Chapter 120

Riku Doldo III was momentarily stunned.

After all, the Den Den Mushi had been delivered by a News Coo.

So he naturally assumed it was Morgans calling.

But apparently… it wasn't?

"Who are you?"

"Jun Lin. The one who provided Morgans with the intel that allowed the truth to come to light again."

Jun Lin?

Riku, who had just been released, had never even heard of Jun Lin.

But if this person really did pass the information to Morgans…

Then both Dressrosa and he himself owed them a debt.

No matter what Jun Lin wanted, he wouldn't hang up the call now.

At the very least, he would listen carefully.

"King Riku, I contacted you today to ask something."

"What is it?"

"You have a daughter named Viola, don't you?"

"Why... Why are you asking about her?"

King Riku immediately grew wary.

"Relax. I don't intend to harm her. I simply want to know—would she be willing to join Jun Lin?"

"In return, we will guarantee the complete elimination of Doflamingo, and in the future, provide Dressrosa with full protection—regardless of whether the enemy is the Navy, the Four Emperors, or even the World Government. How does that sound?"

Riku was taken aback.

This Jun Lin group, which he'd never heard of before…

Was it really that powerful?

Confident enough to say they could go up against the Navy, the Four Emperors, or even the World Government?

But…

Having Violet join such an organization—one that could be at war with the World Government at any moment?

Frankly, Riku didn't feel good about that.

"And if I say no?"

"No big deal. I'll just come over myself, knock her out, and take her away!"

…

…

Wait, what?

King Riku was completely dumbfounded.

What do you mean "if I say no, you'll knock her out and take her"?

What kind of lunatic says things like that?!

But…

Riku could only sigh deeply.

"Jun Lin, right?"

"That's right, Your Majesty."

"I can't give you an answer right now. Even if you come here yourself, it won't help."

"Oh? Why not?"

"Because Viola's already been captured by the Navy.

She's being sent to Impel Down on a prison ship tomorrow."

What?!

Why would the Navy arrest Viola?

As far as he remembered, she was only forced to serve under Doflamingo.

"King Riku, who gave the order?"

"Admiral Akainu."

Oh. That explains everything.

With Akainu, it didn't matter whether you joined a pirate crew by choice or by force.

Whether you'd harmed civilians or not—none of that mattered.

To him, if you're a pirate, you must die.

"Got it. That's all I wanted to ask. You can rest easy, Your Majesty. Once I rescue Viola, the terms I offered will still stand."

"That'll be all for today."

With that, Luo Lan ended the call.

King Riku could only sigh again.

Was there really any way to save Viola now?

Wait…

Suddenly, he remembered something.

Jun Lin had said, "once Viola is rescued, the terms will still stand."

Was Jun Lin… planning to act?

Could they really pull it off?

He'd heard that in order to prevent Doflamingo from attempting a jailbreak, the Navy was sending three warships, three elite Vice Admirals, and hundreds of soldiers along with the prison ship.

Did Jun Lin really have the strength to take them on?

But considering he himself had no options left…

Whether Jun Lin was bluffing or not didn't matter.

At the very least… it was still a chance.

---

Two Days Later – Rhodes Island

The original three-story building had been transformed into a fifteen-story tower.

The fifteenth floor had only two massive offices—one for Captain Luo Lan, and the other for Captain Hina.

The fourteenth floor was dedicated to strategy, housing eleven meeting rooms in total—one large, two medium, and eight small.

Currently, Luo Lan, Hina, and Smoker were occupying the single large meeting room.

"What?! You're going to attack the prison ship?"

"Hina is shocked!!"

Hina's eyes widened.

Smoker looked equally stunned.

Yes—Luo Lan had just told them his plan: intercept the prison ship and rescue a specific individual.

They were both shell-shocked.

Attacking a prison ship?

That's basically the same as launching an assault on the Navy!

But once Luo Lan explained Viola's situation, the two fell into thoughtful silence.

"There's another key point. Viola's Devil Fruit is the Paramecia-type Glare-Glare Fruit."

"Glare-Glare? What's it do?"

Hina frowned and asked.

"Two main abilities: First, 'Clairvoyance'—she can extend her vision up to 4,000 kilometers. Second, 'Peeping Mind'—she can see into a person's current thoughts."

Hiss—

Hina and Smoker both understood immediately how terrifying that power was.

"Now you see why she must not fall into the World Government's hands?"

Luo Lan didn't finish the sentence, but Hina and Smoker both nodded gravely.

Clearly, the prison ship had to be intercepted.

Viola must be rescued—and brought back to Branch 157.

"Avoiding injury to Navy personnel while also preventing other inmates from escaping… that's not too difficult for us.

But there's a major problem..."

"Admiral Akainu has assigned three elite Vice Admirals to the escort:

Doberman, Onigumo, and Strawberry."

Oh boy.

So those three are involved.

Leave it to Akainu to send the most hardline hawks in the Navy.

"Luo Lan, if it's those three…

It's going to be almost impossible not to hurt them!"Hina warned.

Smoker may have been driven out of HQ early on, but Hina knew those three well.

Though her own strength had skyrocketed since arriving at Branch 157—enough to confidently take down one of the three in a serious fight—that would still involve going all out, and that meant injuries were inevitable.

"Don't worry. Those guys are built like tanks. Even if they get thoroughly beaten up, worst case, they're stuck in a hospital bed for a while."

"Didn't you say we shouldn't injure Navy personnel?"

"Right—but they're Vice Admirals, not grunts.

As long as we don't kill or cripple them, it's fine."

...

Hina was speechless.

Was this... double standards?

"But… I can only handle one of them.

And Smoker… might not be ready yet."

"That's fine. You take one, I'll take one.

The third—leave to Ace and Zoro.

Smoker's job is to rescue Viola."

…

…

Smoker stared blankly.

You invited me to this meeting…

Just to assign me as the background extra?!