On the Calm Belt sea, a small sampan is waiting here.
Bartholomew Bear sat on the boat, holding a Bible in his hand, reading it with great interest.
Just as he was about to turn the page, waves began to appear on the calm sea, and then Fisher Tiger, carrying the Calm Belt, Rayleigh Shiki.
Seeing this, Bartholomew Kuma immediately stepped forward to lend a hand, helping Fisher Tiger pull Shiki onto the boat. Fisher Tiger and Rayleigh then climbed aboard as well.
"Looks like things are going smoothly," Bartholomew Xiong said with a smile.
"Hmm, that guy Ortolan is actually quite reliable." Rayleigh said, taking off his clothes and wringing out the seawater as he praised him.
"Let's not delay any longer, I'm counting on you for the rest, Bear." Fisher Tiger was in a hurry and urged him immediately.
Bartholomew Bear didn't waste any time. He stood up and slapped out. The moment his Shiki touched Fisher Tiger, he swung away on his Fisher Tiger and disappeared from the small boat.
Looking at this ability, Rayleigh exclaimed in admiration, "This Devil Fruit truly amazing..."
"Are you ready to go, Mr. Rayleigh?" Bartholomew Bear asked shyly and modestly.
"Come on..." Rayleigh laughed.
The next second, Bartholomew Kuma slapped out again. Rayleigh felt himself being enveloped by a force in an instant, and then he was sent flying at an extremely fast speed. Just how fast was that?
He looked up in the direction from which the flying creature had come, but all he could see was the vast ocean; Bartholomew Kuma could no longer be seen.
Turning my head again, I could see the huge Yarukiman Mangrove of the Sabaody Archipelago.
By the time he realized what was happening, with a thud, he had already landed safely and was standing in front of the Shakky Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
Also present with him were Fisher Tiger and the unconscious Shiki, both somewhat bewildered and gazing absently at the surrounding scenery.
"It's faster than I expected..." Fisher Tiger said in shock.
"According to Xiong Jun, his ability can be considered teleportation over short distances. We're not that far from Impel Down here, but if we're crossing oceans or long distances, it will take some time," Rayleigh explained briefly.
However, Rayleigh didn't waste any more words, and changed the subject, saying, "Let's go, let's go inside first. Once it gets dark, we should move on to the second stage..."
Fisher Tiger nodded, then, carrying Shiki, walked with Rayleigh towards the tavern not far away.
Meanwhile, in the tavern, just as Ortolan was about to pick up a drink from the table to moisten his throat, his Den Den Den Mushi rang.
"As expected, it's definitely the Admiral Sengoku..." Ortolan took out his Den Den Mushi and saw that it was indeed so. He then smiled at Gion and said, "Who knows, maybe I'll have to go and support Impel Down now..."
Without thinking much of it, Ortolan Den Den Mushi and said, "Admiral? What is it?"
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku asked with a serious expression, "Ortolan, Impel Down. Shiki has escaped from prison. Are you aware of this?!"
"What?! Shiki escaped from prison?!" Ortolan feigned shock, "How is this possible? Isn't Impel Down supposed to be an impregnable fortress?"
"Even the most impregnable fortress can't withstand an inside traitor stirring up trouble." The Admiral Sengoku made a meaningful remark, then, before Ortolan could speak, pressed on, "Tell me, is this matter related to you?"
"Admiral, I am as loyal as can be to our Marines. How come you suspect me of being a mole the moment a problem arises? Isn't this bullying? I, Ortolan, have never done anything to betray your trust. How can you do this..." Ortolan complained to Sengoku, sounding wronged.
Hearing what he said, Sengoku felt a little ashamed. Yes, why is it that whenever there is a problem, my first suspicion is that Ortolan?
He's just taking a short vacation, nothing more... For Impel Down, it should be...
Before Sengoku could even finish his thoughts, and before Ortolan could even finish venting his grievances, Fisher Tiger, that burly man, shoved open the tavern door and started shouting at the top of his lungs.
