The fathead fish-man hurriedly knocked on Makuro's door. As soon as the door opened, the mixed smell of alcohol and smoke immediately gushed out from the gap, making him stagger backward.
Forcing himself to endure the pungent odor, the fathead fish-man, who worked under Makuro, carefully avoided the empty liquor bottles scattered messily on the floor and made his way to the bedside.
"Big brother Makuro, Arlong has sent a message."
"Mm... Get lost," muttered Makuro, the devouring eel fish-man, who was lying on the bed in a half-awake, half-dazed state. Annoyed at being woken up, he kicked his subordinate in the shoulder.
The fish-man, sent flying by the kick, crashed onto the empty liquor bottles on the floor. The dull sound of pain was accompanied by the crisp clinking of bottles, which finally woke Makuro from his groggy state.
Rubbing his slightly swollen eyes, he looked at the unlucky guy on the floor crawling toward the door, and his irritation flared up.
"Come back! Who told you to leave?"
The honest and somewhat slow-witted fathead fish-man became even more confused.
"But... didn't you tell me to get lost, Big Brother Makuro?"
"I... Uh, fine, I guess I did." The headache from his hangover made Makuro slap his cheeks hard to wake himself up. "Did Arlong send a message?"
"Yes, Arlong said the operation is set for tonight. The Navy will surely be crushed by the wrath of the fish-men!" The subordinate nodded firmly.
"Excellent!" Makuro slapped his thigh excitedly. "Once tonight is over, the Navy's influence will be completely eradicated from Fish-Man Island. And the forces of Fish-Man Street, who go head-to-head with the Navy, will be replaced by none other than me, Lord Makuro!"
Without the sword hanging over his head, he could finally do whatever he pleased.
"As long as we get through tonight, the noble fish-men will rise under my leadership!" Arlong wiped down the massive serrated longsword "Zhanfeng" resting on his thigh. But even without this fearsome blade, Arlong himself was the most formidable weapon.
The influential pirate leader of Fish-Man Street turned his head to a somewhat uneasy figure on his right.
"Is everything settled with the Navy?"
Hatchan quickly nodded. "Everything was passed on exactly as you instructed, Brother Arlong. But this is amazing—Brother Arlong, you're actually willing to cooperate with the Navy! With this, Fish-Man Island will never again suffer from human pirate raids!"
The straightforward Hatchan was genuinely happy about Arlong's decision. He had been shocked by Arlong's attitude the other day, but the next day, Arlong sent their childhood friend Kuroobi to relay the message that he was willing to join forces with the Navy to strike against the human trafficking ring.
Arlong stood up, laughing as he patted Hatchan on the shoulder, while also exchanging a glance with the ray fish-man Kuroobi.
"Compared to the Navy, of course, saving our own kind comes first. How could I, Arlong, be so ignorant of right and wrong?"
"Arlong..." Hatchan was so moved by the fish-man pirate's words that he nearly burst into tears.
"Alright, alright, Hatchan, you should head back first. We still need to prepare for tonight's operation." Kuroobi impatiently waved off his childhood friend.
As Hatchan and Kuroobi left, Arlong's expression turned cold. He lowered his voice toward the dark area behind him.
"How is everything progressing?"
The archerfish fish-man Hyouzu slowly emerged from the shadows. The tall and lean fish-man approached Arlong and reported in a hushed voice, "Makuro has completely fallen for it. I've confirmed it from that fool under his command—can you believe that scum, who sells out his own kind, actually thinks we'd willingly let ourselves be used as his pawns?"
"Perfect." Arlong grinned cruelly. "Once the Navy mobilizes in full force, we'll first 'help' them on their warships, then head to Coral Hill and assist in wiping out both sides—Navy and Makuro alike!"
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki, that fish-man Hatchan has returned with Arlong's message. He says they will meet us at Coral Hill to join forces in capturing the human traffickers," reported Onigumo, standing before Sakazuki with a loud, steady voice.
The rear admiral paused and took out a second report from his pocket.
"King Neptune has also sent word. He is personally leading a thousand elite Neptune Army soldiers, fully prepared and awaiting orders inside Ryugu Palace."
"Join forces?" Sakazuki sneered lightly. "Does a radical supremacist like him look like the type to keep his word?"
Onigumo fully agreed with his superior's assessment. "Arlong and his gang are too greedy. They want to eliminate the human traffickers, crush the Navy, save the mermaids, and play the heroes of Fish-Man Island all at once. Where do they get the nerve?"
"Good!" Sakazuki nodded in satisfaction. In addition to training Onigumo in Haki techniques, he had also been shaping his strategic mindset.
The relationship between tactics and strength was like softness and hardness, yin and yang. Strength and strategy complemented each other. Whether in the Navy headquarters or among the great pirate forces ruling the seas, true power lay in both intelligence and might.
Sakazuki didn't dwell on the matter any further. Snuffing out his cigarette, he asked,
"Onigumo, what's the situation on Lindeman's end?"
Arlong and makuro were small fry. The real key to whether the Navy could continue to operate on Fish-Man Island depended on whether Lindeman's operation was successful.
The Eight-Sword Style expert, "Kempachi," stepped forward, leaned in, and whispered, "Lindeman—no, Ichimaru Gin—has already arrived in the Dark World's waters. He is currently heading to the territory of the Beasts. Everything is going smoothly."
Considering things from Whitebeard's perspective, Sakazuki knew that instead of relying on an untrustworthy World Government, the best way to ensure Fish-Man Island's safety was for Whitebeard himself to take it under his protection.
From a pirate's point of view, the World Government's empty promises meant nothing. In fact, among the so-called 'dogs' of the World Government, there were only one or two individuals Whitebeard might actually acknowledge.
Sengoku was one.
Garp was another.
As for himself—the "magma brat" who just "lit the birthday candles"—he hadn't even entered Whitebeard's radar yet.
But one thing Sakazuki was certain of: Whitebeard, with his strong sense of loyalty, would never allow those despicable World Nobles to gain control over Fish-Man Island.
"Onigumo, how many high-powered Den Den Mushi were left on the warships from our last battlefield test?" Sakazuki suddenly asked.
Though he didn't understand his superior's intent, Onigumo still answered seriously.
"There are four high-powered visual Den Den Mushi remaining."
"That's enough." Sakazuki tapped his index finger on the Fish-Man Island map spread across his desk. "Onigumo, I want you to take a squad and set up these four high-powered Den Den Mushi in Gyoncorde Plaza on Fish-Man Island."
The vice admiral stood up, turning to look out of the porthole behind him. Unlike when the Navy had first arrived, when the towns were filled with tension and fear, the distant city was slowly regaining its usual vibrancy.
"I want everyone to see exactly what the Navy is doing on Fish-Man Island!"
"Yes, sir!" Onigumo responded crisply, then immediately turned and left for the storage room.
Sakazuki's sharp gaze fell on the upper edge of the porthole. As if he could see through 10,000 meters of ocean to the world above, he suddenly muttered to himself in a self-mocking tone,
"When did I fall so low... that I need to prove myself as a righteous man to pirates?
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