History Recap / OnePieceImpelDownArc

* ActuallyIAmHim: Luffy never got Blackbeard's name after their first meeting. So he's not exactly happy to find the bloke who encouraged him to find Skypiea was the guy who sent Ace to the gallows for his own ends.

** It was mentioned that a Devil Fruit user with the power to tunnel helped create the secret Level 5.5 where Emporio Ivankov and an army of Revolutionary soldiers as well as okama gather. Fast-forward to the Reverie Arc, revolutionary Morley is introduced. Morley is an okama with the power to move earth around freely, with an SBS confirming that he was the prisoner who created that area with the powers of the Push Push Fruit, though Ivankov doesn't know it was Morley the digger.

** Things were so dire in the Impel Down situation, that Magellan decided to temporarily release former Head Jailer Shiryu from death row, in order to suppress the riot and stop Blackbeard. Shiryu, however, [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder turned on Impel Down]] and cut off communications with the outside world (specifically Marine HQ and Mariejois), and slaughtered much of the staff in the process, making the situation worse.

* SpannerInTheWorks: The first ever break-in of Impel Down eventually led to its first ever mass break-''out''. The result of Luffy's actions tarnished the reputation of the jail so badly that in the aftermath of the next arc, it was mentioned that Magellan tried to commit ''suicide'' over it.

->''You pirates and rebels gained your reputations outside by commiting crimes! Civilians can't sleep at night fearing that their loved ones will lose their lives, and it's all because you scum dare to sail the seas! And that is why we imprision the most dangerous criminals around the world. To make sure that the defensless civilians can rest easy! This is the fortress of hell!''

* ForWantOfANail: Ivankov is quick to point out to Mr. 2 Bon Clay that Luffy's break-in would not go as far as it had if Shiryu wasn't imprisoned, as in addition to being equal in strength to Magellan, Shiryu was considered the more dangerous as he spent more hours than the former [[note]]Magellan thanks to his...culinary choices, is forced to spend most of hours relieving himself, and is therefore limited to 4 hours on duty in the prison. Shiryu, however, did not have such restrictions[[/note]], and as TheDragon to Magellan, Impel Down was impenetrable.

* TrueCompanions: In a setting where everyone is only looking out for themselves, Mr. 2 really displays this trope toward Luffy.

** Venom Demon spreads through anything it touches, the walls and floor included, it is said to be powerful enough to destroy Impel Down itself. Magellan only releases it in the last part of the arc once the inmates have reached Level 1 and Luffy has pushed him back thanks to Mr. 2's Wax-Wax fruit abilities.

* VillainProtagonist: Luffy doesn't have much ground to stand on morally or legally. Ace is a dangerous criminal and the government is mainly doing its job in putting him to death. The warden and other prison staff are not only standing in his way due to it being their job, but also too keep some truly dangerous locked up and away from the general public. Luffy may have sympathetic motivations in his actions, but there's no denying that he's being entirely selfish in not wanting to see his brother die.

* VillianProtagonist: Luffy doesn't have much ground to stand on morally or legally. Ace is a dangerous criminal and the government is mainly doing its job in putting him to death. The warden and other prison staff are not only standing in his way due to it being their job, but also too keep some truly dangerous locked up and away from the general public. Luffy may have sympathetic motivations in his actions, but there's no denying that he's being entirely selfish in not wanting to see his brother die.

** Shiryu, the former warden. He's as strong as Magellan despite having no Devil Fruit and as warden was far more active than his successor. Had he still been in charge, Luffy would never have made it so far into the prison.

* TheDreaded: Magellan. The warden of Impel Down. Even ''Crocodile'' doesn't want to tangle with him, and he was itching for a shot at [[WorldsStrongestMan Whitebeard]].

* ExtremelyShortTimespan: Based on how long Ace has to be executed from when the arc starts (33 hours) to when it ends (4 hours) the entirety of the Impel Down Arc takes place over the course of 29 hours.

** It was mentioned that a Devil Fruit user with the power to tunnel helped create the secret Level 5.5 where Emporio Ivankov and an army of Revolutionary soldiers as well as okama gather. Fast-forward to the Reverie Arc, revolutionary Morley is introduced. Morley is an okama with the power to move earth around freely, but no direct connection has been made to indicate if he's the tunneler in question.

* ExtremelyShortTimespan: Based on who long Ace has to be executed from when the arc starts (33 hours) to when it ends (4 hours) the entirity of the Impel Down Arc takes place over the course of 29 hours.
* EverythingIsTryingToKillYou: Level 2 of Impel Down aka "The Wild Beast Hell", which has mythical creatures such as the [[MixAndMatchCritters the Basilisk, Manticores the Sphinx]], alongside Puzzle Scorpions and in the anime, a fighting giant praying mantis, and [[KillerRabbit a tiny hippo that can bite through walls]].

* OneHitKO: Pretty much how Magellan's powers work, as getting hit with the poison paralyzes the victim and too much of it will kill them. Even Blackbeard and his crew weren't immune, as Magellan quickly takes them out when they run into him. It's only due to Shiryu that they survived.
* OrpheanRescue: Thematically the arc resembles one, which should foreshadow the [[DownerEnding ultimate outcome]].

* RescueArc: One of the rare times it doesn't succeed.

* TheAlcatraz: Impel Down. The prison is even the trope page image.
* BaddieFlattery: Blackbeard notices that Luffy's Haki has improved [[Recap/OnePieceJayaArc since the last time they met]], and partly agrees with him when the latter declares he'll save Ace no matter what, since he has the will to do it.

