But when his Observation Haki quietly spread like a spiderweb, beneath those seemingly slender figures lay long, steady rhythms of breathing and the faint menace left by blades that had drunk blood for years.
"They're no pushovers..."
Trebol adjusted his glasses, drawing fine strands of mucus from his fingertips.
Especially the middle-aged woman at the very front-her presence was concealed almost perfectly, yet she sent an icy warning racing up his spine.
Even more... unfathomable than that silver-eyed lion they had encountered last time.
"Tsuru, staff officer of Marine Headquarters, and the female unit directly under her command."
Rossi's voice reached his companions' ears directly through the vibrations of the Silencing Barrier.
He strode forward, the hem of his black coat sweeping the ground. "Don't let appearances fool you.
"She's from the same generation as Sengoku and Garp, the mind overseeing the Marines' overall operations."
The warship docked securely, and the gangway was lowered.
The female soldiers disembarked one after another, their boots striking the planks in light, orderly steps.
Rossi went to meet them, his six-foot-three frame casting a shadow, the long blade at his waist swaying slightly as he walked.
His gaze settled on the face of the woman leading them.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru."
Without exchanging pleasantries, he went straight to the point.
"You're here for the plant grown on this island, correct?"
"Yes."
At that brief confirmation, a taut string in Rossi's chest loosened a little.
Given this woman's way of doing things, she would not plant covert agents beneath an overt agreement.
"Please follow me.
"The growing area is hidden in a valley in the island's interior."
He turned sideways to indicate the way. "All transaction records and the personnel responsible have been secured. They're just waiting for the Marines to take over."
The two walked