"What should we do next... Captain?"
Tina watched Sakazuki leave the conference room and turned her gaze to Smoker, her classmate and friend.
The others also focused their attention on Smoker.
Smoker felt extremely irritable, completely unable to understand why he had actually accepted this appointment. He bit his cigar, stood up, walked to the front, and pulled over a whiteboard.
"From what I know so far, our target, Dr. Reddy, is very, very, very strong."
Smoker wrote Reddy's name on the whiteboard, emphasizing his terrifying power with three "verys."
The others listened attentively, including Tina, who stubbed out her cigarette and focused on the whiteboard.
"Up to now, there have been ten clones with strength comparable to Navy Admirals."
Before he even finished speaking, the atmosphere in the conference room grew heavy.
Everyone once again felt the immense pressure, almost suffocating them.
The youngest, Kotori, trembled in fear.
Smoker ignored the others' emotional reactions and wrote down the clones' codenames and strengths one by one.
"Pyo: Float-Float Fruit user, one of the clones modeled after Dr. Reddy. Along with other clones, he has defeated the current three Admirals and Navy Hero Vice Admiral Garp. Extremely powerful."
"Maid: Weapon-Weapon Fruit user, a clone modeled after the former Donquixote Family assassin Baby 5. Rarely seen in action, usually used by Dr. Reddy as a personal weapon. Estimated strength not inferior to a Navy Vice Admiral."
"Mon: Door-Door Fruit user, a clone modeled after former CP9 member Blueno. Combat achievements equal to Pyo. Notably, his Devil Fruit ability can play an extremely important role in Dr. Reddy's hands."
"Shadow: Shadow-Shadow Fruit user, a clone modeled after Dr. Reddy. Combat achievements equal to Pyo and Mon."
"Invis: Clear-Clear Fruit user, a clone modeled after Dr. Reddy. Combat achievements equal..."
"..."
Smoker wrote down the codename and strength of the last clone, then added a few more names.
"Perona, former one of the Three Monster Officers of the Thriller Bark Pirates, Hollow-Hollow Fruit user. Senior executive under Dr. Reddy. Her Devil Fruit ability requires attention."
"Bartolomeo, senior executive, Barrier-Barrier Fruit user. Once blocked Kaido's Boro Breath. Considerable strength."
"Jinbe, former Warlord of the Sea, senior executive. Joined Dr. Reddy's faction along with Fish-Man Island."
"Boa Hancock, former Warlord of the Sea, senior executive. Joined Dr. Reddy's faction along with Amazon Lily."
As Drake and the others listened to Smoker's introduction, they flipped through the documents in their hands, cross-referencing the information.
"These are all the intelligence provided by Marineford."
Smoker pushed the whiteboard aside, placed both hands on the conference table, and looked at Drake and the others with a serious expression. "What I'm about to say next is the key point."
Hearing this, Drake and the others immediately suppressed their urge to ask questions.
Smoker recalled his first meeting with Reddy, his expression complicated. "Dr. Reddy is a good person."
The opening sentence left Drake and the others utterly confused.
Peacock retorted in disbelief, "Hey hey, that man is the 'Evil Scientist.' How could he possibly be a good person?"
Tina lit a cigarette and shook her head. "What you hear isn't necessarily the truth."
"Huh?"
Peacock was dumbfounded.
Kotori widened her eyes, completely bewildered, unable to understand what Tina meant.
"He sheltered a group of orphans in Loguetown."
Smoker didn't mind Kotori and Peacock, the two younger girls, and truthfully shared everything he knew.
As the others listened, their expressions gradually grew strange.
"Dr. Reddy wants to create a paradise where everyone can be happy... Is that true?"
Surprisingly, Drake was the first to speak up and verify.
Smoker nodded. "If he isn't deceiving everyone, then... yes, it's true."
Drake nodded and didn't continue speaking.
"Or maybe he's just trying to get more test subjects."
Prince Grus tried hard to convince himself to accept Reddy's identity as the "Evil Scientist."
Tina exhaled a puff of smoke and chuckled. "Would he even need to deceive a bunch of kids?"
Kotori subconsciously nodded.
Given the combat power Reddy had already publicly displayed, obtaining test subjects would be far too easy. There was really no reason to trick a bunch of orphans.
Smoker didn't give everyone much time to discuss whether Reddy was a good person or an evil scientist and returned to the main topic.
"Loguetown, Water 7, Punk Hazard, Loguetown, Amazon Lily, Fish-Man Island, Dressrosa... These are his known movements so far."
"Except for Water 7, the other four locations have already been taken under his control."
"Among them, Dressrosa remains in the New World, seemingly serving as a foothold there. It may become a springboard for his future entry into the New World."
"According to reliable intelligence, Fish-Man Island and Amazon Lily have now entered the East Blue."
At this point, Smoker shook his head.
Reddy's movements were too erratic, making it nearly impossible to predict his next target.
"We need more intelligence."
Tina leaned back in her seat, looking at the ceiling and shaking her head.
There seemed to be a lot of information, but in reality, there were almost no useful clues.
Based on Reddy's movements, Water 7 was the only exception, but since his base could fly in the sky, ships sailing on the sea seemed too outdated.
What use were they?
Smoker flipped through the documents in his hand, irritated. "This is the most serious problem. We lack an effective intelligence channel."
"Maybe we can plant an undercover agent."
Drake suddenly spoke up, immediately startling the others.
"That's right..."
Peacock grew excited. "We need an undercover agent."
Smoker quickly skimmed through the documents again, deep in thought. "Based on the intelligence we have now..."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Kotori.
Not just Smoker, everyone else also fixed their eyes on Kotori's face, their expressions slightly strange.
"Huh?"
Kotori pointed at herself in confusion.
"Now I finally understand why you were assigned to the Blade Unit."
Peacock moved her seat closer to Kotori and hooked an arm around her neck. "Since the intelligence indicates that Dr. Reddy has a soft spot for kids, you're the most suitable candidate."
Tina teased Peacock, "You're not that old either... Eighteen? Or nineteen?"
Peacock's face darkened.
"Then it's decided."
Drake crossed his arms and said to Kotori, "You'll be the one to infiltrate Dr. Reddy's side."
"I... I'll do my best."
Kotori was panicking internally but hurriedly expressed her determination.
Tina smirked. "Don't worry, Dr. Reddy is a good person. Even if you're exposed, he won't kill you."
This made Kotori even more nervous.
"You can use Bartolomeo as your entry point."
Smoker didn't object either, tacitly approving Kotori's undercover mission and suggesting, "He has an unusually fanatical admiration for Dr. Reddy. He's a suitable target."
"As for us..."
Smoker's gaze swept over Drake and the other two. "Tina and I can't openly operate as Blade Unit members, so we'll stay in Marineford. If necessary, we'll conceal our identities to assist the three of you in carrying out missions."
"Understood!"
The three of them knew that "White Hunter" Smoker and "Black Cage" Tina's reputations made them unsuitable for the covert operations of the Blade Unit.
Especially Smoker—it was obvious he had been selected for the Blade Unit precisely because he had previously interacted with Reddy.
Meanwhile, Tina's Devil Fruit ability was highly useful for the Blade Unit's missions.
With the first mission clarified, the Blade Unit's inaugural meeting came to an end.