It's been smooth sailing after rescuing Not Steve and his now-deceased friend. The crew spent most of their time preparing both psychologically and physically for their arrival at Tarako Kingdom where their multiple goals are located.
Ragnar did almost nothing besides napping and training for his fated encounter with Eustass Valve so he could finally settle the score with that bastard. And, most importantly, the hope of finding his precious wife and son.
He also seeks for a chance to fight Captain Marrow. He's been praised as the strongest man in the South Blue, so for Ragnar to fulfill his dream of becoming the strongest man in the world, it's only natural for them to cross paths sooner or later.
Then there are Duros and Pearl with the same goal of liberating her brother Jasper from prison and finally ending the tyranny of her father, King Malachite.
-Alright! – Ragnar says resting his ax over his shoulder – That's enough for today.
Ragnar's most frequent sparring partner these past few days has been Pearl. Mostly to her benefit. Ragnar just likes to spar with her because he wants to get used to fighting smaller and more agile opponents.
-What? Tired already? – Pearl asks mockingly.
-CHAHAHA Not even close. I can smell Gravy's food. Time for lunch! – He excitedly declares while making his way to the kitchen.
Pearl rolls her eyes, not surprised in the slightest.
The crew, and Atom; enjoy a satisfying meal consisting of fish cached by none other than their professional fisherman Duros. The hat and fishing rod he picked up from the Anglers back in Gallows Island proved to be more than opportune loot.
-So Captain, got anything interesting from your fruit? – Verona asks while cleaning his mask with a handkerchief.
William's been training with his fruit regularly. And by training, he's just been rolling his roulette and testing what kind of power he gets. The other day he got a fruit that can turn solids into semi-liquids. He also managed to get a fruit that allows him to speak with animals. He'll never forget the panicked screams of the seagulls desperately trying to flee from Verona's sharpshooting training.
Two days before they could see the shores of Tarako; Duros and Pearl called a meeting with everyone.
-We don't know for sure the current layout of the castle or the city surrounding it, hence why we didn't put much detail on it. – Duros says presenting a map he and Pearl drew of the Tarako Kingdom – But the prison is more likely to have stayed the same.
The prison stands to the south at the end of a peninsula removed from the actual kingdom. They are not too far from one another, but it would take them quite some time to reach the walls after rescuing Jasper.
Their plan as it stands now is to rescue Jasper from prison, then go to the castle and deal with King Malachite and deal with Eustass Valve and his crew on the way there, then get a sizable reward for the trouble. Needless to say, they'll have to put a bit more thought into it. Atom finished the explosive to blow a hole in the outer walls of the prison and another in the walls of the actual prison.
-I suppose you guys have a plan on how to get close and get ashore right next to a high-security prison, right? Not Steve chimes in from outside. Still sitting on his chair dutifully as if he's glued to it.
-The weird guy has a point. – Atom comments.
-We could shoot at them with our cannons from one side while some of us sneak on a boat through the other side. – Verona suggests.
-But that means we'll have to get into the prison with fewer people. – Pearl says.
-And we don't have the firepower to assault them with the Yogi Pooh. We'll barely make a dent in it – Duros adds.
As the crew continues this back and forth, William upon studying the map intensively suddenly turns to Not Steve with a question.
-The Steam Pipe Pirates were on their way to raid Tarako, right?
-They sure are. – Not Steve responds – If my math is correct, they should arrive there in two days if nothing goes wrong.
-The same day as us… – Verona says.
-Maybe you'll bump into them there hehehe… – Not Steve says provocatively. All this time he spent sitting on his chair was enough to work out the crew's major wants and goals. But also their strengths and weaknesses as they've been preparing for the coming battle – Who knows, maybe Valve will leave some of the gold behind for you guys after he burns the entire place to the ground and takes all the prisoners and then some to the Grand Line to sell as–
An ax slamming right beside him cuts him off.
-That's enough. – Ragnar states as he scratches his only good eye. He just woke up from a nap, but his now more acute senses allowed him to listen to most of Not Steve's ramblings. He walks past him and joins the crew, and Atom, in the plan making – So Captain, what are we doing? He asks with his usual tone.
-With Valve attacking the kingdom pretty much at the same time as we arrive at the prison, it must make it easier for us to get inside… – William thinks for a couple of seconds. This reminds him of his past days of planning heists to rob small-town banks and the occasional casino. He lets out a smile while the good and bad moments flash through his mind being punctuated by a question he not so frequently asks himself.
"where might you be now, old man…"
William snaps his fingers, putting an end to the seemingly endless string of memories. It's time to plot a heist that would leave his old man proud.