Grand Line, First Half - Marine G-2 Branch.
"Faster!"
"Don't overstep!"
"Don't use all of your strength; you have to be ready to defend at any time!"
"..."
In a spacious training yard, Cross was holding a bamboo sword, engaging in a fight with Hirakawa and Baby-5, who were also wielding bamboo swords.
Or rather, it was a practice session.
Most of the time, Cross only defended and didn't attack, allowing Hirakawa and Baby-5 to surround and attack him. At most, when he saw a significant opening in their defense, he would suddenly strike them.
However, he was very measured in his attacks, ensuring they only felt pain and weren't actually hurt.
"Weapon-morphosis: Pistol Leg!"
Suddenly, Baby-5 took a step back, turned her foot into a pistol, and fired three shots at Cross.
Cross's expression didn't change. His bamboo sword moved slowly but precisely, striking the fast-approaching lead bullets and slicing them in half as if it were a real blade.
Then, in the next second, Cross's sword flashed out and struck Baby-5's left leg as she stood on one foot, knocking her to the ground with a loud thud. He then struck Hirakawa's right arm, knocking the bamboo sword out of his hand.
"That was a good sneak attack, but next time, don't use your Devil Fruit ability without my permission! And Hirakawa, pick up your sword and continue!"
"Yes, Cross-san!"
Baby-5 gritted her teeth, rubbed her left leg where the sword had hit, and quickly stood up to continue her assault on Cross with her bamboo sword.
Hirakawa's eyes were filled with tears, but he pitifully picked up his sword and rejoined the attack.
Seeing this, Cross secretly nodded and continued to train the two young ones.
Even though Hirakawa was a boy and wanted to be a real man and a samurai, he was brought to tears after taking just two hits.
But Baby-5, despite being a girl, endured it. Even though she was in pain, she held back her tears and bit her lip, not letting a single tear fall.
Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...
Suddenly, a Den Den Mushi in Cross's pocket rang.
Cross frowned, swept his bamboo sword in a circle to neutralize the two bamboo swords coming at him, and said, "That's enough for now. Go take a break."
"Yes, Cross-san!"
"Yes, Cross-san!"
Hirakawa and Baby-5 both let out a sigh of relief, responding in unison.
Cross nodded, casually dropped the bamboo sword on the ground, and walked to the other side while pulling out the Den Den Mushi.
Click.
"Moshi moshi. Is that Cross? It's Borsalino."
"It's me. Weren't you with Dr. Vegapunk? How do you have time to call me?" Cross asked curiously, hearing the familiar voice from the Den Den Mushi.
"Ah, well, you see, there's a problem at one of the World Government's secret research bases. It seems a test subject went out of control. The World Government wanted me to go provide support, but I'm currently working with Dr. Vegapunk on a series of weapon experiments, and I'm a bit tied up. So, I recommended you to Marine Headquarters and the World Government!" Borsalino said in his usual slow, relaxed tone.
"This is just them wanting us Marines to clean up their mess!" Cross said with a look of disdain. "But since you're asking, I'll go. The problem is, only you would know the exact location of a top-secret research base like that. How do I get there?"
"I have the Log Pose in my office. It's in the third drawer on the right and has a label that says 'Hive.' You're a lifesaver, Cross!" Borsalino said with a chuckle. "But don't worry, after this mission, I'll give you a one-month vacation. I heard you have a hot spring island membership card, so you can go relax there!"
"Hearing you say that, I'm suddenly motivated!" Cross said with a laugh. "Leave it to me. I'm on my way!"
Click.
The Den Den Mushi closed its eyes and fell silent again.
....
Calm Belt.
World Government Secret Research Base, Codename: Hive!
Location: Top Secret!
BOOM!!!
A deafening sound, like a thunderclap, shook the entire island.
A huge gap had been blown open on the side of the tallest mountain in the middle of the island. Countless chunks of rock and dirt flew out, raining down on the lush forest and kicking up a massive cloud of smoke.
At that moment, a humanoid monster covered in a milky-white chitinous shell glided through the air. Four membranous wings, two large and two small, that were thin and transparent, with visible veins, sprouted from its back. It flew swiftly and disappeared into the dense forest.
Alux's goal was clear: he was heading for the island's port.
Although he could fly, it was only for short distances. Crossing the sea was out of the question. He had to steal a ship at the port to get out of the Calm Belt.
Of course, the reason the World Government was able to build a base on an island in the Calm Belt was that it was located at the very edge of the zone, not far from the nearest main sea route, making it easy to transport people and supplies.
The World Government's scientists had also developed a stimulant that, when sprayed all over a ship, could effectively repel Sea Kings.
However, this special stimulant evaporated quickly in the air. A 1,000ml bottle would have to be sprayed every hour to prevent more Sea Kings from being attracted.
"This is the Forest Wolf Unit. We've located the test subject! It's moving quickly toward the port!"
"Awoooo—"
Suddenly, a pack of giant wolves the size of calves moved swiftly through the dense forest. Each wolf was ridden by a knight in a blue uniform, armed with a blunderbuss or a cutlass. They began to encircle Alux from all directions.
They were the rapid response unit of the Hive base. Their mounts, called "Forest Giant Wolves," were special wolves that had been genetically enhanced. Ganshi had created them as biological weapons to protect the base.
These Forest Giant Wolves had great strength, speed, and a keen sense of smell, allowing them to quickly track and hunt down escaped test subjects. Their numbers were limited, with only 500 official Forest Wolf Knights in total.
"Tch! A bunch of useless dogs!"
Alux's bloodshot eyes blazed as he rampaged through the dense forest, smashing through one towering tree after another that would take several people to wrap their arms around.
Rumble! Rumble!
The sounds of trees crashing down echoed through the lush forest. Large sections of the ancient trees toppled, slamming into the ground and kicking up clouds of dust and smoke.
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