The night was pitch-black. The sea was pitch-black. Together, they wove into a vast celestial net of darkness, where only the flickering lights upon Silent Island shimmered faintly, mirroring the distant stars above.
A spindle-shaped warship appeared in view, heaving up and down amidst the icy waves. Not a single lantern glowed aboard; one could barely see a hand before one's face.
Yet the shadowy figures upon the deck—those true bodies concealed within the gloom—had already grown accustomed to the stingy light bestowed by the waning moon and scattered starlight. By that dim glow, they could faintly discern the outline of Silent Island.
With a faint whoosh, someone struck a match, lighting a lantern. They quickly draped a cloth over it so that only a smothered, murky glow seeped out—yellow and subdued.
After a long while, Bobbin lowered his monocular, turning his head as the long white cloth across his face rustled.
"Lord Cracker," he reported, "the enemy's main base that our scouts located in daylight—it's right on that island."
"You're sure of that? Don't tell me you've mixed up the directions and found the wrong island."
Bobbin waved his hands in alarm. "No mistake, no mistake, my lord!"
"I'll trust you this once… We can't get any closer, then?" Cracker—still disguised in his soldier-of-biscuits form—frowned with clear dissatisfaction.
"Any closer and they'll spot us," Bobbin replied helplessly. "Even in daylight, our scouts nearly gave themselves away."
Indeed, any large fleet movement would immediately draw the attention of the Davy Jones Deep-Sea Fleet. For that reason, only a handful of scouts with flight or Moonwalk ability had been dispatched.
After roughly locating Silent Island's position, they had nearly collided head-on with a patrolling enemy ship.
They barely managed to hide and then returned to report.
Once the intel was received, the Big Mom Pirates' core group, burning for vengeance, decided to rest only half a day before launching a pre-dawn raid.
They intended to strike exactly as their foes had done—to "blossom from within" Silent Island, sowing chaos and catching Davy Jones off guard, letting him truly witness the terror of the Charlotte Family.
Cracker turned suspiciously toward Brûlée. "Brûlée, is this range far enough?"
"Plenty, Brother Cracker."
The grotesque-faced Brûlée, marked by a diagonal scar and grinning like a witch, bared her teeth. "Both islands are within the reach of my Mirror-Mirror Fruit's range."
The "two islands" she spoke of—one was Silent Island, now before them, and the other was the Charlotte Archipelago, the temporary base of the Big Mom fleet.
Brûlée was the lynchpin of this entire operation.
Cracker had come personally not only to atone for his previous failure but also to ensure Brûlée's safety—lest Katakuri tear him apart should anything happen to her.
Before Brûlée stood a massive mirror, its surface glinting faintly in the dark. It was her "Magic Mirror."
Through her ability, she had already linked this mirror to another stationed on the Charlotte Archipelago, creating a "Mirror World passage" between them.
Now, she only needed to connect this mirror to one on Silent Island—then the two islands would be seamlessly joined through the Mirror World.
Once that was done, the Charlotte army could appear in Davy Jones' territory without a trace—storming in and slaughtering at will!
"Then get to it, Brûlée," Cracker said with a vicious grin, his sword and shield clashing with an eager clang.
"Alright, Brother Cracker."
Brûlée pressed both hands upon the mirror's surface; it rippled like disturbed water.
"Give me a moment. I'm searching for a mirror on that island…"
Cracker, Bobbin, and the others all held their breath, not daring to disturb her concentration.
After a moment's searching within the Mirror World, Brûlée frowned. "That's strange. I can only find one intact mirror on the entire island. The rest… seem to have been shattered."
"Then connect to it!" Cracker barked impatiently, desperate to redeem himself.
"But what if it's a trap?" Brûlée hesitated. "Brother Cracker, let me confirm first."
Cracker furrowed his brow but relented. "Fine."
Brûlée turned back and stepped into the Mirror World.
It was a bizarre, shifting realm—space warped and twisted, with countless mirrors either floating freely or embedded in the air. Each mirror led to a different nearby location.
She located the one that represented Silent Island and peered inside.
On the other side lay an interior room, empty and silent, with only a few flickering candles casting a faint glow.
Was it truly empty… or a trap?
She couldn't be sure—and she didn't dare to risk it. If she ventured in and got captured, she'd have no way to explain herself.
Being caught wasn't what frightened her—Katakuri would surely come to save her—but if her capture ruined the surprise attack and caused the operation to fail, she'd never forgive herself.
Just as she hesitated, a voice called out behind her:
"Brûlée, well? What did you see?"
—Huh?!
Startled, Brûlée spun around. Seeing that it was Cracker, she sighed in relief.
"Brother, you scared me half to death!"
The impatient Cracker had already led several Charlotte family members and soldiers into the Mirror World after her.
"Well? What's it look like?" he pressed. "Where does the mirror lead? Any enemies? Any ambushes?"
Brûlée answered one by one:
"Not sure. It seems to lead inside one of their buildings. But I didn't see a single enemy. Still… if they know about my ability, this could very well be a trap."
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she grew. Why had every other mirror been shattered—except this one, perfectly intact?
It was a bad omen—like someone was waiting for them to step through.
"Maybe it's just coincidence," Cracker said, licking his lips, though even he sounded unconvinced. Then he smirked. "Want to find out? Easy. Let's test it."
"Test it?" Brûlée looked at him, puzzled. "How?"
Cracker gave a cold snort, turned around, and grabbed Bobbin by the collar.
"L-Lord Cracker?" Bobbin yelped in panic, like a cat caught by the scruff. "What did I do wrong this time? Please—give me another chance!"
"You've done nothing wrong," Cracker said, "but I need you to do me a little favor."
With that, he hurled the short, chubby man like a ball straight through the mirror.
Bobbin tumbled through and crashed onto the floor beyond, groaning and clutching his bruised rear before struggling to his feet.
Cracker focused his Observation Haki on the other side, sensing only Bobbin's flustered breathing—no other presences. He relaxed.
No enemies.
Realizing the same, Bobbin's heart sank. He now understood exactly why Cracker had thrown him in. But he still fulfilled his duty, glancing around warily before signaling an "all clear" back through the mirror.
"Advance! Advance!"
Cracker's eyes gleamed. Pushing Brûlée aside, he lunged forward, the first to leap through the mirror and emerge in the quiet chamber beyond.
He looked up—a spiral staircase wound upward into the shadows.
A tower, he thought.
His troops poured out behind him, moving on tiptoe, careful not to make a sound that might spoil their surprise attack.
Only Brûlée remained behind in the Mirror World to relay the all-clear signal back to the Charlotte Archipelago, summoning the rest of the forces.
Cracker held his breath, activating Observation Haki once more. Outside, he sensed many chaotic auras—it had to be the enemy's main base, without a doubt.
"Follow me!" Cracker barked, raising his sword high.
"Catch them off guard! Before Katakuri and Smoothie arrive—we'll seize this place ourselves!"
The soldiers no longer hid their presence, raising their weapons and shouting in unison:
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Cracker spat onto the floor, then led the charge, kicking open the door and storming outside.
But before they could even find their footing, the blaze of torches outside blinded them, dazzling their eyes.
Cracker squinted, then opened his eyes wide again—and froze.
Before him stretched a sea of enemies. Davy Jones's forces had surrounded them completely, with more troops rushing in by the second.
There was no ambush to be sprung—no surprise raid to be had.
The enemy had been ready all along, lying in wait for them to walk straight into the trap.
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