"No idea if the plan will even work."
On the bustling streets of Hakumai, a couple strolled along, stopping and starting like any pair of lovers.
The man had ash-white, spiky hair like cigarette ash, with sharp features and a fierce expression. He wore a matching ash-white jacket.
The woman beside him wore a rose-colored suit, her cherry-blossom-pink hair adorned with a pair of stylish sunglasses.
"Keep it down, Smoker. If the plan leaks, Tashigi's going to be furious." This pink-haired woman in a suit, smoking a slim lady's cigarette with an air of cool elegance, spoke with a strange verbal tic that made her sound like a little girl.
"You're way too nervous, Tashigi." Smoker linked his arm through hers like any ordinary couple, casually buying a candy apple before lowering his voice.
"Our identities are completely classified. We've never operated as Marines in Inazuma before. There's no way we'll be exposed."
These days, plenty of tourists visited Inazuma. The fully opened Hakumai Amusement Park, the Shirahama Ice World, Cyberpunk Himi, and the horror-themed Onigashima—these four attractions had already spread across the entire Grand Line.
Inazuma's tourism industry had grown to rival Sabaody Archipelago, even showing signs of surpassing it. After all, Inazuma's public safety was far better than Sabaody's.
In the four regions Inazuma had opened, even the fish-men and merfolk from Fish-Man Island could wander freely and without worry.
The Celestial Dragons on the Red Line had long wanted to visit Inazuma, but the one guest Inazuma truly did not welcome happened to be those parasites.
Because of this, Ren's relationship with the World Government had grown quite tense. The Five Elders had tried to use their influence to pressure Ren into granting the Celestial Dragons entry permits.
But Ren had not backed down. He had no intention of letting those disgusting creatures set foot in his territory. He flatly declared that any Celestial Dragon who showed up would be cut down on the spot.
In the end, the Five Elders had no choice. They had tried every trick in the book—bribery included—but Inazuma wouldn't budge. They couldn't very well start an actual war with Inazuma, could they?
In any case, in Hakumai—where travelers and merchants from all over the world gathered—Smoker and Tashigi's pair didn't draw attention.
The two whispered to each other, and passersby simply assumed they were an affectionate couple.
"I hear the World Government sent some agents too. No idea what identities they're using." Smoker spoke while scanning the crowd with sharper eyes.
This operation had the Marine Admiral himself acting as bait, with nearly seventy percent of the Marines' top combat power deployed to Inazuma as a diversion—all to draw attention away from the two of them.
But the World Government didn't trust the Marines to act alone and had sent agents of their own.
Agent identities were classified by nature. Even Smoker and Tashigi didn't know who those people really were. But one thing was certain—since they were agents, they'd be disguised as either foreign merchants or tourists.
Given that Smoker and Tashigi themselves were disguised as tourists, the agents would likely be posing as merchants.
He was lost in thought when he suddenly spotted an odd-looking man with a square nose walking past, pushing a cart of cigars.
"Wait—how much for these cigars?" Smoker called out to the man.
"Five hundred thousand berries per box."
The cart-pushing Kaku stopped immediately and launched into a sales pitch.
"You two aren't from Inazuma, are you?" Kaku chatted up Smoker like a seasoned merchant.
"We're tourists from overseas. These are Inazuma-brand cigars?"
"Not at all! I'm a foreign merchant myself. Inazuma doesn't produce cigars domestically—reselling these can turn a hefty profit!" Kaku's eyes flickered. In just a few short sentences, he had already figured out that Smoker and Tashigi were the ones the Marines had sent.
After all, their demeanor and presence were completely different from ordinary people.
And the fact that this white-haired man had suddenly struck up a conversation—he'd surely seen through the disguise as well.
Kaku thought to himself.
It seemed his disguise skills still needed work.
Kaku: 'This Marine is quite sharp.'
Smoker: 'Why's this guy looking at me like that? Whatever. I kind of want a cigar. I'll take one—no, ten boxes.'
"I'll take ten boxes!"
After their brief encounter, Kaku and Smoker parted ways without exchanging any information. This operation was designed so they wouldn't interfere with each other.
CP9 was handling the Flower Capital and Kuri. The two Marines were handling Udon.
Back at their temporary inn, Kaku carefully recounted the day's encounter to his companions. Blueno and the others remarked that the Marines really were full of talent—even two unknown Marines could display such sharp observation.
After all, disguise was a required course for agents. In truth, it was even more important than raw strength.
"When will the operation begin?"
…
"When will the operation begin?" Ren asked.
He had long since seen through the Marines' little scheme. At this stage, there was no way the Marines would go to war with him. So Sengoku and the others arriving in Inazuma so openly was obviously a smokescreen.
Den Den Mushi surveillance dotted every street in Inazuma. As it happened, the "low-profile" Marines and agents the World Government had sent were old acquaintances of his.
Even setting all that aside, Ren had plenty of ways to learn everything he needed to know.
The spies the Marines had planted in his ranks had been completely wiped out, but the spy he'd planted within the Marines was still climbing the ranks, step by step.
"Marine Vice Admiral Tsuru has already arrived in Inazuma. With her are Admirals Kuzan and Kizaru, plus another Marine Vice Admiral with the code name Momousagi." Yukiko handed the compiled intelligence to Ren.
"They'll likely begin the operation once they've regrouped."
"Good. Have Shutendouji, Yayoi, and Ayame prepare themselves. Our guests have come a long way—it would be rude not to give them a proper welcome," Ren said.
"Lord Ren, why not entrust this mission to Keiko?"
"Elemental Armament is already combat-ready, and Demon King Armament is still in the testing phase. We can use these people as test subjects," Yukiko said.
"Demon King Armament?" Ren considered for a moment, then agreed to Yukiko's proposal.
"In that case, have Stussy take Sabo out for a trial run. Let that kid test the Demon King Armament's performance."
"Sabo? But he's only ten years old this year. Is that really okay?"
"With Stussy there, nothing will go wrong. Oh, and Robin could use some combat training too. Send her to the Flower Capital."
[
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