"Let's go," Karol said, placing his hand on their shoulders.
*Shua*
Activating his Devil Fruit ability, the three instantly vanished from their original positions.
As the wind and sand swept across, even the few footprints that remained disappeared without a trace.
Crocodile had no idea he had just walked back from the brink of death, still fantasizing about the scenes after obtaining Pluton...
***
New World, New Marineford.
In the Marshal's office.
After listening to Karol's report, Sakazuki pondered slightly:
"Pluton?"
"Handle it as you see fit."
"It's useless anyway."
Even if Pluton were to appear, it would be of no consequence. Crocodile couldn't protect it...
Both Sakazuki and the World Government could crush him with ease...
The war had reached this stage, and the unstoppable momentum of the world could not be halted by anything. Minor changes would barely create a ripple.
The struggle for dominance on this sea, though appearing to be a contest among four factions, was in reality orchestrated by only two true players...
Sakazuki and the World Government.
One supported the Revolutionary Army through Vegapunk, while the other supported the pirates through Red-Haired Shanks.
Both sides were waiting for an opportunity to annihilate the other...
***
New World, Raisu Island.
One of the islands subdued by the Red-Hairs, it was located relatively close to the Navy's sphere of influence.
It was also one of the current garrisons for the Red-Haired Pirates, with pirates continuously assembling there.
Late at night.
The counter-offensive forces organized by the Red-Haired Pirates had assembled, but when it was time to depart, Red-Haired Shanks did not give the order.
Although the pirates were confused, they patiently waited, gazing at the large ship adorned with a red dragon.
Inside the Red Force.
The core members of the Red-Haired Pirates gathered in the conference room.
Outside the door, combatants like Lucky Roo and Benn Beckman stood guard.
Shanks, with a hint of mystery, took out several map documents and placed them on the table:
"Everyone, take a look at this."
The planned nighttime attack had been postponed precisely because of this sudden influx of information...
Beckman, Yasopp, and Snake picked up the documents and began to study them.
As they looked, Beckman's eyes widened, and he gasped, drawing in a sharp breath:
"Hiss—"
"These are..."
"The deployment maps of some Navy islands, and detailed sea charts of the New World."
"Where did you get these?"
He looked at Shanks with shock and curiosity. The value of these documents was immense. Not to mention the deployment maps of Navy islands, just these detailed sea charts of various locations in the New World were priceless...
As a navigator, Snake couldn't tear his eyes away. After all, what navigator didn't dream of possessing charts of the entire world...
Yasopp also clicked his tongue:
"This is truly unexpected."
"To be able to obtain such good things."
The value was enormous, making dealing with the Navy much easier...
Shanks smiled and said:
"I had people trade with high-ranking officials of the World Government for these."
"Sakazuki's harsh methods have made him many enemies within the World Government."
"After paying a certain price, these things were easily obtained."
Though he said this, everyone knew the price was likely not small. If the World Government knew about this leak, the person responsible would deserve to be killed ten times over and it still wouldn't be enough...
What they didn't realize was... these were all excuses.
These were given directly to Shanks by the Five Elders, with the aim of having Shanks disseminate them to the pirates, thus keeping the Navy bogged down in the New World for one to two years.
Once the Navy branches in the Four Seas were crippled by military expenses, the Navy in the New World would become irrelevant...
If they lost their control over the world, no matter how strong Sakazuki was, he would eventually meet his end. Lord Im is invincible...
Looking at these sea charts, Beckman couldn't help but praise:
"Although the price was not small, the value of these items far exceeds anything else."
"This will require us to change our strategy."
They didn't have precise sand tables like those in Sakazuki's office, nor such a powerful intelligence network.
The Red-Haired Pirates' previous counter-offensives were based purely on instinct and rough estimates.
Now, with these detailed sea charts and deployment maps of Navy islands, they could create a precise battle diagram, saving a lot of effort.
Shanks nodded and said:
"Exactly, that's what I was thinking."
"By comparing these sea charts, we can identify many loopholes in our current strategies."
"What we need to do is fill these gaps."
Yasopp scratched his chin:
"So what about tonight's attack, should we still proceed?"
Shanks chuckled:
"Proceed."
"But the target will change."
"According to the information from the trade with the World Government, Enel is stationed near the target island."
"So tonight, we'll bypass that island and attack a different one."
Enel's abilities were quite troublesome for them.
Observation Killing worked on everyone, but Enel's ability could counter it.
It wasn't that they couldn't defeat him, but rather that they couldn't catch him.
If they couldn't catch him, with the long-range consumption capabilities of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, they would be fine, but the pirates below would suffer greatly.
Why expend a large number of combat forces when other islands could be taken with minimal cost...
Beckman nodded and studied the charts:
"Good."
"We've received intel from Heel Knock that the Navy seems to be intending to divide its forces."
"We also received news from the rear that Kizaru has appeared in our territory, looking to cut off our retreat."
Shanks smiled and adjusted his hat:
"Then let's see who cuts whose rear end first."
Let's see if they and Heel Knock can cut off the rear of the Navy from the direction of Whole Cake Island and Wano Country.
Or if the Navy, which is dividing its forces from Whole Cake Island and Wano Country, can cut off their respective rear ends...
***
South Blue, the island at the edge.
Sabo, along with a group of technicians who had learned from Lindberg, were working day and night on research and modifications.
The goal was to transform the warship blueprints obtained from Vegapunk, capable of traversing the Calm Belt, into something suitable for the Revolutionary Army's use as quickly as possible.
Evening.
The technicians, after a day of research, walked out of the laboratory in small groups.
Sabo rubbed his arm and was the last to walk out and lock the door.
*Whoosh*
A gust of clear wind blew past, and Dragon's figure materialized:
"The ships have already begun production..."