pdf-ebookys Chapter 156 Target - Hunting the Celestial Dragons!
Chapter 156 Target - Hunting the Celestial Dragons!
Chapter 156 Target - Hunting the Celestial Dragons!
At almost the same time, a naval warship slowly docked at the naval port in the Sabaody Archipelago.
At the bow of the ship, Colonel Smoker, a rugged man with short silver hair, two cigars dangling from his mouth, and a coat with the word "Justice" written on the back, stepped onto the dock with a disgruntled expression.
"Damn it, of all times I had to be sent on patrol—this place, Chambord, is always so unpleasant."
He glanced at the colorful bubbles floating in the distant sky, and then faintly heard commotion coming from the direction of the lawless zone. His brows furrowed. "Are there more reckless pirates causing trouble? Tashigi, take some men and come with me to the island to check it out."
"Yes, Colonel Smoker!"
Behind her, Tashigi, wearing glasses and carrying the famous sword "Shigure," immediately responded and organized the soldiers to follow.
Smoker exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, which turned into a white mist that spread outwards.
He had a bad feeling that this trip to Sabaody would not be peaceful.
Meanwhile, in Area 70, Kuroro, who had just settled into a secluded inn based on the address provided by Rayleigh, was standing by the window of his room, gazing at the bizarre night scene reflected in the bubbles.
He arranged for Machi, Robin, Nami, and Shizuku to stay in separate accommodations, and instructed them to remain vigilant but not to cause trouble for the time being.
Bonnie, having eaten too much, was already fast asleep on the bed.
Kuroro's Observation Haki spread silently outwards from the inn, like an invisible spider web.
He could sense the chaos, fear, excitement, and other emotions emanating from different areas of the island, and he could also vaguely perceive the familiar and powerful aura of Uvogin and his men rampaging through the lawless zone.
Everything seemed to be going according to plan, creating chaos, attracting attention, and paving the way for the real "big event" to follow.
However, his current perception range was far from enough to cover the entire Sabaody Archipelago, let alone penetrate the naval base's tight defenses and isolation.
Chrollo knew nothing about the destructive net that had been quietly unfurled and was personally overseen by Akainu, or about the former Marine admiral who had arrived unexpectedly and had an unusual obsession with pirates.
As night deepened, in a secluded hotel called "Bubble Sleep" on the top floor of a booked suite in area 70 of the Sabaody Archipelago, the curtains were tightly drawn.
All the core members of the Phantom Troupe have arrived.
.
Uvogin and Nobunaga still carried a hint of gunpowder and blood, Phinks fiddled with a few strange chips he had won, and Feitan sat quietly in the shadows, as if he had become one with the darkness.
Machi, Robin, Nami, and Shizuku sat on the sofa to one side, while Bonney rubbed her belly and burped contentedly.
Pike and the others arrived last, and they were responsible for more in-depth intelligence gathering.
The main light in the room was off; only a uniquely shaped portable insect lamp on the coffee table emitted a cool, steady, and focused white light, illuminating a detailed map of the Sabaody Archipelago and several handwritten intelligence summaries spread out on the table.
Kuroro stood at the head of the table. "Report the situation."
Paknotta spoke first, her voice calm and clear: "By reading the memories of several CP department informants and black market intelligence dealers on the island, we have confirmed an important piece of information."
She pointed to the mangrove roots in area 1 of the map with her finger. "The day after tomorrow at noon, a Celestial Dragon with a special identity will arrive in Sabaody."
They weren't the ordinary fools who were stationed there permanently or came occasionally to buy slaves.
This man was named Rozwald Saint, and was considered a staunch traditionalist within Mary Geoise. He was cruel and arrogant, and took pleasure in torturing slaves and collecting queens of various races.
The purpose of his public trip was to inspect Chambord and plan to personally "select" a new queen at the highest-class population auction in Zone 1.
The knight added, fiddling with a small device that looked like a combination of a snail shell and machinery: "I hacked into a not-so-secure official communication loop on the island, which corroborated this information."
The escort fleet was quite large, but as is customary, after the Celestial Dragons landed, most of the Navy would only impose martial law on the perimeter. The real close protection, apart from CP0, mainly relied on their private guards and the Navy officers stationed on the island.
Saint Roswald himself—was a complete waste, but his symbolic significance was immense.
"Roswald Saint—" Kuroro repeated the name softly, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the table.
A perfect target who is wicked, of high status, and will make public appearances.
Uvogin then reported in a muffled voice: "Nobunaga and I wrecked most of the area from number 1 to 29. The navy's reaction speed was average, and the ones that came out were all captains with ordinary soldiers, and they were no match for us."
I didn't see any high-ranking officials of lieutenant general rank or above. The pacifists did see a few patrolling units, but their movements were clumsy, and one of them had its arm broken by Nobunaga's sword test.
His tone was full of disdain.
Nobunaga nodded and added, "The density of armed forces is lower than expected. The focus is on places with high profits, such as auction houses and casinos, as well as the vicinity of naval bases."
Deep within lawless territory, the navy seems unwilling to venture too far.
Finks grinned: "They made a lot of money at the casino, and while they were at it, they also took down a few loan shark gang hideouts."
The navy? We haven't even seen a shadow of them. They're probably scared of me, right?
Feitan simply let out a short, cold snort, indicating his approval.
Kuroro listened, quickly processing the information in his mind.
On the surface, the navy's defenses are lax, which fits the possible "clearing out" or "avoidance" state before the arrival of the Celestial Dragons. It could also be—a decoy?
However, he preferred the former, arguing that the Celestial Dragons' arrogance often led them to underestimate the risks, and that the Marine Admirals were not the Celestial Dragons' personal bodyguards and would not arrive long in advance to clear the area.
"As for Mr. Rayleigh," Kuroro began, "the coating on the Black Whale will take a full three days. And tomorrow is the first day."
He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "Perfect timing. We'll behead the Celestial Dragon in public, when he's at his most triumphant and the center of attention."
The air in the room froze for a moment. Then, the eyes of the belligerent, like Uvogin's, flashed with excited bloodshot veins, while even the rational Paknoda straightened her back slightly.
"Specific plans." Kuroro's finger moved across the map. "Roswald Saint's planned route is from the port through the main road to Auction House No. 1."
The route will pass through three main squares and intersections: No. 3, No. 5, and No. 7.
His finger precisely pointed to these locations: "Uvogin and Nobunaga, in charge of the buildings on the east side of Plaza 3, destroy any troops attempting to approach from the east."
Phinks and Feitan, high ground and alleyway west of the No. 5 intersection, clear out the reinforcements from the west.
Paknoda and the Swordsman, on the south side of Plaza 7, used their intelligence capabilities and the Swordsman's electronic jamming to disrupt the southern communication and command systems.
"Franklin and Barrolev, you are to stand by on the north side of Auction House 1. Once the operation begins, use your firepower and area-of-effect capabilities to create massive chaos, cut off the main supply route to the port, and be ready to provide support at any time."
"Remember, your mission is not to annihilate all the enemies, but to use the terrain and your individual abilities to create time differences and spatial obstacles, so that the Navy and CP0 cannot effectively organize a rescue of the core area in the crucial first ten minutes."
They were to work in pairs, providing mutual cover, primarily to delay and create chaos. If necessary, they could retreat freely and regroup at a designated evacuation point.
The eight people whose names were called nodded in unison, their eyes flashing with their own distinct fighting spirit.