"What was that?"
Standing at the ship's rail, Usopp spotted more than a dozen ships hidden near the port ahead through his telescope. "Their sails bear the Baroque Works emblem."
"Enemy forces?"
"They might be Billion Agents," Vivi replied.
Earlier, she had explained the general intelligence on Baroque Works to everyone.
There were twelve pairs of senior agents, codenamed Mr. 1 through Mr. 12, each paired with a female partner, except for Mr. 2.
Because he was an okama.
Among them, chief agents numbered 5 and above only appeared for major missions. The Billion Agents were these chiefs' subordinates and also their reserves.
"If they're enemies, we just cut them down, right?" Zoro directly drew his swords.
Enemies meant cutting them down. Very Three-Sword Style.
"Let's not. The enemy is out in the open while we're in the dark—that's an advantage. There's no need to expose ourselves over a bunch of small fry."
As the ship gradually approached the harbor, Reiner began summoning the remaining powerful undead, apart from the Blue Ogre and Red Ogre.
There were eyes everywhere here. Once they went ashore, they needed to avoid summoning undead as much as possible.
The Going Merry did not dock directly at the port. Instead, it moored along a secluded stretch of coast nearby. Reiner even summoned all the Fish-man Undead to guard the ship.
"Alright, let's go beat Crocodile into the dirt!"
"Don't be impulsive, idiot." Lighting a cigarette, Sanji suggested,
"Besides Crocodile, the situation in this country is also urgent. A war involving millions isn't something to take lightly.
"Let's gather the latest information here first, then meet back at the ship and work out a battle plan."
"Mm, let's do that first."
Reiner agreed, then looked to the side. Vivi was holding an envelope, carefully placing it into the bag hanging around Karoo's neck.
"Karoo, this mission is very important. Be careful on the way."
"Quack!"
Karoo saluted like a human, then quickly spread his legs and turned to leave. The letter detailed how Crocodile was the true mastermind behind the kingdom's unrest.
Even now, the people of the entire country were still being kept in the dark, treating Crocodile as a hero who fought pirates.
Cobra only knew that someone was manipulating the war from the shadows. He did not have the slightest information on the person behind it.
"Huh? Where's Luffy?"
A puzzled voice rang out, instantly drawing everyone's attention. With a faint sense that something was wrong, they looked around at one another.
"That idiot is gone!!!"
"My head hurts." Reiner could not help rubbing his forehead. "Forget it. Let's disguise ourselves and head in first."
Reiner and the others put on long robes and cloaks. Due to the climate, most locals dressed this way. It was hot, but it protected them from the sun, so their outfits would not attract any attention.
After dressing the Saw Devil and Wolverine Devil in the same clothes, they split into two groups and entered the city. Vivi, Zoro, and Sanji formed one group, while he went with the Weakling Trio.
Nanohana was a city famous for its specialty perfumes. Once they entered, the streets were incredibly bustling.
Though the country was in the midst of civil war, this city still seemed somewhat prosperous, simply because it was a port city in the Great Age of Piracy.
Every few steps, they could see white, round tower-like buildings, all with yellow domes. Though the weather was scorching, every pedestrian on the street was wrapped in huge, long pieces of cloth, covering themselves from head to toe.
"Ughhh... I can't take it anymore."
A weak groan came from behind them. Chopper looked sickly as he limped along.
"What's wrong, Chopper?" Reiner asked in confusion. With Chopper's physique, he should not be suffering from heatstroke.
"It's so hot here. It's the complete opposite of Winter Island, where I grew up."
Chopper stuck out his tongue and said weakly, "And ever since we came in, I've been smelling something really pungent."
"A pungent smell?"
"Thanks, Reiner."
Reiner picked Chopper up and set him on his shoulders. "Ah, it's probably perfume. Vivi said this city's perfume is famous."
"Huh? Does Chopper have a really sensitive nose?" Nami walked up and asked Chopper.
Though they could faintly smell a little fragrance while walking down the street, Chopper actually found it pungent.
"Yeah, reindeer have a powerful sense of smell."
As they walked, Reiner recalled that in the original story, the group had crossed the desert to reach Yuba in order to stop the war. He had forgotten the details, but he remembered that the desert journey had ended up being a wasted trip.
He planned to first ask around in a few lively places. In particular, whenever they came across some thugs, they could grab them and ask questions. The Rebel Army could not possibly purchase vast amounts of supplies openly; they would surely need to do so through underground forces.
"Wait, Reiner." Chopper, sitting on his shoulders, suddenly called out.
Chopper turned his head from side to side, sniffed with a twitch of his nose, then pointed at a cart turning into the street next door. "Over there, Reiner. I smell a huge amount of gunpowder."
Oh? A new use for Chopper unlocked.
Reiner looked in the direction of Chopper's little hand. It was a four-wheeled cargo cart pulled by two camels, piled high with dry grass, probably feed for livestock.
"Let's follow it and take a look."
At Nanohana Port, a warship slowly docked.
"Report! Colonel Smoker, headquarters has replied. They said—"
"They rejected our operation again, didn't they?"
"Uh, y-yes."
"When we passed Little Garden, the surveillance Transponder Snail intercepted a piece of information. It clearly indicated that someone was plotting a major event in this country, yet those idiots at headquarters..."
His voice was deep, with a trace of anger in his tone.
"After all, this is a Shichibukai's territory." Tashigi stepped forward and said,
"If the Marines enter and conduct operations without informing him, headquarters would have a hard time explaining it to the World Government."
At that moment, Smoker stood bare-chested, his face gloomy and his eyes cold. He lit the cigar in his mouth, then turned to the soldier reporting to him and called out,
"Bring me the Transponder Snail. I'm calling Aokiji."
"Yes, sir!"
Tashigi looked at him with a strange expression. Colonel Hina and Admiral Aokiji really had it rough.
PM2.5 was about to start looking for someone to take the blame again...
On a street somewhere in the city, a crowd had gathered outside a restaurant, whispering among themselves. Their eyes were all fixed on the man slumped over the bar.
The man was bare-chested and not particularly tall, but his lean, powerful 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 collapsed while eating."
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and save him!"
"Hey, idiot, do you have a death wish?!"
A burly man hurriedly grabbed the person who wanted to step forward, his expression panicked.
"That's obviously someone who ate a Strawberry Spider and died from the poison. It's contagious."
"What?!"
The crowd just stood around him, neither approaching nor leaving, fully committed to watching the spectacle.
Just then, the man slumped over the bar abruptly sat up, looking as though disaster had struck.
"Oh no! I fell asleep while eating!"
Everyone: "Ohhh, so he was asleep. My ass! How do you fall asleep while eating!!!"
Everyone's eyes practically popped out as they shouted.
"What a weirdo."
"Ah, forget it, forget it."
Before long, the passersby dispersed.
"Sorry, boss. Looks like I caused you some trouble." The man at the bar swallowed the food in his mouth and apologized sheepishly to the owner.
The owner, dressed in a white chef's hat and long uniform, hurriedly rolled up his sleeves and waved his hands.
"Ah, it's fine. As long as you're alright, sir."
"Hahaha. Oh, right, boss, I'm looking for someone."
The man had medium-length black hair and obvious freckles on both cheeks. He lowered his head, took out a wanted poster, unfolded it, and showed it to the owner behind the bar. At the same time, he gave a gentle smile.
"Have you seen this person? His name is Monkey D. Luffy.
"He's my little brother."
Before you continue