Chapter 286: The Curtain Rises!
Galaxy Sea, Mistral Island, Port.
"Quick, get the rest of the weapons loaded! And count the cannonballs!"
"Almost done!"
"I'll report to the Division Captain! You guys double-check everything!"
X Drake stood on the deck, his stern gaze sweeping over the busy crew. After hearing his subordinate's report, he nodded. "Good. Stay sharp. We set sail in half an hour. This mission is critical. There is no room for failure!"
"Yes, Division Captain!"
Drake turned to look at the bustling port, a complex emotion in his eyes. As a Marine mole, he had an important mission: to climb as high as possible within the ranks of the Curtain Call Adventurers. Only then could he send back more valuable intelligence to Headquarters. And if the day came when the two forces clashed, he could deal a devastating blow to the crew from within.
But… but.
The longer he spent with the crew, the stronger the conflict in his heart became. He looked at the smiling civilians who had come to see them off. He thought of the orderly life under the crew's rule, the like-minded people striving for a better future, and the genuine reverence his own subordinates had for Shane… No. Drake! You can't think like this! If you do, you'll end up on the wrong path, just like that irresponsible man, your father! The Marines are the side of justice! Maintaining order, eradicating pirates—that is your mission!
Drake gritted his teeth, forcing his gaze away from the port and towards the distant horizon.
"Division Captain?" a crewman beside him noticed his strange expression. "You don't look well. Are you feeling alright? Should I get the ship's doctor?"
"No need. It's nothing. I'll be fine," Drake shook his head, forcing a smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a small white cat climbing up the crow's nest. It curled up comfortably and began to doze in the sun. A pretty little white cat, it looked familiar. Was it someone's pet? It wasn't taking up much space, and there were several other pets on board. He couldn't be bothered. He looked away and continued to direct the final preparations.
"Raise the sails! Set course!"
"All hands, course northeast, full speed ahead!"
At Drake's command, the warship of the Combat Corps' Third Division left the port and sailed into the distance! The Combat Corps had mobilized over ten thousand troops for this operation. The scale was massive, and the objective was equally so—to conquer the Marine G-1 Base! To uproot the largest Marine stronghold in the New World!
His Third Division's orders were to feign an attack on the G-5 Base to draw their attention. Several other units had similar orders, to harass other New World bases to keep the Marines guessing. The main force would take a different route and, while the G-1 Base's defenses were weakened, take it in one fell swoop, then move on to the other bases! The ultimate goal was to drive the Marines out of the New World entirely!
First Mate Kuina had given him these orders personally over the Den Den Mushi an hour ago. If he was determined to remain a Marine mole, he couldn't hesitate. He had to relay this vital information immediately!
Looking back at the island, now a small black dot in the distance, Drake strode to the empty stern of the ship. Under the eaves, he took out a secure Den Den Mushi.
He would never know that the moment he took it out, the white cat in the crow's nest opened its eyes and let out a regretful "tsk." So you've made the wrong choice after all. "The master specifically gave you one last chance, and you've thrown it away so quickly. Now you'll miss the opportunity to kill a Celestial Dragon. You poor little Allosaurus…"
Well then. Surveillance mission complete. Time to go home. With Issho gone with the master this time, the duty of protecting our territory falls to me.
The white cat stretched, then leaped lightly from the crow's nest. In the next instant, it transformed into a streak of lightning, shooting back towards the distant port at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"Fleet Admiral, urgent intel!" a Rear Admiral burst into the conference room, clutching a document, his face beaded with sweat. "Just now, our undercover agent, codename 'Blade,' sent an urgent message!"
"The Curtain Call's Combat Corps has fully assembled and left their territory this morning! They're planning a feint attack on the other bases to draw our attention, while their main force strikes G-1!"
The conference room fell silent.
"So the target is G-1," Sengoku, at the head of the table, said with a sigh of relief. His brow, which had been furrowed, relaxed. He took the document and began to read. Thank goodness… thank goodness the target is just G-1, and not the Lvneel Kingdom in the North Blue.
