Tsuru received her order from Headquarters half a month after the White Wolf Pirates went to sea.
"Undercover plan?"
"That's right. According to Headquarters' investigation, you are the most suitable newcomer for this plan. Of course, if you are unwilling, we will not force you."
Unlike standard Marine orders, where command is absolute, Portman Nisen knew this mission was different. The weight on an undercover is not like any routine duty. If their will breaks midway, it becomes a deadly betrayal.
Tsuru asked calmly, "May I know which pirate crew I'm meant to infiltrate?"
"You may. But remember this… once you learn the target, backing out is no longer an option. This mission is top secret. Knowledge of it means acceptance of the burden."
Tsuru fell silent for a moment. Then, without hesitation, she nodded.
"I understand. I am willing to execute this undercover plan."
"Oh? You are not even asking which crew it is?" Nisen's eyes twinkled faintly.
"For a commander such as yourself to meet someone as insignificant as me… I think only one pirate crew on this sea qualifies to warrant such treatment."
"Haha, no wonder you are the one I chose."
Nisen chuckled and handed a dossier sheet to Tsuru. Then his face grew stern, as if he were imparting something that would seal her fate.
"That's right. The crew I want you to infiltrate is the most heinous on these seas. Among pirates already bearing titles beyond their measure stands one—'White King' Silas!"
At the confirmation of her suspicions, Tsuru unconsciously straightened her posture. Her back was as stiff as an iron blade.
"He killed Admiral Crimson Horse, allied with the giants of Elbaf, and massacred countless Marine officers. The lives White Wolf Silas has taken are beyond number. His crimes are as vast as the ocean itself."
Nisen's voice dropped lower. "And yet, despite all this, we Marines still lack the strength to capture him."
"Even if we destroyed every last one of his crew, as long as White Wolf Silas lives, his vengeance will drag us into the abyss."
Tsuru could not stop herself from asking, "Even with all the Admirals together… could it not be done?"
At her question, Nisen smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"If all our Admirals united at once, yes… Silas could be taken. But White Wolf Silas is no fool. If he senses so many top powers deployed, he would never present himself to be cornered. Do you think he has lived this long by charging blindly into traps?"
His eyes narrowed. "This is not only true for him. Many of the world's great pirates avoid direct confrontation the same way. Capturing them is far harder than you imagine."
"Only if we know their position with certainty, and weave layers upon layers of traps ahead of time can success be hoped for."
Tsuru did not flinch, but she understood. Marines filled their training halls with valor, but the true gap between ordinary soldiers and the world's top fighters was immeasurable. Without someone of equal standing to restrain him, even a hundred thousand Marines could not guarantee holding White Wolf Silas at bay.
"That is why you must join," Nisen said firmly. "If you can gain Silas's trust, your eyes may become the doorway through which we one day drag him into the light of justice."
His tone carried fire, sincere and unbending. "You could become the reason Admiral Sebas is avenged. You could bring hope to every Marine who fell in the hunt!"
Tsuru bowed her head. "I will not fail."
"Good." Nisen softened just slightly. "Very few will know you are undercover. I will arrange a reasonable cover to put you under Silas's shadow."
He leaned close, tapping the desk for emphasis.
"From this moment forward, your records as a Marine will be erased. Only myself… Fleet Admiral Elephant Yama… and your original superior, Admiral Kong, will know of this assignment. To the world, you will cease to exist."
Nisen's voice became colder, more deliberate. "From now on, your identity is that of a slave captured in chains and auctioned at Sabaody Archipelago. You will be purchased by a caravan bound for Sphinx. When the caravan reaches its destination, you will escape, then find a way into the defense forces organized by the White Wolf Pirates."
The plan was simple yet clever. No one joined Silas's crew overnight. But if she proved herself among the Sphinx guard, her talent would naturally reach the eyes of key figures.
"Because Cunning Roya was once a slave himself, he will surely sympathize with you," Nisen explained. "Serve in the garrison unit trained by Blue Flame Ed. Earn merit. Excel. And sooner or later, someone will recommend you, perhaps even both Roya and Ed themselves. Remember, the current trainee doctor Stussy boarded only because 'Witch' Kureha endorsed her."
He folded his arms tightly. "And yes, it may take years before you are seen for what you are meant to be. But this mission was never about speed. It is a war fought over time."
The real gamble was, of course betrayal. But Tsuru, like Zephyr, still had family. Invisible chains that kept them within the leash of Marine loyalty.
When Nisen finally left her behind, Tsuru sat alone in the quiet meeting room, her resolve tightening like drawn steel.
"Sorry, Sengoku, Garp. It seems I'll be going ahead of you…"
Her thoughts drifted to her fellow recruits. Garp, who roared each day about punching White Wolf Silas into the ground. Sengoku, whose cool head masked an ambition just as strong. She admired them both… but she knew the truth.
Rookies like them could shout all day about capturing White Wolf Silas, but earning the right to even see him would take ten years, maybe more.
But her? She was about to fight him in her own way.
"To go undercover in the world's most vicious pirate crew…"
Tsuru's fists clenched on her knees. She took a deep breath, steadying herself.
"Bring it on."
Two months later…
The New Year of the Sea Circle Calendar 1463 passed quietly. The seas stirred, but the White Wolf Pirates sailed in calm dominance. Their Jolly Roger fluttered proudly above the Millennium Falcon, and with that flag alone, no Marine or pirate dared bar their course.
January of the new year came.
The White Wolf Pirates had crossed the seas and reached the threshold of a new horizon.
They had entered the New World.