Please Read On! Two Ferocious Cats of the South Blue!

[Rumble—]

A dazzling bolt of Lightning flashed across the Sky, illuminating the dim sea beneath the heavy black clouds. But it was only a momentary burst of light. The dark blue-black waves endlessly tried to shake the towering Red Line, yet could only smash themselves to pieces.

[Splash!!]

A Marine Warship bristling with cannon ports came charging down from a height whose summit could not be seen, racing along the climbing currents of Reverse Mountain like a savage beast before plunging fiercely into these waters, countless times larger than the Grand Line.

After that, an identical "savage beast" dove down every ten minutes until a fleet of five Warships, each far larger than an ordinary seafaring vessel, appeared openly on the waters beneath Reverse Mountain.

"To run into this kind of torrential weather right away..."

Dragon, dressed in a green suit and a Coat of Justice, pushed open the cabin door and stepped onto the deck. Looking at the gloomy Sky, the howling winds, and the pouring rain, he felt rather speechless.

However, thanks to the power of the Hurricane Fruit, the invisible currents swirling around him naturally shielded him from all wind and rain.

After many days of sailing, they had finally arrived in the South Blue. At this point in time, Vegapunk had yet to develop technology that would allow Warships to traverse the Calm Belt, so even the Marines had to obediently line up and pass through Reverse Mountain.

[Whoosh—]

Dragon swept his gaze over the surrounding Warships. A pale green current suddenly spread from his body, and the five Warships immediately received the wind's "favor." Not only did an invisible barrier block the fierce winds and rain, but their speed also began increasing at a visible rate.

He understood that speed was of the essence in war. The South Blue was incredibly vast, and while the climate of the Four Seas was not as extreme or unpredictable as that of the Grand Line, that did not mean it was especially stable. It was simply more stable and orderly compared to the Grand Line's extreme and sudden weather.

In other words, on the Grand Line, a storm could come without warning and vanish just as quickly. It would last only a short time, but no one knew whether the next phenomenon would be hail or a Tornado.

In the Four Seas, a single type of weather lasted a relatively normal amount of time. It would not be strange for it to continue for days and nights.

This would greatly increase the time needed for the fleet to reach its destination!

At this moment, the Marines of every rank who had been staying in their cabins gradually noticed this miraculous change. Apart from those who needed to remain at their posts, they all stepped onto the deck, happily breathing in the fresh air.

"Major General Dragon, your ability really is convenient. As expected of a Logia!" A major general with a long sword in a red scabbard at his waist walked over with a smile.

For this operation, Major General Ivan was temporarily serving as the adjutant. At Marine Headquarters, only Vice Admirals were assigned permanent adjutants, so this was a special exception.

Logically speaking, Dragon, as a major general, should not have been the commanding officer of five Headquarters Class Warships. But now that he was, he needed an adjutant to assist in commanding the fleet.

However, Major General Ivan had no complaints. First, Dragon was Garp's son, so he would naturally be treated differently. After all, few Marines did not respect that Marine hero. Second, Dragon's strength was enough to convince anyone.

Before becoming a Devil Fruit user, Dragon's Physical Arts and Haki had already surpassed the average level for a major general. Now, with the top-tier Logia Hurricane Fruit added to the mix, he had undoubtedly become even stronger.

Quite a few Marines were now comparing him to Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, the three Admiral candidates.

Only Dragon himself understood his own situation. He had eaten the Hurricane Fruit only about a year ago, and its development could hardly compare with those three, who had immersed themselves in their respective abilities for over a decade.

Thus, his main combat strength was still focused on his Physical Arts and Haki!

"Have you figured out the situation with the Marine branches around the Thutmose Kingdom?" Dragon had no mood for joking as he seriously brought up business.

"Yes. Marine Branch 289, Marine Branch 242, and Marine Branch 194 are all around fifty nautical miles from the Thutmose Kingdom. They are located to its northeast, southeast, and due west respectively, while Reverse Mountain, where we are now, lies to the northwest."

