Pirates on Rocks' Ship 996

“So what do we do now?” Marco asked.

“Reina means that we should do it ourselves. Anyway, Brulee can’t get close to the tent. We can launch a surprise attack. If we succeed, great. Even if we don’t succeed, we can’t leak this information! We’re willing to risk alerting them!” Ace said firmly.

“I understand!” Marco nodded and said, “But Smoothie just brought news that they’ve found a tent with mirrors and want to continue cooperating with us!”

“Oh? They actually found a tent with a mirror? That’s great! We can continue to cooperate with them. We take what we need, and they get our intelligence!” Ace nodded and said.

“However, judging from the way Smoothie came this time, it seems she doesn’t intend to continue the cooperation as we previously discussed!” Marco glanced at the mirror not far away and said deliberately.

"They want to raise the price too? They really all want to take advantage of us! But even if they get that thing, it's useless to them. But even if we say that, they won't believe us! Forget it, if they're not willing to cooperate the way we used to, we'll just do it ourselves!" Ace immediately showed his dissatisfaction and said.

"What about Reina? Where is he? Hasn't he come back?" Marco nodded and asked.

"The first mate is back, but he went to Dad's first. He's planning to launch a surprise attack. With Dad's abilities, our chances of success are pretty good! After all, Dad has never made a move before! Didn't he figure out last time that the other side discovered our secret? As long as we avoid it, we can catch them off guard!" Ace clenched his fist and said.

“That’s true… but we haven’t tested it, so we don’t know if it can actually be avoided! You know, no matter how well we hide, as long as we appear near those extraterrestrial visitors, they can spot us. It’s even more useful than Observation Haki!” Marco said with a wry smile.

"Why don't we try and see? Anyway, we're in control. Even if the Big Mom Pirates have some intelligence, they definitely don't know our core information!" Ace said confidently. "Those guys have no idea what we've discovered this time! They want to take even more benefits from us, they're just idiots! You should know that this secret is more useful than anything else!"

"Heh... Under normal circumstances, even if they act with us, they won't know the most crucial secret. So even if they know what we took, it won't be of any use to them!" Marco said with a light laugh. "Unfortunately, they'll never understand!"

“That’s right!” Ace nodded and said, “Since it’s been decided, then you should let Smoothie leave as soon as possible! I reckon we’ll have to act immediately once Dad makes his decision! The Doctor can’t stay here too long either; Crescent Moon Island still needs his supervision!”

“Okay!” Marco nodded, then turned and walked towards the conference room.

Inside the conference room, Smoothie was holding a makeup mirror, seemingly putting on makeup. Upon seeing Marco enter, she naturally put the mirror away and said, "Captain Marco, Captain Ace, who went to the World Government with Mr. Reina, has returned. Has Mr. Reina returned as well?"

“This…” Marco pretended to hesitate for a moment, then nodded and said, “Our cooperation has been very pleasant so far, so I won’t hide it from you. Reina has indeed returned, and we are already planning to take action. If Miss Smoothie and you are also planning to take action, you can go back now. Otherwise, our actions may alert the enemy, and it may be very difficult for you to take action then!”

Smoothie nodded and said seriously, "It seems you have reached an agreement with the World Government, but I still want to remind you that the World Government is not a good person. It's better to cooperate with us than with them! We can continue to cooperate with you on the original terms!"

"Oh?" Marco was taken aback and asked in surprise, "You came here this time... according to the original plan? That means that in this operation, you will follow our orders, and all the spoils of the operation will be ours!"

“Yes, but we need to be fully involved in your operation, and you need to share your objectives and intelligence with us! For example, why are you looking for that thing, and what is its purpose!” Smoothie nodded and replied.

“This…this wasn’t included in the previous agreement!” Marco said, feigning difficulty.

“Captain Marco, we’ve come with real sincerity! We’ve given up all our gains, so at least you should tell us this information, right? Otherwise, why should we work with you?” Smoothie said with a smile.

Chapter 722 Before the Battle

Smoothie's words made Marco fall into deep thought. After a long while, he sighed and said, "I can't answer you right now. Please wait a moment, Miss Smoothie, while I go and call Reina over!"

“Please!” Smoothie replied with a slight smile.

She already knew that the other party would answer like that.

After Marco left, Smoothie immediately took out a makeup mirror and whispered, "Brai, find a way to keep an eye on Marco!"

“No, Smoothie… I’ve searched all the mirrors around here, but I haven’t found any trace of Reina or Whitebeard. They must be deliberately keeping an eye on me!” Brulee’s voice came from the mirror.

"Is that so... Well, there's nothing we can do about it then. But thankfully we have your previous intelligence, so there's a very high chance they'll agree. Be careful not to let them find out!" Smoothie nodded and said.

"Don't worry, they won't find out!" Brulee said confidently.

Meanwhile, Marco, who had left the conference room, went directly to another room where Reina, Ace, and Whitebeard had been staying the whole time.

It turns out that after learning that Smoothie was coming, they had deliberately orchestrated all of this to gain the upper hand in their negotiations with her. They even guessed that Brûlée would eavesdrop on their conversation through the mirror, which is why they deliberately sent Ace out to put on this show.

