After ending the call with Spandine, Cudius took another Den Den Mushi from Nia.

  "It's been a while, Fleet Admiral Kong," Cudius greeted with a lighthearted smile.

  Kong mirrored his smile. "Yhness Cudius, how have you been?"

  "Quite well, actually. I'm out near Prehistorid, pnning to capture some dinosaurs for pets," Cudius responded, amused.

  "It seems I've interrupted your leisure, Yhness. My apologies, but I have srettable o share," Kong replied with a grin.

  "My vacation is officially over, isn't it?" Cudius guessed, the smile not leaving his face.

  "Haha, exactly," Kong chuckled.

  "So, what is it this time? Dougs Bullet?" Cudius asked calmly.

  "As expected, Yhness. You're already aware?" Kong sounded surprised but impressed.

  "One of my subordinates reported spotting him not too long ago, and I noticed that the Navy was deploying forearby, so I figured it must be reted," Cudius said, nodding.

  "That's right. What you may not know, Yhness, is that Dougs Bullet is a particurly elusive lone wolf. Ever since he parted ways with the Roger Pirates, trag his movements has been nearly impossible. He's been sighted before, sure, but with everything we've had on our pte, we never unched aion against him. This time, though, it's different," Fleet Admiral Kong said gravely.

  "Does that mean the Navy actually has the time for it now?" Cudius joked lightly.

  "It's more than that. We've discovered that he's pnning something severe," Kong's voice dropped to a serious tone.

  "Severe? Just how bad are we talking?" Cudius's brows furrowed slightly.

  "If I told you he's pnning an assault on the Holy Land—Mariejois itself—would that be severe enough?" Kong said, pausing to let the weight of the statement sink in.

  "Ahem, Kong, that's ly a joke one should make," Cudius said, clearing his throat. This was ued. In all he knew about Dougs Bullet, attag Mariejois was never part of the picture.

  "Trust me, I'm not joking. This is the intelligence we've gathered," Kong tinued.

  Before Cudius could respond, Kong eborated, "This situation developed from a stroke of ce. Two weeks ago, Naval Headquarters and CP agencies were preparing to capture the World Destroyer, Byrnndi World. We'd gathered a signifit amount of intel and even mao turn some of his subordinates. Acc to our initial pn, he should have been on his way to Impel Down by now, with the neers already writing about his capture."

  Cudius's eyes wide that. In his memory, Byrnndi World had been captured around thirty years before the main storyline. Yet, here he was, still causing havoc at sea. But then again, Cudius reflected, hadn't his arrival already skewed the timeline? A deviation like World still roaming free wasn't out of pymore.

  Pushing those thoughts aside, Cudius asked, "And how does this rete to Dougs Bullet?"

  "They weren't ected at first, but they are now. Our intel suggests that they're pnning something massive together," Kong replied gravely.

  "Mariejois as their target?" Cudius pressed.

  "Exactly. Byrnndi World has been keeping a low profile for years, leading us to believe he'd lost his ambition. But we retly discovered he's been strug a massive battleship tailored to his Devil Fruit powers. The ship's firepower is unparalleled, and bined with his ability, it poses a legitimate threat to Mariejois. It could even be capable of destroying it ht," Kong said, the seriousness in his voimistakable.

  "And Dougs Bullet?" Cudius questioned.

  "It seems he's bent on defying the Wover, wanting to prove that his strength surpasses even Roger's. How they found each other, I don't know, but these two have joined forces with pns to attack Mariejois, each with their own motives," Kong expined.

  Cudius felt a twinge of disbelief. What kind of world was he living in where pirates eained such audacious schemes? Just retly, Dragon had been talking about something simir. It seemed like insanity was being the norm.

  "Even my pace is still up there," Cudius muttered under his breath.

  Kong heard and chuckled, "Exactly, Yhness. All the more reason for you to step in. You wouldn't want your home blown to bits, would you?"

  "Haha, imagine just sitting somewhere only to find your home destroyed out of nowhere! Worse, not even being there when it happens!" Cudius joked, but there was an edge of seriousness beh his words.

  After a pause, he added, "So, what's the Navy's pn? How do you need CP-X to assist?"

  "We're looking at a divide-and-quer strategy with focused tai. Right now, Dougs Bullet is separated from Byrnndi World, although they aren't too far apart. We pn to unch a Buster Call against Bullet. There's a ce Byrnndi World will show up, either to intervene or create chaos, and we're prepared for that as well. Yhness, we'd appreciate your support. With CP-X's involvement, our odds of success would be even higher," Kong said with vi.

  Cudius fell silent, pting. It wasn't just the ambitions of Dougs Bullet and Byrnndi World that were on dispy here; even Kong was being bold. Taking on two formidable pirates in one coordinated operation wasn't an easy task.

  Dougs Bullet was undeniably powerful, a figure on par with the likes of Silvers Rayleigh in his prime, ae pirate by any standard. The only thing that kept him from being even more dangerous was his stubborn relian his own strength and his refusal to lead a crew. Otherwise, he could have formed a pirate fleet that rivaled even Kaido's Mom's.

  As for Byrnndi World, he had mao stay uhe radar for years, so much so that Cudius hadn't even given him a thought. But in his heyday, World was a force to be reed with, fighting battles against the Roger Pirates, g with Whitebeard's crew, and even sparring with the Golden Lion, Shiki. He'd mao earn the ire of many top pirate crews and still roam the seas, a testament to his power. His ruthlessness and readio eliminate anyone in his way earned him the moniker "World Destroyer," perfectly encapsuting his chaotiature.

  After weighing the situation, Cudius finally spoke. "Alright. I'll head baariejois immediately and join your operation into the New World."

  "Thank you, Yhness," Kong said, clearly pleased. Having previously captured the Red t together, Kong had full fiden Cudius's capabilities. With Cudius's agreement, the odds of success were looking signifitly better.