"SENGOKU!"
Marineford. The island that served as the headquarters of the Navy, its very name synonymous with the institution itself.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was in his office, awaiting a report on the outcome of the battle against the Black Cat Pirates, an operation that had committed all available top-tier forces from Headquarters. Suddenly, the door was kicked open, and a man burst into the room.
"Is it true!? That a surprise attack has been ordered against that pirate, the Black Cat!?"
It was an act of insubordination that would never be tolerated from a marine, directed at the man who stood at the very pinnacle of their organization. Yet, no one moved to stop him.
"…It is true, Lord Kimlick Pinscher."
"Absurd! What are the higher-ups thinking!?"
The man, who appeared slightly aged, was not a marine, but one of the government's high-ranking officials.
"Call off the attack, Sengoku! If this continues, that pirate will become a true enemy of the World Government! That is a disastrous outcome we cannot afford!"
"I cannot overturn an order from the Government. …I certainly have my own thoughts on this command, but through our recent negotiations, we reached an agreement—"
"'Thoughts'!? An 'agreement'!? That's not it! You only see one side of the situation!"
Sengoku, a man who had risen through the ranks by surviving countless battlefields, remained composed, yet his presence radiated Haki. An ordinary man would have been crushed by the pressure alone, but the official stood his ground, unfazed. He, too, was a man who had survived the treacherous world of politics, rife with conspiracy and assassination.
"Sengoku, you have seen Kuro as a marine, but I have seen him as a government official! I am fully aware of the danger he represents! We cannot make an enemy of that man! To crush his pirate crew, who are like his own limbs and family, is tantamount to throwing away our own assets and inviting disaster!"
"…It is precisely because he is dangerous that the Government has moved to eliminate them."
"And I am telling you that is the wrong move! That man is currently in a state where he is shackled!"
The name Kimlick Pinscher had quietly become known within Marine Headquarters. Unlike Spandine, the director of CP9 whose existence was officially a secret, he was the official with the highest public profile to have earned the trust of the Black Cats. This fact alone made him a person of interest to the ranking officers of the Navy. Some saw him as an official competent enough to earn the trust of the notorious Black Cats, while others viewed him as a disgrace who relied on pirates despite his government position. But they all agreed on one thing: he was one of the few who truly understood the pirate known as Black Cat.
"I know nothing of him as a warrior! You marines know that side of him far better than I! But I know the other sides of him very well!"
For that reason, the man's words were becoming impossible to ignore. Like Spandine of CP9 and Admiral Kuzan, he was someone who had achieved results by working with that pirate, which meant he knew the methods of the Black Cat, one of the government's most troublesome foes.
"Listen to me, Sengoku! That man's true nature is not that of a pirate or a warrior! Nor is it a merchant, as he was trained to be! The core of that man—is a bureaucrat! And a first-class one at that!"
Seeing the man's desperate expression, the marines surrounding Sengoku felt a growing sense of dread.
"He uses his subordinates and lower-level organizations to gather information, grasp the issues, and reconcile them with the reality on the ground. He has an unparalleled talent for taking the intentions of his superiors and manifesting them in a way that is both feasible and yields the greatest benefit!"
Sengoku and the other marines present recalled the diligent work of the boy in the Holy Land, simultaneously managing negotiations between them and the government while overseeing the reconstruction efforts. The boy, who by all rights should have been guided by them, had magnificently organized the situation, deployed personnel, and guided the crisis toward a resolution.
"That is why his current situation, where he must act as a de facto king and make all decisions himself, serves as a fitting restraint on his character! You, of all people, should know that far from being a mere rogue, he is an invaluable asset!"
"…Then, Lord Pinscher, what is the situation you fear?"
"It is obvious! That this operation will be a botched success, that Kuro and his crew will survive, and that they will then drift toward another power, burning with a desire for revenge against the Government!"
The word 'revenge' seemed momentarily disconnected from the pirate they knew—a man who, despite nearly being enslaved, had shown no hatred for the government, and had instead fought for the sake of world order.
(No… after such a cruel betrayal, it would not be surprising if he did seek revenge. That… that is a risk we were prepared to take.)
An image of the soldiers who were with Kuro flashed through Sengoku's mind. He believed they were likely safe due to Kuro's character, but he had sent them off prepared to cut them loose if the worst should happen.
