Summary:
Luffy, Buggy, and Galdino find themselves on Level 3, a barren floor of extreme heat. There they are caught in a net by Seastone Saldeath, the goblin-like commander of the Blugori. However, thanks to the intervention of the Sphinx, they manage to escape. Buggy and Galdin manage to escape Luffy and meet up with the imprisoned Baroque Works agent Bentham, whose dungeon stint hasn’t dampened his spirits one bit.
Some guards on level 2 report a huge hole made by Luffy and his group. As they complain that the Sphinx might have fallen, the level 2 cells open and the prisoners begin to trudge out. They mount the guards full of revenge and thank Buggy for freeing them. They send guards to cling on for dear life. When the Blugori are ordered to Level 2, a message from Sengoku informs that Luffy and Ace are brothers because of D.
Meanwhile, at Marine HQ, Sengoku berates Garp for his humor over Luffy’s actions. After telling him about Luffy’s actions in Enies Lobby and the Sabaody Archipelago, Sengoku worries that this is unprecedented now that Impel Down is in an uproar due to the unrest. However, he is certain that Impel Down is an impregnable symbol of justice. Garp is just resting while eating some cookies. Sengoku informs the Vice Admiral that he and Tsuru need to keep the incident under wraps and confiscates the cookies.
In Impel Down, Luffy, his group, and the Sphinx land on level 3 because it resembles a hot desert with hot sand. Buggy complains that he never wanted to be level 3, and Galdino complains that his wax is melting from the heat. With no idea where the stairs are, Luffy and his group decide to search. As the heat begins to wear them down, they spot a hummingbird collapsing from the heat. Luffy begins to taste the fried bird.
Then Buggy spots some prison cells in the distance and hopes they can gain access to another stairwell. Luffy notices some of the prisoners who have endured the excruciating heat and are given very little to eat and drink. This is called a hungry hell. If they stay too long, they will disintegrate into sand. Buggy wants to take the stairs to the left, while Galdino hopes the pass to the right will lead them down. The guard informs someone of Luffy’s progress and the man on the other end says that everything is according to plan.
Meanwhile, the other prisoners continue to fight their way out without the guards being able to contact Magellan.
Buggy complains that the party is back where it started. As Buggy and Galdino protest and continue on, a net of anti-sea rocks is deployed to capture Luffy and his group. No one can break free. More guards arrive with Blugoris to hold them back. They are led by a small goblin, a man named Saldeath. Luffy mistakes Saldeath’s identity for a salmon. The guard informs Luffy that the other guards are demons below them. The Sphinx wakes up and starts shaking the web before breaking out and shouting out the names of the dishes.
As the guards chase after Luffy’s group, the young pirate takes out some of them with his Gum-Gum Gatling. Mr. 3 and Buggy decide to abandon Luffy and plan to sacrifice him. As the guards converge, Luffy continues to fight his way through the guards. The Sphinx is now on a rampage, so the Straw Hat Captain uses the distraction to escape.
In the elevator, Magellan informs Hancock that their group will soon arrive at Ace’s cell. The area is full of the most notorious criminals and Hancock requested access. The giant overseer also informs about the imprisonment of another former warrior.
As Buggy and Galdino recover, the staircase going up is closed. Then he hears French counting, which Galdino seems to recognize. From his cell, Bentham performs a song with his cellmates before sharing a kiss.