r18novel Chapter 87 Simple Plan
Chapter 87 Simple Plan
Chapter 87 Simple Plan
"The log pointer has malfunctioned."
Nami turned to look at Norton, who stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the endless expanse of white, seemingly lost in thought.
As the fog thickened, Nami had no choice but to order the fleet to slow down, and the ships could only maintain their formation by relying on light signals and their indistinct outlines.
When visibility was less than three meters, the White Pearl ordered the entire fleet to halt and remain in place.
The fog surged in from all directions, as if it were breathing.
In the distance, hushed voices could be faintly heard from other ships.
Have you ever heard of this sea area?
"Of course! The legendary Devil's Triangle, shrouded in mist! For every hundred ships that enter, a hundred will disappear!"
The pirates kept their voices very low, as if afraid of being overheard by something.
Meanwhile, the deck of the White Pearl was unusually quiet.
Zoro leaned against the mast, holding his sword, and closed his eyes to rest.
Zeff was tidying up the dishes in the kitchen, the clatter of pots and pans going slowly and deliberately.
Steel Hand leaned against the ship's side, looked at the fog, and yawned.
Enel stood at the bow of the Ark of Truth, his body crackling with electricity, dispelling the mist that tried to approach the ship, his brow furrowed.
Norton came down from the bow and called Steelhand over.
"Steel Hands".
Steel Hand turned his head, and Norton's figure was blurred into an outline in the thick fog.
"Stop the training for the officers. Notify all ship captains to assemble in the conference room on the White Pearl in fifteen minutes."
Steel Hand nodded and walked toward the cabin, waking up a few dozing apprentice sailors along the way.
A few minutes later, in the conference room.
Warm yellow light fell from the ceiling, illuminating the round table in the center. The dark oak tabletop was polished smooth, with brass trim. Surrounding it were high-backed armchairs with burgundy velvet upholstery.
The cadres came in one after another and found seats.
Kro sat down to Norton's right and opened his notebook. Bucky crossed his legs, while Al hunched his shoulders, trying not to crowd Dalton next to him.
Akin sat in the corner, Iron Claw leaning against the chair. Mr. 1 was expressionless, with Pola holding his arm. Sanosuke sat in the shadows where the light didn't reach, his black feather cloak covering half his face.
Zoro leaned back in his chair, clutching his sword, while Zeff sat beside him, holding a cup of hot tea but not drinking it.
Enel, Nami, Fryn, and others also took their seats.
Steel Hand was the last to enter, and he casually closed the door behind him. The fog was kept out.
The meeting room was quiet, with only the soft sound of running water.
The voice came from the glass wall behind Norton.
A completely transparent wall of water. Blue ambient lighting illuminates from behind the glass, immersing the entire conference room in a deep, ocean-like blue glow. The light flows and dances on the water, reflecting off the red velvet sofa, the brass table edge, and onto everyone's face.
Behind the water wall is the aquarium.
The giant jellyfish floated slowly in the center. Its bell was translucent, with a pale silver-blue halo around its edges, and its tentacles, like the softest silk, swayed gently in the current.
The jellyfish was surrounded by other fish that Norton had caught in the past few days.
Several colorful little fish darted among the seaweed. A starfish the size of a palm clung to the glass wall, moving slowly. Two transparent little shrimp hid in the crevices of the rocks, their whiskers twitching.
They swam quietly in the deep blue light.
Kro adjusted his glasses: "Everyone's here."
Norton leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping across the round table.
"We've entered the Devil's Triangle."
"Our target this time is Gecko Moria, who, like Crocodile, is also a Shichibukai."
The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.
Jellyfish floated slowly behind the glass wall, their tentacles swaying.
Norton leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the edge of the table.
"Moria has three capable fighters under his command."
Based on his hazy memories from his past life, Norton pieced together images of Moria's subordinates for his officers.
"A leopard-man who can turn invisible, a pink-haired girl with a teddy bear, and a fat doctor."
"The rest are zombies. There are many of them, they move slowly, and they are afraid of fire and salt."
After briefly introducing the situation, Norton announced his plan.
"You lead the team to find Thriller Bark, take care of these officers on the island, and as for Moria himself... Enel, you're in good hands, right?"
Currently, besides Norton, Steelhand is the strongest in the fleet, but Norton can't let Steelhand fight personally, since he's an instructor he paid to hire.
Therefore, entrusting the important task of defeating Moria to Enel is the best choice.
As for why he didn't take action himself? There's no need for someone like Moria to do it personally.
Although he was once a great pirate who could fight Kaido, Moria is now nothing more than a dog clinging to life.
"I'll do my best," Enel said.
Such words shouldn't have come from someone like Enel, but recently, Norton and...
The presence of two invincible figures like Steel Hand caused Enel to lose confidence in his lightning.
"Where is it? Where in the fog is that wrecked ship?" Enel asked again.
Norton leaned back on the sofa: "Find it yourself."
Enel paused for a moment.
"The terror schooner eats up hundreds of ships every year, and it's right here in this fog."
"Is it alright if I leave it to you?" After saying that, Norton looked around and his gaze swept over everyone's face.
Moria is the weakest of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. If I have to plan every step for even an opponent like that, what will I do when I enter the New World and encounter Kaido, Big Mom, and Shanks? "No problem," Zoro said first, laughing, "That sounds interesting. I hope there's some sake on that island."
The other cadres also expressed their views one after another.
Kro pushed up his glasses, said nothing, and wrote something in his notebook.
"Alright, meeting adjourned!"
The cadres stood up one after another, the sofas and chairs scraping against the floor with a low thud, boots clicking on the wooden planks, and a few brief words exchanged.
The meeting room was empty. Blue ambient lights shone behind the aquarium glass. The jellyfish slowly swam to the center of the tank, its tentacles leaving pale blue trails of light. Several small fish hid in the crevices of the coral.
Norton also got up and walked out of the conference room when footsteps approached rapidly from the direction of the gangway.
A young pirate wearing a soaking wet sailor shirt ran over, his chest heaving and his face pale.
"The ship, Captain!"
Norton stopped.
"There's a ship!" The pirate swallowed hard. "A ghost ship!"
"They've infiltrated our fleet! The fog is too thick; we only spotted them by counting the ships with our lights! They're not our ships; we don't know when they started following us!"
"There's a skeleton on the ship!"
A skeleton?
Norton's expression became subtle.
"What kind of skeleton?"
"Alive!" the pirate exclaimed. "A skeleton! Having tea on deck!"
Norton was silent for two seconds.
"--lead the way."
The ship was obscured by fog; only its outline was visible.
It was a small sailboat, old and worn, with a few tattered sails hanging from its mast, and its paint peeling off. It sat quietly in the fog, thirty meters to the port side of the White Pearl, without lights or a sound.
If you don't get this close, you won't even notice it.
A skeleton was standing on the deck.
He was dressed in a gentleman's suit, wearing a top hat, with a steaming cup of black tea beside him. His empty eye sockets were directed towards the White Pearl, and his jaw was slightly open, as if he were smiling.
"Yohohoho!!"
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