Lord Pinscher, however, as if chiding him for his leisurely thoughts, slammed his hand on the desk and raised his voice even further.
"If you could crush them completely, that would be one thing, but there is no way the organization he built and nurtured is that fragile! If, by some chance, they survive with a thirst for vengeance and join an anti-government force… if Kuro and his subordinates were to fall in with the remnants of the Rocks Pirates, for example! If he were to unleash his full talents for them, that force would become unstoppable! Unstoppable by anyone!"
Ironically, the most dangerous pirate in the world, Rocks, had been defeated at God Valley, an island in the West Blue that was now the eye of a new storm. Most of the fearsome pirates who had served under Rocks had since built unshakable power bases in the New World.
—The very sea where the Black Cats were now isolated.
"We must not allow that pirate to become a true enemy of the Government! His weakness is a sentimentality that makes him try to end conflicts with as few casualties as possible, on both sides! It is because a man who can turn even that weakness into a weapon holds power at the top that the Black Cats are such a beneficial presence!"
Just as he had done with the pirate, Lord Pinscher grabbed the marine, Sengoku, by the shoulders. But unlike those times, when his face had been a mess of tears and snot, his expression was now as fierce as a demon's as he confronted the Fleet Admiral.
"Please, Sengoku! Come with me, now, and appeal directly to the Five Elders!"
"But—"
"Sengoku! Are the lives of marines all you carry on your shoulders!? Is protecting only your soldiers your job!? That is not so!"
This official understood that this was the critical moment.
"Right now, we are on the verge of creating the greatest threat the citizens have ever known!" He was convinced that if a personification of violence who cared nothing for sacrifice were to gain control of Kuro and have him lend his aid to their operations, the amount of blood spilled would be incomparable to the current pirate war.
"With this momentum, we may not be able to stop it. But we might be able to dampen the flames! Sengoku! We exist for the World Government! And by extension, for the citizens! We have a duty to risk our lives for that cause!"
If the Fleet Admiral and the Administrative Vice-Minister of the Environmental Division appealed together, there was a chance the situation could be turned around.
"Please, Sengoku, die with me! If we do not act now—"
Lord Pinscher's words suddenly stopped.
"…? Lord Pinscher?"
Sengoku, concerned, called out to him, but there was no response. He remembered how the man had collapsed from a seizure just days ago after pleading with Kuro to stay with the government. He gently touched the official's shoulder.
At that exact moment, Lord Pinscher gave a small cough, and a trickle of blood dripped from his mouth.
"—! Lord Pinscher!"
Sengoku instinctively caught the official as he began to crumble.
"Damn… you… I was poisoned… Why go so far… for that pirate… The Five Elders…"
"Lord Pinscher, please, don't speak… Someone! Someone get a doctor!"
The soldiers, who had been stunned by the sudden turn of events, snapped to action, rushing to call for a doctor and prepare the infirmary.
"Sengoku… please… the operation…"
Hearing the faint, fading voice, Sengoku reflexively glanced at his own desk. On it was a pile of documents: the draft of a new accord between the Navy and the Government, a new order, that was being finalized in the wake of Kuro's departure.
He found his hand clutching his own coat. Forgetting that it would leave wrinkles, he gripped the fabric tightly, then looked at the marines scrambling to save Lord Pinscher.
"…!"
He clenched his teeth, hard. So hard it felt as if his molars might crack.
"~~~!"
He squeezed his eyes shut and looked up at the sky. A sky he could not see, hidden by the ceiling above.
◆ ◆ ◆
A black suit embroidered with a three-clawed cat, and a sword. The elite Royal Guard, the main fighting force of the Black Cat Pirates and the very symbol of their way of life.
Amelia, a red-haired woman with a short haircut, was one of them. As the second wave of the assault, taking over for Mihawk's team, she cut through the enemy ranks, which had partially reformed during the lull, with effortless ease.
A Devil Fruit user—likely a Gorilla or some other ape-type Zoan—transformed into his powerful hybrid form and charged at her. But by the time his fist swung, she was already gone. In fact, the fist he had swung was gone too. Along with his entire arm.
"Whether they're regular soldiers or government reinforcements… taking out a few ability users here is a big win."
