[Cover Page Serial – Straw Hat Crew Arc #8: "The Grave of an Ordinary Mother"]
"In a desolate field swept by cold winds, where grass and trees wither, a newly erected tombstone stands. The Revolutionary Army cadres all have sorrowful expressions. They remove their hats and place their hands on their chests, bowing their heads in mourning."
"At the very front, a man cloaked entirely in dark green silently gazes at the words on the tombstone. He closes his eyes and sighs softly. He then lowers his head and looks at the black-haired baby boy sleeping soundly in his arms with a complex gaze."
...
Commodore Black Wolf's words were already close to laying it out plain.
Help him get the money back?
Of course, but once it passes through his hands, they'll have to be prepared to give up a large portion of it as a sign of respect.
"Oh, right. Go prepare some empty briefcases, little Angie."
Black Wolf exhaled a puff of smoke, smiling leisurely:
"I don't want to leave here looking like a country bumpkin, dragging a big, heavy bag like that…"
"Yes, Uncle Black Wolf."
Angie had already resigned himself to his fate. He nodded obediently and left with two of his most trusted bodyguards.
Without Black Wolf stepping in, he wouldn't have gotten back a single coin anyway.
Now he could keep 40 million for himself, and he could report the rest to his father. It would just be an extra bribe that their family was giving to Branch 172 this year.
"Shameless, the way he rakes in money…" Bellemere frowned deeply, unable to hold back her complaint. "How does a guy like that even deserve to call himself a Marine…?"
Nao looked at the girl with the chestnut-red ponytail with a smile but didn't say anything.
He had been born into the Marine, raised within the Marine—
but he had never once believed that the Marine itself equated to absolute justice.
Everything has a dark side, and the Marines are no exception.
Especially the countless Marine Branches scattered across the world.
Unlike the Headquarters, which had a strict and orderly system, many of these Branches were in a state where the emperor was far away. The more chaotic ones were already rotten to the core.
Dictatorial rule, collusion with pirates, arms trafficking, levying private taxes, extorting civilians… such things were everywhere.
There is nothing new under the sun.
It was just a matter of who was worse.
"Leave only the capital..."
Fujitora looked at Black Wolf and said softly, "And the remaining 85 million Berries, I have to give it all back?"
"Yes."
Black Wolf, cigar in mouth, cast a cold glance at Fujitora.
"I know you've got some skills. You're probably a Devil Fruit user, aren't you? But I suggest you think carefully about what the consequences will be if you dare to defy a Marine's orders."
Beating up those gang thugs was one thing.
But raising a hand against the Marine— that was something else entirely.
Of course, Fujitora understood this. He frowned and remained silent.
At some point, his right hand had drifted to the hilt of the cane-sword at his waist, fingers stroking it gently.
"Mr. Issho…"
The blind old man at his side, unable to bear the tension, tugged at Fujitora's sleeve with a trembling hand. His voice quavered:
"Please, just give them the money. If you become a wanted man because of this, everyone in the village will feel guilty for the rest of their lives..."
"But this is the village's reconstruction fund. It cannot be lost."
Fujitora shook his head and said in a low voice:
"I am already ashamed that I arrived too late to protect the village from Kafia's crew. If I can't even fulfill my promise to help rebuild the village, then…"
"We can find another way, Mr. Issho!"
The thin old man with gray hair pleaded bitterly. "Please don't act recklessly. It's not worth it. And your opponent is Commodore Black Wolf—he's strong. He'll throw you straight into prison!"
So that's why Fujitora had used Observation Haki at full strength today, winning everything without fail?
Nao looked at the thin old man with a thoughtful expression. From what he remembered, Fujitora never cared about money at all — gambling was merely a pastime for him.
If not for helping these poor villagers, not to mention 80 million, even 800 million Berries was nothing but waste paper in his eyes.
"..."
On the other side, Fujitora listened to the desperate pleas by his ear and once again fell into silence.
Attacking a Marine? Becoming a wanted criminal?
Fujitora, who was a wanderer with no one to rely on, truly didn't care about those things. He could just force his way out.
But what would happen to the thin old man after he left? And what about the innocent villagers?
He couldn't afford to offend a local tyrant.
In the end, Fujitora could only let out a quiet sigh. His right hand waved gently, and the heavy money bag at his feet lifted off the ground, swaying through the air as it drifted toward Black Wolf.
