Minion Island

If it had been in private, Kane would never have let Cuckoo off for deliberately teasing him.

But if it had truly been in private, Cuckoo would never have deliberately teased Kane. She simply seemed to enjoy seeing his embarrassed look after being teased in public.

Having dealt with Cuckoo many times, Kane knew how to make her settle down, so he directly tossed out detailed intelligence on Doflamingo's group.

"How... how did you get something like this?!"

Seeing Cuckoo so shocked that her mouth was wide enough to swallow an egg, Kane felt a burst of satisfaction.

How dare she make fun of me...

Sooner or later, I'll make you taste the consequences of teasing me!

Kane feigned calmness. "I have my own intelligence channels."

"But this intelligence... it's far too detailed!" Cuckoo stared at Kane in disbelief, repeatedly shaking her head.

The intelligence Kane had given her was far too comprehensive!

It included not only the Devil Fruit abilities of Doflamingo and his many subordinates, but also their habits, personality traits, and even the tactics they commonly used against enemies!

Such terrifyingly detailed intelligence could only have been gathered by someone who had infiltrated their ranks for a long time!

For the first time, Cuckoo felt that this junior she always teased was unfathomable.

Could he have planted a spy beside Doflamingo too?

But was that really possible?

If it was true... why had he done it?

For a moment, Cuckoo's mind was filled with stray thoughts, and the look in her eyes as she watched Kane gradually became complicated.

"Kane, I need to hand this intelligence over to Vice Admiral Tsuru."

She asked solemnly. She was certain Kane had placed a spy beside Doflamingo, and the contents of the intelligence could reveal that spy's identity, so she needed Kane's permission.

"No problem. That was actually what I wanted to do." Kane nodded in agreement.

"Thank you."

Kane's confident appearance put Cuckoo at ease. After thanking him, she quickly found Tsuru, who was drinking tea, and handed over the intelligence.

"You need to see this. Kane gave it to me."

Tsuru calmly accepted it, but after just one glance, her movements froze. She set down her teacup, put on her glasses, and carefully read through the intelligence, frowning in thought.

A moment later, Tsuru looked at Cuckoo, her expression already calm again.

"Did Kane tell you where this intelligence came from?"

"No. Do you need me to confirm it with him?"

"No need." Tsuru shook her head, her eyes bright and sharp. "Once Doflamingo's group is eliminated, this intelligence will become useless paper.

"So rather than investigate Kane's intelligence source, we should appreciate the sincerity he showed by giving it to us without reservation.

"For this operation, go to Minion Island with him. Whatever he tells you to do, do it."

"But what about you here..." Cuckoo hesitated.

"Doflamingo will not come to Swallow Island."

Tsuru shook her head and sighed softly. She had originally planned to remain on Swallow Island just in case. After all, her intelligence source was Sengoku, and taking multiple precautions had long been her habit.

But after seeing Kane's intelligence, she was now one hundred percent certain that Doflamingo would never appear on Swallow Island.

At the same time, she realized that Kane understood Doflamingo's group better than anyone in the Marines, including herself.

And Tsuru knew very well that a person would only desperately seek to understand another person when driven by sufficiently intense motives and emotions.

For example, admiration, support, devotion, or deeply ingrained hatred.

Kane had handed this easily verifiable intelligence directly to her, and Tsuru chose the latter without hesitation.

Kane...

What exactly had you experienced before joining the Marines...?

With a sigh in her heart, Tsuru gradually imagined a blood feud between Kane and Doflamingo, and felt grateful that Kane had not fallen into darkness.

As her thoughts turned, Tsuru seemed to think of something, and her expression suddenly softened.

Cuckoo, who had followed Tsuru for so long that she understood her every word and gesture, could not help asking when she saw this.

"You seem to be in a good mood?"

"Do I? Perhaps." Tsuru glanced at Cuckoo, then suddenly smiled teasingly.

"Isn't your mood better whenever you see Kane too?"

"Huh? I-I'm not! I only think of him as a little brother..."

Cuckoo hurriedly denied it, but under Tsuru's gaze, her voice grew quieter and quieter, and even her ears reddened.

Tsuru had no intention of letting her off. She gently patted Cuckoo's shoulder and smiled warmly.

"So what if you're older? If you always use jokes as an excuse to get close to him, will your feelings really reach him? If you keep waiting..."

"I-I'm going to prepare for the operation!" Cuckoo's face immediately turned red. She lowered her eyes, huffed, and turned to flee.

Watching Cuckoo flee in panic after having her feelings exposed, Tsuru shook her head with a soft laugh and picked up her teacup again.

"Speaking of which, can't that Garp fellow be a little more proactive about finding a successor?

"He really is unreliable in every regard except fighting..."

When Cuckoo returned to the bow, she saw Kane dodging and weaving beneath Kujaku's flying pounces, like a monkey teasing a kitten.

She was about to make her usual teasing remark when Tsuru's words suddenly echoed in her ears, and the smile that had just appeared on her face instantly stiffened.

