"Brother Yi, is it really okay for us to do this?" Buggy asked Fang Yi with a worried look on his face.
"Don't worry. If there's a problem, I'll take the blame! Now, let's go to Sister Shakky's shop first. While asking her for some intelligence, we'll also let her tell the captain and the others that we're safe. Otherwise, they'll definitely be worried when they find the four of us missing from the Oro Jackson." Fang Yi said with a gentle smile.
At this moment, Fang Yi was leading Buggy, Shanks, and Barrett towards Shakky's small shop. Meanwhile, the Oro Jackson had set sail and was heading towards Fish - Man Island.
Originally, only Fang Yi, Buggy, and Shanks were supposed to participate in this operation. But just to be on the safe side, Fang Yi specifically asked Barrett to come along. One reason was that this guy was very powerful. Secondly, this was a rare opportunity. Inviting Barrett to join them meant he could get a taste of an operation with just the few of them in advance, which would also prepare him for Fang Yi's future pirate crew.
"You little guy... I knew you weren't the type to give up easily!" When Shakky saw Fang Yi appear, she was a bit surprised at first. But after thinking about it, she felt it was kind of expected.
"Hehe... Sister Shakky, I'm here to ask you for some intelligence about those Celestial Dragons on Mariejois. Also, I want to tell Mr. Rayleigh and the captain that we're safe. Tell them not to worry. I'll go meet up with them after I get the user of the Ope Ope no Mi out!" Fang Yi said with a smile.
Shakky shook her head and said with a laugh, "It seems you've made full preparations. You didn't just act on a whim, right?"
"Of course! First of all, we're all new faces. Even though Barrett and I have bounties on our heads, which are not very high, there won't be any problem for us to pose as slaves. Secondly, although Mariejois is the territory of the Celestial Dragons, there are so many of them there that ordinary people can't tell whose slave is whose. Those guards don't dare to provoke the slaves easily because even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. In fact, those guards are just high - level slaves themselves!"
"Also, to make sure everything goes smoothly... I'm also going to make some preparations! The slaves of the Celestial Dragons have the mark of the Celestial Dragon's hoof on their bodies. We'll get that mark on ourselves in advance, and that should be enough to deceive those guards! As long as we can persuade the user of the Ope Ope no Mi to escape with us, then this thing is done!"
Fang Yi said confidently.
"But... have you thought about how to retreat? Even if your plan goes smoothly, how are you going to get out of there?" Shakky asked with a smile.
"That's my secret! If Sister Shakky can agree to my request, I don't mind telling you this secret!" Fang Yi said with a big smile.
"You little brat... Aren't you afraid that I'll contact Rayleigh right now and have you all brought back? It's a big no - no for pirates to leave the ship without the captain's order!" Shakky asked with a smile.
She wasn't going to be easily deceived. If she just let Fang Yi succeed like this, it would be too easy, right?
"Hehe... I've thought this through. You can keep in touch with Mr. Rayleigh at any time, but it's definitely not through a Den Den Mushi, right?
Even if it's a Den Den Mushi, it's definitely not an ordinary one, because the coverage range of ordinary Den Den Mushi isn't that wide!" Fang Yi said with a sly smile. "So there aren't many options left. Either information is transmitted through special animals like carrier pigeons, or it's a special Den Den Mushi!"
"If it's a special Den Den Mushi, no matter what I do, you can immediately contact Mr. Rayleigh. However, if it's a transmission method similar to carrier pigeons, then Mr. Rayleigh, who has already gone to Fish - Man Island, won't be able to receive the information!"
After Fang Yi finished speaking, Shakky couldn't help but clap her hands and said with a smile, "What a smart kid! But tell me, why should I help you?"
"Hehe... As Mr. Rayleigh's better half, I'm sure you don't want to see Captain Roger in trouble, right?" Fang Yi said with a sly smile.
Shakky was taken aback by Fang Yi's address. Then she took a puff of her cigarette and said with a beaming smile, "No wonder Rayleigh said you're an extraordinary kid. You're really interesting! Well then, tell me first how you plan to escape. If there's no chance of winning, I won't help! Although Rayleigh really cares about Roger, he definitely won't exchange your lives for it!"
"Mariejois... It's built on the Red Line Archipelago. It has a vast area, and there's only one main entrance. However, this entrance leads to two places. One is the Sabaody Archipelago, and the other is the Navy headquarters of Marineford! The rest of the area consists of sheer cliffs and is completely impassable!" Fang Yi said with a faint smile.
"Right. That's exactly why, once any problem occurs in Mariejois, the Navy headquarters can dispatch its forces to conduct a rescue operation in the shortest time. If you want to escape, you have to go through the main entrance! I don't think you can come out without running into the Navy. And once you encounter the Navy, you're as good as finished!" Shakky took a puff of her cigarette and said softly.