"At least you know your place."
Black Wolf had already been waiting impatiently. When he finally saw the bag floating his way, a cold smile curled at his lips. He reached out to grab it.
But just as his fingertips were about to touch the bag—
The bag suddenly floated upward again, slipping past his palm.
"Hm?"
Black Wolf froze for a moment, then his face suddenly turned grim. He turned to Fujitora and said with a blank expression:
"Looks like I'll have to take back what I said earlier. Blind man, the last fool who dared toy with me like this ended up in prison with all four limbs chopped off—kept like livestock, no better than a dog or a pig…"
"…It wasn't me."
Fujitora's expression was even more surprised than his. After a moment, as if he had sensed something, he turned his head with a strange look on his face.
Black Wolf frowned, following his gaze—past the empty gambling tables—until his eyes finally landed on Gion, smiling as she raised her finger.
"Interrupting another's ability with your own… is that stealing the play?"
Beside her, Shia cast her a surprised look and chuckled.
"Not bad, Sister Gion. You can even make objects float from a distance without having to touch them first."
"For now I can only handle small objects."
Gion shrugged.
"A money bag like this, which weighs over a hundred pounds, is pretty much my limit. It's hard to maintain if it's any bigger or heavier. I'm still a long way from mastering it..."
"Everything is difficult at the beginning. If 'Golden Lion' Shiki can do it, you'll be able to do it, too."
The two beautiful women were talking and laughing as if there was no one else around, completely ignoring the menacing Marines and the black-suited bodyguards and thugs.
"..."
Black Wolf's face immediately turned cold.
His long, narrow eyes narrowed further, and just as he was about to speak—Gion casually removed her sunglasses, revealing a delicate, striking face. With a smile, she flicked her finger, and the floating money bag dropped neatly to the floor at her feet.
"Winnings are best kept by the winner himself, old man."
Looking at the stunned Fujitora, Gion grinned.
"By the way, I'm very interested in your Devil Fruit ability. How about we go out and spar later if you're free?"
Feeling the familiar yet strange gravitational fluctuations in the air, Fujitora finally came to his senses and nodded slightly: "I would be happy to."
Black Wolf, on the other hand, had been staring intently at Gion.
That face…
The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed. Suddenly, a flash of memory struck him. He recalled, years ago, when he was just a lowly Marine Lieutenant, he had once traveled aboard a Headquarters Captain's ship en route to his posting at Branch 172.
And that captain…
"Don't tell me you're…"
The face in his memory overlapped with the one before him. Black Wolf's expression turned grim, and he spoke in a low, hoarse, uncertain voice: 'Rear Admiral Gion from Headquarters?'
"Oh my…" Gion looked at him with a half-smile. "What do you think?"
Commodore Black Wolf said nothing, but his face growing uglier.
—It seemed he hadn't mistaken her. If that was the case, then this matter was going to be difficult to handle.
Although his rank was only one level below hers, and with his accumulated military merits every year, it was only a matter of a few years before he would be promoted to Rear Admiral.
But right now, this one rank was enough to suppress him. In addition, her fame and connections were far superior to his…
If Gion couldn't stand it and insisted on intervening, then no matter how unwilling he was, he could only watch the cooked duck fly away and let Fujitora leave with the money.
Damn it…
Black Wolf cursed inwardly, grinding his teeth in frustration—
Wasn't Headquarters supposed to be neck-deep in battles lately? How the hell did this woman still find the time to go off on some sightseeing vacation?
And of all places, she just had to show up here, in the Spring Queen's City, right in front of him…
How should he handle this? Should he secretly negotiate and share a portion with her, or should he act subserviently and meekly on the surface and then settle the score with that blind man after this female Rear Admiral leaves?
Neither seemed like a good option.
His mind spun through countless possibilities, and his gaze, almost unconsciously, swept across the table again. That was when he noticed something—
the two other women and the man sitting with Gion were all dressed in the same local-style clothing as her, like matching couple outfits.
Local custom? Black Wolf pursed his lip. He was about to be tough and propose sharing the money when he suddenly felt like he had overlooked something…
Wait!
A couple's outfit?
Black Wolf suddenly turned his head and looked at Nao, who was watching him with amused interest.