"So, what did they say?" Ace couldn't help but ask as he saw Marco approaching.

"Just as we expected, they can ask for nothing in return, and without any conditions, but they absolutely need our intelligence!" Marco said with a light laugh.

"First mate, are we really going to share the intelligence with them?" Ace frowned and said, "Let them see it themselves. Anyway, without our explanation, they have no idea what our purpose is."

"But what exactly is our purpose?" Reina asked Ace with a smile.

"Huh?" Ace was taken aback and looked at Reina in surprise.

"Our goal is to defeat the extraterrestrial visitors, but can we do it alone? It's very difficult! So as long as we get our hands on the machine inside the tent and figure out how it works, that's enough. As for the news... what difference will it make if it gets out?" Reina said with a smile. "Besides, wouldn't it be better if the news got out and everyone became more interested in the extraterrestrial visitors?"

Reina's words made Ace realize the reason why Reina did this.

"So what? Should we just agree to their cooperation now?" Marco asked Reina.

Reina shook his head and said, "Of course not. We need to make it clear that they can have all our intelligence, but only after we have it. If our operation fails, then naturally we can't tell them the intelligence. If they agree, then we'll cooperate!"

“In that case… I’m afraid they won’t agree!” Marco said after thinking for a moment.

"Whether we agree or not, we'll have to see what they have to say first!" Reina smiled and stood up. He nodded to Whitebeard first, then led Marco and Ace out. The rest of the negotiations would be between him and Smoothie.

Soon, Reina, who brought Ace and Marco out, met Smoothie, who was waiting for them.

However, just as Marco had expected, Smoothie did not immediately agree when Reina made their request, but instead frowned and thought about it.

“Mr. Reina, as far as I know, the World Government has clearly rejected cooperation with you. Now, your chances of winning are greatest if you cooperate with us!” Smoothie shook her head and said, “Moreover, our cooperation is already very sincere. We don’t want anything else, just intelligence!”

"How about this? We won't tell you the intelligence. You'll follow us and figure out as much as you can! We won't hinder you or deliberately deceive you! In return, we'll each gain something from this operation!" Reina suddenly smiled and suggested, "Let's turn cooperation into a joint operation. You'll be responsible for teleporting us to the tent, how about that?"

“This…” Smoothie was at a loss for words, as this was already beyond her authority.

“Of course, if you can’t decide, you can go back and ask Sister Lingling what she plans to do!” Reina said with a smile.

Smoothie nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll head back now. Please wait for my message, Mr. Reina!"

After Smoothie left, Marco and Ace looked at Reina in surprise, wondering why he had to create another problem and come up with another plan.

"Hehe... If we don't give them any interference, they'll easily figure out what's going on. The Big Mom Pirates are known for their intelligence!" Reina explained with a smile.

"What if they choose to act together?" Ace asked with some concern.

"Hahaha... Impossible! Given Bigom's character, she would never choose to cooperate. Those extraterrestrials can be hunted down at any time, but our intelligence... once it's gone, it's gone!" Reina said with a loud laugh.

Just as Reina had guessed, the next day the Big Mom Pirates sent word, inviting the Whitebeard Pirates to come and discuss cooperation.

"Don't push yourself on this trip! Reina, make sure the doctor is safe!" Whitebeard specifically instructed before they set off.

“Understood, don’t worry, brother!” Reina nodded, then turned to Joz and said, “Without us, I’m entrusting my safety to you! If there’s any emergency, use the psychic scroll I gave you!”

“Okay!” Joz replied seriously.

After bidding farewell to Whitebeard and the others, Reina led the captains and the Doctor toward the area where the Big Mom Pirates were located.

"Well, well, Reina, you've finally arrived!" When Reina and the others arrived, Bigom actually personally greeted them at the port.

"Sister Lingling, I've brought everyone with me. So, have you decided on the cooperation method?" Reina said with a light laugh.

"Of course! I'm very curious about the large entourage you've mobilized! But since you're going into battle, I can only send Brûlée to help you; I won't intervene!" BIGMOM said with a loud laugh.

Reina frowned and said, "Sister Lingling, we don't need your help with the battle on our side, but I hope you can all be on the front lines. You don't need to do anything, just show up and put pressure on them!"

"Oh my god... that won't do!" Bigmom said as he led Reina and the others away, "A sudden full-scale attack would result in losses!"

Chapter 723 Preparing to Take Action

Reina did not refute BIGMOM's words, but accompanied her into the conference room.

After everyone was seated, Reina smiled and said, "So... Sister Lingling isn't planning on cooperating with us properly?"

"Well, well... cooperation has to be mutually beneficial! What will we get if this operation fails? Nothing! If you could tell me the intelligence beforehand, I would naturally send troops to assist you!" BIGMOM said with a strange laugh.

“Oh? But didn’t we give you a chance? If Sister Lingling doesn’t want it herself, you can’t blame us, right?” Reina replied with a smile.

“Opportunity? What opportunity?” BIGMOM slowly lowered his face and said.

