Hearing Ian's words, Chief Martin seemed to have guessed something and smiled as he nodded. "Eat lunch before you leave. I've already had things prepared over there."
"Of course."
Ian did not refuse and smiled as he nodded.
At this time, Ain and Robin inside the house also got up. Upon seeing Chief Martin, a trace of embarrassment flashed across their faces, but they still greeted him.
Seeing that everyone was up, Chief Martin did not hesitate. He waved his hand and said with a smile: "Then let's eat!"
...
Lunch was also prepared very lavishly, but unlike last night's banquet, there was no crowd of people.
It was just Ian and the others, plus Chief Martin alone.
Everyone ate and talked, but the topics were all simple matters, such as: "How old is Aikes now?" "Aria already has a doctorate degree? That's amazing!" "Is Bonney going to become a pirate?" "If you have time, come back and visit!"
It was not until an hour later that this rich yet simple lunch came to an end.
Next, it was time to leave.
Regarding Ian and the others' departure, Chief Martin did not inform anyone else.
It was only after arriving at the dock that the others there noticed.
However, under Chief Martin's scolding, the people at the dock did not go notify anyone else.
After feeling that the time was about right, under everyone's gaze, Ian and the others boarded the ship.
Then, looking at everyone on the dock still waving their hands, a smile appeared on Ian's face.
He took a deep breath and shouted loudly: "Everyone, see you next time!"
"See you next time!"
"You must come back again!"
"Next time, you can't leave so quickly!"
Amid the shouts of the crowd, Ian waved his hand and said to the companions behind him, "Hoist the sails. Let's head back!"
...
At the same time, on the other side, there was only one day left until the public execution!
Inside the Marine Headquarters, looking at the deployment map in his hands, Fleet Admiral Sengoku also let out a slight sigh of relief in his heart.
Although a few accidents had occurred... The Whitebeard Pirates were still nowhere to be found, and that sea scoundrel, Donquixote Doflamingo, had also been released; overall, things were still proceeding as he had anticipated.
At present, the fleets of the various branches had already arrived at Marineford, the Seven Warlords of the Sea were about to be fully assembled, and the three admirals... are now stationed within the Marine Headquarters as well.
Moreover, Kuzan had brought back some good news... It had already been confirmed that the Umbrella Corporation would not be involved in this incident.
Therefore, with the current preparations on the Marine Headquarters' side, plus Vegapunk's secret weapon, although it was still unclear what the World Government was plotting, if nothing unexpected happened, a mere Whitebeard Pirates crew... They were guaranteed to win!
Sengoku's eyes flickered slightly as he lowered his head to look at the bounty poster in his hands.
"Knock!" "Knock!" "Knock!"
A burst of knocking sounded.
Sengoku raised an eyebrow, lifted his head to look at the marine standing at the door, fell silent for a moment, then spoke: "What is it?"
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea have all arrived."
The marine immediately saluted and said respectfully: "However, it seems some conflict has occurred among the Seven Warlords. They asked me to come and inquire how it should be handled!"
"Just that?"
Hearing the marine's report, Sengoku felt a slight sense of relief in his heart.
Those guys were all a restless bunch. It was not strange for conflicts to arise when they gathered together.
It's just a small matter.
"Tell them to behave themselves."
Sengoku's gaze hardened. "Tell them this is Marineford, not their own chaotic territories. While they're here, they'd better behave. If they dare cause trouble, I'll personally go and have a talk with them later!"
"Understood!"
After the marine accepted the order and left, the stern expression on Sengoku's face relaxed somewhat. He let out a heavy breath and looked again at the bounty poster on the desk...
Marshall D. Teach's bounty poster. His right hand formed into a palm and slammed heavily onto the grinning photograph on the poster, his eyes emitting a sharp light.
All preparations were complete, just waiting for tomorrow's public execution!
...
"Tomorrow is the public execution."
Rayleigh looked seriously at the three youngsters in front of him.
"According to my guess, it will probably begin around noon tomorrow. So right now, you have two choices... First, find a way to infiltrate Impel Down and rescue your companion before the public execution. Second, wait until the public execution and snatch your companion away in front of everyone!"
The three: "...?!"
As those words fell, the expressions of the three became serious. Even Luffy, who was usually carefree, listened very intently to Rayleigh's words at this moment.
"Of course, both methods are extremely dangerous."
Looking at the three in front of him, Rayleigh continued. "Impel Down is known as the world's most impregnable prison. Let alone bringing someone out, even infiltrating it is extremely difficult. And tomorrow's public execution..."
At this point, he sighed. "I have to say, the son of Rocks really has more clout than my old captain. This public execution... Even Roger didn't have this kind of spectacle back then!"
Of course, Roger had turned himself in, and they also knew some of the reasons behind it.
Therefore, the Marine Headquarters probably also knew that no one would try to rescue Roger.
But now…
"The difficulty of rescuing someone under the encirclement from the Marine Headquarters is even greater than breaking into Impel Down to jailbreak."
"Unfortunately, the Umbrella Corporation seems unwilling to get involved in this incident. Otherwise, if the Whitebeard Pirates joined forces with the Umbrella Corporation, there might still be a slim chance."
He wonders if any of Rocks' former companions will make a move?
But he estimated that it was impossible.
After all, Rocks' former companions... Either had already become emperors of the sea, or had gone into hiding somewhere unknown.
It was impossible for them to risk their lives for the son of a former captain.
One must know that even Whitebeard was only taking action for the sake of his own son.
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