In the waters off Sicily Island, a special warship disguised as a merchant vessel was approaching.
The pigeon man, Rob Lucci, was holding a den den mushi in his palm. He was in a very bad mood, and his voice was low.
"What did you just say?"
Stussy's voice came through, sounding slightly puzzled.
"I said, regarding the conflict about to break out between Taro and Joker on Sicily Island, we have already notified Big Mom and 'Beasts' Kaido!"
As she spoke, her tone became a bit more lighthearted.
"They have both sent powerful subordinates. This time, Taro won't be able to escape even if he had wings!"
Stussy felt resentment in her heart; Taro's actions on Fish-Man Island were still fresh in her mind.
Damned Taro, let's see if you die this time!
Having just confirmed what he heard, Lucci's face grew even gloomier.
"Who did they send?"
"Kaido sent 'Disaster' Jack, and Big Mom sent Katakuri, the head of the 'Three Sweet Commanders'!"
Stussy chuckled lightly; her mood improved considerably when mentioning this.
"'Three Sweet Commanders'? Isn't it the 'Four Sweet Commanders'?" Lucci was stunned for a moment.
"Hehe, it's normal that you don't know. Just a few days ago, the 'Mad Monk' Urouge of the Pirate 'Supernovas' defeated Charlotte Snack. In a fit of rage, Big Mom removed Snack from the ranks, so now there are only the 'Three Sweet Commanders'!"
Stussy shared the information she had gathered in Totto Land.
Lucci frowned. "Big Mom sending Katakuri under these circumstances... is she trying to vindicate the strength of the'Sweet Commanders'?"
"Heh, who knows? Maybe!" Stussy shook her head with a light laugh.
"Let's not talk about that. Anyway, this time, Taro is definitely dead! Hehe, this is truly a happy occasion!"
Lucci's eyebrows twitched a few times, finding Stussy's attitude toward Taro very strange.
"Stussy, you seem to hate Taro very much?"
"Hate? I can't wait for him to die immediately!" Stussy's face contorted, losing her previous elegant appearance.
However, as an intelligence agent, losing control of one's emotions is a major taboo, and she quickly recovered.
"Taro's life or death is a foregone conclusion and is of no consequence. Our primary mission now is to capture Wan Luo and Wan Shi. Tell us, where shall we meet?"
"Sicily Island," Lucci uttered the place name indifferently.
"What? Where did you say?" Stussy was aghast and cried out in shock.
Lucci's brow was locked tight, his face growing increasingly dark.
"You didn't mishear. It's the same Sicily Island you mentioned to Big Mom and Kaido!"
"This... this..." Stussy was clearly shocked, with a hint of panic.
"How could they be on that island? Is there really no problem with this intelligence?"
Lucci looked up at Sicily Island, which had already appeared in his vision, and said gloomily:
"I am on this island right now. You tell me if there's a problem with the intelligence."
Click
The call was disconnected.
Lucci's entire being turned cold and somber. The tall man from CP0 behind him was as quiet as a cicada in winter, his breathing almost coming to a halt.
The giraffe Kaku hesitated for a long while before taking a step forward.
"Captain, the situation seems to be spiraling out of control. Wanluos Group, whom we are pursuing, is on this island, Joker and Taro are also here, and Jack and Katakuri are on their way. This..."
Lucci's sinister gaze glanced at Kaku, preventing him from continuing his sentence.
"Joker inquired with the high-level officials of the World Government about Taro's information, allowing the Gorosei to sense the subtle dynamic between the two. Is that why they guided the situation to result in this current outcome?"
Lucci analyzed in a low voice, then gave a sneer.
"Such a grand scheme is not something that trash like the Spandine father and son could pull off!"
Kaku nodded solemnly upon hearing this, but then hesitated again.
"Captain, the Gorosei certainly wouldn't have expected that Wanluos Group would coincidentally flee to this island as well. Should this mission be..."
Lucci suddenly turned around to stare at Kaku. Kaku's breath hitched, and his body staggered backward.
The tall man fared even worse, stumbling back several steps and only managing to stand steady by leaning against the mast.
"Kaku, we have been friends and comrades-in-arms for many years. You should understand my character. A mission is a mission. Difficulties and variables are never excuses to abandon a mission!"
"One experience of failure is already more than enough!"
Hearing this, Kaku steadied himself, his confidence recovering considerably. He said seriously: "Yes! Once is more than enough!"
Lucci gave a slight nod before looking back at Sicily Island.
Above the island, dark clouds loomed. The low cloud layer was torn open, and torrential rain poured down, forming a sharp contrast with the clear skies of the nearby sea.
While Taro and Mingo were in the heat of battle, Wan Luo's group, who had landed from the northern shore of the island, was approaching the eastern coast.
The lion man Absalom wiped the rainwater from his face, his tone somewhat annoyed.
"Little Captain Wan Luo, where do you need to place your Energy Marker to detect their battle?"
"Look at this weather. The guy Taro is fighting this time is bound to be a top-tier powerhouse. If we go like this and get discovered, we'll die, right?"
Absalom had some confidence when facing other experts; at least the Clear-Clear Fruit could bypass the detection of Observation Haki.
However, on the battlefield of the Marineford War, when he went to rescue Moria, he had been discovered by Taro. This made him very reluctant to face Taro directly.
Wan Luo pointed to the hilltop ahead. "There, we only need to leave a marker on that hilltop. We don't need to get very close!"
"He-he-he-he, Absa, don't be so afraid. In a duel between such masters, life and death are on the line. Even if we are discovered, Taro won't have the spare energy to deal with us!"
Moria had one hand behind his head and the other patting his round belly, his movements looking quite comical.
The girl Wan Shi burst into a light laugh upon seeing Moria's actions. Her bell-like laughter also eased Absalom's mood a bit.
Moria glanced sideways at Wan Shi. The girl immediately suppressed her smile, looking a bit nervous. Moria waved his hand.
"Don't be so nervous. Seeing you just reminded me of a former subordinate!"
Wan Luo patted the girl's arm to comfort her, then looked up at the tall Moria.
"Moria, you were once a famous great pirate. It was just a single failure, yet your spirit has dwindled to an almost unbelievable degree! What exactly do you want to do now?"
Moria crossed his arms over his belly, possessing a sort of transcendence as if he had seen through the Mortal World.
"All of that is in the past. Now, I only want to find my subordinates. Even if I just know they are still alive, that would be enough!"
Wan Luo nodded and thought for a while.
"If that's the case, then I have a bold idea. Do you think it's possible that your subordinates are also looking for you, but because they temporarily have no news of you, they..."
Moria stopped in his tracks, looking down at Wan Luo and falling into deep thought.
"Hmm, what you say makes sense. I have to think about it..."
---------------------------------
I hope you're enjoying the fanfiction so far! If the story has you hooked and you can't wait to see what happens next, you can unlock 30 chapters in advance over on my Patreon: patreon.com/TLHimejima1
Every bit of support means the world to me so if you're loving the ride, don't forget to drop a Power Stone and let me know.