In her view, the Big Mom Pirates were at a disadvantage in this collaboration. Even if the operation was successfully completed and they obtained information from Reina, no one knew what that information could actually bring to the Big Mom Pirates.

"It seems Sister Lingling hasn't figured it out yet!" Reina said with a light laugh. "According to my plan, with Sister Lingling leading your Big Mom Pirates' executives to the front lines, the extraterrestrial visitors on the other side will inevitably have to mobilize their entire force to prevent being ambushed by you, right?"

Seeing that Bigom remained silent, Reina continued, "Once you send some of your officers into the battlefield, the enemy will inevitably send out strong fighters as well! But at that moment, we will use Brulee's Mirror World to launch a surprise attack from behind. What do you think their reaction will be then?"

Upon hearing this, BIGMOM's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Given the other party's ability to communicate at any time, as long as what Reina and his group were eyeing was important enough, their strongmen would definitely choose to return to defend immediately!

"Hehe... Their people should be back as soon as possible! But at this time, because some powerful individuals have entered the battlefield beforehand, as long as your officers can hold them off, with Sister Lingling there, wouldn't the luck and power of those powerful individuals be a freebie?" Reina said with a light laugh.

Sure enough, after Reina finished speaking, the executives of the Big Mom Pirates all looked like they suddenly understood. Even Big Mom himself knew that what Reina said was very likely to happen.

“But in that case, wouldn’t we be helping you tie down some of the enemy?” Bigom’s eldest son, Perospero, stepped forward and said.

“Then you can choose not to help and let them leave and come find us!” Ace said before Reina could reply.

“Alright, Ace, we’re here to seek cooperation. Even if we don’t succeed, there’s no need to make things tense. After all, we have a common enemy!” Reina said with a smile, stopping Ace.

BIGMOM glared at his eldest son, Perospero, and said, "Next time you interrupt, you'll be punished according to family rules!"

"I'm sorry, Mom!" Perospero immediately bowed and apologized before returning to the group.

As Big Mom's most favored son, Katakuri stood there without saying a word the whole time. It wasn't until this moment that Big Mom spoke up and asked Katakuri, "Katakuri, what do you think of Reina's proposal?"

“We launch a frontal attack to draw their attention, then Lord Reina takes action, seizing their important possessions and forcing them to retreat. While they are on their way back, we suddenly strike to seize a portion of their destiny power. This is indeed a win-win cooperation!” Katakuri said, slowly stepping forward.

"But we launched the attack, and we provided the route. Can I assume that even without Lord Reina, we could have achieved something using this tactic?"

Reina nodded and said, "After you obtain our intelligence, if it's for hunting for the power of destiny, you can indeed use this method, because there's a prerequisite: you must target what they value, otherwise they won't be in a hurry to defend!"

Katakuri nodded and said, "That's right, so I'm also in favor of this cooperation. After all, it's a win-win situation that benefits us all! However, we need a promise from Lord Reina!"

“What promise?” Reina asked, frowning.

"Just like you wouldn't give us intelligence if the operation failed! After this operation, if we need anything again, your crew must cooperate with us unconditionally! When we need to seize what Lord Reina mentioned, your Whitebeard Pirates must send troops to assist us and draw their attention from the front! Of course, that portion of the luck power will also belong to you!" Katakuri said, a red light flashing in his eyes.

"Well, well, well... Not bad! Reina, if you agree, then this cooperation will be a success!" Upon hearing this, BIGMOM's eyes lit up, and he immediately laughed and said.

Reina and Marco exchanged a glance, then nodded and said, "I see! I understand. But I can only say that if conditions permit, we will fulfill the agreement. After all, it's impossible for us to cooperate whenever you need us! We must negotiate the timing ourselves!"

“Of course!” Katakuri nodded and said.

“In that case, our agreement is complete. Sister Lingling… you can get ready. We’ll take action this afternoon, how about that?” Reina nodded and said.

"Okay, okay... sure!" BIGMOM replied happily with a smile.

In the afternoon, the Big Mom Pirates launched a full-scale attack on the extraterrestrial visitors without any warning. She even appeared on the battlefield herself. Although she did not directly participate in the war, the extraterrestrial visitors quickly dispatched reinforcements to support them.

“Then… let’s get started!” Reina said to Brulee beside him.

"Please follow me!" Brulee said, opening a portal to the Mirror World and allowing the Whitebeard Pirates to enter.

Upon entering the mirror world, Reina immediately began making arrangements.

“Ace, Vista, Laco, you follow me on the attack. I will find the target as soon as we get out and then seize it. You stay by my side and clear any obstacles for me!” Reina then looked at the tall Atmos and instructed, “Atmos, you and Spido Gil are responsible for protecting the Doctor. If the Doctor is harmed in any way, I will hold you responsible!”

After finishing speaking, Reina looked at the others and said, "The rest of you should focus on destruction and defense. If there are many enemies inside, you will be needed to hold them off! If there are no enemies inside, you should quickly form a protective formation to prevent their stronger members from returning!"

"Yes!" the captains nodded in response.