Chapter 35: The Dawn Pirates
The officers and newly arrived Marines spent the entire afternoon getting familiar with daily affairs.
...
Time quietly came to 3:00 AM.
"Commodore Ian... pssst! Commodore Ian, it's time to get up! It's time..." Nami leaned beside the bed and gently woke Ian.
Ian rubbed his sleepy eyes and glanced at the clock on the wall. "I drank a bit too much. I didn't expect the Sabaody Archipelago's wine to be so strong. I actually slept for so long. Nami, you're really on time. Are you ready? Damn it, who took off my clothes? Oh my god, whose leopard print is this?"
Before Ian could appreciate it too much, Nami immediately snatched it away and hid it behind her back. Looking at Nami's blushing cheeks and recalling the ambiguous scene before he got drunk... Ian rubbed Nami's hair and said affectionately, "Hey, thank you for your hard work, Nami. Go back to your room and get ready. Bring everything with you. I'll put on my clothes, pack up, and meet at the agreed place right away."
Nami took a set of Ian's brown casual clothes from a nearby chair, bit her lip, and said, "The clothes are ready for you, Commodore Ian. And… this is my room."
Ian scratched his head. "Did I drink that much?"
After a quick tidy-up of over ten minutes, taking advantage of the quiet night, Ian and Nami quietly left the Marine base. They arrived at the pre-agreed giant tree number and gathered. Peacock, Skylark, and T. Bone had already arrived and were waiting. Each person carried a bubble bag containing the items needed for tonight's operation.
"Ian is coming!"
"Commodore Ian, we thought you were lost!"
"Commodore Ian, shall we begin the operation?"
When the three saw Ian arrive, they immediately asked anxiously. Ian immediately lowered his palm, signaling everyone to keep their voices down. "From now on, don't call me Commodore Ian. Each of us has a new code name, announced in advance. Just call me by my code name, understand?" The four nodded in understanding.
Ian had clearly instructed them in advance about the content of tonight's operation and the necessary preparations. He looked at Skylark and said in a commanding tone, "First, everyone, put on your clothes. Skylark, how are the preparations going? As long as it's roughly the same and conveys the idea, that's fine!"
Skylark clenched her fists, quite excited. "No, no, no, it should be... Captain Shuke! Don't worry, I've already prepared the cloaks the captain asked me to make! Thanks to Nami... thanks to Beta-sister's help with the drawings, production went so smoothly."
Ian, codename "Shuke."
Nami, codename "Beta."
Peacock, codename "Tom."
Skylark, codename "Jerry."
T. Bone, codename "Page."
Skylark pulled down the bubble wrap on her head and took out the package inside. She retrieved brand new cloaks and distributed them to everyone. In addition to the dark-colored, form-fitting casual clothes, adding a cloak and a mask completed their transformation for the night.
Since the Marines have no jurisdiction over the Human Auction House, then let's use the "criminal vs. criminal" method and let the pirates handle it!
When the plan was proposed during the day, T. Bone had hesitated for a long time. Asking him, who had always been upright, to disguise himself as a pirate and engage in "criminal vs. criminal" activities indeed exceeded his original expectations for the rescue. However, to successfully save the lives of innocent civilians, T. Bone had finally agreed to Ian's plan.
To make their pirate identities clearer, they naturally needed a striking logo. Ian had entrusted this task to Skylark, asking her to make some skull stickers to attach to the backs of their cloaks. However, upon receiving the cloaks, Ian was shocked...
"Embroidered? Everyone's is embroidered! Oh my goodness... Skylark, you're so skillful! What's with this complicated pattern? Is it art?" Ian exclaimed in amazement.
Skylark pointed to the pattern on the back of the cloak and explained, "This is something Sister 'Beta' (Nami) and I came up with together. The elements in the logo are related to everyone's weapons. The skeleton frame is a sword, and the left and right sides are guns. The curved one in the front is the Climate Baton, and the circles around it are the long whip. As for the leader... Sister Beta drew a skull with sunglasses based on the leader's facial proportions!"
Ian: "!!!"
I asked Skylark and Nami to make some pirate stickers; I didn't expect them to even do graphic design!
"What are the elements of the golden lion behind it? Why is there an orange helmet embroidered on it?" Ian continued to ask.
Skylark didn't answer but looked at Nami. This was Nami's idea. "That's the sunlight before dawn! Didn't the commander say this operation must be completed before dawn? I thought... if we're going to create a fictional pirate crew, we should at least have a name. The captain didn't mention a name, so I boldly came up with one... the Dawn Pirates!"
The Dawn Pirates (Dahn Pirates)!
The two girls had tinkered with it all afternoon and actually made it look quite impressive.
"Alright..." Ian threw his cloak over his shoulders and put it on. An inexplicably warm feeling flowed slowly from his back. Seeing Ian's actions, the four immediately followed suit, putting on their cloaks one by one.
After everyone had their masks on, Ian stepped forward. Gazing at the dark road ahead, he said, "Everyone, Dawn Pirates, prepare for action... Follow my lead, and give it your all!"
Everyone said in unison, "Yes, Captain!!"