Dark clouds blanketed the sky as fierce winds howled. Thunder rumbled faintly within the oppressive, pitch-black cloud layer, as if a torrential downpour would unleash at any second.
On the churning sea, a fleet of over a dozen Marine warships fought a fierce battle against the raging waves.
The environment of the Grand Line was simply too harsh. Even the colossal, top-of-the-line Marine warships seemed as fragile as drifting leaves in the face of nature's awe-inspiring wrath.
Inside the captain's quarters of the fleet's flagship, smoke filled the air as two old classmates, who had only recently parted ways before crossing paths again, engaged in a casual, sporadic chat.
"I say, you old chain-smoker, can't you have the decency to smoke your cigars outside? It's suffocating, hey!"
The Marine with naturally curly gold hair slumped in his chair, rocking back and forth with the continuously swaying cabin. His completely unmotivated dead-fish eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, exuding an air of pure laziness and lethargy.
"Hmph! Where I smoke my cigars is my business. Don't go ordering me around, even if you are the temporary commander of this 'Secret Operation'!" Smoker scoffed, two cigars clamped between his teeth as he sat heavily in an adjacent chair, puffing out clouds of smoke.
"Speaking of which, I really didn't expect the famous 'Golden Shura' to so obediently accept HQ's special summons. Did you drink too much strawberry milk and rot your brain?"
"Well... there was no helping it."
Vice Admiral Hisoka gave a wry smile, then extended his pinky finger to pick his nose without a shred of dignity. "You know as well as I do that my G-17 Base was mostly destroyed by that damn Crocodile. If I want to rebuild it, I have to apply for funding from Marine Headquarters. So, if I don't behave myself during this time, and the big shots at HQ get angry, I'll probably be stuck building sandcastles among the ruins for the rest of my days."
"Hahaha..." Smoker let out a schadenfreude laugh. "Striking right at your weakness like that—it definitely sounds like Vice Admiral Tsuru's style."
"Sigh~ Pearl also guessed that it was Vice Admiral Tsuru's suggestion. I still have to show respect to the old lady." Hisoka flicked his finger, sending the debris flying.
"Besides, as a swordsman..."
At this, a sudden gleam flashed through the naturally gold-haired man's otherwise lifeless, dead-fish eyes as he murmured softly, "I really want to see what the legendary 'Mightiest Sword' actually looks like."
Smoker's expression turned serious.
"The Seven-Star Sword? Isn't that just a myth?" Mentioning the objective of this mission, the White Hunter couldn't help but sit up straighter. He truly had too many doubts regarding this operation.
"A legend is just a legend, after all. Who knows who got wind of what rumor to make HQ issue a special summons order, pulling over half of the most elite Marines from three nearby bases and gathering them secretly. It's completely baffling."
Marine Headquarters' special summons order was usually reserved for dire emergencies. But for a goal as elusive as the smoke around him—the Seven-Star Sword—the White Hunter felt there was absolutely no need for such a massive mobilization.
"Who knows? Maybe HQ will issue new orders before long." Hisoka stood up from his chair, swayed his way to the refrigerator in the captain's quarters, and pulled out a carton of strawberry milk.
"Hey, chain-smoker, I wonder if you've heard that this year's Dead End Race in Hannabal is related to that cursed holy sword."
Tipping his head back to chug a mouthful of strawberry milk, Vice Admiral Hisoka flashed a mysterious smile. "Hannabal is the Oswald Family's largest stronghold in the first half of the Grand Line. If it involves their family, they wouldn't act without good reason."
"Furthermore, according to our intelligence operatives stationed in Hannabal, the next heir to their family—Alois Oswald—seems to be staying in Hannabal right now!"
"Oh?" Smoker's eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't know much about the Oswald Family, who had made their fortune through arms dealing, but since their heir had traveled thousands of miles to get here, there was highly likely some ulterior motive behind it.
It couldn't possibly be that he just happened to travel to Hannabal for a vacation, right?
"So, all signs point to one thing." The gold, naturally curly-haired man walked to the window and took another sip of his strawberry milk.
"The Oswald Family has very likely already discovered the burial site of that cursed holy sword!"
Crack!
Just as Vice Admiral Hisoka's voice fell, a flash of pale lightning ripped across the sky outside the cabin. A moment later, a deafening, terrifying clap of thunder rolled down from above, like the roar of an angry god.
"Wait, that doesn't make sense..."
Smoker frowned deeply as he put out his burnt-out cigars and lit two fresh ones. "If that's the case, why didn't they just go and take the sword for themselves?"
If the power of the Seven-Star Sword was truly as terrifying as the rumors claimed, the Oswald Family's actions this time were highly suspicious.
In the dark, the White Hunter caught a distinct whiff of conspiracy.
"Uh, well..." Hisoka scratched his head somewhat awkwardly and let out a long sigh.
"Ahhh~ If only my cute, smart little sister were here. Pearl is the absolute best at analyzing intelligence!" The gold-haired, sister-obsessed Vice Admiral lamented before downing the rest of his strawberry milk in one gulp.
Countless arcs of lightning snaked through the pitch-black clouds outside. Immediately after, the torrential rain poured down, the giant waves swelled, and the ship's rocking grew even more violent.
Smoker dived away from the inconclusive discussion and switched to a new topic.
"By the way, regarding the three Marine bases under this special summons, you're representing G-17 Base, and I'm filling in for Jonathan on behalf of G-8 Base. So, who is the representative from the G-2 Branch?"
"Oh, you mean Lieutenant Commander Saga? He's currently undercover in Hannabal, keeping a stealthy eye on the movements of the Oswald Family."
Staring out at the raging storm with his dead-fish eyes, the gold, naturally curly-haired Vice Admiral continued without turning around:
"He's a highly gifted swordsman. Though his strength took a major hit before due to losing an arm, ever since the scientists of the Falcone Family fitted him with Drive Armor, his power has skyrocketed. He managed to rise to the rank of Marine Lieutenant Commander in just a few short years."
"And did you know, chain-smoker? Saga's hometown is in the East Blue."
"The East Blue? What a coincidence," Smoker muttered, a muscle in his face twitching instantly.
For some inexplicable reason, the moment the East Blue was mentioned, a grinning figure wearing a straw hat flashed vividly through the smoke-man's mind.
Noticing the odd look on the White Hunter's face, Hisoka blinked and gave a mischievous grin.
"Come to think of it, once the Straw Hat Pirates come down from Skypiea, they should show up in this part of the sea, right?"
"Hannabal's Dead End Race always draws a massive crowd of pirates. If we're lucky, we might just run into them when the time comes."
"Heh... The Straw Hat Pirates?" Smoker's expression darkened terrifyingly. The surrounding smoke swirled around his body like a living thing, taking on a sinister, menacing edge.
"If they dare show their faces here, they won't be slipping through my fingers again!"
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