she needed most right now was power.
Sure, she was stronger than when she'd first arrived—but compared to the enemies she'd soon face, she was still nothing more than cannon fodder.
That's where Impel Down came in—it was basically an unmined goldmine.
With the system, she could steal skills and abilities from others. Which meant: however many prisoners Impel Down held, that's how many chances she had to grow stronger. Some abilities would be duplicates—but with numbers that big, it didn't matter.
And going deeper meant more than just better prey. The system also handed out side missions alongside the main quest.
Reach Level 6 of Impel Down.Reward: 50,000 exchange points, 7 skill points.
Kaede's jaw nearly dropped. Compared to her first assassination mission's payout, this was astronomical. But the difficulty? On a whole different level.