Dragon spread out a map of the New World, on which the Celestial Tribute fleet's sailing route was already marked.
He pointed to a specific sea area. "The fleet will enter this region in about three days. There are no islands within ten thousand meters of this area; it's deserted and an excellent opportunity to strike. We'll make our move on the night of the third day. The visibility will be poorer, which will effectively help hide our identities."
Dragon gestured towards Karasu and explained to Bege, "Karasu is a Devil Fruit user; he can control swarms of crows. Before the operation begins, he will dispatch a large number of crows to scatter in all directions around the fleet. Each crow will carry a White-Bellied Frog. The combined cries of over a thousand White-Bellied Frogs will completely jam their Den Den Mushi communications."
"Then, we'll launch a surprise attack from submarines, surrounding and assaulting the fleet. Not a single person on those ships can be left alive. We cannot let anyone learn our identities."
Dragon's expression was extremely grave. Robbing the Celestial Tribute was an incredibly risky endeavor. If even one person escaped, the Revolutionary Army would be exposed. Therefore, no one on the fleet could be spared.
"Time is of the essence for us. The shorter our operation, the smaller the chance of exposure."
"That's the overall plan. Next is the specific personnel assignment. The Celestial Tribute escort fleet consists of six ships. Besides Admiral Thunder Beast Kemon, there's one Marine Vice Admiral, two Rear Admirals, two Commodores, and over a dozen field officers. However, I suspect CP organizations will definitely be on board. According to the regulations for transporting Celestial Tribute, it's highly likely there will also be a CP organization member whose strength is comparable to Admiral Kemon's. It won't be an easy task to quickly kill everyone and seize the Celestial Tribute from their grasp."
Dragon had thoroughly investigated the strength of the Celestial Tribute fleet's escort.
"The most troublesome will be Admiral Thunder Beast Kemon and the potential high-ranking CP operative. The rest aren't too difficult to handle. How about this: we each take one of those two. You shouldn't have a problem with that, right?" Bege looked at Dragon with a smile.
A confident smile touched Dragon's lips.
"Of course not."
"Then it's simple, isn't it?" Bege spread his hands, feeling no pressure at all.
"Godfather, why don't you leave that Thunder Beast Admiral to me? Let me test my strength against him!" Enel suddenly jumped out, looking at Bege with eager anticipation.
Thwack!
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow..." Enel clutched his head, squatting on the ground, tears of pain welling up in his eyes.
"You little brat! No matter what, Thunder Beast Kemon was once an Admiral. Even if he's old, he's not to be underestimated," Moria snorted.
Enel, fuming, sparked with electricity, craned his neck, and yelled at Moria, "My Rumble-Rumble Fruit can suppress his Thunder Lizard Mythical Zoan Fruit! I won't necessarily lose!"
Moria's eyes narrowed, his fist instantly coated in Armament Haki.
Enel, terrified, transformed into a bolt of lightning and shot back several dozen meters, then whined to Bege, "Godfather, Moria's bullying me again!"
"A Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit?" Dragon abruptly stood up, staring at Enel in shock.
"That's right! I am Godfather's most promising subordinate, the user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the Little Thunder God, Enel!" Enel declared proudly, hands on his hips.
"Little brat, you came up with that 'Little Thunder God' title yourself, didn't you?" Moria scoffed.
"Of course not! Godfather gave me that nickname! He said I could become a Thunder God in the future. Since I'm still young, I'm called Little Thunder God!" Enel tilted his head back, his face beaming with pride.
This Enel, just like his original counterpart, was incredibly arrogant at heart, but this arrogance was usually directed at everyone except Bege. In front of Bege, he was a perfectly behaved child.
"Alright, Enel, Admiral Thunder Beast Kemon is indeed not someone you can handle right now. I'll deal with him," Bege stated.
Enel nodded, somewhat dejected, and obediently sat down beside Bege.
"Bege, this kid is going to be a powerhouse in the future," Dragon said with envy.
"Naturally. I plan to cultivate him into one of the Fire Tank Pirates' main trump cards, to be used against Marine Admirals in the future," Bege said, ruffling Enel's hair with a laugh.
Enel proudly lifted his chin, even casting a smug glance at Moria, who nearly decked him.
"Potential on par with an Admiral... what a terrifying young man," Dragon took a deep breath, feeling a mix of anticipation and wariness towards Bege and the Fire Tank Pirates.
"If you're taking on Admiral Kemon, then the other one is mine," Dragon brought the conversation back on track, and the two sides began to divide the tasks among their officers.
Time flew, and soon it was the night of the third day. They had submerged in their submarines, silently waiting for the opportune moment.
On the vast sea, late at night, five medium-sized warships escorted a large flagship, cutting through the waves. The warships' searchlights illuminated the sea for dozens of meters, while a long-range spotter light scanned the distant waters.
In the inky blackness beyond the searchlights, a massive flock of crows, perfectly concealed in the shadows, trailed the six warships.
At the bow of the large flagship, an old man in a neat blue suit stared expressionlessly at the calm sea. This blue-suited old man had an ordinary build, an aged face with white hair and a white beard, but he seemed quite vigorous, especially his eyes, which were bright, sharp, and possessed an intimidating power.
This was the Marine Admiral from the same era as 'Steel Bone' Kong: Thunder Beast Kemon.
"Lord Kemon, it's getting late. You should rest early," a tall, sturdy Marine Vice Admiral approached and said softly.
"Bortu, I've been feeling uneasy since nightfall. I have a bad feeling something will happen tonight," Kemon said gravely.
"You must be overthinking it, sir. With you and the esteemed member of CP0 presiding, unless one of the New World overlords decides to target the Celestial Tribute, no other pirate crew could possibly steal it. Besides, even the New World overlords wouldn't dare to directly face the wrath of the World Government and the Marines," the Vice Admiral stated.
Kemon nodded. "It's best if I am just overthinking it."
"Why are there so many crows? Get rid of them, quickly!" At that moment, shouts came from the escorting warships. Under the searchlights, swarms of crows had formed a large circle, enclosing the fleet. Then, a series of strange, continuous cries echoed, creating a particularly eerie atmosphere.
Kemon's face instantly darkened. Decades of service in the Marines told him that these flocks of crows were definitely man-made.
"Sound the alarm! Level one combat readiness! Prepare for battle!"
The Vice Admiral immediately ran off. The warship's alarm bells blared, startling awake all the sleeping Marines. Everyone quickly dressed, grabbed their weapons, and rushed onto the deck.
Several figures in white swiftly leaped to Kemon's side. There were six of them, all in identical white uniforms. The leader wore a white mask. Of the other five, only one more wore a mask.
The masked individuals were members of CP0; the others were from different CP organizations.