Annie the Sister, Lia the Servant

Whole Cake Chateau

"Is that so... I understand."

Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Teach stroked his prized Blackbeard —carefully braided into four small braids, his current personal trademark.

What exactly is the Straw Hat crew thinking?

Relying on their powerful ships and cannons, they swaggered around and preemptively bombarded one of their own islands...

Lafitte straightened his top hat thoughtfully. Although the other party's behavior was in line with the behavior pattern of a 'normal' Four Emperors, how could the Blackbeard Pirates, who had defeated countless powerful figures along the way, dare to treat him as an ordinary pirate?

Unbeknownst to them, the Straw Hat crew must be plotting some kind of scheme!

"Whatever they do, let's just go all out and destroy their ship first, then see what other tricks they can pull! Meow~~"

The only person capable of simultaneously blending a masculine roar with a cat-like cuteness could be 'The Tyrant King' Avalo Pizarro. Although he lost an arm in his battle against Charlotte Katakuri, his prestige within Blackbeard's Grand Fleet has only increased. After all:

Compared to those guys who collectively slack off and whom even Katakuri wouldn't dare to face, Pizarro's performance was much more impressive!

The fact that Teach granted him more islands than others after the victory is the best proof of that.

Sometimes, a little 'recklessness' can be a sign of wisdom.

"Cough cough... No, fate has brought us to a critical crossroads. If we can overcome these obstacles, we will have a bright future; if we fall here, we will be doomed..."

Vajirus's charlatan-like pronouncements, sounding like he was about to die from exhaustion, made Katrin Deme, the "Crescent Moon Hunter," roll her eyes.

"Nonsense, if we lose, we'll be doomed, but even if we win, it won't be easy... Don't forget that the Celestial Dragons' reputation for being 'gods' who have been invincible for eight hundred years is not just for show."

As prisoners of Impel Down's Level 6, whose very existence must be erased from history, each and every one of them is a powerful and ruthless Great Pirates. In their spare time, they exchange information and have long since gained a clear understanding of the 'god' behind the Celestial Dragons; otherwise, mere Admiral wouldn't have been able to intimidate these formidable individuals.

"Hahaha~~ Don't worry!"

Seated in the main seat, Teach raised his palm, the rising black smoke seeming capable of engulfing everything! This caused the other executives seated on either side to instinctively adopt a humble posture. After all:

The Blackbeard Pirates are now all Devil Fruit users! Although this has greatly increased their fighting power, anyone who dares to be arrogant in front of Blackbeard in the face of the 'Dark-Dark Fruit', which can nullify all abilities, is not tough, but rather lacking common sense.

Especially after Blackbeard recently acquired the 'Soul-Soul Fruit'... even these arrogant and powerful individuals had to yield to him:

My boss is the strongest man in the world!

Of course, this is also why they were willing to go all out with Teach. Otherwise, they weren't stupid; wouldn't they be willing to follow Blackbeard to their deaths without any chance of success?

"What do you think, Annie?"

None of the officers present were named 'Annie,' so Blackbeard asked her about her identity.

"If possible, I would prefer to resolve the issue through negotiation."

Behind Teach, a dark-haired girl stepped out.

She wore an elegant dress, her long black hair cascading down her back. She appeared both gentle and delicate, a stark contrast to the Great Pirates in the hall, each averaging at least three meters tall—she was like a little rabbit wandering into a den of beasts. However:

"As for negotiations, if I may be so bold, Miss Annie," Lafitte replied seriously, "The chances are extremely slim."

"The crossroads of fate are imminent; conflict is inevitable."

This is another "Sound-Sound" Van Augur who also talks about fate all the time. After discovering that long-range sniping was useless against the Straw Hat crew, he rushed back to the headquarters on Whole Cake Chateau without hesitation. It was because of this that he was not affected by the Sunny Merry's island-destroying attack.

"Even if our Admiral doesn't care about the so-called Greatest Treasure on Laugh Tale, he will never relinquish the title of King of the Pirates!"

Shiryu, Shiryu in hand, exhaled a puff of smoke. As the second-in-command of Blackbeard's Grand Fleet, he wasn't particularly afraid of this girl named 'Annie,' even though she was—

Teach's sister!

Marshall D. Annie was the name of this petite, gentle girl with long, straight black hair.

"Why can't everyone sit down and have a proper talk?"

The girl sighed. Although she said that, she was not an ignorant village girl or an innocent princess. On the contrary, her 'experience' was definitely among the best in the world.

"Hahaha~~ If negotiation were effective in this world, what would be the point of swords? Annie, go and rest. — We'll be facing a major battle soon!"

"····All right,"

The girl nodded, stepped behind Blackbeard, and then:

With a ripple, the girl 'disappeared' directly into Blackbeard's massive body, as if Teach had eaten the 'Castle-Castle Fruit'.

"Straw Hat Kid, bring it on! No matter what kind of opponent we face, 'we' are the strongest!"

"This world will eventually achieve true freedom, hahahahaha~~~"

Meanwhile, in an empty corridor of the cake tower:

"Be careful, we've already entered the Blackbeard Pirates' headquarters..."

The air seemed to be pushed open out of thin air, like a door, and before Roman could finish his warning, a figure jumped out from the Air Door.

"Hehehe~~ I'm so bored!"

·······

If it weren't for the fact that you're the captain, Luffy, we would never have brought you on this infiltration mission!

A helpless Roman stepped out of thin air, followed by Sanji, Brulee, Robin, Robin, Chopper, and Jinbe. That's right, apart from Nami and Brook, everyone else on the Sunny Merry Zoro a puppet created by Roman to mislead them.

Franky and Usopp: Shipwrights have no human rights?

"Anyway, our top priority is rescuing people, Luffy, don't cause trouble..."

