"Hey, is it really okay for us to come straight to Wano like this?" Smoker puffed on his freshly lit cigar, taking a deep drag before exhaling slowly.
"Won't this alert our targets?"
"Will it? Hina suggests you observe the crowd around us." Hina also held a cigarette between her fingers—the smoking duo performing as usual.
"Not only are there pirates and Cross Guild bounty hunters, but also numerous Marine swordsmen from various branches! Clearly, the sudden arrival of Marines isn't unusual here. How would it alert anyone?"
"Besides, didn't we come precisely to eliminate Kurozumi Higurashi, that inside informant?" Shu chuckled behind his face covering.
"Cutting off Kaido's intelligence pipeline would actually reduce exposure."
"Typical Smoker—single-track mind as always." Robin laughed lightly.
"Let's resolve the Wano and Kaido situation quickly... I can't stay away from Sabaody Archipelago for too long."
"You make it sound like Kaido's easy to handle." Stella gave a wry smile. "And little Robin, you shouldn't worry so much... Vice Admiral Gion previously served as Sabaody's garrison commander too. Nothing will happen during this period."
"Though Vice Admiral Gion's been giving us strange looks lately... Has she noticed something?" Crocodile frowned.
"Tch, thought she'd been eliminated from the finals already..."
"What nonsense are you spouting now?" Enel stared blankly as usual. "What finals? Are you guys in some competition?"
"Enel, best not inquire about that." Sandersonia smoothed her lush green hair. "That's a woman's arms race you wouldn't understand."
"I'm more concerned about Big Sister... She infiltrated Thunder God Island! Kaido's stronghold!" Marigold's expression remained grim.
"Surely Big Sister hasn't encountered any danger?"
"Sometimes, no news is the best news." Rosinante shook his head. "Kaido may be able to attack Wano now, but he wouldn't dare confront the Marines directly... If Hancock's identity were exposed, Kaido would definitely exploit it to gain more benefits. But so far, there's been no negotiation with the Marines... Perhaps Hancock might surprise us yet?"
"You damn commander! I want my sister back!"
"Ah! Marigold! How could you just attack my... Ouch! My poor back!"
Marigold, who looked like a delicate beauty, delivered a flying kick straight to Rosinante's waist.
Amid the commotion, they had already moved away from the harbor and were heading toward the nearby Flower Capital.
Since they were following formal entry procedures, they had landed directly at Nibukko Port in the southern part of the Flower Capital.
Meanwhile, the only two swordsmen in the SWORD Forces, T-Bone and Hawkeye, remained silent the entire time.
It wasn't that they were taciturn...
Their attention was entirely focused on the swordsmen they encountered along the way.
From the harbor to the outskirts of the Flower Capital, they had spotted no fewer than twenty famous swords.
Including two of the fifty Ryo Wazamono.
Their interest in Wano grew stronger by the minute.
However, upon officially entering the Flower Capital, the entire SWORD Forces fell silent at Rosinante's hand signal and switched to mission mode.
Robin immediately closed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Mil Fleur: World."
In an instant, hands with ears and eyes appeared within a radius of several hundred meters.
Combined with Robin's own Observation Haki, the entire Flower Capital was now within her sight.
Soon, Robin located the "Overseas Trade Promotion Association."
She deactivated her ability and opened her eyes.
"Found it. The information matches what X Drake provided... We can begin the operation."
"Are we really going to act directly here?" Sandersonia asked Rosinante. "This is Wano, after all..."
"According to intelligence, Kurozumi Higurashi is a user of the Clone-Clone Fruit and isn't particularly strong in combat. Plus, she's old—we can't possibly fail, nor will we cause much commotion..." Rosinante shook his head.
"Besides, once we capture Kurozumi Higurashi and bring her before Kozuki Oden, we'll have a proper explanation."
With that, the SWORD Forces followed Robin toward the Overseas Trade Promotion Association.
...
When Michael hung up the Den Den Mushi, there was a hint of confusion in his expression.
He prided himself on his photographic memory—whether it was people he'd met in the Marines or fighters in the Revolutionary Army, Michael could recall every name and match it to every face.
But...
He combed through every memory in his mind and still couldn't figure out who this "Revolutionary Army officer Miss Snake" that Kaido mentioned was.
"Hey, Jack, Yamato..." Michael turned to the two who had been following him.
"Is there really a female officer in the Revolutionary Army named Snake?"
"Probably... not?" Jack rubbed his horns. "If it's a Revolutionary Army soldier, I can't say for sure, but among their cadres, there's definitely no such person."
Michael was speechless.
So his mind wasn't playing tricks on him...
Then the problem must lie with this person's identity.
Which faction's member would impersonate a Revolutionary Army cadre and appear on Thunder God Island...
And then, of all things, get captured?
It couldn't be Kaido lying.
Even Weevil would call someone "idiotic" for fabricating a Revolutionary Army cadre identity to threaten the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff.
In other words, Kaido probably genuinely believed this person's disguise...
So what was this fake cadre's true purpose?
Just as Michael began pondering, Kozuki Oden suddenly stood up.
"Someone's coming. Quite a few of them."
"And they're all... extremely strong."
Michael froze momentarily before turning his gaze toward the door.
He didn't hesitate for a second to believe Kozuki Oden's words.
After all, Kozuki Oden possessed the same "Voice of All Things" as Roger, giving him unparalleled advantages in perception and intuition.
Thus, he expanded his Observation Haki...
Then a strange smile crept onto Michael's lips.
"Don't worry, Oden. These people don't require your intervention... Leave them to me."
As he spoke, he walked to the door, raising his hand high as flowing Armament Haki instantly coiled around it.
"Marine squad! Hands on your heads and squat against the wall!!"
A massive foot made of smoke kicked the door clean off its hinges, revealing a smoke-formed man standing proudly before them.
"Eh (?｀?Д?′)!! Yamato!? Jack!?"
Before he could process the situation...
Michael's slap descended with a gust of violent wind.
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