On the branch of the cherry tree, Shano found the radio snail, which was napping lazily.
The little creature woke up in tears, crying pitifully, not expecting to reunite with its owner after being abandoned for seven days.
Feeling guilty, Shano apologized and comforted it for a while, as he indeed often forgot about the radio snail.
Then he directly dialed Kuina's number.
"My lord!"
Kuina's voice was filled with surprise, "You've finally come out! I have something I wanted to discuss, but you specifically instructed not to be disturbed before seven days, so...ah, do you have any instructions?"
"Nothing major, just have someone contact Moonlight Moriah."
Shano shook his head and said slowly:
"Tell him, within a week, return all the corpses he stole from Wano Country, publicly apologize to the people of Ringo, and clarify the truth, otherwise, I wouldn't mind having a cup of tea with him personally."
On the other end of the line.
Kuina was stunned, biting her lower lip.
If she remembered correctly, Lord Shano, when he left the Flower Capital, headed in the direction of Ringo, right?
He most likely confined himself to training there.
And Ringo has been the territory of the Shimotsuki Family since ancient times, with many of the Shimotsuki Family's graves desecrated, including their most famous ancestor, the legendary Great Sword Master, Shimotsuki Ryuma.
With Lord Shano operating in that area, it's hard not to notice these things.
So.
The reason my lord suddenly developed a killing intent towards a Seven Warlord he had no dealings with is quite obvious.
Just like how he previously gave up the title of the world's greatest sword master, it was all for her...
"Thank you, my lord."
Kuina took a deep breath, smiling sincerely as she spoke.
With her name, the weight might not be enough, but if Lord Shano personally speaks...
Undoubtedly.
When this reaches Moonlight Moriah's ears, he'll definitely be scared out of his wits and obediently return the Shimotsuki Family's stolen remains.
"Hmm?"
Shano was puzzled, somewhat surprised, "Why are you thanking me?"
Humph.
Though she hasn't mustered the courage to confess directly, Lord Shano remains his usual tsundere self.
"Ahem, it's nothing..."
Feeling a bit smug inside, Kuina quickly changed the topic, "Ah, right, my lord, I was about to report on recent movements at Navy Headquarters."
"The Navy?"
Shano's attention was indeed drawn over, raising an eyebrow, "Just seven days, and they're up to something again?"
In the last war, Navy Headquarters lost nearly half of its forces, suffering unprecedented damage.
No matter how strong a dog is, it takes time to lick its wounds.
It's only been a few days, and he really couldn't believe that Navy Headquarters would dare extend its claws towards the Endgame again.
"No major actions."
Kuina said in a serious tone, "But there are indeed some strange movements. According to Victor's intelligence department's reports, Navy Headquarters seems to be secretly gathering Explosive Rocks scattered across multiple branches."
"If it weren't for a Major General Deputy Base Commander from one of the branches who happens to be a mole for us, we might have been kept in the dark right under our noses."
Navy Headquarters had long ago planted an insider within Endgame.
Reciprocity is also a virtue. After establishing a massive intelligence network, Endgame naturally reciprocated.
This wasn't difficult.
Especially after the North Sea Celestial Dragon massacre was made public, causing divisions within the Navy.
Infiltrating the highest echelons might still be unrealistic, but among mid to high-level officers, there were indeed many 'grains of sand' belonging to Endgame.
Moral and ideological superiority is a far more effective weapon than any sugar-coated bombs.
Otherwise, in Shano's previous life, a certain faction's intelligence network wouldn't have been riddled, nor would there be legendary cases like the Cambridge Five.
"Explosive Rock?"
Shano's gaze instantly turned cold.
With this, the Navy's intentions were quite apparent: they were attempting to detonate END POINT to completely destroy Endgame, along with the entire New World.
Such an act, indeed sounds maniacal.
But for the increasingly desperate, radical Navy Headquarters, such a move was indeed possible.
"Speaking of that, hasn't Zephyr's Neo Navy also been collecting that stuff everywhere?"
Shano squinted slightly and suddenly asked.
"Yes, my lord, you hit the nail on the head."
Kuina quickly replied, "Based on our deductions, the current stock of Explosive Rocks in Navy Headquarters is insufficient. If they truly want to detonate END POINT, they must seize part of what Neo Navy has!"
"In its current state, the Navy can't actively attack Endgame anytime soon. But targeting Neo Navy isn't difficult, especially since Neo's top combat strength currently only has Zephyr."
Kuina paused for a moment and continued:
"To sum up, Zephyr's position is very dangerous. Yesterday, upon learning this, Kuzan immediately volunteered to head near Neo Navy Headquarters to observe and protect from afar."
"You were still in seclusion then, so I hesitated a bit and approved his request. Now, calculating the time, given Kuzan's speed, he should have already arrived and is in position."
"Noted, you've done well."
Shano nodded slightly.
Kuzan's relationship with Zephyr is undoubtedly profound; it's normal to worry about his mentor being harmed. If he were in Kuzan's place, he would have agreed on the spot too.
Thud, thud, thud!
Just then, on Kuina's end, there was a sudden and urgent knock on the door.
"Big Sis! Big Sis Kuina! Are you in there? I have an urgent report!"
Jack's loud voice began to shout.
"Come in, what's up? Speak directly."
"Uh, your mic is still..."
"It's Lord Shano's call."
"Eh?! Boss? Lord Shano has finally come out! Heh heh, then there's nothing to worry about, I was a bit..."
"I told you, stop wasting time, just speak!"
Thud!
A muffled sound.
"Oh."
Jack, rubbing his head in a distressed manner, spoke into the phone:
"Hello, hello, boss, can you hear me? Jinbe just sent a message, saying that one of his men saw a Navy warship pass near Fishman Island, heading toward the New World!"
A warship?
Both Shano and Kuina narrowed their eyes.
Just one ship.
And instead of descending the Mary Geoise route, they, like pirates, coated the surface and quietly submerged into the New World underwater?
They must be wary of Endgame noticing, indicating a significant secret mission!
"Did anyone see who's leading?"
Shano asked.
"It was one of Jinbe's Fishmen who saw it. They aren't very knowledgeable, only noting two men with missing arms talking on the deck, one in red and the other in green, but as per Jinbe's guess, it's highly likely to be Navy Grand Admirals Akainu and Ryokugyu!"
For just one warship, two Grand Admirals were deployed?
Considering the previous intelligence information...
"They're after Zephyr!"
Kuina's expression shifted slightly, blurting out, "My lord, I'll alert Kuzan immediately. I'll also mobilize personnel and head over to support and encircle the Navy..."
"No need, Navy Headquarters' actions are too covert, and the Neo Navy's active region is too close to the Red Earth Continent; mobilizing now might not be timely."
Shano interrupted, looking up at the sky, speaking flatly, "I'll go personally."
Akainu leading the team?
That indeed piqued his interest a bit.
In the last war, he was entangled by Imu's dark scheme and couldn't deal with this old dog at the time.
This time, he could finally settle the score.
"Understood, my lord."
Kuina's heart instantly settled, nodding slightly.
She knew her lord had secret teleportation techniques. Through teleporting to the territory closest to the Red Earth Continent, it was indeed faster.
As for the outcome...
Heh, her lord had personally set out; what suspense could there be? She just needed to dispatch the logistics fleet to handle the aftermath and preparations for battle.
Hmm?
She suddenly noticed something, looking out the window curiously.
Strange.
It wasn't even dark yet.
Why was there a shooting star in the sky above Wano Country?
Golden, brilliant and dazzling.
And incredibly fast, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye...