With the exposure of the Pluton, the World Government's attention had been completely drawn away. Many countries along the route had dispatched numerous pursuers to the sea areas where Rosen and the others were spotted.
There were even more Marine warships. After all, the Pluton was quite conspicuous, and with the dense network of islands and trade routes in these waters, conflicts were unavoidable.
However, the Dawn Pirates boasted many powerful fighters. Rosen didn't even need to act; they had already broken through the coastal defenses of at least five countries. Many Marine fleets that blocked their path were either outmaneuvered or damaged.
"That bastard Crocodile. They're deliberately leading us on, keeping a specific distance." Aokiji stared at a black dot on the horizon, the Dawn Pirates' ship, and couldn't help but curse.
It was clear the Dawn Pirates were concerned they might target the Andia Kingdom, so they were staying as close as possible to the edge of their effective range.
Within this range, even if Aokiji could instantly freeze and pursue, freezing their ship was unlikely; Rosen or Hathaway would intercept him.
If he charged in alone against the entire Dawn Pirate crew without the support of the Marine fleet to create diversions, capturing them would be out of the question. He'd be lucky not to be overwhelmed by their combined assault.
Even Aokiji wouldn't underestimate the Dawn Pirates. Admiral Akainu's fate was the perfect example.
"Hahaha, we've been outmaneuvered." Garp ate his donuts, looking at the Dawn Pirates maintaining their distance, feeling somewhat helpless.
"These Marines nowadays are really fragile." Law stood by the ship's edge, stating flatly. Their ships were stored in the Pluton's hold; they weren't large vessels. Now, they were finally going after Doflamingo.
Law had waited a long time for this chance. He wasn't worried Rosen would go back on his word. If he intended to, he would have simply killed him long ago; there was no need to keep him around until now.
"Just took out two ships of grunt Marines, and you're so proud? I took out three…" Mr. 5 looked smugly at Law. This bastard's bounty was about the same as his.
So, there was often a direct or indirect rivalry between them.
"The leader was taken down by me." Daz Bones carried a crate of fine wine towards the captain's quarters, speaking flatly as he passed by Mr. 5.
"I defeated twenty people." Natalie was also happy. She had grown stronger, and her body was sturdier.
Everyone was busy with their own tasks. Initially, there was the tension of being pursued, but once they realized they could shake off the Marines whenever they wanted, the tension eased. Of course, no one let their guard down.
Currently, there were about sixty people total aboard the Pluton. Law's crew, including his subordinates, numbered around twenty. Urouge had a similar count, and Rosen's original crew was about the same.
Rosen had reallocated the bow area, the former sailors' quarters, into a separate section for them. The Pluton was enormous now. Rosen estimated it could easily accommodate not just a hundred, but several thousand people comfortably.
Moreover, Xia had been very thoughtful, decorating each room exceptionally luxuriously and comfortably.
"Captain, these Dawn Pirates are incredibly wealthy. I remember this type of fabric was only affordable for the richest people in our old town, but it's everywhere here." Urouge's crew members arrived at their quarters, also astonished by the lavish decor.
Their crew wasn't poor; they had made a big score with Rosen on the nameless island. But they had spent their money on feasting and merrymaking, never really considering luxurious ship renovations. Now, seeing this, they understood the difference.
"Hahaha, we're part of the Dawn Pirates now. From now on, we say our Dawn Pirates." Urouge said with a smile. Better treatment was naturally good. These were brothers who had faced life-and-death situations with him.
Though they could endure hardship, who wouldn't prefer comfort? He had noticed many paintings and furniture decorations were trimmed with gold and silver; if one wasn't careful, they'd think they were in a palace.
"Yes, yes, Reverend is right."
"Go pick your rooms quickly. There's a banquet tonight."
…
In the captain's quarters, Hathaway sat quietly on the sofa, motionlessly watching the scenery outside. In reality, she was constantly monitoring the ship's stern, guarding against any sudden attacks from the Marines.
Robin read on the small balcony. Rosen looked at the massive water tank in front of him, somewhat dumbfounded. Now that the space was larger, the tank was larger, and the crocodile had grown larger too.
What was Xia thinking? I really don't like crocodiles.
"How is Leah doing?" Rosen suddenly asked. He had given Leah the formula for the medicine obtained from the doctor.
"She's already working on it. She said there aren't any major issues; the proportions are very detailed. However, some materials are hard to get. She hopes we can stop for a while if we pass by any islands." Hathaway replied calmly.
"Alright."
"Boss, the wine is here." Daz Bones knocked a few times before pushing open the door and entering.
"Put it there. Can you handle the situation outside?" Rosen asked casually. He knew the general situation and had intentionally let them fight to gain experience.
However, there were too few suitable opponents for them in the first half of the Grand Line now. The current officers were all pirates capable of holding their own in the first half.
"Just regular forces, not elites. Handling them isn't a problem." Daz Bones stated flatly.
"Boss, there's a merchant ship ahead that was caught up by the Marines. They're signaling for help. Should we go check it out?" Valentine floated up, sitting on her Spiked Iron Ball with her umbrella, rising to the height of Rosen's floor-to-ceiling window before asking.
"Oh? What a coincidence? Daz Bones, go take a look. If it's pirates pretending, just take their treasure…" Rosen bit down on his cigar, puffing smoke, not particularly concerned.
"Kalifa, you should look a bit more disheveled. I hear beautiful women in distress evoke more sympathy from male pirates." On a broken ship, Kaku said to Kalifa, whose clothes were slightly torn.
"I know. Just a moment."
"After this success, we can join CP0." Lucci looked at the ship in the distance and spoke calmly. He was more realistic, having directly cut several wounds on his body with a knife, and they weren't shallow.
"I can't believe all our years of work in Water 7 went to waste." Kaku lamented. They had infiltrated Water 7 for so long, only to be told one day the mission was over because their superior was dead.
CP0 had given all CP9 members a simple test. Those who passed could act as temporary CP0 members for an infiltration mission. If successful, they would become full members of CP0 with considerable merits.
The three of them had outperformed the others, leading to this act. Their cover was shipwrights from Water 7, with clean backgrounds. Even if pirates tried to buy information from the underworld, they wouldn't find anything suspicious.
Their shipbuilding and repair skills were excellent, and they believed their combat abilities weren't weak. Once rescued by the Dawn Pirates, simply expressing a strong desire to join would likely not be rejected.
Kalifa, Kaku, and Rob Lucci all thought so. After all, infiltration was their specialty.
However, they also knew they were just the vanguard, or cannon fodder. Once they successfully infiltrated, they would continuously create coincidences to allow genuine CP0 agents to be integrated, eventually dismantling the Dawn Pirates from within.
(End of Chapter)