Kane noticed Cuckoo as well. He flashed aside to evade another pounce from Kujaku, then shot out a hand like lightning, pinched the back of her neck, and lifted her up like a kitten. Smiling, he waved at Cuckoo.

"Colonel Cuckoo, I caught a ferocious beast. Can I leave it to you to tame?"

"You stinking Kane! You're the beast! Kujaku is the beast tamer who wields the whip!"

Kujaku bared her fangs and claws in protest, but suspended in midair and unable to reach the ground, she looked exactly like a captured kitten hissing at someone.

Cuckoo could not help smiling. Pretending to regret it, she said, "Hehe, what a pity. Vice Admiral Tsuru told me to go to Minion Island with you, so you'll have to ask someone else to handle the beast taming."

"What!" Kujaku immediately shouted in dissatisfaction. "That's not fair! Kujaku wants to go to Minion Island with Kane too!

"Sister Cuckoo is too sly! You stole Kane away for yourself. You're hogging him all to yourself!"

Cuckoo's ears beneath her blonde hair instantly turned red, and she flusteredly reached out and smacked Kujaku on the head.

"Idiot! Don't use words you don't understand!"

Kujaku refused to back down and bared her fangs and claws at Cuckoo.

"Kujaku isn't an idiot! You obviously want Kane all to yourself! I'm going to find Grandma right now. I want to go to Minion Island too!"

With that, she nimbly flipped over, kicked Kane's arm away, landed as lightly as a kitten, and ran toward the cabin where Tsuru was.

Cuckoo helplessly held her forehead. Hina, meanwhile, let out a sigh of relief. Kujaku was simply too lively, and her constant clinging to Kane had made Hina a little annoyed as well.

"No time to lose, let's go!"

Kane immediately grabbed Hina and made a run for it. As he bolted away, he did not forget to remind Cuckoo, "Doflamingo and most of his subordinates are Devil Fruit users. Remember to bring several pairs of Seastone handcuffs!"

The moment he finished speaking, he used Geppo to leap through the air in rapid succession, returning to Hina's warship.

When Kujaku returned to the bow, intending to follow Kane to Minion Island no matter how much her grandmother objected, she discovered that the bow was completely empty.

Far out at sea, Hina's warship was rapidly sailing away. Kane could vaguely be seen standing by the rail, waving at her with a smug expression.

"Kujaku! Next time we meet, I'll make you some desserts again! Take care! Hahahaha..."

"Damn you, Kane! The next time we meet, I'll definitely whip you!"

The sea wind carried Kujaku's angry voice into Kane's ears, and also carried Hina's warship to Minion Island.

After docking, Hina ordered her subordinates to hide the warship in a concealed location and remain on standby, then boarded Minion Island with Kane and Cuckoo.

Robin had wanted to come along as well, but Kane firmly refused. After he comforted her properly, she could only wait obediently on the warship, exhausted in both body and mind.

Minion Island was currently blanketed in heavy snow, white as far as the eye could see. With night already fallen, it was cold and silent.

"Little Kane, what should we do?"

Cuckoo had deliberately changed into winter clothes suited for movement. Her sword hung from her belt, and her pale golden hair was tied into a ponytail, making her look valiant and dashing.

Although Tsuru had told her to face her own feelings, she still could not put aside the conflict in her heart. Whenever she faced Kane, she maintained a joking manner.

"First, we'll set up an ambush near Barrels' hideout and wait for Doflamingo to appear."

Kane was also dressed in neat winter clothes. He tightened his belt and made sure the long string of Seastone handcuffs hanging from it was securely fastened before continuing.

"Everyone covets the Op-Op Fruit. They just fear that something might go wrong if they try to seize it by force, so they do not dare act rashly.

"So once Doflamingo appears, he will definitely bring every family officer and launch a surprise attack on Barrels as quickly as possible.

"After they arrive on the island, we need to immediately seize the Op-Op Fruit and disrupt the situation, then keep them pinned on the island.

"At that point, we only need to make it appear as though the Op-Op Fruit is in our hands, lead them in circles around the island, and wait for Vice Admiral Tsuru's reinforcements to arrive."

"It's that simple? Hina thinks..."

Hina was surprised. Instinctively, she felt something was wrong, but before she could think it through, a blaze suddenly erupted from a distant hilltop!

The flames appeared abruptly, yet made no sound at all, immediately drawing the three of their attention.

But just as they turned their gazes toward it, an even more intense burst of fire exploded from that hilltop, as if a bomb had detonated, yet there was still no sound!

"That's... Barrels' hideout!"

Cuckoo frowned as she looked into the distance. After identifying it, her eyes immediately filled with astonishment.

The Marines had long since determined the location of Barrels' hideout. Just as Kane had said, they had only refrained from seizing it because they were wary of the Op-Op Fruit, choosing instead to propose a cautious transaction.

But caution did not mean leaving things unattended. A Marine surveillance ship had still been sent to monitor and investigate the waters around Minion Island, ensuring the transaction would proceed without incident.

But now, Barrels' hideout, which should have remained quiet, had suddenly undergone a change. Cuckoo immediately thought of a possibility and cried out in shock.

"Could it be Doflamingo's group?!"