* ChangedMyMindKid: Ivankov was just going to let Luffy go on his way and break out the prison by himself, while he chose to stay in prison until Dragon makes his move. It's only when Luffy told him he's Dragon's son, that he decides it's imperative that the Newkamas help him and Ace breakout of the prison.

* DungeonCrawler: What this arc basically is.
* EliteMooks: the Blugori in Level 1.

* GodzillaThreshold: Things were so dire in the Impel Down situation, that Magellan decided to temporarily release former Head Jailer Shiryu from death row, in order to suppress the riot and stop Blackbeard. Shiryu, however, [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder turned on Impel Down]] and cut off communications with the outside world (specifically Marine HQ and Mariejois), and slaughtered much of the staff in the process, making the situation worse.
** Venom Demon spreads through anything it touches, the walls and floor included, it is said to be powerful enough to destroy Impel Down itself.

* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: Minotauros.

* ALoadOfBull: Minotauros.

* {{Determinator}}: Completely deconstructed in this arc: despite the rest of the series mostly relying on HeroicResolve for the heroes to finish fights, Mr. 2 Bon Clay points out that it isn't going to do much good against the superpowered warden who can give you a painful death with poison. And he's proven right when said warden confronted by Luffy [[RealityEnsues coats him with multiple poisons until he can't even move]], effectively sentencing him to death in the prison.

* ContinuityCavalcade: An addition to Ace, Luffy encounters several of the opponents he met on his journey up to this arc, Buggy and many of the Baroque Works agents, even Crocodile. Mr. 2 Bon Kurei even uses his powers to impersonate Zoro and Nami, like back in the Alabasta arc. Oh, and he meets that guy from the bar back in Jaya again - you know, '''Blackbeard'''.

* {{Determinator}}: Completely deconstructed in this arc: despite the rest of the series mostly relying on HeroicResolve for the heroes to finish fights, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei points out that it isn't going to do much good against the superpowered warden who can give you a painful death with poison. And he's proven right when said warden confronted by Luffy [[RealityEnsues coats him with multiple poisons until he can't even move]], effectively sentencing him to death in the prison.

* FriendshipMoment: Multiple ones between Luffy and Mr. 2 Bon Kurei. It just makes the ending all the sadder.

* GreaterNeedThanMine: Luffy apparently pulled this despite dying from Magellan's poison when encountered by Ivankov and Inazuma, telling them to help Mr. 2 Bon Kurei who was savaged by wolves trying to look for them.

* MomentOfWeakness: Mr. 2 Bon Kurei considers his running away from Magellan to be this, as even though it would be [[RunOrDie an otherwise completely reasonable thing to do when encountering him]], he left Luffy to fight him on his own. After Luffy's defeat, he spends the rest of the arc trying to make up for it.

* TheDreaded: Magellan.: The warden of Impel Down. Even ''Crocodile'' doesn't want to tangle with him, and he was itching for a shot at [[WorldsStrongestMan Whitebeard]].

* YouAreTooLate: By the time Luffy reaches the hidden Level 6 where Ace was held, he was in the process to being transferred to the Marines en route to Marine HQ.

* CrazyPrepared: In the event the prisoners did make it to the surface, Magellan has the ships docked at the entrance moved away to prevent the escapees from taking one. Too bad for him he didn't count on Jimbei's fishman abilities.

* GenderBender: Part of Ivankov's devil fruit ability to inject hormones, and so the Newkama Land residents have all crossed gender once before.

** BigBadEnsemble: Blackbeard appears towards the end of the arc, as Shiliew rampages throughout the prison.

* ForWantOfANail: Ivankov is quick to point out to Mr. 2 Bon Clay that Luffy's break-in would not go as far as it had if Shiliew wasn't imprisoned, as in addition to being equal in strength to Magellan, Shiliew was considered the more dangerous as he spent more hours than the former [[note]]Magellan thanks to his...culinary choices, is forced to spend most of hours relieving himself, and is therefore limited to 4 hours on duty in the prison. Shiliew, however, did not have such restrictions[[/note]], and as TheDragon to Magellan, Impel Down was impenetrable.

* GodzillaThreshold: Things were so dire in the Impel Down situation, that Magellan decided to temporarily release former Head Jailer Shiliew from death row, in order to suppress the riot and stop Blackbeard. Shiliew, however, [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder turned on Impel Down]] and cut off communications with the outside world (specifically Marine HQ and Mariejois), and slaughtered much of the staff in the process, making the situation worse.

* OneHitKO: Pretty much how Magellan's powers work, as getting hit with the poison paralyzes the victim and too much of it will kill them. Even Blackbeard and his crew weren't immune, as Magellan quickly takes them out when they run into him. It's only due to Shiliew that they survived.

** Jimbei said that if there was the chance that [[spoiler:Whitebeard died]], it would mean disaster for the sea. Guess what happens?]]

* ForWantOfANail: Ivankov is quick to point out to Mr. 2 Bon Clay that Luffy's break-in would not go as far as it had if Shiliew wasn't imprisoned, as in addition to being equal in strength to Magellan, Shiliew was considered the more dangerous as he spent more hours than the former [[note]]]Magellan thanks to his...culinary choices, is forced to spend most of hours relieving himself, and is therefore limited to 4 hours on duty in the prison. Shiliew, however, did not have such restrictions[[/note]], and as TheDragon to Magellan, Impel Down was impenetrable.