Nukiashi. The 'Silent Step.' Once the moniker of the Black Cat's Director, Kuro, it was now a symbol of the pirate crew itself. Without a sound, without a whisper of wind, Amelia appeared behind the ability user. In the same instant, the man, whose Devil Fruit alone made him a formidable foe, collapsed to the deck, blood gushing from the gash on his back. The marines next to him were cut down as well, sinking into a sea of blood in the blink of an eye.
"Amelia, you're too far forward. You'll be isolated."
"I'm with you and Mizuki, who's almost as good at Nukiashi as the Director. I won't get isolated that easily, will I, Valeria?"
"A 'one-in-a-million' chance can happen at any time. If we fall here, it will affect morale."
"I wanted to take out the ones who might cause that one-in-a-million chance, so cut me some slack…"
The Black Cat soldiers had their own unique formations. Standard soldiers formed five-person squads, while the Royal Guard's basic unit was a three-person cell. The two female soldiers with Amelia caught up to her, protecting each other's backs, and re-formed their three-person line to hold the marines at bay.
The marines had the overwhelming advantage in numbers. They were equipped with brand-new sabers and the latest rifles, and some ability users were mixed in among their ranks. Despite this, in close-quarters combat, they were being utterly crushed. They hadn't managed to land a single scratch on the three seemingly slender women. The moment they raised their rifles, their arms were severed. When they attacked with swords, they were no match. And those who tried a surprise attack with their abilities had their throats or backs slit, dying before they knew what had happened.
"…Incoming."
"Scatter!"
At the whisper from the black-haired Royal Guard member who had been silently guarding their rear, the squad leader, a long-red-haired woman named Valeria, shouted. In that instant, the three women vanished without a sound. Simultaneously, a pillar of fire erupted where they had been standing.
The three, having dodged the fiery column that had no place in a normal naval battle, took up defensive stances at a distance, their eyes fixed on the pillar of fire—or rather, the marine who looked like a pillar of fire.
"…A familiar face. To think I would face you as an enemy."
Admiral Akainu. Now that battle was unavoidable, he was one of the highest-ranking officers of the very Marine forces they had been fighting alongside until just days ago. And for the members of the Royal Guard, he was their former superior officer.
"…Regardless of the circumstances, we are pirates. We were prepared to cross blades with you," Valeria said, stepping forward and bowing. Among the Royal Guard, which was mostly composed of former recruits and new soldiers, Valeria had been treated as an officer candidate, much like Corporal Hina was now. She had known Sakazuki when he was still a Vice Admiral. The other two remained on guard, wary of a surprise attack, but Admiral Akainu made no move. The surrounding marines were frozen, pinned by the Haki radiating from both Akainu and the Royal Guard.
"But why such a sudden move? And involving the Mopuchi royal family, no less."
"…There is nothing I can tell you. As a marine, I will simply crush you pirates."
From his words, the three Royal Guard members inferred that an unforeseen order had come down from on high. The other two had never spoken to him directly until this encounter as enemies. But if the rumors they had heard about him were true, he would never have hesitated to speak against pirates.
"Die quietly! It will be a mercy!"
His right arm began to swell. It was a blow that would mean instant death upon a direct hit, even for the Royal Guard, who had survived training that could have killed them in an instant, sparring with the god-speed Captain Kuro, the great swordsman Mihawk, the fish-man karate master Hack, and now even the Dark King Rayleigh.
But—
—All hands, prepare!
A girl's shout echoed from behind the three women. In that instant, the Royal Guard vanished.
"Target, Admiral Akainu!"
On the deck of a pirate ship that had approached unnoticed, soldiers manned water hoses, led by a young girl.
"Commence water barrage!"
◆ ◆ ◆
A deafening hiss erupted.
(Honestly, that Master of ours… Who would think of using seawater as ammunition? It's a pain to maintain the equipment, but it's certainly convenient.)
A cloud of white smoke, so thick one might mistake it for a firefighting operation, billowed up from the deck of the enemy warship. To be precise, it was seawater, vaporizing at a tremendous rate. Amidst the hissing of the evaporating water and the obscuring steam, the sound of something popping could be heard here and there. The Royal Guard, having fallen back, kept their guard up, eliminating the marines who were trying to rush to Akainu's side.
(During the battle with Germa, I thought our Master was an eccentric for happily confiscating ordinary items like food storage units instead of weapons. But to think he would turn them all into tools of war… Is he a genius or just… No, he's definitely an eccentric.)
