A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

The conversation among them silenced Xiong again: "..."

Hey, hey, hey... Seriously?! My nephew's pirate crew actually has people who don't even know what the 'Four Emperors' are?! Are they even pirates?!

Kuma's gaze swept over Zoro and the others one by one: a directionally challenged swordsman, a lecherous cook, a navigator, a long-nosed man, a tanuki, a cyborg... not one of them seemed to be a smart person!

There's no other way but to put in some more effort and give them some pointers!

"In short, that's it. Because the Navy is about to execute 'Fire Fist' Ace, which will inevitably lead to war with the Whitebeard Pirates, they don't have the extra energy to deal with mages at this time!"

"Execute Ace...?!"

This statement actually has the implication of trying to cover up the truth. If there were a smart person here, such as Robin who joined the Straw Hat Pirates in the original story, it would be easy for them to see Kuma's abnormality and hear the loopholes in his words.

For example, delivering both newspapers and intelligence is not something an enemy should do; and for example, he could have easily eliminated everyone here, so no one would know that the Navy had provoked a mage...

Unfortunately, Robin wasn't there, and without her as the strategist, the remaining idiots were quickly convinced by Kuma's reasoning. Plus, they were currently immersed in the shock of the Navy's plan to execute Ace, so they naturally overlooked this oddity.

"So that's how it is. You scared me..."

"Since you're not planning to make a move, you'd better get out of here!"

Bear:"……"

We need to tell Dragon right away that we need to find a mature and reliable person for this nephew's pirate crew!

Hmm... how about we send Sabo over?

……

The bear was gone, Moria had fled, and the people on the island were celebrating their victory while discussing the contents of the newspaper.

In the original storyline, Luffy was exhausted after his battle with Moria, but Kuma's 'explosive damage' allowed him to immediately regain his energy. Although this step is missing now, he can still recover most of his energy by resting fully and having a big meal, thanks to his strong physique.

"I see, you two are mages too? We did encounter your companions before!"

Back in Water 7, Luffy and his crew had already spent over 80% of their savings on ship repairs and supplies, leaving them in dire financial straits. Even a newspaper costing 50 Berries was a luxury for them.

This resulted in their impression of mages being limited to the Skypiea arc.

Luffy (grinning): "Natsu is a very interesting guy! I originally wanted to invite him to join the crew, but he refused..."

Zoro (drinking and deep in thought): "That woman named Erza is incredibly skilled with a sword!"

Sanji (heart eyes): "Erza-chan, Lucy-chan...Robin...Oh! Sorry, Robin-chan isn't a mage."

Chopper (with a longing look): "The Rain God saved Alabasta! And Happy and Lily, they're both amazing!"

Nami (serious face): "They defeated Crocodile, so they're Vivi's benefactors..."

Usopp (sticking out his nose): "Kira helped us repair the Going Merry, so he's our benefactor!"

Franky (adjusting his sunglasses): "I don't know much, except that they bought a ship from the Carrera Company in Water Seven, but apparently left early. Also, I think I saw in the newspapers a few days ago that a guy named Gildarts was involved in the beating up of a Celestial Dragon..."

Franky had actually encountered mages before. In Water Seven, he was unknowingly affected by Kira's 'sleep spell' and lost the 'Pluton blueprints' as a result, though he himself was unaware of it.

Besides sharing similar interests, another reason for joining Luffy on his voyage was to retrieve the blueprints.

Hearing the news from the Straw Hat crew, Stinger and Roger, two naive young men, finally felt relieved, but the other pirates were dumbfounded.

"Hey?! Wait a minute! Did something just sneak in? Beat up a Celestial Dragon?! Tell me more??"

After the pirates finished reading the newspaper that Franky had handed them, which was from about a week ago, they were immediately shocked beyond words.

For a moment, they couldn't even tell which would cause more turmoil on the sea: 'pirates fighting Celestial Dragons in the street,' 'magicians defeating two Yonko crews,' or 'the Navy going to war with Whitebeard.'

How long have I been here? Has the outside world changed so much?

After recruiting Brook into his pirate crew, Luffy announced a decision to everyone: "I'm going to save Ace!"

The group was not surprised by Luffy's decision at all.

"I think so too..."

"But didn't you say something like 'Ace has his own adventures' before?"

"Being captured is one thing, being executed is another; these two things are not the same! I can't just watch Ace be executed and do nothing!"

At Lola's prompting, Luffy took Ace's Vivre Paper from his hat and was shocked to find that the original palm-sized piece of paper had been burned down to a small piece. He looked dejected and said, "I'm sorry, everyone! This is not part of our sailing plan. If you don't want to go, I won't force you!"

"What utter nonsense are you spouting, you idiot?"

He was interrupted by the crowd before he could finish speaking.

Zoro was the first to speak up, resolutely supporting Luffy: "Where this ship is headed is ultimately decided by the captain! If you can't even support the captain's decision at a crucial moment, what kind of crew member are you?"

"The green-haired one is right, you can't do without the cook either, right? How can you save your brother if you don't eat your fill?" Sanji stepped forward and served Nami fresh orange juice.

"Zoro...Sanji...!!"

"Seriously! Since we're partners, shouldn't you at least have some faith in us? No matter what happens, we'll all stand together through thick and thin!"

Nami tapped Luffy's empty head, put her hands on her hips, and said in a feignedly angry tone, "Besides, how are you going to save your brother without me?!"

