# Chapter 90: Plan Execution and Navy Response
"Shiki, Silver Axe, I'll leave the rest to you."
With the destruction of G-40 Fortress, the Rocks Pirates' plan officially began.
At this point, this force would split in two.
"Golden Lion" Shiki and Silver Axe would lead one unit towards G-5 Fortress.
The remaining main force would continue to be led by Rocks, heading towards the true objective of their operation.
Stone Country!
"As for the disguise, I'll leave it to you." Rocks said to a young, beautiful woman with blue hair wearing a red Kimono.
"Don't worry, Captain, leave it to me." The woman chuckled sinisterly, a smile that completely mismatched her appearance and seemed somewhat eerie.
Behind her stood a young man in a Kimono holding a biwa, who was her younger brother.
As others watched in surprise, she reached out and gently patted her face, instantly transforming her entire appearance into that of Rocks.
"How's this, Captain Rocks?" As she spoke, even her voice was identical to Rocks D.
Xebec.
These two were among the Cadres of the Rocks Pirates.
The woman was just a regular Cadre, a Clone-Clone Fruit Ability User.
The young man's strength, however, was very great; as a Barrier-Barrier Fruit Ability User, he possessed power known as absolute defense.
However, both of them were relatively low-key within the Rocks Pirates.
Not far away, Hades watched the two of them and guessed their identities.
Kurozumi Muchan and Kurozumi Chanwan, members of the weakened Kurozumi Family from Wano Country who resided abroad.
The masterminds who would later help Kurozumi Orochi overthrow the Kozuki Family's rule.
He hadn't expected them to join the Rocks Pirates so early.
In that case, cooperation between them was still possible.
Even though the Kurozumi Family had weakened and were being pursued due to rebellion, they still hid extraordinary strength.
Helping Kurozumi Orochi rise wasn't something that could be achieved by the efforts of just three people.
He was on good terms with Whitebeard, but he wouldn't hold back when targeting someone, especially Wano Country.
Hades already had the idea of developing his own Faction.
In another two or three years, he would need a stable territory.
Hades had already chosen the location.
When the time was right, he would occupy it and use it as a base.
For now, he had no plans for action.
Currently, Hades could only be considered a mid-level Cadre within the Rocks Pirates, without that much freedom.
To ensure the smooth execution of the Plan, Kurozumi Muchan would transform into Rocks.
The difference between having Rocks present and not having him was like heaven and earth.
Only then did all the Pirates realize that the Rocks Pirates' true objective wasn't the Marines, but Stone Country, one of the World Government's Member Nations.
Countless treasures seemed to be rushing towards them, and they howled with excitement and fervor.
The main force split into two groups.
As for the Marines, they truly failed to discern the Rocks Pirates' true objective.
Marine Headquarters, upon receiving the news from G-40 Fortress, roughly guessed that the Rocks Pirates' true objective might be the Marines, specifically G-5 Fortress, which was guarded by Marine Admirals.
The direction they were coming from was perfectly aligned with it.
As for the fate of G-40 Fortress, they had also guessed it, but at a time like this, there was no time for sorrow.
Now, G-5 Fortress had two Marine Admirals, Davis and Puyol.
Did the Rocks Pirates intend to heavily damage the Marines in one fell swoop?
It was very likely! The Rocks Pirates might be targeting the Marines' high-end combat power.
Facing this situation, Fleet Admiral Black immediately issued an Evacuation order.
They would not engage the Rocks Pirates in direct Resistance, nor would they confront the Monster that was Rocks D.
Xebec head-on.
In short, Black lacked confidence in the capabilities of the two Marine Admirals, Davis and Puyol, which was a problem many could clearly see.
More importantly, it was about buying time.
Abandoning a Navy Fortress would buy more time to gather forces from various Navy Fortresses and unleash their strongest power to resist the Rocks Pirates.
This was the only way to reduce casualties.
Otherwise, if a Marine Admiral were sacrificed, such a Loss could not be compensated for by building several Navy Fortresses.
Fleet Admiral Black mobilized forces.
G-5 Fortress was directly abandoned, and all the Marines boarded Marine Warships to retreat to the next Navy Fortress.
"Steel Bone" Kong, located at G-1 Fortress, also took action.
After many years, he would once again face Rocks D.
Xebec.
However, unfortunately, his idea was destined not to be realized.
Having confirmed the Rocks Pirates' Target, patrol ships sent from G-5 Fortress were stationed along this route.
They easily detected the Rocks Pirates' Great Fleet.
At the same time, they transmitted the Intelligence to Headquarters.
And then, there was no 'then'.
They were like a suicide squad; their only purpose was to obtain Intelligence about the Rocks Pirates.
When they discovered the Rocks Pirates, the Rocks Pirates also discovered them.
Once Shiki made his move, no one could escape.
The bodies sinking to the seabed would completely become stepping stones on Shiki's path to prominence, becoming insignificant numbers.
Marine Headquarters didn't suspect anything because there was no time for detailed observation, and the Rocks Pirates had detected the Marines even earlier than they were detected.
The Intelligence that the Rocks Pirates had split into five routes was obtained by the Marines from the beginning.
Even if the Legion personally led by Rocks split again, they wouldn't change their established decision.
No matter how they split their forces, the Marines would not be a match for the Rocks Pirates.
The Marine units that had left the Fortresses and had their forces mobilized would only leave behind some reconnaissance personnel; the rest would gather according to the orders from Marine Headquarters.
These Fortresses were essentially abandoned.
Even if they were breached by the Rocks Pirates, it wouldn't cause much Loss.
"Rocks' Target is G-5 Fortress. The other Four Kings should have appeared by now, right? Where are their targets?"
"Get them to Evacuate as quickly as possible." Kong connected his Den Den Mushi to Headquarters and suggested to Fleet Admiral Black.
Although it was somewhat embarrassing, retreating in front of the Rocks Pirates wasn't shameful.
Under the influence of Fleet Admiral Black, Kong also began to become more adaptable, or more accurately, he learned to be flexible.
Fortresses could be rebuilt if destroyed; in any case, the Funds for rebuilding would be provided by the World Government.
Unless they didn't want the Marines to continue serving as a barrier against the Rocks Pirates, the Funds would definitely be ample.
"That's true, Kong." Black felt Kong's growth, his rock-like heart having been polished slightly smooth.
He was just about to offer a few words of praise.
Suddenly, the ringing of a Den Den Mushi, and the message transmitted from it, caused Fleet Admiral Black's expression to change drastically.
The look of horror was vividly mimicked by the Den Den Mushi that hadn't been hung up yet.
"Fleet Admiral, what exactly happened?" Kong felt an ominous premonition in his heart and asked urgently.
"It's too late. Our reaction was too slow."
"From the moment our Intelligence Force in Hachinosu suffered heavy losses, we completely fell into a disadvantage." Black's words were somewhat bitter.
Some overlooked situations now became clear.
Originally, the Marines wanted to obtain the Rocks Pirates' action Plan before calmly planning and mobilizing forces for targeted Resistance.
From Hachinosu to the Sea Area occupied by the Marines, the Marines had enough time to make adjustments.
But after the majority of the Intelligence Force was wiped out, the Marines' formation was already in disarray.
Unsure of the Rocks Pirates' action Plan, they didn't dare to easily mobilize forces.
This led to a situation where no Navy Fortress could withstand the Rocks Pirates' Legion.
The Navy Fortresses Targeted by the Rocks Pirates' Legion simply didn't have time for Evacuation.
The Loss of the Intelligence Force had thrown his strategy into disarray, causing everything now to fall into the Rocks Pirates' rhythm.
It was too late to react now.
(end of chapter)