The Lunarian's Guide to the Blue World

Phase 1.2: Why ya' mad buddy?!

"Magellan will be drawn to our position. This gate is big - they will certainly see that it's opening. We should move. Quickly," the whale-shark added to the conversation as the group dashed into the wastelands without further ado.

Navigating through the seemingly endless desert and its hungry, halfway-collapsing corridors, the tension was palpable. Nemo's heart raced as her eyes scanned for any signs of danger while focusing on Luffy's location displayed on her digital bracelet. The energy output for her thermo-parasitic body was severe, gravity adding to the crushing sensation, yet she refrained from showing signs of exhaustion openly. Regardless of her physical condition, her mind remained as sharp as an obsidian blade. Unfortunately for her, every new foolproof plan seemed to encounter an even more unpredictable fool.

Not having an idea just how disastrous this rubber-guy could be, despite the countless stories Ace had shared during their stay in the cell, she had underestimated the rubber-brain's knack for chaos and his ability to derail even the most ingeniously crafted guide for a successful, and mostly secretive prison break. So much for stealth, huh?

At first, everything went smoothly. The party dodged groups of guards patrolling and searching for the Strawhat. Nemo used her cracker-bots to open more cells on levels 3, 4 and 5, creating a chaotic diversion as the released inmates were quickly intercepted by the infamous king of the toilets: Magellan and his squad.

A wonderfully executed plan, or so she thought. They spotted Luffy in the distance. Ace gestured towards him to keep quiet and stay covered from the guards' sight. Just as they were about to make their move, a loud crash echoed through the halls, and Nemo confirmed once again the second law of thermodynamics: The state of entropy of the entire universe, as an isolated system, will always increase over time.

"ACCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Strawhat thundered, his jovial, happy voice echoing loudly enough for everyone in the entire hall to hear his enthusiastic outburst, increasingly the delicacy of the plan by a factor of 100.

"F*ck me...."

"What was that?" Magellan stood still, keeping his guards on hold as he picked up the source of the sound he longed for.

Swinging his arms into the air, Ace shushed that airheaded idiot from afar, halfway yelling, "Shhh - KEEP QUIET, YOU IDIOT, AND STAY DOWN!"

Jinbe grunted, and Nemo facepalmed herself.

Stealth—yeah, AGAIN - so much for 'stealth'!

Swinging himself over, the dimwit crashed into the Fire Fist to hug him, forcing him to lose balance and fall to the ground.

"ACE! I found you! HAHAHA! I'm so happy to see you! Are you breaking out? I've come to help you —did they really want to execute you?" Hastily, a barrage of questions dropped, before his brother pushed him off of him and slapped the back of his head.

"OUCH! HEY WHAT DID I - "

"SHHHHHHHHHHHHH! LUFFY!"

"Shhhh, both of you!"

"What did I do?!"

"What the hell are you even doing here? Are you crazy? And I said be quiet. We caused a distraction. That ain't working when you're drawing attention to us right now. Got that?!" The Fire Fist scowled at his little rascal, swinging his arm around Luffy's neck in a half-nelson. He tightened his grip playfully, rubbing his knuckles over his audacious scalp in a noogie, hopelessly trying to teach him somewhat of a brotherly lesson. "I swear, you're driving me mad, do you know that?" Squeezing a bit tighter before finally letting go, the corners of his mouth twitched, forming a fond smile despite the situation.