"Nami...!!"

Usopp's legs trembled, but he still straightened his chest: "You...you're right...! So what if it's a naval base? I'm not afraid of it at all! Let me tell you the truth, I'm Captain Usopp with eight thousand men!!"

"If Brother Ace is injured, he'll need a doctor, right?"

"Usopp... Chopper...!!"

"Aww—! What a touching display of brotherhood! I'll definitely do everything in my power to help my brother save this!!"

"Yohohoho... Now that I'm on board, I'm entrusting my life to Captain Luffy!"

"Frankie... Brook...!!"

"Thank you everyone!"

After deciding on the itinerary, the group faced another important problem.

"That being said, how are we supposed to rescue Ace with just a few of us? Besides, we know nothing about the naval base! How can we rescue him if we don't even know its location?"

"I do know something about that!"

Unlike the newbies who had just set sail, Franky lived on the Grand Line, and Brook was a veteran, so they knew more or less about this. With the addition of Lola and others, the location where Luffy and his crew imprisoned Ace gradually became clear.

The navy imprisons pirates in deep-sea prisons that are 'impenetrable'.

The prison is called Impel Down, located in the Calm Belt. Together with Marineford, the naval headquarters near the Red Line, and Enies Lobby in the first half of the Grand Line, it forms an internal passage accessible only to the Navy, a counter-clockwise triangular loop.

Each of the three locations has a "Gate of Justice" that marks the World Government. When the gate is closed, the ocean currents on either side create reverse eddies, making it impossible for outside ships to enter.

In other words, if it is a normal 'sea voyage', one must go through the legal system to enter!

However, the three gates of justice are firmly controlled by the navy and are not usually opened. Even when they are opened, they are only slightly ajar and are heavily guarded, so there is basically no chance of sneaking in.

Another point is that the direction of the triangular circulation is fixed; only by entering the correct gate and riding the correct ocean current can one reach their destination.

"According to our itinerary, our next destination is Sabaody Archipelago, which is closest to the Navy Headquarters. But even if we could bypass the Navy's guards and enter the Gates of Justice, Impel Down is in the opposite direction of the ocean currents. So the only way is to enter through the Gates of Justice on Enies Lobby!"

Based on the information from the others, Nami drew a rough map of 'Marineford - Enies Lobby - Impel Down' on the blueprint, but the more she looked at it, the more troubled she became.

“If we were in Water Seven now, we could take the sea train to Enies Lobby and then storm in from there! But as you know, under normal circumstances, the Grand Line's routes are non-reversible, and we don't have a permanent compass for Water Seven on our ship…”

"That sounds pretty difficult!"

After Nami's explanation, the others understood their current predicament. Even Luffy stared intently at the map in Nami's hand, remaining silent.

Just when everyone was at a loss, a voice as beautiful as heavenly music suddenly broke in: "If you want to save Ace, I have a way!"

"?!!" ×N

Hearing the sound, everyone looked up and saw a handsome red nose, followed by smooth blue hair and an orange cloak that matched the red nose perfectly.

Chapter 963 Bucky's Grand Plan to Save Ace

Blue hair, red nose, orange cape, ambitious, and courageous.

That's him—

"Bucky?!" ×N

"Who is this guy...?"

"Whose nose are you calling red and round?! You bastard!!"

"Do you know how to get to Impel Down, Bucky?"

The previously hopeless plan suddenly had a chance, and Luffy, disregarding everything else, asked bluntly, "Please tell me, please!!"

Hearing Luffy's plea, Buggy, who had been dejected because he couldn't get the treasure and had been forcibly brought here, instantly became arrogant: "Want to know how? I'll charge you a fee! How about exchanging all the treasure on your ship?"

"I understand. I'll give you all my money. Ace's life is more important than the treasure."

"Wait... Luffy?!"

"make a deal!"

Fearing Luffy might change his mind, Buggy immediately agreed. After saying that, he even felt a sense of relief and turned to his underlings, shouting, "You guys, hurry up and move all that treasure onto our ship!"

"Yes, Captain Bucky!!" ×N

After the group of pirate underlings left the banquet, Luffy looked at Nami with an apologetic, earnest, and sincere expression: "I'm sorry, Nami! Consider that money a loan from you, and I'll pay you back when I have the money."

"I did not mean that!"

Nami sighed helplessly, poking Luffy's forehead with a finger in exasperation: "If it's to save your brother, taking as much treasure as you want doesn't matter, but you should think carefully before making a decision! Who knows if his method will even work!"

The others were taken aback at first, but then they all chimed in.

“I think Nami is right, we should at least listen to her first…”

"As far as I know, there shouldn't be any other methods besides the ones mentioned before..."

Seeing that the others had doubts about his words, Buggy raised an eyebrow, gave himself a thumbs-up, and said proudly, "Don't compare me to you little pirates. I grew up on the sea, so my method will definitely work!"

"That's what he said..." Luffy turned to look at Nami, his face filled with innocent stupidity.

"So, you should at least have questioned it a little..."

The more helpless Nami looked, the more smug Buggy became, even to the point of being carried away, and he couldn't stop talking: "Your personality is really easy to manipulate, Straw Hat Boy! I think you probably don't know the value of that treasure, do you? It's a fortune far beyond your imagination!"

"But now that the decision has been made, there's no going back! Hahaha...!!!"