Dividing into Two Teams

In the end.

Relying on their astonishing coordination, the Marines finished drafting the entire plan in less than ten minutes!

"Though protocol says we should contact Vice Admiral Garp first, we can't waste time when the hostages' safety is at stake."

Thick smoke rose from Smoker's cigar as he used the two maps on the table to explain the Marines' plan to Lynn.

Excluding Lynn himself, there were exactly fifty Marines on the island. The few who had suffered minor injuries during training would not affect the operation.

Kuro's side demanded that Lynn go to Loguetown alone. They had to agree, or the hostages' safety would be threatened.

Taking Lynn's strength into account, the Marines decided to make Foosha Village their main target.

Lynn would head to Loguetown to rescue Makino, while the Marines would rush to Foosha Village as quickly as possible to save the remaining villagers!

However, since they still had no idea what Kuro's side was plotting, it was not prudent to let Lynn go to Loguetown alone.

There were currently only two ships on the island: Garp's Marine warship and the small boat Lynn had borrowed from Makino.

The warship could carry plenty of people, but Makino's small boat could hold no more than two.

Considering this, the Marines decided to send their strongest individual fighter aboard the small boat to accompany Lynn to Loguetown.

He would disembark somewhere far from the harbor, sneak into Loguetown, and provide Lynn with support depending on the situation.

As a Logia Devil Fruit User, Smoker the White Hunter took on the task.

"Hmph. I just don't trust a Great Wanted Criminal to go causing trouble in town!"

Smoker frowned. "Lynn Barek, if I see you make even the slightest move that threatens civilian safety, I swear on my honor as a Marine, I'll arrest you immediately!"

Lynn had long since grown used to this and merely shrugged.

Still, very few people in the East Blue could use Haki, so Smoker's Logia abilities were practically unbeatable here.

As an ally, he was truly reliable!

Meanwhile, the remaining forty-nine Marines would board Garp's warship and head for Foosha Village, eliminate the pirates there as quickly as possible, then race at full speed to Loguetown to support Lynn and Smoker.

The Uninhabited Island where they currently were lay roughly half a day from Foosha Village, so the warship would arrive there before Lynn and Smoker.

But since the pirates in Foosha Village might be in contact with those in Loguetown, they had to wait until Lynn and Smoker reached Loguetown before launching their operations simultaneously.

The exact timing depended on when Lynn and Smoker arrived in Loguetown!

Back then, Granny Siya's merchant ship had taken a full five days to sail from Loguetown to Foosha Village, but that included stops for supplies and all sorts of other delays.

Without those, and with the Marine warship's exceptional performance, the trip from Foosha Village to Loguetown would take only a dozen or so hours!

In other words, if Lynn and Smoker truly encountered danger in Loguetown, reinforcements would arrive a dozen or so hours later.

But then again—

Danger?

One was a monster who could trade blows head-on with Vice Admiral Garp and earn his recognition;

The other was an elite Marine recruit and a Logia Devil Fruit User;

For Lynn and Smoker, "danger" might have been the two words furthest from them!

The battle plan had been decided. All that remained was to carry it out.

The Marines still training in the forest were called out by their comrades. After hearing what had happened and taking a brief rest, they joined the operation.

After more than ten days of hellish special training, these Marines had long been itching to show off their strength!

They flexed their hands, gathered their gear, and boarded the warship one after another.

Meanwhile, Lynn and Smoker also made their preparations. They took food and water, then pushed the small boat at the harbor into the sea.

The Marines aboard the warship gave Lynn the Log Pose marked for Loguetown and handed Smoker a Den Den Mushi for communication.

Once the two reached Loguetown, Smoker would use the Den Den Mushi to notify the Marines at Foosha Village, and both sides would launch surprise attacks on the pirates at the same time!

Suddenly, Lynn seemed to remember something.

He returned to the island, and when he came back, he had an extra book in his hand.

It was that same mysterious book Lynn had been reading while sailing.

Though the Marines were quite curious about its contents, time was pressing. They could only suppress their questions and hope Smoker would tell them afterward what exactly that book was.

"Lynn, Smoker, if you can't beat them, remember to hold out until we get there!"

"Hmph, are you still dreaming?"

Smoker frowned, but still said, "Anyway, be careful!"

"Hahahahaha!"

The Marines laughed and waved, then maneuvered the warship away from the harbor.

On the warship's deck.

A Marine grinned. "Skipping training without permission... Vice Admiral Garp is probably going to chew us out badly this time!"

"I don't think we'll just get chewed out. The training will probably be doubled too."

"Wouldn't that be even better!"

A large Marine grinned. "After seeing Vice Admiral Garp and Lynn fight these past few days, I finally understood that there are so many monsters in this Great Pirate Era. If we don't work harder, we'll never catch up to them!"

"As for right now..."

Another Marine gripped the hilt of his sword and laughed. "The civilians we're supposed to protect are being threatened by vicious pirates!"

"The Marines' duty can't be stolen away by that wanted criminal!"

"Brothers, our target is Foosha Village! Full speed ahead!"

"Oh!"

About ten minutes earlier.

Foosha Village.

Click!

The mustached pirate hung up the Den Den Mushi, ending his conversation with Lynn.

He and some of his pirate companions were currently in Makino's bar, drinking fine liquor looted from the storeroom.

The pirates had locked the villagers of Foosha Village inside several houses and assigned guards to watch them in shifts.

As for the pirates without guard duty, they had all gathered in Makino's bar to enjoy the alcohol.

"Hahahahaha! Talking to a Great Wanted Criminal with a bounty over 100 million was such a thrill!"

The mustached man bragged to his companion beside him, "Lynn Barek is a man who dared to challenge a Celestial Dragon! Does that mean I can count myself as a living legend from now on?"

"Oh! Of course, boss!"

The lackeys around him flattered him.

Just as the mustached man was basking in their praise, a burly figure pushed open the door to Makino's bar.

"Ahh, handling paperwork is the most troublesome thing. I might even get scolded by Tsuru. Changing clothes and sneaking out alone in a small boat to slack off is much more comfortable!"

The man's voice carried through the room. "Hey! Makino, get this old man an ice-cold beer!"

"..."

No one in the bar answered. After all, Makino had already been taken to Loguetown.

The man seemed as though he had not fully woken up yet. He rubbed his eyes before finally seeing the situation before him clearly.

He asked in confusion, "Huh? There are a lot of people in the bar. Where's Makino?"

The mustached pirate was deep in his cups. Seeing someone ruin his drinking mood, anger immediately rose in him, and he drew his sword from his waist.

"Hey, hey, hey, you old bastard, can't you see? We've reserved this bar today!"

The surrounding pirates also picked up their weapons.

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

"Old bastard, you're asking to die!"

At the mustached man's command, all the pirates present rushed forward, ready to teach this arrogant old man a brutal lesson!

Seeing this, Garp picked his ear.

"...Huh?"

Thanks to Wubian Luomu, Zhuoliu, Xianyu Yao, and W Liang for the tips. Thank you!