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Chapter 79 - Selling You Out

Upon arriving at Sabaody Archipelago, Rayleigh expertly began preparations for their upcoming voyage into the New World.

The first priority, of course, was the coating of the ship.

This process, which would take several days, had to be started immediately. If the Marines discovered them too early during these few days, they would be completely annihilated.

Rayleigh then dispersed the rest of the crew to purchase essential supplies for the journey: fresh water, food, and so on. A remaining group, led by Gaban, stayed to guard the ship.

On this chaotic island, teeming with pirates, pirate hunters, and Marines, it was crucial to keep a close eye on their new prized vessel.

Meanwhile, after Rayleigh left, Alucard found the same shipyard and instructed them to go to Grove 27 to coat his own ship.

Ship coating was a highly important task; if it ruptured at the bottom of the ocean, 10,000 meters deep, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Rayleigh and his crew had ample experience diving to the bottom of the sea to reach the New World, so choosing the same shipyard as them couldn't be wrong.

Even the Roger Pirates, upon entering Sabaody Archipelago, became extremely low-key. If they were pursued by the Marines here, it would be very difficult to set sail normally. Furthermore, naval battles could easily damage the coating, so combat had to be avoided at all costs.

Alucard's ship was expected to take five days to coat. On the third day, Alucard secretly slaughtered a patrolling Marine squad and seized their military Den Den Mushi, intending to execute his plan at the last moment.

These past few days, Alucard had stayed close to his ship, rarely leaving. Any Marine approaching his location, or anyone who might reveal his whereabouts, was immediately killed. That Marine patrol squad was annihilated for this very reason.

While this approach temporarily kept Alucard's movements secret and allowed the coating work to proceed smoothly, the Marines weren't foolish.

Finally, as the fifth day approached completion of the coating, Alucard noticed the Marines had gathered a force of approximately three hundred soldiers and were approaching his location.

Alucard's Thermal Vision could now cover an area the size of two cities. His current location was Grove 27, which extended to the southern Grove 70. Right next to Grove 70 was the Marine base, Grove 60.

At this moment, the Marine force had already passed through Grove 70. If they proceeded at full speed, they would reach him in less than an hour.

Alucard turned to the coating workers and asked, "How much more time until it's completely finished?"

A mechanic with a bandana looked up and replied, "At least three more hours, customer."

'Three hours...'

If he didn't act, he would be surrounded by the Marines. Furthermore, with Borsalino's speed, he would probably arrive in less than five minutes.

'As expected, I'll have to use that trick.'

Alucard took out the military Den Den Mushi he had seized from a Marine patrol squad two days prior. After successfully connecting, he spoke to the Marine on the other end, "Report, report! The Roger Pirates' ship has been sighted in the southwest area of Grove 55! I repeat, the Roger Pirates' ship has been sighted at the southwest dock of Grove 55!"

The Marine on the other end, hearing the words "Roger Pirates," was stunned into silence for a few seconds. After regaining composure, he immediately asked urgently, "What's the situation on site?"

Alucard smirked, fabricating a story, "The situation is extremely critical! Their ship's coating is complete, and Captain Gold Roger, First Mate Dark King Rayleigh, and combatant Gaban, among others, have all arrived. They're likely setting sail any moment! Please advise!"

The Marine officer on the other end hesitated for a moment, then said, "You hide there and don't move! I'll immediately report this to my superiors! Remember, do not engage! The Roger Pirates are not something you can handle."

Immediately after, the Den Den Mushi was hung up. Alucard casually tossed it into the fathomless sea.

"This should distract you a bit, shouldn't it?" Alucard reactivated his Thermal Vision, preparing to observe the soldiers rushing towards his location.

Based on his observations during this time, the Marine base currently had very few personnel, with most deployed in patrol squads, searching the entire island for him.

At this moment, the news of the Roger Pirates being in Grove 55 would undoubtedly shock them greatly.

It was important to note that Grove 60, where a Marine base was located, was connected to Grove 50, where the mechanics and Roger were.

It wouldn't take even half an hour; as long as troops were dispatched from the Marine base, they could immediately arrive. As for Borsalino, he could probably arrive in two minutes, no, perhaps even one minute.

"It's regrettable to use you, Roger, but we are enemies, aren't we?" Alucard chuckled to himself.

...

On the Marine side, Borsalino, currently the highest-ranking commander there, was so surprised to hear that the Roger Pirates were in the nearby Grove 55 that the cigarette almost fell out of his mouth.

"How many troops are currently reserved at the base?" Borsalino asked.

A soldier under Borsalino saluted and replied, "Sir! Due to orders from Headquarters, most of the garrison troops have been sent out on patrol. We now only have just over 500 personnel who can be deployed immediately."

"Five hundred people... That's not enough to deal with Roger..." Borsalino was very aware of Roger's formidable power. Five hundred people? Five thousand would be closer.

The reporting officer, hearing this, suddenly remembered something and reported again, "Vice Admiral, just now, three hundred men were dispatched to investigate Grove 27 due to recent Marine disappearances. If possible, we could reassign all of them to deal with Roger's group instead."

Three hundred men, plus the existing five hundred at the base, and finally, a certain number of troops would still need to be left at the base as a precaution. While this number still wasn't enough to contend with the Roger Pirates, it would hopefully buy them some time until reinforcements from Headquarters arrived.

"Hmm, then prepare as you've suggested. I'll contact Fleet Admiral Kong immediately."

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