Waters outside Whole Cake Island.
One of the underground world's big shots, the Queen of Pleasure Street, Stussy, stood at the bow of the ship with her arms crossed, gazing at Cheese Island, which had appeared on the horizon.
"Signal our identity, don't let Linlin misunderstand."
Stussy instructed her subordinates before turning and returning to the ship's cabin. She pushed open the door to one of the rooms.
The room was filled with smoke, making Stussy frown and wave her hand to disperse it.
"Sorry."
Smoker, seeing Stussy enter, offered a half-hearted apology and casually extinguished his cigar.
This was the first operation since the formation of the Blade Unit.
He knew that while Stussy appeared to be the Queen of Pleasure Street, one of the underground world's big shots, she was actually a CP0 agent directly under the Celestial Dragons.
After learning that Reddy had accepted Big Mom's invitation to the tea party, the Blade Unit immediately contacted Stussy through the World Government, hoping to use her cover to infiltrate Whole Cake Island.
"No need to apologize to me."
Stussy didn't care about Smoker's attitude.
The Marines and the CP organizations were not under the same command, and there were even minor conflicts between them.
It was perfectly normal for Smoker, who came from the Marines, to have a bad attitude.
"Are we almost in Whole Cake Island's waters?"
Smoker took out another cigar and bit down on it, though he didn't light it.
Whole Cake Island's defenses were extremely tight.
Numerous pie-shaped reconnaissance ships patrolled the waters around the islands, tasked with spotting and sinking any unauthorized vessels entering Whole Cake Island's territory. Meanwhile, a large number of sea slugs lurked underwater.
This underwater and surface surveillance system formed the foundation of Whole Cake Island's defenses. The only effective way to infiltrate Whole Cake Island undetected was through the sky.
"Yes."
Stussy leaned against the cabin door, a faint smile on her face. "Do you need my help with the operation?"
"No."
Smoker didn't think exposing Stussy's identity during this operation would be a good thing. Her assistance in smuggling the Blade Unit into Whole Cake Island was already more than enough.
Stussy shrugged and left.
Half a day later, the ship entered Whole Cake Island's waters and was immediately approached by a reconnaissance ship.
After confirming that the ship belonged to the Queen of Pleasure Street, the reconnaissance ship took the lead, guiding Stussy's vessel along the nearest route to Whole Cake Island.
At the same time, the Blade Unit gathered in Smoker's cabin.
Smoker, biting his unlit cigar, spoke calmly. "Our mission this time is to stop Dr. Reddy."
"Is the target confirmed?"
Peacock frowned, somewhat surprised.
Smoker nodded at her, then took out prepared documents and distributed them to all team members.
"The Mirror-Mirror Fruit user, Charlotte Brulee?"
Tina flipped to the first page of the document, her expression odd. "Why is she listed as the fruit user Dr. Reddy most desires to hunt?"
Smoker bit his cigar. "This is intelligence provided by Admiral Akainu."
Tina was even more confused.
She didn't know that Sakazuki had personally experienced the Mirror-Mirror Fruit's abilities and understood their high strategic value.
From another perspective, Reddy's territory floated in the sky, and conventional transportation couldn't meet the demand.
The Mirror-Mirror Fruit, which could connect to the mirror world, was undoubtedly the most suitable ability for linking the islands in Reddy's territory.
Thus, at Sakazuki's insistence, the Mirror-Mirror Fruit user Brulee was placed at the top of the list.
"Ranked second is the Big Mom Pirates' head chef, Streusen?"
Prince Grus turned to the second page, unsurprised that Streusen was listed as the second most likely target for Reddy's hunting.
The food war in Loguetown was still ongoing.
The Cook-Cook Fruit, which could turn any object into food, was indeed highly likely to be targeted by Reddy.
"Why is a ten-year-old girl ranked third?"
Peacock, seeing the third name, Charlotte Pudding, was shocked, unable to understand why this little girl with the Memory-Memory Fruit would be targeted by Reddy.
"The Memory-Memory Fruit can alter others' memories, an interesting ability," Tina answered for Smoker, though she frowned deeply.
The document listed all the fruit users most likely to be targeted by Reddy.
A quick count showed that up to seven members of the Big Mom Pirates could be on Reddy's list.
This didn't even include Big Mom herself or the Sweet Commander Katakuri.
With so many targets, full surveillance was impossible.
"We should capture Charlotte Brulee first."
X. Drake, who had been silent until now, spoke up, immediately catching the attention of Smoker and the others.
"Good idea!"
Smoker nodded at Drake, approving his suggestion. "If we control the Mirror-Mirror Fruit user Brulee, we'll have more room to maneuver."
"Additionally, I can try framing Dr. Reddy."
Prince Grus flicked his exaggeratedly long hat brim and confidently explained, "My ability allows me to create clay figures with any face. As long as they're not overly familiar with Dr. Reddy, we can deceive Big Mom."
Tina lit a cigarette, exhaled smoke, and shook her head. "Is it really a good idea to provoke a war between two Emperors on our first mission?"
Logically, a war between Reddy and the Big Mom Pirates would be the best outcome for the World Government.
No matter who won, the World Government wouldn't lose.
However, the consequences of two Emperors going to war would be staggering.
Based on current intelligence, Big Mom had already formed an alliance with Kaido.
If Big Mom and Reddy officially went to war, the Beasts Pirates would likely join the fray.
A war between three Emperors would plunge the New World into chaos, affecting the first half of the Grand Line and eventually the four seas.
In short, once the war began, the seas would descend into complete turmoil.
Having just transferred from the Marines to this special unit, Tina found it hard to accept.
The room fell silent.
Peacock sighed helplessly and shook her head. "No choice, we're too weak."
The Blade Unit had the authority to decide whether to engage Emperors in war, but every member knew this authority was more for show than practical use.
If they were truly capable of fighting an Emperor's crew, why would they need to sneak around?
"Anyway..."
Smoker bit his cigar, irritated. "We have no other choice."
Stopping Reddy from growing stronger was the Blade Unit's primary mission, and with their limited manpower, the only viable option was to drag the Big Mom Pirates into the conflict.
"Poor Kotori."
Peacock suddenly giggled.
The others quickly adjusted their attitudes, no longer dwelling on the consequences of inciting war between two Emperors, and casually shifted the topic to something unrelated to the mission.
Tina stubbed out her cigarette and chuckled. "That girl is full of energy."
After the last meeting, Kotori had set off alone for the East Blue, brimming with enthusiasm.
Though she had been nervous at first, afraid of messing up the mission, she had proven herself through action.
For this alone, the other members of the Blade Unit held Kotori in high regard.
It wasn't until Stussy entered to remind them that they were nearing Whole Cake Island that Smoker and the others stopped their casual chatter.
Smoker, biting his cigar, took out a lighter and lit it, scanning the faces of his teammates. "I'll infiltrate Whole Cake Island first to locate Brulee. The rest of you will follow Stussy's team and infiltrate the island to standby."
"Once I find her, I'll summon you immediately."