—"...nnect...ing..."—
—"Daz! Can you hear me?!"
—"Cap...tain...! We... read you! Are you alright?!"
"URGENT! URGENT! We've intercepted a communication from the pirate 'Black Cat'!"
"There's no mistake, it's Captain Kuro himself!"
The sudden news threw Marine Headquarters into a state of chaos. The pirate who had single-handedly defeated Admiral Kizaru. The boy who was once the Marines' greatest benefactor and had now become their greatest enemy. The fact that he had survived the uncharted waters of the New World and reached a location where communication was possible brought a complex expression to Fleet Admiral Sengoku's face. They had committed a terrible betrayal against the very person with whom they had hoped to form a secret alliance.
"I have a lot I want to ask and talk about, but first, a captain's order! Do you have all personnel assembled?!"
"Yes, all senior officers are here. What do you need?"
"Expand the number and operational range of our patrol fleets to their absolute maximum, immediately! And if you spot any Government ships—"
"—Attack without hesitation! I'm not saying you have to sink them!!"
Sengoku clenched his fist instinctively.
—"Right now! We're on the brink of whether or not the greatest threat to the civilian populace will be born!"
He remembered the face of the man who had seen through the Black Cat's utility and danger, the man who had come to him directly. The very situation that man, who now lay hovering between life and death in a hospital, had feared was about to come to pass.
"Captain, is this... retaliation?"
"It'd be a lie to say I don't feel that way, but we have bigger problems!"
And yet, there was no trace of anger in the voice coming through the speaker. Instead, it was filled with urgency and fear. The soldiers monitoring the transmission also seemed to sense something strange in his tone, their faces clouding with confusion.
"Just give the orders, Daz!"
"Something terrible might be happening!!"
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
At the sudden communication and orders from their long-awaited captain, Daz and Royal Guard Captain Amis, who had been reviewing the agenda for the afternoon meeting, exchanged a look. In the next instant, their expressions hardened. Amis shouted orders to the Royal Guard to prepare for departure and ran outside, heading for the port.
"Captain, Amis is on her way to assemble the patrol units. What's going on?"
"The Holy Land was attacked."
"Yes, we heard."
"I believed the pirates' objective in attacking the Holy Land and burning its supplies and facilities was to stir up unrest among the member nations."
They had indeed heard something to that effect just before their battle with the Marines, around the time Admiral Aokiji, Kuzan, had been recalled to Headquarters. The Holy Land required more supplies, and they would be collected even from the nations that had been spared the last levy.
"But I thought that while that would certainly put pressure on the world situation, it was unlikely to be a fatal blow. That's why I helped organize the Holy Land's reconstruction efforts, to minimize the burden on each nation. I thought that would be enough to thwart Shiki's plans to some extent."
The Black Cats' senior officers knew this as well. During their regular communications, Kuro had constantly checked on the status of the member nations in the West Blue, asking how much the lives of their people were being strained.
"Captain, that's not like you. What was the enemy's real objective?"
Normally, Kuro would get straight to the point. But now, he was speaking without organizing his thoughts, a rare occurrence that sent a slight chill down Daz's spine.
"It's simple! The previous levies had already laid the fuse. All that was left was to deliver the final blow!"
"The enemy's goal... was to drive a large number of Celestial Dragons out of the Holy Land!!"
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
Damn it all! Of all the things I could have overlooked, it had to be an off-the-board tactic! Was it a mistake to think of the Celestial Dragons as nothing more than a nuisance? I knew they could be used as pieces, damn it!
"The Celestial Dragons are widely known for their tyranny, but the reason large-scale riots are rare isn't just because an Admiral will be dispatched. The biggest reason is that they rarely leave the Holy Land."
If scoundrels of that caliber were constantly causing trouble outside, a Revolutionary Army would have formed long ago!
"Once they're out, their tyranny is like a natural disaster. But for the common people in peacetime, the rulers who oppress them are the kings of their own nations. The royalty in each region act as a cushion for the people's resentment towards the Celestial Dragons."
There are probably more than a few kings who think that as long as they pay the Heavenly Tribute, they can do whatever they want to their people to ensure their nation's survival!
"The powerful who are untouchable versus the powerful who are visible and accessible. It's obvious which one is easier to strike!"
"...I see. So that's why they're a cushion."
"That's right. They're a wedge for division, and at the same time, a dam to suppress discontent with the World Government. They hold back a certain amount of the resentment born from poverty and hunger caused by the massive Heavenly Tribute."
A king who obediently follows the Celestial Dragons will be scorned as their puppet and become the primary target of hatred. A king who shows defiance or hostility will be pressured with the Heavenly Tribute and other means, and can be framed as a 'foolish ruler who brought poverty by disobeying the Celestial Dragons.' And in the case of a wealthy member nation that can afford the tribute, the populace probably doesn't even think much about the Celestial Dragons.
—Not until the damage directly affects them.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
The intercepted pirate communication echoed through the office, patched in from the communications room. The voice was not that of the commander who had led the charge against the overwhelming zombie army, but that of an ordinary boy. Yet, the terrifying content of his words was enough to make anyone listening turn pale.