"Don't worry, I'll just ask someone for directions."

"You?!"

Before Roman could stop him, Luffy dashed off in a flash, allowing Roman to accumulate half a bar of rage before the battle even began!

This is Blackbeard's lair! Who knows how many Homies that guy created after getting the Soul-Soul Fruit? He might have spies everywhere in the entire Whole Cake Tower; we've already been exposed—

"Ah--"

A short, startled cry abruptly stopped, and then:

"I found my guide, hee hee hee~~"

Luffy had already sped back carrying a tearful girl, displaying a rather 'pirate's' style of kidnapping. However:

"Are you sure you arrested an ordinary person? Or did you bring back that burly man... or woman, Katrin Demey?"

As Roman complained, his gaze fell on the girl who was being held by the scruff of her neck by Luffy, curled up like a kitten: she wore a simple dress, had short black curly hair, and looked pitiful as she trembled. She was also tightly holding a mop in her hand, whether she was preparing it as a weapon or fulfilling her duty as a servant was unknown.

They're either strong or ordinary.

Roman's Observation Haki has the ability to see through things. With a single sweep, he could clearly see the opponent's muscles and bones, making it extremely blatant! This girl's physical strength could probably take down several thugs in the Four Seas, but in the in the Grand Line, she is just a standard 'delicate girl'.

So:

Before the girl, tears welling in her eyes from Roman's aggressive gaze, could react, Roman had already reached out to Jinbe beside him. Jinbe, understanding the situation, pulled out a...

Click,

He fastened the Seastone handcuffs to the girl's wrists. The handcuffs, normally used for prisoners, were practically useless on her slender arms—a complete waste of time. But:

Not a power user either?

Roman frowned again at the girl who looked bewildered but showed no signs of exhaustion.

That shouldn't be the case. With Luffy's 'luck,' he shouldn't be able to just grab an ordinary person so easily. They should at least be an important 'NPC' who can drive the plot forward...

"Roman, what are you doing?"

Seeing Luffy's obvious displeasure, Roman calmly tossed the Seastone handcuffs to Jinbe beside him. Given Roman's cautious nature, how could he not have prepared some of these 'tools'—the fastest way to detect Devil Fruit users— in Wano Country?

If it weren't for the fact that most of the Straw Hat crew disliked it, Roman would have loved to equip all non-Devil Fruit users with Seastone Bullets!

"Roman, while caution is necessary, isn't this going too far with a little girl?"

Even Robin was slightly annoyed; the girl in front of her looked like she was about to faint from fright. After all, the Straw Hat crew was fully armed: the tall, scarred Fish-Man Jinbe equally tall, muscular humanoid reindeer Sanji Chopper, dressed in a black masked combat suit like a villainous boss; and...

"Lady Brulee?!"

The black-haired girl's gaze fell on Brulee, and her fear suddenly turned into surprise.

"Huh? You know me..."

Although she is a user of the 'Memory-Memory Fruit', it is clear that Brulee has not reached the point of photographic memory and obviously cannot remember who this excited maid is.

"I am Lia, who lives at 64 Sugar Street! My father is a scribe under Lord Nozart, and I have seen you several times—"

Although the girl desperately tried to bolster her story by recounting her "several meetings" with Brulee, all of these were scenes of her and a group of people watching Brulee and the other Charlotte Family executives swaggering through the streets with reverence. Brulee, in fact, couldn't possibly have noticed an ordinary girl among the crowd lining the street...

"It's simple, use your Memory-Memory Devil Fruit ability to examine this little girl's—"

"Roman, that's enough!!"

When faced with Luffy's genuine anger, Roman calmly changed his tone.

"Alright then, let's ask Miss Lia if she knows anything..."

·······

"Luffy, Roman is being so cautious for everyone's own good."

As Roman began his interrogation... ahem, questioning the girl for information, Robin turned to comfort the sulking Luffy.

"After all, this is the enemy's headquarters."

"Hmph, I was just trying to help, Roman underestimates me!"

Luffy, whose pouty lips could hold an oil can, tilted his Luffy like a child when he was so angry.

"They not only underestimate my vision, but also my abilities. Even in the event of an unexpected situation, do you think I wouldn't be able to react?"

That's true. After all, Luffy is now quite adept at using his 'Future Sight'. Even if the girl suddenly tears open her clothes and there's Dyna Stone underneath that's about to explode, it's impossible for the Straw Hat crew, with Luffy there, to get hurt.

"Caution is always necessary—"

"See? I did the job this time! Hehehe~~"

Luffy turned around and looked at Roman with a smile, which made Roman roll his eyes.

"Please don't use 'Future Sight' in this kind of context; it will make others think we're playing some kind of riddle game."

"In short, this Miss Lia does have some knowledge of where the Charlotte family members are being held."

As expected of Luffy, who is always incredibly lucky, even a random servant he grabs turns out to be a key 'NPC'!

From the maid, Roman learned that a section of the corridor frequently had stains resembling 'blood' and also retained the lingering smell of food. Undoubtedly, this was a prime suspect!

While Roman's Observation Haki can indeed 'see through' everything, as the old saying goes, this is now Blackbeard's stronghold, and there are experts with Two-Color Haki of Haki everywhere. If he sees through it... it's fine for small fry, but if he accidentally sees a senior officer, the other party will immediately become alert!

Then we'll see a 'peerless infiltration' scenario unfold.

As for Luffy Blackbeard, Luffy's nemesis, Roman believes the current Straw Hat crew cannot easily defeat him. Therefore, they must proceed with their plan to rescue Charlotte family as reinforcements, and then coordinate with the Navy for a coordinated attack from within...

Therefore, Roman, who was deep in thought, did not notice the slightly upturned corners of the black-haired girl who was carefully leading the way ahead.