It has been a long time since the Impel Down arc, where Luffy goes to rescue his brother, Ace. And on his mission to rescue Ace from impel down, many major events happened, and the Blackbeard invasion was one of them.
But many of you might have forgotten why Blackbeard went to Impel Down in the first place. Well, that is why we are here to recall your memory to remind you of one the most underrated One Piece event to which you didn’t pay that much attention.
Impel Down is no doubt one of the most underrated arcs in One Piece, as it is overshadowed by the Marine Ford arc. Well, let’s not forget that many history-changing moments happened in impel down, as it contained the prison break of one of the strongest characters like Ginbe, Crocodile, and Ivankov.
Or one of the emotional moments where Mr. 2 gives his life so that Luffy would escape and save Ace. Many fans remember this when they are asked about Impel Down arc, but they forget that Blackbeard also invaded Impel Down, as the main focus was on Luffy trying to rescue Ace.
At first, I thought Blackbeard was a nice decent guy when he met Luffy on Jaya Island. And his quote still hits hard whenever I hear it in reels, TikTok, or YouTube shorts, where he says, “People’s dreams have no end.” And at that time, no one would have thought Blackbeard would become so Important as well as a fearsome character.
The Blackbeard crew is in lamplight in the current arc of the One Piece manga, as the event is happening on Hachinosu, which is currently occupied by the Blackbeard pirates. Well, this arc seems to be ended as the marine has completed their mission for what they are for.
I won’t talk about it much, as it might get spoiled for some of you, but I will say that the current fight (chapters 1087-1088) in the once manga is one the most awaited fight for which we waited to see for a really long time. Well, let’s not go off-topic and see why Blackbeard, aka Marshall D. Tech, goes to Impel down!
Also Read: When Does Luffy Fight Blackbeard? The Ultimate Clash!
Why Blackbeard Goes To Impel Down?
Many of you might don’t know why Blackbeard went to Impel Down since he was there for only a few episodes/chapters. However, Blackbeard visited two times to Impel down. Two times? Yeah! He visited twice, and both times it was to free the dangerous blood thirsty characters. One of them is a cannon event, and the other isn’t. Let’s recall both incidents.
Also Read: When Does Luffy Meet Yamato, The Son of Kaido?
Blackbeard’s Impel down First Visit!
Blackbeard first visited impel down in episode 444 (chapters 541-542 in the manga) and started causing chaos everywhere. It was not first clear why Blackbeard invaded Impel Down, but later in episode 452, we find out that he invaded impel down to release Shiryu.
However, he didn’t need to release him, as Magellan freed him to stop Blackbeard, but he ended but joining him. Shiryu was the head jailer of Impel Down before joining the Blackbeard pirates. However, Magellan had to imprison him due to his strict ways of serving justice, as he often killed prisoners on small matters.
Shriyu is currently the second rank Titanic Captain of Blackbeard Pirates, and after joining them, he ate a paramecia-type devil fruit, Suke Suke no Mi, which gives him the ability to turn invisible.
He met Blackbeard on Level 6 of Impel Down, where the Blackbeard crew was infected by the poison after their fight with Magellan, so Shiryu gave them an antidote before joining them. However, this wasn’t the only prisoner that Blackbeard freed. Along with Shiryu, he also releases Catrina Devon, also known as the Crescent Moon Hunter. Catrina Devon is one of the most evil female pirates in One Piece’s history.
She was also imprisoned on the 6th level of impel down but later freed by Blackbeard. She has eaten a Mythical Zoan type of Devil Fruit, Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Kyuubi no Kitsune, which allows her to turn into a Nine-tail fox (similar to Kurama from Naruto.
Also Read: Who Are The God Knights In One Piece?
Blackbeard’s Impel down Second Visit!
The second time Blackbeard invades Impel was in One Piece Movie, One Piece Stampede (uncanon). He invaded to release Douglas Bullet from the level 6 prison. However, Blackbeard didn’t recruit him in his crew, as Douglas Bullet was so strong that he couldn’t have been controlled by Blackbeard.
So he decided not to recruit him. He was a former crewmate of the King of the Pirate, Gold D. Roger. He was as strong as Rayleigh. But after Roger’s execution, he was imprisoned by the Marines.
Also Read: What Episode Luffy Uses Gear 5? The Epic Transformation!
