In the rge bat feren at Marineford, the key pyers from the Marines sat on one side, while Cudius and his group sat opposite them. It was an unusual gathering, the Marines and pirates fag each other without hostility or flict.

  Dofmingo, sitting fortably, occasionally g Marine Marshal Sengoku through his e-tinted suhe ers of his mouth curling into a wicked smile. His expression suggested a shared history, perhaps even a sense of irony. After all, they had once operated like chess pieces in a game of espionage, each aware of the other's covert dealings.

  Crocodile, oher hand, leaned ba his chair with a cigar between his lips, looking pletely at ease. His frequent visits to Marine Headquarters alongside Cudius had long since made him familiar with the high-ranking officers, and he exuded an air of indifference.

  Bartholomew Kuma, massive and silent, sat rigidly in his seat, a Bible in his hands. He paid no attention to anyone in the room, engrossed in his reading.

  Mihawk rested his famed bck bde, Yoru, against the back of his chair. His demeanor was as rexed as ever, one leg crossed over the other. Havio Marine Headquarters before for discussions about swordsmanship, he was her nervous nor unfamiliar with the surroundings.

  Seated beside Cudius were Tesoro and Stussy. Tesoro, despite his wealth and status, was visibly tense. As one of the focal points of this operation, he couldn't help but feel the weight of the moment, fidgeting in his chair.

  Stussy, oher hand, appeared perfectly posed. She had visited Marine Headquarters tless times and was well-acquainted with its officers. Her close friendship with Gion, the Marine swordswoman, made her iions with the Marine higher-ups natural and easy. She smiled and chatted as though this were any other day.

  On the Marine side, most of the officers maintaiheir usual demeanor. Only Sakazuki sat stiffly, his expression as hard as stone. Even so, the tension was more subdued than usual.

  Despite the Seven Warlords' reputation as pirates, Dofmingo and Crocodile were known to have es with the Marihrough their "undercover" roles. Mihawk, though officially cssified as a pirate, was widely reized as a ral figure whose sole i y in the pursuit of swordsmanship.

  Bartholomew Kuma was aranger case. Although teically a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he had a unique aive arra with the Marines. Cudius, as a representative of CP-X, had vouched for Kuma's loyalty, ensuring that he rarely left Marineford after joining.

  The plex retionships between the individuals present expined why even Sakazuki mao restrain his temper. He sat in silence, his rigid expressioraying his disfort, but refrained from any outbursts or sharp remarks.

  Sitting across from Cudius, Gion maintained a frosty demeanor, her expression making it clear she was still annoyed by his previous antics.

  Meanwhile, Garp, the ever-rexed Marine hero, happily munched on donuts, casually chatting with Zephyr iween bites. His carefree attitude stood in stark trast to the seriousness of the meeting.

  Tsuru reviewed the dots in her hands with sharp focus, meticulously cheg for aails that might need adjustment.

  Borsalino, true to form, leaned back with his legs crossed, leisurely trimming his nails with a clipper.

  Kuzan took his indiffereo another level, reing in his chair with a blindfold over his eyes, sn softly as if he were napping.

  The sight of such a casual and disanized Marine delegation amused Cudius. "This is supposed to be a major bat meeting? It hardly looks the part," he said, his tone ced with humor.

  Sengoku's face reddened slightly at the jab. Clearing his throat, he knocked oable and said firmly, "Everyone, focus. The meeting is starting."

  Sengoku's authoritative tone carried enough weight to stir some of the officers. Kizaru relutly put away his nail clippers, and Kuzan pulled off his blindfold, though he didn't look particurly enthusiastic. Garp, however, tinued eating his donuts unabated, prompting Sengoku to gre at him in frustration. Knowing Garp's stubborn nature, Sengoku wisely chose to let it slide.

  "Ahem," Sengoku began, "this meeting will address the joint operatioween the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Naval Headquarters, and CP-X tet the Big Mom Pirates."

  This marked Sengoku's first rge-scale bat meeting since assuming the role of Marine Marshal, and it was a signifit ohe colboration of three major fas gave the operation a unique weight. Notably absent was the CP anization, which Sengoku and Cudius had deliberately excluded due to mutual dislike.

  Sengoku proceeded to outlihe background, motivations, and key objectives of the operation, ying the groundwork for the detailed discussions that followed.

  "Our preliminary pn is a decapitation strike," Sengoku announced. "Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, please expin."

  Tsuru nodded and stood to address the room. "The first step is infiltration. Fortunately, this is straightforward for us, as we already have three invitations to Big Mom's tea party. These will serve as our tickets to eotto Land ued."

  The others nodded in agreement.

  Dofmingo, as a key middleman in the underworld, naturally received an invitation. Stussy, as the Queen of Happy Street, had es with Charlotte Linlin. Finally, Tesoro, the target of Linlin's test schemes, had also been invited.

  "Using these invitations, we'll infiltrate Totto Land in small groups, disguised as servants aboard the ships of Tesoro, Dofmingo, and Stussy," Tsuru tinued. "This will allow us to reach the heart of Totto Land—Whole Cake Isnd."

  The pn was met with nods of approval. It was a logical and reliable approach.

  Tsuru then moved on to discuss the timing, signals, and tingens for potential plications. The primary objective was clear: when Charlotte Linlin aop lieutenants gathered, the decapitation strike would ence, aiming to cripple the Big Mom Pirates by eliminating as many high-ranking members as possible.

  "As for Charlotte Linlin herself," Tsuru added, "capture her if possible. If not, she must be ralized on the spot."

  With the briefing plete, Sengoku asked, "Does anyone have suggestions or s?"

  Most of the Marines remained silent, having already discussed the pensively. Sengoku's question rimarily directed at Cudius and his group.

  Cudius houghtfully before speaking. "I have a question."

  "Go ahead, Yhness," Sengoku replied.

  "What tingencies have we prepared in case the operation fails?" Cudius asked calmly.

  Sengoku blinked, momentarily caught off guard. While the possibility of failure had been sidered, the assumption was that the partits—elite batants—would be able to retreat safely.

  "If the operation fails, everyone will evacuate," Sengoku replied. "We'll scatter if necessary. With the caliber of individuals involved, retreat shouldn't be an issue."

  Cudius chuckled. "You misuand me. I'm not worried about whether we retreat. My is this: even if the operation fails, we should aim to leave a sting mark. Otherwise, all this effort will have been for nothing."

  Sengoku frowned. "What do you suggest?"

  Cudius leaned forward, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "We should establish a sedary objective. For example, if the pn fails, we should destroy Whole Cake Isnd, the heart of Totto Land."

  Sengoku's gaze shifted to the three Admirals—Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino. With their devastating Logia powers, leveling Whole Cake Isnd wouldn't be an issue.

  Cudius, notig Sengoku's gnce, shook his head. "No, no, no. The Admirals will likely be occupied during the battle. Their powers might not be avaible for such a task. That's why I propose a backup pn."

  He smiled darkly. "Do we have any… superons? Something like a massive bomb or a rge-scale destructive device? Such a on could serve multiple purposes—buying time, c our retreat, or delivering a decisive blow."