And so, another order arrived, assigning Cross to temporarily serve under Vice Admiral Tsuru and swiftly head to the North Blue for a top-secret mission.
It turned out that when Admiral Sengoku learned that the Donquixote Family was involved and planned to steal the Ope Ope no Mi, he sent Vice Admiral Tsuru, Doflamingo's old rival, to the North Blue.
Their plan was to set up an ambush on Swallow Island, where the Donquixote Family and Rosinante were to meet, and wipe out the entire crew.
Not only that, but to prevent the plan from being leaked and to ensure Doflamingo didn't get wind of it again, Sengoku not only dispatched Vice Admiral Tsuru and her all-female squad, but also a crack unit from Branch G-5 in the New World.
Of course, back at Marine Headquarters, Sengoku hadn't revealed the entire battle plan to Cross. Cross only learned the specifics of the plan after arriving in the North Blue and speaking with Tsuru on her battleship.
The plan was a three-step process.
First: Secure the Ope Ope no Mi transaction and prevent Doflamingo from getting his hands on it.
Second: Annihilate the entire Donquixote Family, including Doflamingo.
Third: Whether the Ope Ope no Mi transaction was successful or not, eliminate the Marine traitor, Diez Barrels, on the spot.
....
The North Blue .
In a bay nestled between stone mountains, two massive battleships were hidden under the cover of night. Tsuru stood on the bow of one of the ships, her expression grave as she stared at an island in the distance that was shaped like a swallow.
Then, Tsuru spoke. "Do not let your guard down. Our opponent this time is Doflamingo!"
"Yes!" The all-female Marines on the deck below lined up neatly and answered in unison.
"Where did that fool Sengoku get his information? How did he manage to set this up?" Tsuru muttered to herself, her arms crossed.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru!" A female Marine ran over, her voice low. "The surveillance ship at Minion Island has sent a message!"
"Give me the Den Den Mushi!"
Tsuru took the Den Den Mushi from the woman's hand and asked in a low voice, "What's the firepower situation at Barrels's headquarters?"
"Yes, we are currently checking!" A man's voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"You idiot!" Tsuru scolded, her tone harsh. "If you find out, you'll ruin the transaction. Go and search the coast immediately, and report anything you see!"
"Yes!"
Click.
The Den Den Mushi was hung up.
Tap, tap, tap, tap...
Just then, footsteps approached, accompanied by a teasing laugh. "Don't get angry, Tsuru-san. Anger causes wrinkles!"
Tsuru and the female Marines all turned their heads to see Cross strolling over leisurely. He smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "Those guys don't know the importance of the Ope Ope no Mi. Cut them some slack."
Marduk and Surtur stood behind Cross, one on each side.
Tsuru glanced at Cross and said, "They don't know the importance of the Ope Ope no Mi, but you don't look like you do, either!"
"How could it not be important? After all, the hidden power of the Ope Ope no Mi is a temptation that no government can resist!" Cross said with a deep look.
Upon hearing this, Tsuru's expression changed slightly. She asked, "What do you know?"
As one of the high-ranking officials at Marine Headquarters, Tsuru naturally knew many secrets that ordinary people didn't.
For example, the Ope Ope no Mi's surface ability was to modify the human body. Eating it would allow one to perform miraculous surgeries and cure any difficult disease, much like magic. However, the Ope Ope no Mi also had a powerful hidden ability: the user could perform the 'Immortality Operation,' granting eternal life to another person!
One could say that very few people in the world would be able to ignore the temptation of eternal life. Most people in the world, whether ordinary citizens, power-hungry leaders, or ambitious schemers, could not refuse the temptation the Ope Ope no Mi offered.
Therefore, Tsuru wondered if Cross knew the secret of the Ope Ope no Mi. She couldn't be sure if he would covet its power and try to steal it at a crucial moment.
"Relax, relax~" Noticing Tsuru's guardedness, Cross waved his hand dismissively and changed the subject. "I'll go and command the surveillance ship! If any members of the Donquixote Family sneak onto Minion Island, where Diez Barrels is, and try to steal the Ope Ope no Mi, I can stop them right away!"
He could vaguely remember the outcome of this particular arc, but the specific details were a bit fuzzy, so he wanted to go to the island directly and get involved. He vaguely remembered that the Marines in this part of the story were just spectators and failed to get the Ope Ope no Mi or wipe out the Donquixote Family led by Doflamingo.
Tsuru was silent for a few seconds in response to Cross's request. Her gaze lingered on the two Apostles behind him for a moment before she nodded in agreement. "You can go. If a special situation arises, you have my permission to act... But remember, the Ope Ope no Mi absolutely must not fall into Doflamingo's hands!"
"It must not fall into Doflamingo's hands..." Cross looked at Tsuru and repeated her words to himself.
The next second, he smiled and understood what the wise woman meant. He said, "Don't worry, I'll make sure the Ope Ope no Mi doesn't end up with Doflamingo!"
"That's good. Now go!" Tsuru's expression was calm, but the corners of her mouth slightly lifted in an unintentional smile.
Then, Cross turned around, leaped onto Marduk's back, and shouted, "Target: Minion Island! Let's go, Marduk!"
"As you command, Master!" Marduk replied in a deep voice. His black cloud body, which was suspended in mid-air, quickly rose and sped off toward Minion Island. Surtur followed closely behind, like a star of destruction, streaking across the night sky.
"Cross, I hope you don't disappoint the trust Sengoku and I have in you..." Tsuru looked up at Cross's departing figure and mumbled to herself.
Just then, a female Marine walked up to Tsuru and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Tsuru-nee, Cross-kun isn't that kind of person!"
This person had a beautiful face, brown eyes, and smoky eye makeup. Her long white hair was braided and draped down her back. She was wearing a flamboyant shirt with various colors like red, yellow, blue, purple, and white, along with a pair of black pants decorated with chains and studs. Her outfit was topped off with a pair of black boots. She looked like she was at the forefront of fashion, but her flat chest was a drawback.
"Jiyana, you don't understand. The temptation of eternal life is hard for anyone to resist. If Cross hadn't already eaten a Devil Fruit, I wouldn't have let him go," Tsuru sighed helplessly. "At least this way, even if Cross does covet the power of the Ope Ope no Mi, he won't eat it on the spot after stealing it, nor will he give it to anyone else rashly. Instead, he would give it to a trusted confidant, which gives us a chance to get it back."
"Tsk, I think you're just overthinking things!" The female Marine named Jiyana pouted and said disdainfully, "Have a little more faith in your own people, Tsuru-nee! Besides, don't think I didn't hear what you meant with that last sentence!"
"You only said that it must not fall into Doflamingo's hands, but you didn't say that you absolutely had to get it... That's just hilarious. It seems you don't want the World Government to get it either!"
"If that's the case, if Cross-kun covets the power of the Ope Ope no Mi or even steals it directly, you would be happy, wouldn't you?" At this, Jiyana smiled, her eyes playful as she teased Tsuru. "If my guess is right, the only thing you'd regret is that the Marines would lose a promising talent like Cross-kun!"
After listening to Jiyana's words, Tsuru's face turned cold, and she said in a sharp tone, "What nonsense are you talking about?! Don't project your wild imagination onto me. Get back to your ship, and shut your dirty mouth!"
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