"As you said, I cannot tell you that."
However, you can make your own guesses and see how I plan to deal with them next.
Just as Luo Chen couldn't reveal the source of his information, Jonathan couldn't explain his plan to him.
Even knowing that Luo Chen wouldn't inform the Straw Hat crew, he still felt responsible for the safety of his soldiers based on his position.
"You must have deployed a large number of soldiers at the shipyard, right?"
Because if we're going to set sail, we absolutely need their ships, am I right?!
In his memory, Luffy and his crew seemed to have encountered great resistance on their voyage. Combining this with an analysis of the situation, he roughly knew how Jonathan would plan his next move.
Snap snap~
"Excellent, very clever. I didn't expect you to guess so accurately."
As a seasoned angler, I would naturally place the hook where the bait is and wait for the fish to bite.
And those were the hooks I laid, just to see if I could catch any fish.
Jonathan likened the Marines lying in ambush at the dock to a fishhook, using their pirate ship as bait, waiting for the Straw Hat, who were the fish, to take the bait.
"Hey, Usopp, you know where the dock is, right? Hurry up and lead the way! We need to meet up with Nami and Robin after we find the Going Merry!!"
Sanji turned back to Usopp as he ran forward.
"Oh, I know that. That's why I got caught. Come with me, the dock is this way..."
Usopp answered, then led the others in another direction, running towards the dock where the Going Merry was located.
"Oh, great! Finally, we're back on the ship. I can't wait for the adventure to begin..."
Luffy said with a grin and then followed Usopp.
Soon, the group arrived at the dock. Just as they were about to excitedly run towards the Going Merry, Sanji immediately stopped them.
"Something's wrong! Stop right there, Usopp, Luffy! There's been no one patrolling this area since we came in!"
This is very unusual; we may have fallen into an ambush.
Sanji looked around with concern and addressed them.
Click...
Click...
Just as Usopp and Luffy were about to explain, suddenly, dozens of lights shone in front of them.
Standing opposite them, leading the group, was Colonel Drake, whom they had met in prison. He picked up a microphone, turned on his voice, and shouted at Luffy and his crew.
"Surrender, Straw Hat Pirates! You're surrounded. Don't even think about escaping."
"Hey, Luffy, what do we do? There are so many of them! We're trapped! What should we do...?"
When Usopp saw that a thousand Marines were blocking their way, he was so frightened that he hid behind the three of them and poked his Luffy out to ask Luffy and the others.
"Hmph, there's no turning back now, Usopp, let's prepare for battle..."
Zoro tied the black bandana from his arm to his head, drew his three swords, and looked at Usopp with a fighting spirit.
"Whee..."
Luffy grinned as he looked at the other side. Although he didn't say anything, his attitude made it clear that he was determined to fight to the end and would never surrender to the Navy.
"Phew... That's right, the Moss Head is right, we have no way out, let's prepare for battle!!"
Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, agreed with Zoro's words and said this to Usopp.
"Hmph, a bunch of stubborn pirates. Since that's how it is, then we won't hold back. Attack!"
Colonel Drake, seeing their attitude, was also angered and ordered his men to open fire on them.
Bang bang bang...
Bang bang bang...
Dozens of bullets were fired, but Luffy's body transformed into Balloon and bounced them off.
"Since regular bullets aren't effective against you, let's use prison rounds. Fire..."
After Drake finished speaking, he ordered a special forces team to go up and fire cannonballs at Luffy and his crew.
"Hehe, I already told you, neither bullets nor cannons have any effect on me."
Look at my Gum-Gum... ah...
Luffy forward and spoke with great confidence in his abilities.
Just as he was about to use his ability to deflect the shells, he was caught in a large net formed by the shells and fell to the ground, unable to move.
"Hey, Luffy, what's wrong? Break free from it! I believe you can do it!"
When Usopp arrived at Luffy, who was trapped in the large net, he couldn't help but go up to him and encourage him to break free of the barbed wire.
"Even though you say that, I still can't muster the strength to break free..."
Luffy answered weakly.
"Tch, is it Seastone? Be careful, everyone, don't be as careless as Luffy and get captured..."
Zoro noticed Luffy's unusual behavior and alerted the others.
"Shoot, use smoke grenades and tear gas."
Drake Rake again ordered his men to fire smoke grenades and tear gas at them.
Bang bang bang...
Smoke plumes shot out, filling the area around Zoro and his companions with smoke and the pungent smell of tear gas.
Then, the Marines launched another attack on Zoro and his crew, who were completely unprepared, and the situation became deadlocked.
However, a closer look reveals that Zoro and his crew are gradually losing ground and will likely be captured by the Marines soon.
"Make way, make way..."
Just then, several voices rang out from the passage behind Zoro and the others.
Then Nami, dressed as a nurse, and another nurse pushed a medical cart inside, knocking the unsuspecting Usopp flying and crashing heavily to the ground.
"Huh? What's going on here? What's wrong with you all?!"
When Nami entered, she saw Zoro and his crew fighting with the Marines, and at the same time, everyone's attention turned to the two of them.
"Um, Usopp, what happened to you? Who hurt you like this? Was it the Marines?"
Chopper had been hiding on the hospital bed, immediately transformed into human form and rushed over when he saw Usopp lying heavily injured on the ground. He picked up Usopp and asked him what was wrong.
"No, that's not it..."
Sanji and Zoro, who knew the truth, both denied his guess.
Next, Nami and her two companions used their pre-planned scheme to send a distress call to the Navy, lying to them that they had been kidnapped and threatened by Chopper.
This left Drake Rake with no choice but to reluctantly give way to the hostages, who were unwilling to risk their lives, allowing them to safely reach the Going Merry.
However, he didn't want the Straw Hat crew to leave so easily, so he secretly sent his men to capture them.
Unfortunately, Zoro quickly saw through his plan, and then the two sides prepared for another big fight. Just then...
The old shipwright who knew Usopp decided to help them. In the control room, he forcefully lifted the lock, allowing their ship, the Going Merry, to be launched smoothly and return to the sea.
Before the sailors could react, the group jumped aboard the Going Merry and rode away from them.
"Colonel, what should we do? The Straw Hat Pirates have successfully escaped from us. Should we fire?"
A marine ran over to him and asked for instructions.
"Damn it, fire! Aim at their ship and shoot it down!"
Colonel Drake, having once again watched them escape from his grasp, angrily ordered his men to attack their ship.