Episode 431

"The Trap of Chief Guard Saldeath - Level 3 Starvation Hell" is the 431st episode of the One Piece anime.
==Short Summary==
Luffy, Buggy, and Galdino find themselves on Level 3, a barren floor of extreme heat. There they are caught in a Seastone net by Saldeath, the imp-like commander of the Blugori. However, thanks to the interference of the Sphinx, they manage to escape. Buggy and Galdino manage to get away from Luffy, and they encounter the imprisoned Baroque Works agent, Bentham, whose stay in the dungeon has not dampened his spirits one bit.
==Long Summary==
Some of the guards on Level 2 report a massive hole made by Luffy and his party. As they complain that the Sphinx might have fallen down, the Level 2 cells open and the prisoners begin to trudge out. They move in on the guards filled with vengeance and thank Buggy for freeing them. They send the guards clinging for life. As the Blugoris are ordered to Level 2, word from Sengoku informs that Luffy and Ace are brothers because of the D.
Meanwhile at Marine Headquarters, Sengoku berates Garp over his humor at Luffy's actions. After telling him of Luffy's actions at Enies Lobby and the Sabaody Archipelago, Sengoku fears it unprecedented now that Impel Down is in uproar from a riot. However, he is confident that Impel Down is an impregnable symbol of justice. Garp is just relaxing eating from cookies. Sengoku informs the vice-admiral that Tsuru and he needs to keep the incident under wraps and confiscates the cookies.
At Impel Down, Luffy, his party and the Sphinx have landed on Level 3, as it resembles a hot desert with the sand being hot. Buggy complains about he never wanted to be on Level 3, and Galdino complains that his wax is melting from the heat. With no idea on where the stairs are, Luffy and his group decide to search. As the heat begins to wear them down, they spot a hummingbird collapse from the heat. Luffy begins to taste the fried bird.
Then, Buggy spots some prison cells in the distance and hopes they will gain access to the next stairwell. Luffy spots some prisoners who have endured the torturous heat, and are given very little to eat or drink. This is called the Starvation Hell. If they stay too long, they will crumble into sand. Buggy wants to take the stairs on the left, while Galdino hopes the pass on the right will lead them downward. A guard informs someone of Luffy's progress and the man on the other end says all is according to plan.
Meanwhile, more prisoners continue to fight through with no way for the guards to contact Magellan.
Buggy complains the party came back to where they started. As Buggy and Galdino protest going any further, a seastone net is deployed, capturing Luffy and his group. No one is able to break free. More guards with Blugoris arrive to apprehend them. They are led a little imp-like man named Saldeath. Luffy confuses Saldeath's identity for a salmon. The guard informs Luffy that the other guards are demons below them. Sphinx wakes up and begins to shake the net before breaking through crying out food names.
As the guards give chase to Luffy's group, the young pirate takes some down with his Gum-Gum Gatling. Mr. 3 and Buggy decide to desert Luffy planning to sacrifice him. With the guards converging, Luffy continues to fight his way through the guards. Sphinx is now on a rampage so the straw Hat captain uses the distraction to flee.
In the elevator, Magellan informs Hancock that their party will soon reach Ace's cell block. That area is filled with the most notorious criminals and Hancock requested access. The giant warden also informs of another ex-Warlord being held prisoner.
As Buggy and Galdino recover, the staircase going upward is closed off. They then hear French counting that Galdino seems to recognize. From his cell, Bentham performs a song with his cellmates before blowing a kiss.
==Characters in Order of Appearance==
==Anime Notes==
*At the end of the episode, Bentham blows a kiss towards the screen, leaving a kiss stamp on the "To be continued" text.
*The "next time" segment for this episode is very brief, and plays out on "Mr Children" by Fanfare, as announcements for the tenth One Piece film and tenth anniversary of the series were taking place at the time of its airing.
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