Since last night, surveillance ships positioned near the Curtain Call's territory had been sending a stream of reports about large-scale fleet movements. This had made Sengoku break out in a cold sweat, and he hadn't slept a wink. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But this was a sensitive time. The North Blue "Amusement Park Project" had begun, and the ships carrying the World Nobles had departed from Mary Geoise this morning. Although it was a top-secret plan, unknown to anyone below the rank of Admiral, the thought that that man might have found out and was on his way to crash the party… it would be a disaster worse than God Valley! The consequences were unimaginable!
Thank goodness for Drake. This timely piece of intelligence was like a calming balm. The weight on his chest had finally lifted.
"Send out my orders," Sengoku said in a deep voice. "All personnel at the G-1 Base are to go on high alert. Also, inform Aokiji and Garp to head to G-1 immediately. And make it clear: they are to lie in wait and are forbidden to attack without a direct order from Headquarters!"
A feint? A diversion? He had to admit, that man's crew was different from the other Yonko. They didn't just charge in recklessly; they actually used tactics. But it was pointless. Against him, the "Resourceful General," such petty tricks were useless!
"If I'm not mistaken, the second batch of Pacifistas has completed their maintenance, right?" Sengoku hesitated for a moment, then added, "Deploy six of them to G-1 at once. We cannot afford to lose that base!"
Two Admiral-level fighters, several elite Vice Admirals, the Pacifistas, and tens of thousands of elite Marines… it wouldn't be enough to defeat the Curtain Call Adventurers, but it would be enough to make them retreat! The Marines would not be driven out of the New World so easily!
"I don't understand, Sengoku," Vice Admiral Tsuru said, putting down her teacup. "Why are you sending those two? You said Akainu was on a secret mission in the Holy Land, which is fine, but Borsalino? Where is he now?"
"…" Sengoku was silent for a moment, then sighed and shook his head. "I can't tell you, Tsuru."
"I see…" Tsuru's eyes narrowed. She said no more. She knew her old friend of several decades well enough. When he used that tone, it meant the matter had crossed a red line drawn by the World Government. Seriously. One Akainu wasn't enough, and now they've taken another one? It's making the defensive arrangements in the New World a bit tight.
Tsuru picked up her teacup again and looked out the window. What are they secretly up to in the Holy Land?
North Blue, the Lvneel Kingdom.
It was just before dawn when a boy named Abi woke up, washed his face, and rushed out of his house. Today was the day he and his friend had agreed to leave their home and set out for the Grand Line to chase their dreams!
Abi hurried through the morning streets, the air filled with the scent of dew. The capital of the Lvneel Kingdom was not prosperous—it could even be described as poor—but there was a peaceful tranquility to the morning that was reassuring.
In his backpack was a worn-out ship's log, the only thing his father had left him. It was filled with countless legends of the "City of Gold" and sailing techniques. From a young age, his father had told him that their ancestor was the great Noland. And his father had always wanted to find the City of Gold to prove that the title of "Liar" was a slander, that his executed and ridiculed ancestor had not been wrong!—The City of Gold was real!!!
Unfortunately, his father had died without achieving his dream. And now, at sixteen, it was his turn to search for it!
"My friend is probably getting impatient at the port…" Abi smiled and quickened his pace. His friend was coming with him, but his goal was completely different. He wanted to go to the New World and join an organization called the Curtain Call Adventurers. Abi remembered the look of pure admiration on his friend's face when he talked about his dream: "You just don't get it! That Lord Shane is a true hero who even dares to kill Celestial Dragons! There, you don't have to pay the Heavenly Tribute, you don't have to worry about the Germa army, and you don't have to worry about pirates! Everyone can earn respect through their own hard work! They can live the life they want!"
Is there really such a place? Abi, who had lived his whole life in this poor land, thought it sounded like a scam. He wanted to laugh at his friend. But then he thought, his own dream of finding the City of Gold was probably even more ridiculous in others' eyes, and his friend had never laughed at him. So he just scratched his head and mumbled, "Whatever you say."
He turned the corner, and the port was just ahead. Abi suddenly stopped. Something was wrong. It was too quiet. The morning port should have been bustling with fishermen setting out, but now, there wasn't even the cry of a seagull. In the fog, he could vaguely see figures in white cloaks pacing the docks.
Abi's heart sank. He instinctively hid behind a corner, held his breath, and peeked out. In the fog, the white figures were strikingly visible. They wore masks, carried weapons, and were coldly and roughly forcing the fishermen off their boats.
