Seriously, "Just disappearing without signs of escape?" Sounds like an excuse for prisoners who figured out how to get away, but the higher ups made up that story to save face. This new person is likly the Okama god.
Overall this chapter was a bit on the boring side, but it was nessesary to progress the plot. I predict Luffy will meet Ace within the next 3 chapters. It'll be easier now, because they think Luffy's in jail so they're focusing on the riot in level 2 (I still wanna know who 'that guy' is who's causing trouble up there), thus there's little security in Ace's level.