"The steam makes for a good smokescreen. Good. Douse the other marines as well and support Valeria's team. Soaking them and chilling their bodies should be enough to slow them down. Also, signal the other ships to attack. While we have Akainu pinned down, they will assault the other vessels and whittle down the enemy further."
At Hancock's words, one of her soldiers—an archer she had personally trained—nocked a whistling arrow and fired it toward the rear. Hearing the distinctive high-pitched sound, the other pirate ships following the flagship broke formation and turned toward their next targets. The enemy marines, who had expected Akainu's first strike to settle the matter, were slow to react, and their morale was wavering after seeing one of their ships' forces so easily crushed by Mihawk's team.
"Empress, can this ship hold Admiral Akainu on its own?"
Her two sisters and Galdino, who usually served as her aides, were on other assignments. The Royal Guard member who was filling in for them now asked the question. Hancock let out a small sigh.
"If we commit too many forces, we risk having them all sunk at once by his magma ability. We need a victory, but the situation does not permit us to take heavy casualties. That is why we have resorted to this water-spraying tactic, one of our Master's most unconventional strategies."
The key to this battle was to break the morale of the pro-engagement faction of the Navy, and if possible, to wear down their troublesome main forces, forcing them to retreat. However, Hancock was refraining from using her Love-Love ability, which could neutralize most of the enemy forces, because she felt it was necessary to show the marines the strength of the Black Cat 'soldiers' in this battle.
(The fact that we cannot contact our Master means he has been swept away to another sea, not the West Blue—likely somewhere in the Grand Line. We must go and retrieve him as soon as this battle is over, but that will require dividing our forces.)
The West Blue—Mopuchi—was the Black Cats' most important base, and if their plans proceeded as intended, it would become a key hub on the route from the New World. They could not simply abandon it, and protecting it would require a deterrent force. She had considered trying to inflict heavy casualties here and now, but after considering the possibility of further enraging the Navy, she had concluded that such a tactic was not advisable.
"…Hmm, if cooling magma causes it to solidify somewhat, then seawater should be even more effective. If the Royal Guard can hold him down, then only Zephyr will remain. I thought it would come down to a melee between our remaining soldiers and theirs, but… perhaps that was too naive."
Therefore, if they could repel the forces of Marine Headquarters primarily through tactics involving their soldiers, they would gain a military prestige that would not be underestimated, even if they had to divide their forces later. Mihawk, who was also moving as part of a group whenever possible to give the soldiers combat experience, thought the same. But battles rarely go as planned.
An exceptionally large explosion erupted, blasting the seawater away. The blast was so massive that the vaporized water reached Hancock's flagship as a mist. For an ability user, a mist of seawater was a harsh environment. Before it could reach her, a Royal Guard cell stepped forward, and their blades flashed from their sheaths. With a sound too sharp for merely cutting through air and water, they cleared the space around them, and their vision returned.
—…That's quite a disrespectful thing to do.
They had sliced away the seawater mist, and though a lingering chill remained, it too was quickly blown away. In its wake came a wave of heat intense enough to incinerate everything.
"It is because we are so wary of you. I will not ask for your forgiveness. But I am sorry." Hancock removed her admiral's coat and handed it to a subordinate.
"I know. You are a warrior, are you not? If I could, I would have liked to fight you without such tricks."
At Hancock's words, Akainu, now completely dry but covered in burnt salt, snorted in displeasure. Hancock began to clad her body in Haki. Akainu's body began to bubble with red heat once more.
One, an Admiral of Marine Headquarters. The other, the Empress of the Black Cat Pirates' First Fleet. It was no exaggeration to say that whichever of them fell would decide the outcome of this naval battle.
"…There is no need to concern yourself. After all—"
The Royal Guard who had already boarded the Marine ship surrounded Akainu, ready to draw their swords at a moment's notice to cover Hancock as she leaped across. Amidst them, Akainu lit the cigar in his mouth with his ability, took a puff, and then—
An explosion erupted in the sea nearby. Right where another Marine warship had just begun to engage their forces.
"We have our own tricks up our sleeves."
"…I see. Well played. Then again, I would expect no less from one who stands alongside Kuzan."
—There were some injuries, but thanks to Kris and Mihawk's intervention, the damage is minor! The fish-men are recovering the ones who fell into the sea now!
Hancock had been momentarily alarmed, but a whisper in her ear from Robin, using her ability, reassured her that the damage was not enough to decide the battle. She managed to calm herself.
