Chapter 373: Preparations for Departure

Chapter 373: Chapter 373: Preparations for Departure

Chapter 373: Preparations for Departure

Tsuru took over from Sengoku.

"At the moment, the only people with enough strength and freedom to pursue the Blackbeard Pirates are Aokiji and Garp."

The moment Garp’s name was mentioned, Sengoku’s expression twisted.

"That bastard Garp!"

His fist slammed against the desk.

"At a time like this, he still hasn’t returned to Marineford!"

The officers in the room fell silent.

Sengoku’s forehead throbbed.

"And his excuse for being late is that he went to a party!"

He looked ready to personally drag Garp back and crack open his skull to see what was inside.

Unfortunately, Garp was not the only problem.

Aokiji, who had once been mentored by him, had apparently inherited the same habit of wandering wherever he pleased. He was currently traveling somewhere across the sea on his bicycle.

Even if Marineford issued an emergency recall, there was no chance he could return quickly at that speed.

Neither man could be counted on immediately.

Tsuru blinked.

"A party?"

Then she sighed.

"That really does sound like Garp."

Sengoku glared at her.

Tsuru continued calmly,

"But perhaps he has already started moving."

Sengoku’s expression changed slightly.

"You know how he is. He trusts his instincts more than slow orders from Headquarters."

"He often acts before the Marines finish deciding what to do."

Sengoku rubbed his forehead.

"If that’s what happened this time..."

He exhaled.

"Then for once, I’ll be grateful."

...

Once Axel’s cooperation with the Marines had been established, assistance arrived almost immediately.

A small Marine unit approached him carrying documents and supplies.

One officer stepped forward respectfully.

"Rear Admiral Axel."

Axel’s eye twitched.

The Marine continued as though nothing were strange.

"These are the nautical charts for the surrounding waters, a Log Pose, and instructions for entering the Triangle Current."

Axel accepted the documents but stared at the man.

Only recently, he had been a wanted criminal.

Now this Marine was addressing him as though his defection had never happened and he had simply returned to active duty.

Axel did not find that reassuring.

If anything, it made his future look even more troublesome.

He had no idea what role Tsuru intended him to play in this operation, and he did not have much time to waste figuring it out.

If Ain truly was in Tesoro’s hands, Axel needed to locate him before Tesoro realized the Marines and Axel had begun cooperating.

"Rear Admiral, if you require anything else, please contact me at any time."

The Marine looked almost excited.

Axel frowned.

"Why are you calling me Rear Admiral?"

The man blinked.

"Does the Rear Admiral not know?"

Then realization dawned on his face.

"Ah."

He nodded knowingly.

"Of course."

Axel immediately disliked that expression.

"The mission requires you to maintain your disguise until the proper order is issued."

The officer’s voice filled with admiration.

"Continuing to bear the identity of a criminal is part of your duty."

"All for the Absolute Justice of the Marines."

Axel stared at him.

"So..."

He pointed at himself.

"You think I was pretending to defect?"

The Marine nodded firmly.

His expression practically screamed, Stop pretending. I already understand everything.

Axel finally understood what Tsuru had done.

During their agreement, she had insisted that Axel act under the Marines’ name.

Apparently, she had already begun putting that arrangement into effect without bothering to warn him.

That created another problem.

Axel did not care about pretending to work for the Marines.

But if news of their cooperation spread too soon, Tesoro would inevitably notice.

And explaining that afterward would become much harder.

The officer, meanwhile, seemed to have constructed an entire heroic story in his head.

To him, Axel was apparently a loyal Marine officer who had endured humiliation, accepted the shame of being branded a traitor, and infiltrated the darkness for the sake of justice.

Axel found the look unbearable.

"If that’s everything, you can go."

He waved dismissively.

The officer saluted.

"There is also a Marine warship stationed nearby for your use."

Axel paused.

"You’ll need a Marine vessel to enter the Triangle Current safely."

"The Sea Stone lining its hull will prevent most Sea Kings from attacking from below."

He saluted again.

"I won’t disturb you any further, Rear Admiral."

The Marine departed, leaving the warship behind.

Axel sighed.

At least that problem was over.

Then he turned around.

Chopper was staring at him with tears in his eyes.

Axel froze.

Chopper backed away suspiciously.

"So you really are a Marine!"

