The Curtain Rises on the Sand Kingdom

"What's that?"

Usopp, standing at the ship's rail, peered through his telescope and spotted about ten hidden ships not far from the port ahead. "Their sails have the Baroque Works emblem on them."

"Enemies?"

"They might be the Millions," Vivi replied.

She had previously briefed everyone on the general information about Baroque Works.

There were twelve groups of senior agents, codenamed Mr. 1 through 12, each paired with a female partner, except for Mr. 2, because he was a transvestite.

Chief agents with codes Mr. 5 and above only appeared for major missions, while the Millions were subordinates of these chiefs and also served as reserves.

"If they're enemies, we just cut them down, right?" Zoro immediately drew his swords.

Enemies = cut them down. That was very Three-Sword Style.

"Don't, now. We have the advantage of knowing the enemy while remaining hidden. There's no need to expose ourselves for a bunch of small fry."

As the ship gradually approached the port, Reiner began to summon the remaining powerful Undead, in addition to Blue Ogre and Red Ogre.

There were eyes everywhere here; once ashore, he needed to avoid summoning Undead as much as possible.

The Going Merry didn't dock directly at the port but found a secluded spot along the coast. Reiner even specifically summoned all the Fish-man Undead to guard the ship.

"Alright! Let's go punch Crocodile!"

"Don't be reckless, you idiot." Sanji lit a cigarette and suggested, "Besides Crocodile, the war situation in this country is also very urgent. A war involving millions of people is no joke.

"Let's first gather the latest information here, then return to the ship to plan our strategy."

"Hmm, let's do that then."

Reiner agreed, then turned to look at Vivi, who was carefully placing an envelope into a bag tied around Karoo's neck.

"Karoo, this mission is very important. You must be careful on your way."

"Gah!"

Karoo saluted like a human, then quickly turned and ran off. The letter contained information about the mastermind behind the kingdom's rebellion, revealing Crocodile's true identity.

Until now, the entire country was still in the dark, treating Crocodile as a hero who fought pirates.

Cobra only knew that someone was secretly manipulating the war but had no information about the person behind it.

"Huh? Where's Luffy?"

A confused voice spoke up, instantly drawing everyone's attention. A vague sense of unease settled over them as they all looked around, eyes wide.

"That idiot's gone!!!"

"What a headache," Reiner muttered, rubbing his forehead. "Fine, let's disguise ourselves and go in."

Reiner and the others put on long robes and cloaks. Due to the climate, most people here dressed this way. It was hot, but it offered sun protection, so their attire wouldn't attract any attention.

After dressing the Saw Devil and Wolverine Devil in similar outfits, the group split into two and entered the city. Vivi, Zoro, and Sanji formed one group, and he was with the Weakling Trio.

Nanohana was a city famous for its specialty perfumes. Stepping into the city, the streets were bustling.

Even though the country was in civil war, this city still seemed relatively prosperous, simply because it was a port city in the Age of Pirates.

Every few steps, one could see white, round tower-shaped buildings, all with yellow domes. Despite the hot weather, pedestrians on the streets were all wrapped in large, long fabrics, covering themselves completely.

"Ugh~~, I'm dying."

A weak sigh came from behind him. Chopper looked sickly, limping along.

"What's wrong, Chopper?" Reiner asked, confused. Chopper's constitution shouldn't be susceptible to heatstroke.

"It's so hot here. It's completely different from Winter Island where I grew up."

Chopper stuck out his tongue, half-dead. "And ever since we came in, I've been smelling a very strong, pungent odor."

"Pungent odor?"

"Thanks, Reiner."

Reiner picked Chopper up and put him on his shoulders. "Ah, it's probably perfume. Vivi mentioned that this city's perfume is very famous."

"Oh, is Chopper's sense of smell very keen?" Nami walked up and asked Chopper.

Although there was a faint scent in the air on the street, Chopper found it pungent.

"Yes, reindeer have a very strong sense of smell."

As they walked, Reiner recalled that in the original story, the group had crossed the desert to Yuba to stop the war. While he couldn't remember the specifics, he knew their desert journey had been fruitless.

He planned to first find some busy places to gather information, especially from any thugs they encountered. The rebel army couldn't openly procure large quantities of supplies; they would surely rely on some underground forces.

"Wait, Reiner," Chopper, sitting on his shoulders, suddenly called out.

He turned his head left and right, sniffed, then pointed to a cart turning into the next street. "Over there, Reiner, I smell a lot of gunpowder."

Oh? A new use for Chopper had been unlocked.

Reiner followed Chopper's small hand, and saw a four-wheeled cart pulled by two camels, piled high with hay, likely feed for livestock.

"Let's follow them and see."

At Nanohana Port, a warship slowly docked.

"Report! Colonel Smoker, Headquarters replied, saying…"

"They're refusing our operations again, aren't they?"

"Uh, yes, yes."

"When we passed Little Garden, our Transponder Snail intercepted a message that clearly indicated someone in this country was plotting something big. But those idiots at Headquarters…"

His voice was low, laced with anger.

"After all, this is the Seven Warlords of the Sea's territory, isn't it?" Tashigi stepped forward and said.

"If the Marines act without informing them, Headquarters would have a hard time explaining it to the World Government."

At this moment, Smoker was bare-chested, his expression grim and his eyes cold. He lit the Cigar in his mouth and turned to the reporting soldier, barking:

"Bring me the Transponder Snail. I need to call Aokiji."

"Yes, sir!"

Tashigi looked at him with a strange expression. Colonel Hina and Admiral Aokiji must really have their work cut out for them.

PM2.5 is going to start looking for scapegoats again…

On a certain street in the city, a crowd gathered in front of a restaurant, whispering and discussing, their gazes all fixed on a man slumped over the counter.

The man was bare-chested and not particularly tall, but his well-defined muscles were clearly visible. A string of vermilion prayer beads hung around his neck, and a pirate flag was tattooed on his back.

"Hey, what's wrong with that guy? He just collapsed while eating."

"What are you standing around for? Help him!"

"Hey, you idiot, do you have a death wish?!"

A large man quickly pulled back someone who was about to go forward, his face panicked.

"That's clearly someone who ate a Strawberry Spider. They died from the poison, and it's contagious."

"What?!"

The crowd stayed gathered around, neither approaching nor leaving, simply enjoying the spectacle.

Just then, the man slumped over the counter suddenly sat up, looking distressed.

"Oh no! I fell asleep while eating!"

Everyone: "Oh~, so he just fell asleep… What the heck! How do you fall asleep while eating?!"

Everyone's eyes widened as they shouted.

"What a weirdo."

"Ah~, alright, everyone disperse…"

Soon, the crowd dispersed.

"Well~, sorry, Boss, I think I caused you some trouble," the man at the counter said apologetically to the boss, swallowing the food in his mouth.

The boss, wearing a white chef's hat and long coat, quickly rolled up his sleeves and waved his hands.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, as long as you're alright, customer."

"Hahaha, by the way, Boss, I'm looking for someone."

The man had black, medium-length hair and visible freckles on his cheeks. He lowered his head, pulled out a wanted poster, and unfolded it to show the boss behind the counter, while also giving a gentle smile.

"Have you seen this person? His name is Monkey D. Luffy."

"…He's my younger brother."