MTLNOVEL Chapter 49: Chapter 49
From the very day he had transmigrated over into this world, he had already made a mortal enemy!
Doflamingo!
Although he only met that ambitious former Celestial Dragon one times, he had liberated around 200 slaves from his grasp and stolen a Devil Fruit worth hundreds of millions Berries from him.
Given Doflamingo's vindictive nature, Jake must have long been on his kill list.
With Doflamingo's extensive network, finding out Jake's whereabouts would be extremely easy—or rather, his movements had likely been under surveillance all along.
In a situation with such an absolute information gap, the disadvantaged party would have almost all their information under the opponent's control.
The opponent could use every fresh piece of information to launch multiple overwhelming strikes.
For example, this time, if Doflamingo used some method to prevent Pucci Island from delivering the promised food to Big Mom, he could then use the pirate crew's hands to kill those civilians—no, more precisely, by slaughtering civilians, he could drag Jake, who was currently in Water Seven, into the mess.
In Doflamingo's eyes, Jake was a potential spy from some unknown faction.
Whether out of personal resentment or long-term considerations for his family's business, eliminating Jake—someone who could hinder their operations—was of utmost importance.
Thinking this far, Jake felt his mind racing.
However, this was merely his speculation.
After all, in the original story, Doflamingo was extremely fearful of the Yonko, especially Kaido—just mentioning the name would make him break out in sweat, much like Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, the "King of Sweat."
But once Jake had this suspicion, it took root in his mind like a seed.
Until he could confirm the situation completely, he wouldn't feel at ease.
So, Jake sat up from the bed, threw on his clothes and knocked on Monet's door.
The sound of slippers approached and Monet appeared at the door, dressed rather lightly.
She seemed to have been in the middle of brushing her teeth, as traces of toothpaste foam still lingered on her face.
"What's wrong, Jake? It's so late" Monet asked sleepily.
Hearing her question, Jake nodded and said, "Monet, I have a theory about what we reported to Borsalino-sensei this afternoon. I think it might be related to Doflamingo. So, if possible, I'd like you to come with me to verify it."
At the mention of the possibility of the Donquixote Pirates' involvement, Monet's exhaustion instantly vanished.
She replied firmly, "Give me one minute—I'll be right out!"
The door closed, followed by the clattering sounds of hurried preparations.
When it opened again, Monet was fully dressed, her expression serious as she asked.
"Can you explain it to me in detail, Jake?"
Jake nodded and began walking toward the dormitory exit.
"Let's talk while we walk, Monet. We still need to go to the warehouse to get the surveillance Den Den Mushi. We might not see anything when we get there."
"But don't these things require reporting to superiors?"
"Don't worry, Monet. Old William is the warehouse manager—he's a very accommodating guy. Besides, surveillance Den Den Mushi aren't weapons or cannons; the regulations aren't that strict. If we talk to Old William, it should be easy to get them out."
Twenty minutes later, Jake and Monet stood on the first route of the Sea Train, addressing Franky, who had just caught up to them.
"Franky, if the two of us don't return by dawn, please use this Den Den Mushi to call Vice Admiral Borsalino and Vice Admiral Sakazuki to come rescue us. Also, can you figure out a way to record everything this surveillance Den Den Mushi captures onto your own machines?"
Franky had just been dragged out of sleep, his face still showing traces of drowsiness and confusion.
But upon hearing Jake's request, his expression immediately turned serious.
"What are you planning to do?! Why would I need to call a Marine Vice Admiral if you don't come back by tomorrow morning? Are you going behind my back to do something dangerous? I won't allow it!"
Listening to Franky's outburst, Jake explained.
"We're just going to place this surveillance Den Den Mushi in Gourmet Town. It's not particularly dangerous. The reason we asked you here is as a backup precaution, just in case something unexpected happens. But chances are, nothing will go wrong—you know how much I value my life."
Jake's explanation eased Franky's worries a little.
He scratched his head, glanced at the Den Den Mushi Jake had shoved into his hands and nodded slightly before saying.
"Yeah, that does sound like you—always planning for contingencies. As for modifying the projection Den Den Mushi to work with my machines, that's child's play! Back when I wanted to watch Miss Yarinee bathing, I specially modified her family's—"
Before Franky could finish, Jake clapped a hand over his mouth and said with a grin.
"Alright, Franky! Save the heroic tales for later. Get the equipment modified and when we get back, I'll treat you to a year's worth of cola. I've also written down the two Vice Admirals' numbers on this paper—just dial them if needed. See you tomorrow morning!"
With that, Jake grabbed Monet's hand and dashed off towards the first route of the Sea Train.
"Monet, Gourmet Town on Pucci Island isn't directly on the Sea Train's route—only a small section passes by the island. We'll need to cross about 600 meters of open sea. Can you create floating ice for us to step on?"
Hearing this, Monet hesitated slightly.
"I'm not entirely sure. But if it's just floating ice, I might be able to try. I've never frozen something as fluid as seawater before."
"Don't worry, Monet. I believe in your abilities. By the way, I'll carry you on my back when the time comes. You can focus on making ice platforms while I move, so the footholds we create can be a bit smaller."
A faint blush appeared on Monet's face, but Jake who was running ahead of her, didn't notice this.
"Mmm, I understand."
Her whisper-soft reply came, but Jake's attention was entirely focused on the dimly lit Gourmet Town in the distance.