"Ortolan, I've brought you the Shiki. There are indeed no problems with Impel Down!"
As soon as the sound came out, the entire tavern fell silent. Yi Xiao first looked at the dumbfounded Ortolan, then at the carefree Fisher Tiger, and then burst out laughing.
His laughter caused Gion, who was sitting next to him, to burst into uncontrollable laughter as well, laughing so hard she kept pounding the sofa armrest. Even the bartender, Shakky, shook her head with a helpless smile.
Fisher Tiger, on the other hand, scratched his head in confusion and casually tossed Shiki aside, asking, "What's wrong? What's making you so happy?"
"You..." Just as Ortolan was about to curse Fisher Tiger, that clueless bastard, his Den Den Den Mushi was almost knocked away by Admiral Sengoku Taisho's roar.
"You bastard, it really is you! You're still pretending with me! You've gone too far, Ortolan! Explain yourself! Why did you drag Shiki out of Impel Down?!" Admiral Sengoku roared angrily.
Just a moment ago, he even felt like a terrible person, having wronged the loyal Ortolan.
The result was unexpected; in less than a second, the truth was revealed!
"Admiral, let me explain!!!" Ortolan cried out in anguish, then said, "I did all this for the sake of our Marines! For your sake!"
"For the Marines? For me? I don't remember ever asking you to do such a thing. Shiki Impel Down, and you insisted on getting him out. Do you know how much trouble you've caused us?! If you don't give me a proper explanation today, you're in for it! I'll come and settle accounts with you myself!" Admiral Sengoku angrily questioned.
"No, not Admiral, really. I did this entirely out of the overall interests of our Marines. This is just the first step in this plan. I need Shiki to take the blame..." Ortolan quickly explained.
"The first link? The plan? You mean, this is just the beginning? Just the beginning of the Shiki and you've already turned Impel Down into this mess. Are you planning to burn Mary Geoise down next? You've got some nerve!" The Admiral Sengoku was so angry that he started swearing at Ortolan.
"Huh?" Ortolan was stunned for a moment. Was this the keen sense of a strategist?
"No, what happened next is hard for me to explain to you. You have to believe me, I really did it for the sake of our Marines. Once everything settles down, you'll understand me, and you might even thank me then..." Ortolan quickly reassured him.
"You're not going to tell me, are you?" The Admiral Sengoku was still somewhat angry, but after his outburst at Ortolan, his anger had subsided considerably, and his rationality had returned somewhat. Upon closer reflection, he realized that Ortolan was a man of principle and a reliable fellow.
As for whether he would betray the Marines, even after the Impel Down incident, Sengoku never doubted that possibility. He still trusted Ortolan completely. It's just that this guy never informed him before doing anything big, which made him feel uneasy and a little angry.
"You didn't tell me, so I'll believe you this once out of consideration for our past relationship. But if you do tell me the truth, after this is all over, can you send Shiki back to Impel Down? How am I supposed to report the trouble in Impel Down to Mary Geoise? What reason can I give them?!" Admiral Sengoku asked angrily.
"Ahem... In a little while, I'll probably take care of Shiki, so there's no need to send him back to Impel Down. As for how to report to Mary Geoise, I've already arranged a scapegoat for you. The Revolutionary Army —just say that the Revolutionary Army organized this operation, launched the raid on Impel Down, and caused this situation. Dragon will step forward afterward and claim responsibility for these things; I've already discussed it with him," Ortolan quickly explained.
"Dragon!?" The Admiral Sengoku frowned and said, "You should stay away from him. Both of you are giving me headaches. If you get together again, you'll be causing a huge mess!"
After a brief pause, the Admiral Sengoku asked, "How long will this matter take you to resolve?"
"Almost there, almost there. If the weather is good today and it doesn't rain tonight, it'll be over for today, and you can finally get some sleep..." Ortolan said after thinking for a moment.
"You mean, I won't be able to sleep tonight?" the Admiral Sengoku asked hesitantly.
Ortolan thought to himself, "If you can sleep tonight, then I'll be impressed!"