Luffy quickly confirmed what Shakky had said, making Rayleigh feel like the whole situation was unreal.
The fact that his closest friend still had a son out there—and that he had been entrusted to Garp—was shocking to him.
"Oi~"
"Kuro, help me think of a way. I have to save Ace!" Luffy pleaded anxiously.
Kuro frowned and thought for a moment before speaking slowly, "Luffy, we can't rush this. You have to remember that Ace is being held in Impel Down. Right now, we don't have any information about Impel Down, so we need to make a careful plan."
Hearing this, Luffy became even more anxious, but he forced himself to stay calm and waited for Kuro to continue.
"I'll explain everything about Impel Down and the upcoming public execution," Shakky said softly, looking at the worried faces of Luffy and the others.
She then went on to explain everything she knew—about Impel Down's tight security, its complicated layout, and the time and location of the execution.
As she spoke, the group became more and more uneasy. Based on what they were hearing, rescuing Ace from Impel Down seemed nearly impossible.
"Kuro~"
Luffy turned to Kuro with urgency in his eyes, filled with hope and expectation.
At this moment, he felt like Kuro was the only one who could come up with a way to break into Impel Down and rescue Ace.
"We need to figure out the best timing to save Ace.
During the rescue, we absolutely cannot be discovered by the World Government, or everything will be for nothing. We simply don't have the power to fight against them directly.
That means we have to rule out two options: intercepting him during transport and attacking the execution site. In both cases, we have zero chance of success.
So the only choice left is to infiltrate Impel Down, rescue Ace without being detected, and then find a way to escape.
Our biggest challenge is getting through the Gates of Justice to enter Impel Down, sneaking in without being noticed, and then making sure we have a solid escape route afterward."
Kuro's voice was steady and serious, as if he was carefully analyzing a complex game of chess.
Everyone listened intently to Kuro's breakdown, fully aware of how difficult and dangerous this mission would be.
They would have to go up against incredibly strong enemies while also avoiding detection—one mistake could mean total failure.
But no one backed down.
Kuro continued, "First, we need to find a way to get through the Gates of Justice.
That gate is controlled by both Marine Headquarters and Impel Down, so we need a way to bypass their security.
Once inside, we must be extremely cautious while searching for Ace's location and avoid detection at all costs.
Finally, we need a solid escape plan to ensure we can get out safely after rescuing Ace."
Everyone nodded in understanding, already thinking of possible strategies.
"I have an idea that might get us into Impel Down. Let me know what you think," Kuro said, pushing up his glasses with his palm.
Instantly, all eyes were on him again.
"The only way through the Gates of Justice is to slip in while they're open.
That means we can use a coated ship to hide underwater and wait. The moment a Marine warship passes through the gate, we can take advantage of that opening to sneak in."
"We'll send a small team to sneak onto a Marine warship and use it to slip into Impel Down," Kuro said quietly, sharing his idea.
"This really is the only way to get through the Gates of Justice..." Shakky thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.
The others also nodded, recognizing it as their best option.
"Franky! Then let's get our ship coated!" Luffy said excitedly.
"That's a problem, Luffy. I haven't learned how to coat ships yet. We'll have to find someone else to do it," Franky admitted with a troubled look.
"Find someone else..."
"In that case, leave it to me. My coating skills aren't too bad," Rayleigh spoke up before Kuro could argue that trusting an outsider might not be safe.
"Huh???"
"Rayleigh, you can coat ships?"
The Straw Hat crew was shocked.
"Haha, just a little skill I picked up to make a living. Around the island, they call me 'Coating Rayleigh,'" he said with a grin.
"Then we're counting on you, Rayleigh!" Luffy said happily.
"Don't worry. But coating the ship will take three days, and once it's done, you'll only have about two days to act," Rayleigh's voice turned serious as he finished speaking.
"Two days, huh..."
"Then we'll just have to hope for the best and trust our luck." Kuro thought for a moment. Given their current strength, there was no better alternative.
They began working on a detailed plan, discussing team roles, backup strategies, and how to handle any unexpected situations.
Even though the plan was full of uncertainties, it was the best option they had. They knew that careful preparation would give them the best chance of success.
Before long, they had worked out the details.
"Alright then, I'll go ahead and start coating your ship," Rayleigh said as he stood up, grabbing his tools and heading toward the shore.
"Rayleigh, let me help you."
Franky quickly followed.
"So... what should we do now? We still have three days," Brook asked, looking around, though his 'eyes' held a confused expression.
Do what?
No one really knew, so the rest of the Straw Hat Crew instinctively turned to Kuro.
"We should—"
"How about we go to the amusement park? What do you guys think?" Luffy interrupted just as Kuro was about to say they couldn't go anywhere.
"That actually sounds like a great idea~~~"
"Yeah, yeah, great idea~~~"
Usopp and Brook immediately agreed. They had seen how fun the amusement park here was!
Kuro and Sanji, on the other hand, both had dark expressions.
"Don't even think about it! We absolutely cannot wander around in these three days. If the Marines find out we're here, it'll be a huge problem!" Kuro couldn't hold back and yelled at the three of them.
"Sorry~~~" ×3
Kuro felt exhausted. He had a bad feeling that these guys wouldn't be able to sit still for three days and would definitely sneak out.
Shakky looked at Kuro. He reminded her a lot of Beckman from Shanks' crew—both were the brains of their teams.
Nami: 500,000 words now, big bro! Show some love and give me a good rating~~~
---
You can read 10 Chapters ahead on my
pat reon.com/GMadman