Chapter 179: Sabaody: The Secret Mission of the Revolutionary Army

Kaku was even more impressed with Takumi after seeing how much respect Rayleigh showed him.

So, naturally, Kaku assumed that Takumi was willing to take the loss and give Rayleigh face because of Rayleigh's status.

However, the truth was that Takumi simply wanted to settle the matter of the owed drink. He didn't like the feeling of owing anything to others, and if paying a bit more money meant clearing that debt, it was worth it.

The three of them continued walking in the direction of the shipyard.

The shipyard wasn't far from Shakky's bar, so they decided it was fine to stay on the ship.

The next morning.

Takumi left the shipyard early.

As for Enel and Kaku, just like the previous day, Takumi had arranged for them to stay at the shipyard.

After wandering around for a while, Takumi found himself near the auction house in Area 1 of the Sabaody Archipelago. It wasn't open yet, so he casually observed the surroundings, checking the layout before deciding to explore other parts of the town.

Just then, a group of people, wrapped up in cloaks and moving stealthily, emerged from the back door of the auction house. As they reached about fifty meters away, one of them suddenly stopped.

The others turned to see why their comrade had halted.

"Hey, Sabo, what are you doing? We've rescued our comrades, so we should get out of here before the Navy shows up!" one of them whispered urgently.

"Wait a minute," Sabo pulled back his hood, his eyes on Takumi, who was walking away. "You guys go on ahead. I've got something to take care of."

"What do you mean something to take care of? Don't waste time!" the other said, exasperated.

"Don't worry, it'll just take a moment. The place we've hidden the ship is secure. The Navy won't find it."

The other sighed in frustration, "Fine! But you've got thirty minutes, no more! If you're late, you'll have to swim back to Baltigo!"

Sabo chuckled, "Got it."

Without wasting time, Sabo sprinted toward Takumi.

Meanwhile, the others hurried toward their hidden ship.

Just as they started running, Ivankov's transponder snail rang.

Answering it while running, Ivankov said, "Hello? Dragon? We've successfully rescued our comrades and are preparing to leave."

Dragon's calm voice came through, "Ivankov, there's another mission I need you and Lightning to handle."

"Eh? Another mission?" Ivankov was surprised. "You mean there are still more of our comrades captured on Sabaody?"

"No," Dragon replied, "I need you and Lightning to get yourselves captured by the Navy."

"WHAT?" Ivankov's face turned pale. "You've got to be joking! That's the worst idea ever—"

"Do I seem like the type to joke about something like this?" Dragon continued, "Once captured, you and Lightning will likely be sent to Impel Down. I need you two to infiltrate the prison…"

Dragon then laid out the rest of his plan, leaving Ivankov speechless.

After considering it for a moment, Ivankov reluctantly agreed, "Alright, leave it to us!"

"Is Sabo with you?" Dragon asked.

"Uh… Sabo? Well, he ran off to take care of something. I'll have him call you back when he returns," Ivankov explained.

"Understood," Dragon replied before hanging up.

Ivankov pocketed the transponder snail and quickly caught up with Lightning, explaining the mission quietly as they moved. To his surprise, Lightning wasn't fazed at all by the task.

Ivankov asked, "Why aren't you freaking out about this?"

Lightning simply responded, "We're the best suited for this job. I trust Dragon's judgment."

Meanwhile.

Sabo caught up to Takumi.

"Hey, Nakamura, wait up!" Sabo called as he reached his side, matching his pace. "I'm Sabo. Can you tell me your full name?"

"No," Takumi replied flatly.

Sabo blinked, then laughed, "Haha, just as I expected, getting rejected right away."

Takumi stayed silent, continuing to walk.

"Since you don't want to tell me, I'll just call you Nakamura," Sabo said with a grin.

Takumi didn't respond, not particularly caring about the name.

"Nakamura, you seemed like you were avoiding Ivankov yesterday," Sabo said, glancing at him. "Do you know him?"

"I don't," Takumi replied.

"You didn't even think about it before answering. Looks like you two have a history," Sabo commented with a smile.

Takumi sighed, "I really don't know him."

"Really?" Sabo scratched his head. "Well, if Ivankov ever did anything to you in the past, let me apologize on his behalf."

Takumi rolled his eyes, "..."

"You sure you don't need any help?" Sabo offered. "I can help if you're in some kind of trouble."

"I don't need help," Takumi said, irritation creeping into his voice. "Now leave me alone."

"Wow, cold," Sabo chuckled. "I was going to treat you to a meal, but since I don't have any money, I guess that's not happening either. Alright then, I'll get going."

Takumi waved him off, relieved to see him leave.

But just as Sabo turned to go, he spotted a group of Marines in the distance, heading toward the direction where Ivankov and the others had gone.

His expression darkened. "Damn, have they been discovered? I've got to warn them."

With that, Sabo sprinted toward the hidden ship, leaving Takumi behind.

Takumi watched him go and shifted his gaze to a man who had just stepped out of an alleyway nearby. He was tall and thin, with a messy beard and yellow-tinted sunglasses. The man wore a yellow and white striped suit and carried a transponder snail, looking perplexed as he spoke into it.

"Strange… Moshi Moshi, can you hear me? Hmm, why isn't there any sound?" the man mumbled, staring at the snail in confusion.

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