Splitting Up

Finally.

With incredible coordination, the Marines finished formulating their entire plan in less than ten minutes!

"Although according to regulations, we should contact Vice Admiral Garp first, for the safety of the hostages, we can't afford to waste any time."

Smoker's cigar puffed out thick smoke as he explained the Marines' plan to Linley using the two maps on the table.

Excluding Linley himself, there were a total of fifty Marines on the island, and the few minor injuries sustained during training did not affect their combat readiness.

Kuro's side demanded that Linley go to Loguetown alone, a condition that had to be met, otherwise the hostages' safety would be threatened.

Considering Linley's own strength, the Marines decided to make Windmill Village the main point of attack.

Linley would go to Loguetown to rescue Makino, while the Marines would rush to Windmill Village as quickly as possible to rescue the remaining villagers!

However, since Kuro's side's true intentions were still unclear, sending Linley alone to Loguetown was not entirely safe.

Currently, there were only two ships on this island: Garp's Marine warship and the small boat Linley had borrowed from Makino.

The warship could carry many people, but Makino's small boat could only carry a maximum of two.

Considering these factors, the Marines decided to send the strongest individual combatant to accompany Linley to Loguetown on the small boat.

He would disembark in advance, far from the port, and sneak into Loguetown to provide support to Linley if the situation called for it.

As a Logia Devil Fruit user, Smoker took on this mission.

"Hmph, I'm just not at ease letting a highly wanted criminal run amok in the town!"

Smoker frowned, "Linley Barek, if I find you even slightly threatening the safety of civilians, I swear on my honor as a Marine, I will arrest you immediately!"

Linley was used to this and simply shrugged.

However, it was worth noting that very few people in the East Blue could wield Haki, making Smoker's Logia ability almost unbeatable here.

As an ally, he was incredibly reliable!

On the other hand, the remaining forty-nine Marines would board Garp's warship and head to Windmill Village. They would eliminate the pirates there as quickly as possible and then proceed at full speed to Loguetown to support Linley and Smoker.

The deserted island they were currently on was about half a day's journey from Windmill Village, so the warship would reach Windmill Village ahead of Linley and Smoker.

But considering that the pirates at Windmill Village might be in contact with those in Loguetown, they had to wait for Linley and Smoker to reach Loguetown before launching their simultaneous operation.

The exact timing of the operation depended on when Linley and Smoker arrived at Loguetown!

It used to take Granny Siya's merchant ship a full five days to travel from Loguetown to Windmill Village, but that included stops for supplies and various other matters.

Excluding those, coupled with the superior performance of the Marine warship, it would only take a little over ten hours to travel from Windmill Village to Loguetown!

In other words, if Linley and Smoker encountered danger in Loguetown, reinforcements would arrive in just over ten hours.

But then again—

Danger?

One was a monster who could fight Vice Admiral Garp head-on and had earned his acknowledgment;

The other was an elite Marine rookie and a Logia Devil Fruit user.

For Linley and Smoker, "danger" was perhaps the furthest word from them!

The operational plan was set, and all that remained was execution.

The Marines who were still training in the forest were called out by their comrades. After hearing about the situation, they rested briefly before joining the combat team.

These Marines, having undergone over ten days of hellish special training, could no longer wait to showcase their abilities!

They eagerly prepared their gear and boarded the warship.

Meanwhile, Linley and Smoker also made their preparations, packing food and water, and pushed the small boat from the port into the sea.

The Marines on the warship handed Linley the Log Pose marked for Loguetown and gave Smoker the Den Den Mushi for communication.

Once the two reached Loguetown, Smoker would use the Den Den Mushi to notify the Marines stationed at Windmill Village, and the two forces would launch a surprise attack on the pirates simultaneously!

Suddenly, Linley seemed to remember something.

He returned to the island and came back with a book in his hand.

It was the mysterious book Linley had been reading while sailing.

Although the Marines were very curious about the book's contents, time was of the essence, so they could only suppress their questions, hoping Smoker could tell them what the book was later.

"Linley, Smoker, if you can't win, remember to hold out until we get there!"

"Hmph, are you still dreaming?"

Smoker frowned but still said, "In any case, be careful!"

"Hahahahaha!"

The Marines waved goodbye with laughter and then steered the warship away from the port.

On the warship's deck.

A Marine grinned, "We probably deserve a severe scolding from Vice Admiral Garp for deserting training like this!"

"I don't think it'll just be a scolding; our training will likely be doubled."

"Isn't that better!"

A tall Marine grinned, "Seeing Vice Admiral Garp and Linley's battles these past few days, I finally realized there are so many monsters on this sea. If I don't work harder, I won't be able to catch up to them!"

"As for now…"

Another Marine tightened his grip on his sword hilt and laughed heartily, "The civilians we protect are being threatened by ferocious pirates!"

"We can't let that wanted criminal steal the Marines' duty!"

"Brothers, target: Windmill Village, full speed ahead!"

"Ooh!"

About ten minutes ago.

Windmill Village.

Click!

The Mustache Pirate hung up the Den Den Mushi, ending his call with Linley.

He and some of his pirate companions were currently in Makino's tavern, drinking fine wine stolen from the warehouse.

The pirates had locked the villagers of Windmill Village in several rooms, assigning guards to rotate watches.

As for the pirates not on guard duty, they were all gathered in Makino's tavern, enjoying the fine wine.

"Hahahaha, talking to a wanted criminal with a bounty over 100 million is so exhilarating!"

The Mustache Pirate bragged to his companion, "Linley Barek, that's a man who dares to challenge a Celestial Dragon. Does this mean I'll be considered a living legend from now on?"

"Oh! Of course, boss!"

The underlings around him flattered.

Just as the Mustache Pirate was feeling pleased with himself, a burly figure pushed open the door of Makino's tavern.

"Ah, dealing with work is the most troublesome, and I might even get scolded by Tsuru. It's much more comfortable to change clothes and sneak out on a small boat to slack off!"

The person's voice carried over, "Hey! Makino, give this old man a glass of ice-cold beer!"

"…"

No one answered in the tavern, as Makino had already been taken to Loguetown.

The person seemed not to have woken up yet. He rubbed his eyes and finally saw the situation before him.

He asked confusedly, "Huh? There are so many people in the tavern. Where's Makino?"

The Mustache Pirate was already quite drunk. Seeing someone ruining his mood, he immediately became angry and drew his sword from his waist.

"Hey, hey, hey, old man, can't you see? This tavern is booked by us today!"

Seeing this, the surrounding pirates also picked up their weapons.

"Ah, is that so?" The old man scratched his head and laughed heartily, "Yeah, don't be so stingy. Come, let's drink together!"

"You old geezer, you're asking for death!"

With a command from the Mustache Pirate, the pirates present swarmed forward, ready to teach this arrogant old man a brutal lesson!

Seeing this, Garp casually fiddled with his ear.

"…Huh?"

Thank you to Wu Bian Luomu, Zhuo Liu, Xian Yu Yao, and W Liang for the rewards, thank you!