The prison ship was departing from Dressrosa, heading for Sabaody Archipelago.
Which route should it take?
There were four possible options.
First, it could pass through the Calm Belt to enter the North or West Blue, then cross the Florian Triangle again to re-enter the Grand Line, sail across half the globe to the latter part of the first half of the Grand Line, and finally enter the Calm Belt once more to reach Sabaody.
Second, it could leave the ship and trek across the entire Red Line on foot.
This method would require having a replacement ship ready on the far side of the Red Line.
Third, it could use the World Government's official sea route, which passes directly over the Red Line.
The first option was far too time-consuming.
After all, the entire journey would span several thousand nautical miles.
The second option was even less feasible — it didn't need any explanation.
Therefore, the Navy's prison ship would certainly choose the third option.
They had the official clearance to use the government's sea route, and the distance was shortest.
From Dressrosa to Sabaody was only about seven hundred nautical miles.
Even though the prison ship wasn't fast, ten days would be enough to reach the destination.
"This should be the best place to intercept!"
Hina pointed to a spot on the Calm Belt on the map spread across the table.
This location was roughly halfway between Navy Headquarters and Sabaody Archipelago.
Whether reinforcements came from either side, it would take about two hours to arrive.
But the real problem was...
Kizaru!
While the fleet would need close to two hours to arrive, Kizaru alone could get there in just a few minutes.
Unlike Aokiji and Akainu, who both needed to rotate shifts guarding the G1 base, Kizaru didn't have to.
This was because of his unparalleled strategic mobility.
No matter where trouble broke out, he could arrive almost instantly.
"What do we do about Admiral Kizaru, Luo Lan?"
"If we move, Headquarters will definitely send Kizaru. A few minutes is..."
"Probably not enough time."
Hearing Hina's words, Smoker furrowed his brow.
The problem of Kizaru being right next to Headquarters was impossible to avoid.
"No worries."
Unlike the other two frowning men, Luo Lan remained calm.
"What do you mean?"
Hina asked, confused.
"Simple — I know Borsalino inside and out."
"That's right, from the moment he's ordered to depart Navy Headquarters to arrival at our ambush point takes no more than three minutes, but..."
"Those three minutes start counting only after he receives the order and departs."
"If it's daytime, adding the time Headquarters takes to get the message and notify him is about one more minute — so four minutes total."
"But nighttime is a different story!"
Hina and Smoker were puzzled.
Aren't Navy officers on 24-hour standby?
Even if asleep, wouldn't they respond immediately when a command comes in?
Even if slower at night, it would only add a minute or two — still not enough time.
"No, this guy doesn't bring his Den Den Mushi home when he sleeps."
"For example, he leaves it at the office..."
"Or drops it on the way home..."
"Or he calls another Den Den Mushi and doesn't hang up!"
"Basically, if you want to reach Kizaru in the dead of night, you'd have to send a messenger to knock on his door."
"And the Admirals' Villa District is..."
"A good ten minutes' run from Headquarters!"
"Plus the time it takes to relay the order, and Kizaru rubbing his eyes, stretching, yawning, putting on clothes..."
"That easily takes another five minutes!"
"So at night, we should have around twenty minutes."
Hina and Smoker were stunned.
Luo Lan knew all of Kizaru's habits and tricks perfectly!
That was incredible.
"Wait, how do you know Kizaru so well?" Hina asked in shock.
"Simple," Luo Lan replied. "I taught him all those habits and tricks back in the day."
"What? You taught him?"
"Yes. His original excuses and tricks were way too low-level. I just couldn't stand it, so I taught him some better ones."
...
Smoker's jaw dropped to the floor.
Hina's eyes widened, utterly shocked.
"Any other questions?"
"Do we need to deploy the entire fleet?" Smoker asked.
Before Luo Lan could answer, Hina rolled her eyes.
"Are you stupid? Even if you finish the mission quickly with surface ships, do you really think you can escape Kizaru's search?"
"Obviously not. He'll be there before you're out of sight."
Embarrassed, Smoker fell silent.
"Alright, no more questions. We depart in three days."
"Then take another three days to reach the target and prepare the ambush."
"When the operation starts, I'll use my Conqueror's Haki to knock out every soldier except the three elite rear admirals."
"Then me, Hina, Ace, and Zoro will engage the three vice admirals — Ghost Spider (Onigumo) and the others."
"Smoker, you have five minutes to find Viola and bring her to the deck."
"Baby 5 will cover the retreat. She doesn't need to defeat anyone — just hold them off for a bit."
"Finally, the Danaan will submerge."
"That's the entire plan."
Hina and Smoker stared at the map, listening carefully to Luo Lan's plan.
They pondered for a long moment.
"What if Kizaru actually brings his Den Den Mushi and immediately receives the order?"
"Don't worry, I've prepared for that."
"I'll have several Den Den Mushis constantly calling Kizaru during the operation to tie up his line."
...
That was nasty.
Luo Lan really thought of everything.
If Kizaru did bring his Den Den Mushi home, Luo Lan's plan to jam his line would still buy them time.
Of course, that was a backup plan — the real chance of that happening was less than 1%.
"Any other questions?"
No one spoke.
They nodded.
"Good. Get ready. We move out in three days!"
"Operation name: Rescue the Princess!"
---
Currently at chapter 400 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27