Huh? Abi's eyes widened, his face flushing with anger. He saw his own small boat in a corner of the dock, engulfed in flames, black smoke billowing into the sky. Why?! How could they! He and his friend had scrimped and saved for five whole years to buy that boat! And that was just the beginning. The men in white were setting fire to the other boats as well.
"Move! Everyone, return to the town immediately!" a masked man in white barked, pointing his sword at the fishermen. "From this day on, no one is allowed to go to sea! Violators will be executed!"
The fishermen backed away in terror. One old man asked in a trembling voice, "Wh-why? Sir, you're not letting us go to sea, and you're burning our boats too? How are we supposed to feed our families…"
"Silence!" The man in white swung his sword. A wooden barrel beside the old man was instantly split in two. "This is an order from His Majesty the King! Ask again, and your head will be next!"
The King? Abi gritted his teeth. Liars! He had seen the royal guards with his own eyes. Their uniforms were nothing like this. And the current king was a kind-hearted old man who couldn't bear to see his people suffer. How could he possibly give such an order? These people were clearly faking a royal decree!
Suddenly, a hand clamped over his mouth from behind and pulled him into an alley! Abi almost screamed. He turned to see it was his friend!
"Shh!" his friend whispered, his eyes filled with urgency. "Don't make a sound! Those are agents of the World Government!"
"The World Government?" Abi was stunned. As a citizen of a non-affiliated country that had been retaliated against for being late with its tribute, he had no love for that name. "What are they doing here?"
"I don't know, but they've sealed off the entire coastline," his friend said, his face pale, as he pulled him deeper into the alley. "I got here before dawn. I overheard them talking about a 'hunting ground' and 'the masters are coming to clear out the prey'…"
"'Clear out the prey'?" Abi stopped, confused. "What does that mean?" It didn't make sense. Because of the World Government's retaliation and the Germa army's plunder, this country had suffered several famines in the past! The wild animals in the mountains had been hunted to near extinction. They had even eaten the field mice. What was left to hunt?
"I don't know, but it can't be anything good," his friend said, shaking his head, fear in his eyes. "Abi, I have a really bad feeling about this. We have to warn everyone to be careful!"
Just then, a low rumble came from the distance, as if something was approaching. The two of them exchanged a look and quietly climbed onto a low wall to see. —In the distance, on the horizon, a massive, unbelievably luxurious cruise ship, so large it blotted out the sun, was slowly approaching the port. The ship was gilded, with the World Government's flag hanging from its sails. On the deck, figures in bubble helmets could be seen, either lounging on deck chairs surrounded by attendants or gathered at the railing, pointing and gesturing at the shore.
"Th-those are…" Abi's voice trembled. "Celestial Dragons?!" How are there so many?! Just on the deck, there must be at least a hundred of them!
"Hey, get down!" his friend hissed, pulling him down. The two of them huddled behind the wall, holding their breath.
On the ship's deck, a fat Celestial Dragon was looking through a jewel-encrusted telescope, scanning the shore with great interest.
"Lord Charlos," a steward in a black suit bowed. "The game begins in just over an hour. You haven't had your breakfast yet. Shall I bring some refreshments?"
"Get lost! Who has time for that now!" Saint Charlos kicked the steward away, dancing with excitement. "I've waited eight years, eight whole years! I can finally play the hunting game again! This time, I'm going to break the record and kill a thousand commoners!"
He turned and yelled towards the ship's cabin, "Hey, Aunt Maria, Aunt Diana, how long are you going to take?! If you don't come out soon, I'll kill all the prey myself!"
Laughter and curses came from the cabin, and two still-beautiful, middle-aged female Celestial Dragons walked out elegantly, each holding a cup of tea. "What's the rush? It's only the first day."
"That's right. I heard they've prepared a total of three hundred and sixty thousand prey this time. It's the most bountiful hunt in years. It'll be enough for us to play for several days!"
"Speaking of which, when was the last time we played this game? It feels like so long ago."
"Over a decade, I think. That time in the East Blue. Don't you remember? You didn't get to kill enough, so you were in a bad mood, and you asked me to go on a little 'tour' of the Goa Kingdom with you."
"On the way back," the other woman added with a smile, "some tactless commoner woman tried to get close to us, and you got annoyed and cut off her head and kicked it around like a ball."
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Inkshaper
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you