Chapter 23: Admiral Creek

"Are they Admiral Creek's people?"

Xiang Keluo nodded and spoke:

"No wonder; disguising himself as a Marine to infiltrate the port and launching an attack with inside help is that fellow's specialty. Shall we make a move?"

Gao Wen shook his head:

"Better to avoid trouble when possible. That fellow's strength is merely average, yet he commands a massive fleet of several thousand men. While it would not be difficult for the two of us to forcibly overwhelm dozens of ships attacking together, we would lose more than half our crew in the process."

"The loss would outweigh the gain."

"Hurry up; once we have replenished our supplies, we will depart."

"Understood."

Xiang Keluo responded with an affirmative sound.

Gao Wen turned to look at Ah Jin, who was still standing on the deck; after exchanging a glance, Ah Jin turned and walked toward the ship's cabin.

Gao Wen quietly activated his badge's function and directly cast a Detection:

【Name - Ah Jin】

【Potential - Bronze】

【Rating - Iron:

Repays kindness without fail, extremely loyal!

Though his talent is mediocre, there is not a single boss who wouldn't appreciate such an employee!

】

"Repays kindness without fail, absolutely loyal..."

Seeing these keywords on the panel, Gao Wen immediately took an interest:

"A Bronze-level talent, nearly on par with Xiang Keluo; he makes for quite a decent experience pack. If the opportunity arises later, I must definitely recruit him."

"However, for now, I must first settle the matter of resupply."

He closed the badge interface.

After leaving most of his crew aboard the ship to guard against any possible mishaps, Gao Wen accompanied Xiang Keluo to seek out Habuji, the contact Xiang Keluo had arranged to meet.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

After Ah Jin returned to the ship, Palu had already awakened from his unconscious state.

Seeing the shattered shield nearby and Ah Jin, who remained silent, Palu instantly realized what had happened and spoke with a hint of apology:

"Ah Jin, I'm sorry."

"There's no point in saying that now; just stay on the ship to recover from your injuries. Leave the matters ahead to me."

Ah Jin patted Palu on the shoulder, yet his mind kept replaying the Mouse's unusual reaction earlier, and a guess began to form vaguely in his heart.

He then took out the Den Den Mushi used to contact Creek and dialed it.

Very quickly.

A low voice came through from the other end of the line:

"Ah Jin?"

"Is it done?"

"No."

Ah Jin shook his head, his tone solemn:

"Aside from us, two other groups have arrived here."

"One of them is Colonel Nezumi of the Marines, but he has already left and poses little threat; the truly troublesome one is the other group."

"They managed to frighten Nezumi into babbling incoherently without even making a move."

"Either they are powerful pirates, or monsters hailing from the Grand Line; neither are simple characters."

"Moreover, judging by their aura, the strength of the two leaders among them surpasses my own."

"Captain, should we postpone this operation and wait for another opportunity?"

Ah Jin asked tentatively.

"Another opportunity?"

Yet a scoffing laugh came from the other end of the line:

"Ah Jin, do you know how large the monthly expenditure for a fleet of five thousand men is? Do you know how long the food on our ships can last? Do you know how much ammunition loses its effectiveness every day due to dampness?"

"Fighting is your duty, understand?"

Creek's voice suddenly rose, brimming with unparalleled confidence:

"It is not that I am unwilling to wait, but on this path, we can only advance, never retreat!"

"I command such a massive fleet for the sole purpose of ensuring that only my voice echoes across these seas."

"With dozens of pirate ships, a single volley can destroy an entire town; what meaning does individual martial prowess hold against such overwhelming power?"

"Furthermore, the weapons for survival have already been forged; I do not believe anyone can be stronger than me!"

"I understand."

Ah Jin nodded; regarding Creek's orders, he would never disobey, even if the outcome ahead was certain death.

Moreover, he fundamentally agreed with Creek's words from the bottom of his heart.

On these seas, individual martial prowess ultimately has its limits; flesh and blood cannot block blades and spears, much less sturdy ships and powerful cannons!

He hung up the call.

Ah Jin's gaze gradually sharpened; after assembling enough crew members on the ship, he swiftly launched into action, beginning to scout out all manner of troop deployment points and ammunition storage locations throughout the city.

He then quietly deployed the ship's key forces to these positions.

At that time, all it would take was a single order to directly dismantle the resistance forces within the port; he could even seize control of the entire harbor without losing a single soldier.

He had accomplished such feats countless times before, never once failing; every outcome served as proof of Krieg's unique insight into strategy.

"This time, we will not be wrong either, even with other factors at play!"

Gin calmed himself down and even led the team personally to investigate Gao Wen and the others' every move.

……

On the other side.

Krieg looked at the intelligence sent back from the port, his brows knitting slightly.

Two somewhat worn wanted posters lay on his desk.

"Captain, based on the intelligence sent back by my lord Gin, we can basically confirm that the other faction in the port consists of these two individuals."

"Knight Gao Wen, bounty of 8 million Berries."

"Hundred Plans Xiang Keluo, bounty of 15 million Berries."

The assistant standing beside Krieg presented the information he had compiled and added:

"However."

"We haven't updated the wanted posters on the ship for quite some time; this information might be outdated."

Krieg nodded:

"Pirate bounties generally don't change significantly unless several years have passed."

"It's not a major issue."

"Besides, this Gao Wen only made a name for himself in the last couple of years, and there are rumors that this Hundred Plans Xiang Keluo has already developed thoughts of retiring."

"Heh."

Krieg sneered:

"For a pirate, harboring such thoughts means he is not far from death."

"However, by disguising themselves as Marines to enter the port, they must also intend to control Crow Port from within."

"If they succeed beforehand, it will be troublesome."

"Strike first to gain the advantage! Let's make our move directly!"

The assistant was stunned:

"But my lord Gin and my lord Pearl are still inside the port; wouldn't this be a bit..."

The corners of Krieg's mouth curled into a vicious smile.

So-called subordinates were merely expendables in his eyes; as long as the plan could be completed, anyone could be sacrificed, including Gin, the second-in-command on the ship.

"It doesn't matter."

"I believe that with their strength, they will surely survive the attack."

"If they cannot survive, then it only proves they are nothing special; such crew members are unfit to be my right-hand men!"

The assistant swallowed hard, his eyes filled with fear.

He did not know when he too would be ruthlessly discarded by Krieg like this; it could be far in the future, or it could be the very next second.

But the more he thought this way, the more he wanted to prove his worth, and the more he dared not defy Krieg's will.

While the assistant was trembling with fear and unease.

Krieg had already turned around, raising his hand to gently stroke the golden armor placed nearby, an expression of utter intoxication flowing from his eyes.

"This suit of armor, forged from a special alloy, is sufficient to withstand close-range attacks from warship cannons; even the strongest sword master cannot sever it."

"Moreover, beneath every section of the armor lies a deadly weapon."

"Armor-piercing shells, high-explosive bombs, poison gas canisters—each one can easily take a person's life, not to mention that I also have this!"

Krieg gripped a grotesquely shaped spear with one hand, a weapon whose sheer weight exceeded one ton; feeling the power within it, intense self-confidence erupted in his eyes:

"The stronger the force with which I swing, the stronger the explosion that follows..."

"Relying solely on this armor, I should have my place even in the Grand Line, let alone in a tiny East Blue?!"

"Who can stop me?!"

(End of Chapter)