He could ignore the other women with her, but a man coming on vacation with Gion and wearing almost identical casual couple's outfits...
Who else in the entire world would be qualified for that?
The answer was obvious.
A terrifying name surfaced silently in his mind.
Thump. Thump. Thump-thump-thump…
In that instant, Black Wolf could even hear his heart beating violently.His breathing also suddenly became heavy. He stared at the face covered by the large sunglasses. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead.
Damn it!
Damn it, damn it, damn it!
What bad luck did he stumble upon today? He was just trying to get some dirty money. It was bad enough that he was caught by Rear Admiral Gion, but he also ran into her husband?
—That man named Nao Natsuya!
Compared to her, he was on an entirely different level…
This was the man who had successively defeated multiple Warlords of the Sea, toppled several of the Calamities, become the youngest Headquarters Vice Admiral in Marine history, then even fought head-on against two Yonko, racking up brilliant feats that shook the seas. His name blazed as brightly as the stars themselves.
There were already widespread rumors inside the Marine that the higher-ups had long since earmarked him as the next leader of the Marine. Within a few years, once a seat opened up, he was guaranteed to be promoted as the very first choice for Admiral.
And more importantly…
This big shot was infamous for his hatred of evil and his merciless methods.
Black Wolf swallowed hard. He remembered it clearly—just about a year ago, in the West Blue, this same ruthless man had shown no mercy to fellow marines who violated the law.
He had almost wiped out an entire Marine branch, from the highest-ranking officer down, leaving a river of blood!
On that day, the corpses in white uniforms covered the entire base plaza. The sun beat down, and mosquitoes and flies buzzed. The hellish scene horrified anyone who saw it.
And now, here he was…
"It seems I've been recognized too."
Seeing Black Wolf drenched in sweat and frozen in place, not daring to move, Nao shook his head. He simply took off his sunglasses and said with a smile:
"I just wanted to quietly go on vacation and watch a show, but I didn't expect to have this kind of unexpected gain. Commodore, you seem to have a big reputation in this area…"
"Of course!"
An impatient voice suddenly rang out. Angie, who had just finished preparing the empty briefcases, returned to the VIP room with his two personal bodyguards. He sneered when he heard this:
"Does Uncle Black Wolf's reputation even need to be explained? You're a country bumpkin with no sense of awareness…"
He suddenly noticed the money bag at Gion's feet. His eyes instantly turned cold. He casually tossed the empty briefcases in his hands to his subordinates. He twirled his revolver and walked up with a malicious look on his face.
"Hey, what's going on here? Why is the money bag on your side?"
"Young master…"
The black-suited bodyguards who had stayed behind in the room broke out in a cold sweat. Two of them, standing nearby, hurried forward to stop him—but Angie impatiently shoved them aside.
Nao slightly raised his head, looking at the revolver that was right in front of him with a half-smile.
And…
Black Wolf, who was not far away and was frantically winking at him and sweating profusely.
"Not talking, huh?"
Angie sneered. He raised his revolver and aimed it at Nao's forehead:
"Come to think of it, you've been here since the start, haven't you? Don't tell me you're with that blind man? You even dare to rob Uncle Black Wolf's money? I think you're tired of living…
Bang!
Before he could finish the word, Angie suddenly screamed. His body flew backward like a rag doll and slammed hard into the wall several meters away.
"Who?!"
Angie spat a mouthful of blood, his face contorted with rage as he roared:
"Which bastard dares lay a hand on me?! I swear I'll make you—"
But the moment he saw the scene in front of him, his voice came to a halt.
The handsome young master of the crime family was stunned to find that Black Wolf had somehow appeared in the very spot where he had just been standing.
He was slowly drawing back his palm, his expression twisted as if he had swallowed a fly. The look in his eyes was so fierce and violent that it looked like he was going to kill him.
"…"
Angie's legs went weak with fear, and his mind spun in utter confusion.
What did he do to offend Uncle Black Wolf and make him so angry?
That question was quickly answered.
Because the next moment, Angie watched in a daze as the usually sinister and aloof Black Wolf turned his face and met the gaze of the man sitting in the chair with his legs crossed.
He actually showed a fawning and flattering smile that he had never seen before. But perhaps because he was not used to it, the smile looked even uglier than a cry...