"You used your own ship as a bomb to stop our advance, did you not?"
"If that man had been here, he might have noticed, little girl."
"…Perhaps."
She used her Observation Haki to sense her surroundings. The Marine warship—or rather, two of them, which must have been packed with explosives—had been blown to smithereens. But the large, sharp fragments were now floating in the sea, making it difficult for her fleet to pursue. And they also had to rescue the wounded.
"You have skillfully divided our forces."
◆ ◆ ◆
"Target, the Black Cat flagship! We're going straight in!"
At the head of the warship that had taken on the crew of the ship sacrificed to halt the enemy, Special Admiral Zephyr roared, inspiring his troops.
(The Black Cat pirates' goal is not the annihilation of the Navy, but to wear us down and repel us!)
Seeing their initial water-based interception, Zephyr had made that judgment.
(They need more time before they can engage in an all-out war with the Navy. Therefore, they would avoid a battle of annihilation that would unnecessarily incite the soldiers' desire for revenge. But to think they had the discipline and the strategy to make that possible… I did not see that coming!)
Their goal was not to kill the enemy soldiers, but to kill their will to fight. It was easy to say, but to command and execute such a strategy was incredibly difficult. Yet, the Black Cat fleet had done it. They had neutralized the deadly ability of Admiral Akainu not with another ability user, but with regular soldiers and conventional weaponry. The follow-up was left to the Royal Guard, whose members were widely known to be former marines, and they had kept the damage to their own ships at zero. The half-baked Six Powers users who had been sent as reinforcements from the Government were particularly shaken, as they had likely thought their job would be easy. They were even more so after witnessing the forces of the ship that had been concentrated with these reinforcements being so easily crushed by the First Fleet, the one with the serpent added to the three-clawed black cat on its flag.
(Damn the World Government! They do nothing but cause unnecessary trouble!)
The separate nine-ship detachment of the West Blue's finest, which had been prepared to seize Mogwa, which was likely in the Black Cats' hands, was also silent. Mogwa was close to Mopuchi, the Black Cats' most important base. The engagement with the interception fleet that had surely been waiting for them must be dragging on. If they had been victorious, they would have already turned to flank the Black Cats here. Zephyr scowled.
"Ignore the enemy cannon fire! Its intensity is much lower than their full capacity! And those long-range cannons from Mogwa put too much strain on their medium-sized ships!" Zephyr knew the performance of the cannons produced in Mogwa well. If fired horizontally, the recoil would be immense, putting a heavy burden on the hull.
"And their flagship is barely moving! From the looks of the water hoses hanging all over its hull, and the fact that they were able to fire such a powerful stream for so long, they must have pumped and compressed a massive amount of seawater into tanks on board! The ship must be incredibly heavy! We have the advantage in mobility!"
"We will capture their commander, 'Blade Steel,' and end this battle!"
"Charge! Men of the Navy!"
◆ ◆ ◆
—Enemy fleet, heading straight for us! Commander confirmed as Admiral Zephyr!
—We can't cool the barrels fast enough, the strain is making our trajectories unstable! It's hard to correct! Ah, damn it!
—Use seawater for cooling if you have to! The enemy's skill is lower than expected! Keep up the pressure even if the cannons burn out!
Amidst the roar of their cannons firing in response to the approaching ships, the boy pirate stood on the flagship, his eyes closed.
"Horohorohoro! So they won't let us end this so easily, huh!" The girl with the parasol laughed her signature laugh as she doubled the number of ghosts floating around her, preparing to intercept the enemy.
"A straight line, without hesitation. They know our ship is heavy, Daz. And that we've reduced our firepower."
"Daz, what's the order?" the black-haired girl asked, looking anxious after confirming and reporting the status of the First Fleet.
'Blade Steel' slowly opened his eyes.
"Order Troy and Kika's squadrons to intercept. They are to harass and disrupt the remaining approaching fleet. However, they are to ignore the ship carrying Admiral Zephyr."
The black-haired girl nodded firmly and used her ability to issue the orders to the surrounding ships. A few vessels that were not equipped with the water-spraying devices and thus had more firepower hoisted their sails and began to move forward.
"Amis."
"Sir."
"I am deploying all Royal Guard members except those protecting Robin and Perona. Are you ready?"
"We are."
"Good."
"We will meet them head-on. Let's go."
***
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