Chapter 282: Chapter 282: Baltigo - The Navy Arrives
In Takumi's mind, at this point in time, the Navy shouldn't have discovered that Baltigo was the Revolutionary Army's base.
But now, it was obvious that the warship was heading directly towards the island...
If the Navy wasn't coming for the Revolutionary Army, then they were probably coming for him.
Takumi didn't believe for a second that the Navy would come to this barren island for leisure.
While Takumi was still processing this, a bicycle suddenly appeared next to the warship...
Although he couldn't see the people on the warship clearly, just from that bright yellow shirt, Takumi was almost certain it was Kizaru.
And as for the person who liked to ride a bicycle across the sea, who else could it be but Aokiji?
Great, two Admirals at once?
If they discovered that this was the Revolutionary Army's territory, even if Kizaru and Aokiji were lazy by nature, they wouldn't have a choice but to fight a large-scale battle with the Revolutionary Army...
When that happened, this island would be utterly destroyed, and as for how many people would die, Takumi couldn't even begin to guess.
Though Takumi wasn't interested in meddling in others' affairs, he could pretty much guess the Navy's purpose in coming here. After all, he and his crew had been under the Revolutionary Army's care for half a year, and his final progress mission was to earn the approval of the Revolutionary Army currently stationed at Baltigo. If a battle broke out now, he'd never be able to complete that mission.
With that thought, Takumi reeled in his fishing line and began packing up his gear.
Kaku was still on the phone with Shanks.
Takumi called out, "Kaku, get Enel and prepare to launch the ship immediately."
"Huh? What's going on?" Kaku asked, surprised.
Takumi pointed towards the approaching warship.
Kaku followed Takumi's gesture and, upon seeing the warship, froze. "Is that... a warship? What's going on? Why is the Navy here?"
"Hurry," Takumi urged again.
Kaku quickly stood up and nodded. "Got it, Captain."
With that, he grabbed the Den Den Mushi and ran back at full speed.
"Huh? What's going on with you guys?" Shanks's voice came from the other side of the Den Den Mushi. "What Navy? Did they find you? Need any help? Where are you now?"
As Kaku ran, he replied, "Shanks, I've told you everything about Water 7. If there's nothing else, I need to go. Goodbye."
With that, he hung up and put the Den Den Mushi in his pocket, rushing off to find a certain someone who was sunbathing.
"Big idiot, get up," Kaku said, giving Enel a smack on the head.
Although Enel had already sensed Kaku's presence, he hadn't expected Kaku to hit him as soon as he arrived.
"You bastard Long Nose! You've got some nerve!" Enel jumped up from his lounge chair.
Kaku wasn't in the mood to argue. "The Navy's here. The Captain wants you to get the ship ready."
Enel, still fuming, was stunned by the news. "What? The Navy's here? Damn it, of all times, why now?"
"Enough, go start the ship. The Captain is waiting for us by the coast."
"Alright, got it."
Without another word, Enel transformed into lightning and, in the blink of an eye, appeared on the ship, using his power to get it started.
Kaku was about to board the ship when Sabo showed up.
"Kaku, I just learned a new move. Come spar with me."
"Sorry, we're leaving," Kaku said, jumping onto the ship.
Sabo froze for a moment before jumping onto the deck as well. "You guys are leaving Baltigo? Why are you leaving without saying anything?"
Kaku sighed. "The Navy's here."
"What? The Navy?" Sabo was shocked. "Why would they be here? This is bad... If they discover this is the Revolutionary Army's base, a battle will break out, and a lot of people will get hurt... But our intelligence didn't say the Navy had discovered us. They shouldn't know about Baltigo yet..."
"I don't know," Kaku replied. "The Captain is waiting for us at the coast. You should go report this to your leader."
Sabo nodded silently but paused before leaving the ship. He turned back to Kaku. "Is Takumi waiting for you at the coast where you spotted the Navy?"
Kaku nodded.
"Alright, I understand," Sabo said before jumping off the ship and heading back to the base, making his way to the meeting room where Dragon was having a discussion with some of the Revolutionary Army's commanders.
Sabo burst into the meeting room, but before he could speak, another Revolutionary Army soldier rushed in behind him, gasping for breath. "Bad news, Commander! Our patrols around the nearby waters have spotted a Navy warship heading straight for Baltigo! It's Admiral Kizaru and Admiral Aokiji!"
"What?" Dragon's eyes flashed with surprise.
The commanders in the room all looked grim.
"Commander," Gild Tesoro said, his face dark, "we haven't received any intel that the Navy knows our base is here. Besides, everyone's been discreet and careful when going out. It's unlikely we've been discovered. Regardless, even if they haven't found us, with two Admirals here, it's going to be very troublesome to deal with them. If a battle breaks out, we could suffer heavy casualties... They came without warning."
"Commander, what do we do?" the Revolutionary Army soldier asked anxiously.
Dragon was silent for a moment before he stood up, his expression serious. "Start evacuating everyone immediately. I'll hold them off."
"Commander," Sabo spoke up, "Takumi and his crew are already on their way."
"Hmm?" Dragon looked at Sabo, surprised. "What do you mean by that?"
Sabo continued, "Takumi and his crew have already seen the Navy, and they're moving their ship."
"Sabo, are you sure they aren't just running away?" Gild Tesoro asked skeptically.
"I'm sure. They're definitely not trying to abandon us," Sabo insisted. "If they wanted to flee, they could've left from the back of the island. Instead, they chose to go towards the direction the Navy is coming from. Even though their ship is small, if they appear on the front coast, the Navy will definitely notice them."
"But... why didn't they come tell us?" Gild Tesoro asked, puzzled.
Sabo thought for a moment. "Maybe they wanted to handle the crisis quietly and help us avoid trouble."
Gild Tesoro still looked doubtful. "Are they really that kind-hearted?"
Sabo, annoyed, said, "This isn't the time to be doubting them! Takumi and his crew are doing this to keep us from being discovered. If they wanted to harm us, they could've just led the Navy here. Why go to the trouble of setting sail to confront the Navy head-on?"
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