"What?"

"You were only acting friendly because you wanted to arrest me!"

Axel stared at him.

Then slowly turned his head.

Wapol was standing nearby, snickering.

The moment he noticed Axel looking at him, his smile vanished.

"Lord Wapol merely offered a few reasonable possibilities."

He crossed his arms.

"Whether that little tanuki believed them was entirely his own choice."

His voice gradually became quieter.

Everyone who had spent time with Chopper knew how easily he trusted people.

Wapol absolutely knew what would happen.

Axel kicked him away.

"GAAAH!"

Wapol disappeared across the deck.

Then Axel turned back to comfort Chopper.

Once the misunderstanding was settled, he began thinking again.

Cooperating with the Marines gave Ace a layer of protection, at least on paper.

But Axel knew things were not that simple.

Ace was Gol D. Roger’s son.

Once that truth entered the equation, the Marines might decide that executing him carried more value than honoring a promise made to Axel.

There was always a possibility that the agreement would be discarded when circumstances changed.

Still, obtaining a formal commitment from Marine Headquarters was probably the best Axel could manage from that side.

Tesoro was different.

The information provided by the Marines had revealed something important.

Teach had contacted them directly.

Tesoro likely did not know that.

Tesoro wanted Ace to serve as bait in a carefully arranged confrontation.

But Teach offering Ace to the Marines in exchange for a Warlord position introduced a major variable and reduced Tesoro’s control over the plan.

Axel did not believe Tesoro would willingly allow that.

Which meant Teach was acting independently.

That gap could be exploited.

Axel thought for a while, organized his words, then took out the golden Den Den Mushi.

The call connected quickly.

Tesoro sounded irritated immediately.

"You again?"

"If this is about Ace, I don’t have time to entertain you."

He laughed.

"Though perhaps I can arrange for a recording Den Den Mushi to capture his execution so you can watch it later."

Axel lowered his voice.

"I’m calling because I need something from you."

Tesoro paused.

"Oh?"

His interest was obvious.

"What is it?"

"You owe me money."

A brief silence followed.

"I need one hundred million Berries delivered somewhere."

Tesoro immediately understood.

"Like what happened on Drum Island?"

"Exactly."

Tesoro sighed.

"Where?"

"And if possible, take everything you’re owed at once."

His tone became dismissive.

"I hate owing anyone anything."

"Even when that so-called debt was practically a gift from me."

Axel scoffed.

"A gift?"

"We exchanged information."

"You really are shameless."

He continued,

"That information may not have meant much to an ordinary person, but to someone like you, it was worth far more than a pile of Berries."

Tesoro was already monstrously wealthy.

Within a few years, his fortune would grow to an absurd percentage of the world’s circulating wealth.

Even now, the amount of money under his control was beyond what most kingdoms could imagine.

A hundred million Berries was barely worth mentioning to him.

Tesoro clicked his tongue.

"Enough."

"Where do you want it delivered?"

Axel answered immediately.

"Sabaody Archipelago."

Silence.

The Den Den Mushi’s expression slowly darkened.

When Tesoro spoke again, the warmth was gone from his voice.

"How do you know?"

Axel remained quiet.

"How do you know Ace is being taken to Sabaody?"

Axel smiled slightly.

"Did you forget?"

"I was the one who originally told you about Marshall D. Teach."

Tesoro fell silent.

Then he laughed.

"Heh."

"Hahahaha!"

"Of course."

His voice carried genuine contempt.

"Pirates really can’t be trusted."

Axel said nothing.

Tesoro continued,

"But even if you know, what are you planning to accomplish?"

"This storm is already sweeping across the sea."

His voice became mocking.

"What can one person do?"

"Will you struggle in the waves until you’re swallowed?"

"Will you stand alone against something you can’t stop?"

"Do you honestly think your body can withstand what’s coming?"

Axel cut him off.

"That’s none of your concern."

His tone hardened.

"I’m warning you in advance because you should prepare."

"This isn’t just about the money."

"You know what I actually want."

Tesoro laughed.

"And why should I give it to you?"

His voice became amused.

"The person in my hands is the leash around your neck."

"And so far, it works surprisingly well."

Axel’s expression did not change.

"Then imagine what happens if your entire plan reaches its final stage..."

"And I take away the one piece you need most."