Dragon nodded, but inwardly he wondered: these four Marine branches were so close to the Slave King's headquarters, yet why had he managed to hide so well all these years?

"What are the troop numbers and configurations of those branches?"

"Marine Branch 289 and Marine Branch 242 are roughly the same, with around three thousand personnel and five small Warships each. Marine Branch 194, the closest to the Thutmose Kingdom, is relatively stronger. According to intelligence, it has nearly five thousand Marines and eight small Warships."

Major General Ivan relayed the intelligence they had gathered, then asked, "Should we notify them now and have them cooperate with this operation?"

The Thutmose Kingdom had nearly thirty thousand soldiers, as well as a slave-catching fleet of ten thousand scattered throughout the world, though it was unknown how many could return. Therefore, relying solely on the forces aboard these five Headquarters Class Warships would make it far too difficult to catch them all.

After all, a Headquarters Class Warship normally carried eight hundred personnel, meaning five ships amounted to four thousand people. Although they all came from Headquarters and were far superior to Marines from the Four Seas branches in both military quality and individual strength, they were still badly outnumbered.

One had to know that the Thutmose Kingdom was a medium-sized island, already much larger than Drum Kingdom.

Therefore, this campaign to wipe out the Slave King Taklama and his entire force would certainly require joint action with the Marine branches in the South Blue.

Dragon shook his head.

"No. Notify them only when we are one day away. These branches are just fifty nautical miles from the Thutmose Kingdom. They can reach their positions in two hours at most, so there's no need to rush."

Major General Ivan pondered those words for a moment, then quickly grasped part of Dragon's thinking. He was clearly guarding against someone tipping off the Slave King.

Thinking about it, Taklama had operated in this stretch of the South Blue for decades. It would be absurd to claim that his influence had not infiltrated the surrounding Marine branches.

After all, not many people could resist every kind of temptation.

"Understood, Major General Dragon!"

Major General Ivan suddenly realized that his temporary commanding officer did not seem to be the sort of person with nothing but muscles in his head, who handled everything with his fists.

Ahem. Though he probably should not say it, that was the impression Vice Admiral Garp gave everyone, so he had assumed Dragon would be much the same.

"By the way, who is currently the highest-bounty pirate in the South Blue?" Dragon asked again. Major General Ivan thought for a moment.

"It should be the Black Cat Pirates and the White Cat Pirates. The Black Cat Pirates' captain, Three-Legged Cat, has a bounty of forty-eight million Beli. The White Cat Pirates' captain, Fishing Kitten, has a bounty of forty-three million Beli. They have been the two most renowned pirate crews in the South Blue in recent years."

"Three-Legged Cat? Fishing Kitten? What kind of ridiculous names are those?" Dragon turned around with a confused expression. They really did not sound like the nicknames vicious pirates ought to have.

Major General Ivan shrugged, indicating that he did not know either.

"Heh, their names may be laughable, but according to intelligence, both are Zoan Cat-Cat Fruit users. Their forms are the Pallas Cat Form and Lion Cat Form, both known among felines for their ferocity. Since their real names are unknown, they are referred to by their nicknames."

"It is said that they are biological brothers and have an extremely close relationship. Neither wanted to slight the other, so each established a pirate crew in his own name as captain. However, the two pirate crews have always acted together. Over the years, both their strength and influence have become enough to dominate one side of the South Blue, yet they have never been willing to risk entering the Grand Line."

"I see. Two Zoan users, then. That explains it." Dragon came to a realization and no longer dwelled on their nicknames.

"Do this. Send word to those three branches—no, to every branch in the surrounding area. Tell them we are here to capture these two 'cats.' Have them keep an eye out for their location and stand by to provide support at any time!"

The book's synopsis has been changed. Sure enough, once the synopsis changed, the rate of new bookmarks increased dramatically. Sigh.