An hour later—
The base commander of the Navy's Sabaody Branch arrived at the estate to report the situation, only to realize something was very wrong.
The entire estate, with hundreds of guards, had been silently taken down.
What the hell—even the three Celestial Dragons were abducted?
Cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
He immediately ordered all ports to be sealed.
But he had no idea—Luo Lan was already long gone.
The Navy was going door to door across the island, but seriously, did they think they'd find anything?
When Luo Lan left, he didn't just take the three Celestial Dragons—he also took Darmu and the rescued blonde girl with him.
After all, both had shown their faces and couldn't remain on the Sabaody Archipelago.
And with the ports under lockdown, escape by ship was impossible.
So the only option was for Luo Lan to handle it himself.
Given his current level of psychic power, controlling five people mid-flight was no harder than controlling five flying daggers.
There really wasn't any difference.
---
Meanwhile, in Area 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago—
Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
"You just can't stay out of trouble, can you?"
"Jun Lin's going after the Celestial Dragons, and you just had to poke your nose in?"
Shakky scolded him, clearly annoyed.
Then she tossed a document onto the table in front of him.
"Take a look at this first!"
Sitting at the bar, Rayleigh picked up the intel file and started flipping through it.
Then—
"Huh? How is little Hancock involved in this?"
"Wait a minute—Hancock's at Jun Lin's headquarters right now?"
"Where did this information come from?"
Rayleigh's eyes went wide.
"Where do you think it came from? Hancock called me herself and told me everything."
"Wait, it's that easy to get in touch with someone from Jun Lin?"
Rayleigh was dumbfounded.
Apparently, Hancock had been taken by Jun Lin—not exactly kidnapped, though. According to her, Jun Lin had pressured her at first, but in the end, she chose to go with them.
And now this operation to capture the Celestial Dragons?
That was part of a promise Jun Lin had made to her.
Even her phone call with Shakky earlier had been approved by Jun Lin's leader—as long as she didn't leak any specific info about Jun Lin's internal affairs or location.
Rayleigh kept reading.
At the bottom, he found a note:
If Jun Lin runs into trouble while capturing the Celestial Dragons, they hope Rayleigh—that is, YOU—can help them escape.
…
…
Wait a second.
Hancock, you were practically forced to go with them, and now, just a few days later, you're already switching sides?
Jun Lin attacks the Celestial Dragons, and you want me to help them?
If Jun Lin were part of Roger's original plan, maybe he could understand. Maybe he'd even throw caution to the wind and help.
But these Jun Lin folks…
If he helped them, he could kiss his peaceful retirement goodbye.
Not to mention—
Those few people from Jun Lin?
Unless an admiral shows up, they could sweep through the Sabaody Archipelago all on their own.
What "trouble" are we even talking about?
Rayleigh tossed the file aside and sulked a bit.
"Well, look at you—pouting like a kid!"
"You really treat little Hancock like your own daughter, huh?"
Shakky teased from behind the bar.
"Shakky, what do you think Jun Lin is actually after?"
"I don't know exactly," Shakky replied, shaking her head, "but Jun Lin is a justice-based organization—just like the Navy."
"But there's a key difference between them," she continued. "In the Navy, pure justice only exists at the lower levels. But those lower ranks are bound by orders from the top and can't act on their own."
"As for the upper ranks? Ha!"
She let out a cold laugh.
In other words, yes—the Navy claims to stand for justice, but in reality, it's limited.
Those who hold true justice in their hearts are usually the grunts—and they're held back by those in charge.
So in the end...
The Navy's 'justice' is mostly just a slogan.
"But Jun Lin's different. Since they aren't restrained by the World Government or the Celestial Dragons, they can act on their beliefs without holding back."
"Take this afternoon's incident, for example—there were plenty of Navy officers nearby. They were furious. Clenching their fists so hard their nails dug into their palms, blood dripping everywhere. And yet?"
"Not one of them made a move."
"That's the Navy for you—they have justice in their hearts, but they're too afraid to act."
"And Jun Lin?"
"They not only have justice in their hearts—they dare to act on it. They went in and rescued that child without hesitation."
"That's the difference."
Shakky rattled on, clearly passionate.
Rayleigh fell silent, clearly moved.
She was right.
The Navy and Jun Lin both talk about justice.
But only one of them acts on it.
And that was exactly what was giving Rayleigh a headache.
Back when Roger made his grand plan—even the Revolutionary Army had been accounted for.
But a group like Jun Lin?
That was never in the forecast.
And now it threw a huge wrench into everything.
What would happen in the end?
Rayleigh didn't know.
"Rayleigh, are you thinking about Roger's plan again?"
"I'm warning you—if you don't want to retire properly, then get the hell out of my bar!"
Shakky snapped.
This was the one thing about Rayleigh that annoyed her most.
Always obsessing over Roger's damn plan.
Whatever it was supposed to be, Shakky wasn't convinced it would work.
But there was one thing she was sure of—
If that plan ever did come to fruition…
Half the world would probably die first.
At the very least.
Because no one knew what other cards the Celestial Dragons might be hiding.
"Alright, alright—I won't think about it anymore."
"I'll just stay retired and focus on my coating work!"
"Oh, by the way—Shakky, have you seen Samir? I haven't seen him in ages. I don't even have a drinking buddy anymore."
Seeing Shakky's temper flare, Rayleigh quickly backed down and changed the subject.
Samir?
That was Rayleigh's best friend on the Sabaody Archipelago.
A fellow ship coater—and drinking partner.
"You know he was sent by the Navy to spy on you, right? Don't tell me you actually thought he was your friend?"
Shakky said with clear disdain.
Actually, they had known about Samir's identity as a Navy informant for a while.
What caught Shakky off guard was that Rayleigh had genuinely become good friends with the guy.
Not just pretending.
It left her speechless.
"Anyway, based on my intel, he was transferred off Sabaody by Tsuru and sent to Jun Lin."
"What?! Old Samir's with Jun Lin now too?!"
Rayleigh's eyes went wide once again.
---
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