"That's right! But Shakky, have you thought about another problem? Those sheer cliffs... aren't a dead end at all!" Fang Yi said with a smile. "As long as you handle it properly, isn't the Red Line Archipelago, which has been ignored by the Celestial Dragons and even the whole world, a way out of a desperate situation?"
"Do you want to use the seawater below as a buffer and jump directly from above?" Shakky frowned and said. "Not to mention whether there are guards in those areas, I'll just ask you one simple question. If you escape from there, the only thing you can do is jump! There isn't enough time to climb down, and those pursuers won't give you that time! But... how can you jump down and still keep yourself safe?"
"Hehe... Buggy, show Shakky your ability!" Fang Yi said with a faint smile.
Hearing this, Buggy smiled proudly. Then he voluntarily separated his feet from his body. After leaving his two feet on the ground, the rest of his body flew directly into the air.
"Is it an ability that allows him to fly?" Shakky said in surprise when she saw Buggy flying.
You know, devil fruits that bestow the ability to fly are extremely rare. In terms of preciousness, they're on par with those Logia - type fruits.
"It's not really flying. Buggy's Devil Fruit ability allows him to split his body into pieces. As long as his feet are on the ground, his body can fly! With Buggy's ability and Wangzai's support, we should be able to evacuate safely!" Fang Yi nodded and said.
"Is the Wangzai you mentioned that amazing little dog?" Shakky asked, puffing on her cigarette.
"Not really that amazing. It just has abilities similar to Seamars in the sea!" Fang Yi said with a gentle smile. "It's waiting for us over there. After we get the intelligence from you, we'll conduct an on - the - spot investigation and choose a suitable retreat route!"
"You're quite confident! Are you so sure I'll give you the intelligence?" Shakky asked with a smile.
"Of course. Otherwise, why would you ask so many questions? If you weren't willing, you should have arrested us as soon as you saw us and then informed Mr. Rayleigh. Right?"
"You're such a scary kid. Wait here. I'll go prepare the information for you!" Shakky smiled and turned towards the inside of the shop.
"Brother Yi, is it really okay? Won't she just sell us out?" Shanks asked worriedly.
"Idiot. Do you really think she asked those questions out of her own curiosity? If she doesn't figure out our plan, how can she report to Mr. Rayleigh? Now the captain is short on time and won't come back to arrest us. He'll probably go to Fish - Man Island first to obtain that Road - Poneglyph. After that, he'll come back to deal with us! But by then, we'll already be in Mariejois and might even have finished our business!" Fang Yi said with a gentle smile.
"Brother Yi, you promised me I could choose whatever I want from the Celestial Dragons' treasure house!" At this time, Buggy couldn't help but speak up.
This was the condition Fang Yi offered to invite Buggy to join, which was the privilege to choose treasures from the Celestial Dragons' treasure house. Without Buggy's ability, it would be difficult for them to evacuate safely.
Then the four of them would hang on Buggy's body as he descended, and he would run down the cliff of the Red Line Archipelago with his feet. Fang Yi had also prepared underwater breathing pills for them. With Wangzai's help, they could quickly leave via the underwater route.
Now what they needed to do was to get a clear understanding of the Celestial Dragons' intelligence. Then they could pretend to be the slaves of the Celestial Dragons. As for the risk of being recognized, Fang Yi was quite confident. After all, the Celestial Dragons had so many slaves that even the Celestial Dragons themselves couldn't possibly remember all of them.
Moreover, he could follow the example of Sabo in the original story. They disguised themselves as guards and sneaked into Mariejois. Since those guards wore full - body armor that could completely cover their figures and facial features, it was the perfect identity for intruders.
"Don't worry. I always keep my word. But Buggy, let's get one thing straight first. Our primary target is definitely the user of the Ope Ope no Mi. Only after we've finished our main business and have some extra time can we go for the treasures. If the situation is urgent, we'll have to abandon the treasures. After all, we can't risk our lives for those treasures. Right?"
Fang Yi nodded and said seriously,
"Although what you said makes a lot of sense, why do I feel like you're lying to me?" Buggy looked at Fang Yi and asked, with an expression that seemed to say "I'm smart, don't try to fool me".
"If you're so smart, how could I deceive you? And you yourself said my words made sense. Isn't that all sorted then?" Fang Yi rolled his eyes and replied speechlessly.
"Wowahaha... Of course! I'm this smart. Who could ever deceive me? Don't worry, I'll handle this matter perfectly for you!" Buggy burst into laughter after hearing Fang Yi's praise.
However, Shanks and Barrett beside him looked at Buggy with sympathetic glances. It was obvious to anyone with half a wit that once they convinced the user of the Ope Ope no Mi, there would definitely be no time for Buggy to go after any treasures.
What kind of place do you think Mariejois is? Do they really take it as just a tourist area? They had to escape in the shortest possible time. Otherwise, once the Navy's reinforcements arrived, they'd probably be shot to pieces even if they jumped off the cliff.