Tesoro’s smile faded.

Axel continued,

"What expression will you make then?"

"You intend to take Ace from us?"

"Yes."

Axel answered without hesitation.

"It doesn’t matter whether I was the one who captured him."

"As long as Ace is in my hands before your plan begins, the result is the same."

That explanation gave Axel an obvious reason to head toward Sabaody.

More importantly, it was not entirely a lie.

Now that he knew where Ace was likely going, rescuing him was exactly what Axel intended to attempt.

Tesoro had little reason to doubt it.

His voice became colder.

"Then come talk to me after you succeed."

"I’m telling you this for your benefit."

Tesoro almost laughed.

Axel continued smoothly,

"If I take Ace away at the critical moment, your entire arrangement becomes useless."

"So bring Ain with you."

"Once I get Ace, you can hand her over and recover the piece your plan needs."

Axel paused.

"You should appreciate how considerate I’m being."

Tesoro stared through the Den Den Mushi.

Axel’s proposal amounted to stealing the final piece of a puzzle just before completion, then demanding payment to put it back.

And somehow, he was calling that consideration.

Tesoro laughed from pure anger.

"Hahahaha..."

"There truly aren’t many people in this world as considerate as you."

His voice became darker.

"Especially people who spend every conversation trying to ruin my plans."

Axel said nothing.

Tesoro eventually continued,

"Fine."

"I’ll take your situation into consideration."

"That’s all I wanted."

Tesoro exhaled sharply.

"Talking to you any longer is going to ruin my mood completely."

At that moment, screams came through the Den Den Mushi.

Not one person.

Many.

The cries rose and fell chaotically in the background.

Axel’s expression cooled.

Tesoro was clearly venting his anger elsewhere.

Axel asked,

"How are you any different from the Celestial Dragons?"

Tesoro answered immediately.

"There is a difference!"

His voice became almost feverish.

"They controlled my fate."

"Now I control the lives of others."

Axel’s face hardened.

He disliked the answer.

But there was nothing he could do about it from here.

He ended the call.

Most of the important pieces were now in place.

Axel unfolded the nautical chart the Marines had provided.

It covered the surrounding waters and included the route toward the Triangle Current.

He compared it with older charts he had obtained before and confirmed the accuracy was acceptable.

As he opened it fully, an envelope slipped free and landed on the deck.

Axel glanced at it.

Then handed the chart and Log Pose to Robin.

"We’re leaving."

Robin accepted them.

"Aren’t we taking the warship?"

She looked toward the Marine vessel anchored nearby.

Its construction, weapons, and overall equipment were far superior to their current ship.

It also offered another advantage.

Most Marines would never attack one of their own warships without confirmation, while ordinary pirates would think twice before approaching.

Axel shook his head.

"I don’t want to use anything that makes our cooperation with the Marines too obvious."

Although he had agreed to act in the Marines’ name, there was no reason to expose that relationship before reaching Sabaody.

He picked up the fallen envelope.

The writing on the front immediately caught his attention.

Monkey D. Axel

Commissioned as Rear Admiral

Assigned to maintain security in the waters surrounding Sabaody Archipelago.

Axel stared at it.

Tsuru had prepared everything thoroughly.

Perhaps too thoroughly.

He folded the letter away.

Then he extended his awareness beneath the sea.

Axel searched for the familiar magnetic trace below and manipulated the signal into something simple enough to communicate through his Magnetic Sense.

A response came from the depths.

The ocean began to bulge.

Sanji looked over.

"What the hell...?"

The sea rose.

Then something enormous emerged.

A gigantic Sea King surfaced beside the ship, its body seeming to stretch endlessly beneath the water.

For a moment, it blocked almost the entire horizon.

Sanji’s cigarette nearly fell from his mouth.

"WHAT IS THAT?!"

Chopper puffed out his chest proudly.

"Big Shark!"

Sanji slowly turned toward him.

Chopper continued,

"He’s our fleet’s pet."

Sanji stared back at the colossal Sea King.

Then his expression changed into one of professional curiosity.

"I wonder what something that big tastes like."

Big Shark stared at him.

Sanji suddenly felt slightly less curious.

.....

https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR

[If you don’t want to wait for the next update, read 50 Chapters ahead on P@treon.]

[[email protected]/FanficLord03].