The saying "a long night breeds many dreams" holds true in every world.
All intelligence has an expiration date. The Marines, having obtained the information Blackbeard provided, naturally wanted to act as swiftly as possible—to strike a devastating blow at the Whitebeard Pirates before they even had time to react!
As the saying goes, speed is the essence of warfare. Yet every action inevitably leaves traces.
The Navy's emergency redeployment of forces into the New World did not go unnoticed by the other powers watching from the shadows.
However, except for Whitebeard—whose intelligence network had been deliberately blocked—and a handful of others, no one could perceive the Marines' true intent behind this grand mobilization.
New World — Somewhere at Sea
The colossal Moby Dick floated like a giant adrift in the endless ocean, carrying the Whitebeard Pirates across the seas with unstoppable might.
Yet at this very moment, something unusual was taking place on her magnificent deck—a report ritualistic in its seriousness.
"Pops! Every single Den Den Mushi aboard died of electrical leakage overnight! That can't be a coincidence!"
Marco laid out rows of the poor dead snails across the deck and said to Whitebeard, who was receiving an IV infusion,"While it's possible there's some sort of magnetic field in that sea region that affects Den Den Mushi, I think we should treat this seriously."
"You mean…"
"Someone killed them deliberately—to cut off our communications?"
Hearing Marco's report, Whitebeard tilted his head slightly on the enormous captain's throne. His expression was calm but laced with suspicion.
"Looks like someone doesn't want this old man living too comfortably, eh~"
"Marco, the only ones capable of doing something like this would be the Marines, right?"
"Yeah," Marco said, frowning. "In recent years, the Navy's science division has rolled out all kinds of new weaponry. They do have the technology for something like this."
"Of course, we can't rule out other factions entirely either."
"According to intel, both Kaido and Big Mom have been preparing to expand their own scientific forces."
"Pops, maybe it's time we considered doing the same."
The power of science was undeniable.
Vegapunk had already proven how far it could reach.
When biological limits are reached, science becomes the best path to breaking through the bottleneck.
Though the Whitebeard Pirates never cared much for conquest, caution was always necessary.
Fall behind, and you'll get beaten.
"That kind of thing, I'll leave to you brats to worry about."
Whitebeard waved his hand dismissively, showing little interest in scientific advancement. "Still, since someone took the trouble to warn us, we'd better not ignore it."
"Tell the boys to stay sharp when sailing. Don't give the Marines any openings."
"Yes, Pops!"
Marco nodded and signaled for the crew to collect the dead Den Den Mushi.
Yet before leaving, he couldn't help but glance back once more at the small corpses scattered across the deck.
For some reason, a deep unease lingered in his chest. This didn't feel as simple as Pops made it sound.
A Few Days Later — A Port Under Whitebeard's Command
A small battleship bearing the Whitebeard flag slowly raised anchor and set sail toward the vast sea.
The captain aboard was the 11th Division Commander, Kingdew—a massive, dark-skinned man dressed like a boxer.
Seated in a chair large enough to swallow his bulk, he held an old-fashioned gourd flask and drank deep swigs of fine liquor as though it were water.
"S'hee~!"
"As expected of Pops' favorite brew from Misty Cloud Island—so much sweeter than anything else out there!"
Wiping his mouth with his forearm guard, Kingudo thought of the cargo hold packed with the same fine wine. A broad grin spread across his face.
"With this much booze, Pops'll be happy for months!"
"Those women are such nags. Don't they know liquor's a man's best medicine!?"
"Making Pops give up drinking—what a joke! Hahaha—hic~!"
Tasked secretly by Whitebeard to fetch his treasured wine, Kingudo chuckled contentedly.
No one else could've been entrusted with such a mission—only a fellow drunkard like himself.
In his eyes, this was proof of Pops' special favor.
But who could have guessed this favor would become the spark that plunged the Whitebeard Pirates into peril?
Not long after Kingudo's ship departed from Misty Cloud Island's port…
A dockworker suddenly stopped what he was doing, darted away from the crowd, and slipped into a hidden chamber.
After confirming the coast was clear, he retrieved a concealed Den Den Mushi and reported,
"Whitebeard's 11th Division Commander has left port."
"So far, his movements match the intelligence provided. We can tentatively confirm Blackbeard's info is accurate."
"I understand."
The Den Den Mushi, half-asleep until now, suddenly spoke in a deep voice—then immediately hung up.
The "dockworker" adjusted his outfit and returned to the port, resuming his labor like nothing had happened.
Meanwhile — Near Misty Cloud Island
On a Marine warship's deck stood Admiral Kizaru, Borsalino. One hand held a telegram from Cipher Pol 5; the other raised a miniature Den Den Mushi to his face.
From the snail's mouth came the low, commanding voice of the Fleet Admiral:
"Hmm… so Whitebeard really did send Kingudo to Misty Cloud Island on a procurement mission?"
"Even the timing matches perfectly. The deviation's less than seven days."
"It seems Marshall's intel is indeed reliable."
"Excellent."
The Den Den Mushi's expression turned stern as the order came down:
"Whitebeard's communications have been completely disabled these past few days. Without them, they're blind at sea."
"Borsalino, your next task is to destroy Kingudo's vessel as quickly as possible!"
"But remember—do not inflict serious harm on him!"
"Whitebeard must not notice anything amiss through the Life Card."
Life Cards were mysterious papers linked to their owner's vitality. If Kingudo were injured or killed, the card aboard the Moby Dick would immediately react.
"Ehh~"
Kizaru answered lazily, signaling that he understood.
The call ended soon after.
Standing at the bow, Kizaru scratched his messy hair and sighed slowly.
"Starting right off against a Whitebeard Division Commander, huh?"
"So scary~"
As the words left his mouth, dazzling light suddenly burst from his body.
In an instant, he transformed into a beam of pure radiance, shooting straight toward Kingudo's ship.
Seconds later—
BOOM!!!
A tremendous explosion erupted across the sea.
Blazing flames devoured the surface, their orange glow merging with the ocean's deep blues—a breathtakingly tragic beauty.
Elsewhere — Jaya Island
"Red, the Going Merry's refit is complete!"
"We can head for Sky Island anytime. All that's left is for Uncle Mont Blanc to detect the rising sea current."
"Oh, and Usopp's tracking device is finished too!"
"I tested it earlier—if I'm right, the Merry can land precisely in Laboon's mouth without a hitch."
"Really? That's great."
"We've also gotten in touch with Doflamingo, though he says he needs three days before he can come."
"Luffy and I will wait here in Mock Town for now."
"By the way, any news about the Celestial Dragons?"
Holding a Den Den Mushi in his hand, Red spoke with Nami from the other side of the island.
The snail, mirroring Nami's expression, shook its head slightly.
"Nothing yet."
"No sightings of any Celestial Dragons in nearby waters."
"I see~" Red rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Don't tell me we'll have to go all the way to Sabaody Archipelago and kidnap a few ourselves?"
"That'd waste way too much time."
"Forget it. Let's wait for Doflamingo's intel first."
After exchanging a few brief words, Red hung up the call.
Once again thwarted by lack of information, he frowned in thought.
"Without intelligence, we're completely on the passive side…"
"When this is over, I need to form an intelligence division of our own under the Straw Hat Crew."
"Now the question is—where am I going to find the right people?"
(End of Chapter)