"Wait a minute, Captain. Even if they are Celestial Dragons, they still stand above the member nations. To think they would do something to worsen the situation at a time like this—"
"This isn't one of their usual excursions or inspections. The 'lower world' people, as they call them, have ravaged their Holy Land. They must be feeling quite displeased with the people of the lower world."
"Pirates and civilians are completely differ—... no, I see."
"That's right. To a Celestial Dragon, there's not much difference. They might have some sense of distinction, but they're not the type to care. And right now, they have, to a greater or lesser extent, a victim mentality."
At the mention of a "victim mentality," Fleet Admiral Sengoku grimaced, while Vice Admiral Tsuru glared at the Transponder Snail with a look of utter defeat. As Marines who frequently dealt with the victims of pirate attacks, they understood all too well how difficult a problem a victim mentality was to resolve. And now, with their sacred Mariejois burned and trampled, that mentality was surely ablaze with rage.
When Kuro was assisting with the reconstruction efforts in the Holy Land, a combination of the Government's fear of a complete break with the Marines, Kuro's own skill, and Fleet Admiral Sengoku's authority had managed to keep the potentially chaotic movements of the Celestial Dragons to a minimum.
But now. Now—
"If the Celestial Dragons start running rampant all over the place, it'll light the fuse that's already been set!"
The one man who could have been the most help in resolving this situation had become, in both name and reality, a complete enemy of the Government. Just when Sengoku and Tsuru had let their guard down, thinking such a terrible move would never be made, the worst possible order had come down. Now, even with all of Sengoku and Tsuru's skill, joining forces with him would be difficult.
"We have to drive the Celestial Dragons back before that happens! They have this notion that commoners should unconditionally obey them, and at the same time, that they deserve to be loved! That's why they'll do anything! It wouldn't be surprising if they destroyed a country! The more Celestial Dragons there are outside, the harder it will be to control the information when something happens! The situation is already complicated enough...!"
"...And that's why you'll attack them, to make them think the lower world isn't safe and force them to retreat."
"Exactly. If the populace gets riled up in this situation, it'll be more than just a small fire!!"
And so, in a situation where the Marines—precisely because they were the Marines—could not act, the very boys who had been branded as criminals were preparing to stand against the threat.
"Prepare yourself, Daz!"
"An innocent evil is about to be unleashed!!!"
Just as the pirate's declaration ended, a violent knock rattled the door of the office.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
Daz Bonez looked at the faces of the other senior officers. Perona seemed unfazed, but Tesoro, Galdino, and Taki—those who knew a thing or two about the world—had turned pale. Mihawk and Rayleigh's complexions hadn't changed, but their expressions were grim. Crocodile, on the other hand, was smirking as he stared at the Transponder Snail connected to Kuro.
Even looking at their faces, the situation didn't feel real. He felt a strange, light-headed sensation, like when he was down with a fever. In the midst of their struggle to calm the people in their territory and restore order, if another great conflict that would engulf everything—one that would surpass the Pirate Alliance incident—were to break out, what would happen?
He didn't know. He couldn't imagine. But as the acting commander in Kuro's absence, he had to think it through.
(Amis and the others are heading out on patrol, but their main purpose is to deter the Celestial Dragons. I'll also need to prepare a fleet to maintain order within our territory... Troy and Kika should be assigned to the deterrent force in case of a large-scale battle... In that case, this will be Taki's first assignment.)
He knew it was highly likely that the Marines were listening in. That was precisely why he couldn't afford to show any weakness here. He had to ask only what was absolutely necessary, get the information he needed to guide their future actions, and then cut the communication.
Just as Daz came to this conclusion and was thinking about what he needed to ask, the door creaked open. The entrance was guarded by the Royal Guard. The only ones who could enter so freely were, of course, those with clearance.
"Kuro."
The one who entered was not a member of the Black Cat Pirates, but a gangster who was nevertheless permitted inside the Black Cat Manor. Capone Bege walked in with his men. Uncharacteristically, he wasn't smoking his usual cigar.
"Bege! Perfect timing, I have a favor to ask of you—"
"Yeah, I heard the gist of it. ...But," Bege interrupted.
"You're a little too late, Kuro."
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
The Superia Kingdom. A member of the World Government and one of the great powers of the West Blue. Alongside its neighbor, the Rigalo Kingdom, it was a nation that had grown enormous by currying favor with the Celestial Dragons. It was the nation that Captain Kuro had designated as the most critical defensive point during the Pirate Alliance incident, and had defended with all his might.
As a result, it now held a massive stockpile of food, the current lifeline of the West Blue. It had been scheming to use this to strengthen its influence over other nations and gain an edge over its virtual enemy, the Rigalo Kingdom.
—As it turned out, that greed was fatal.
"P-Please wait, Saint Manmeyer! My daughters, please... I will prepare replacements! I swear I will, so please, just spare them—"
"Silence!!"
—BANG!—
In a room created for the Celestial Dragons, a room that had cost half the value of his magnificent castle to build, a richly dressed man collapsed, his clothes stained with blood.
"You said you would entertain me while my mansion is being rebuilt, so I came all this way! And now you tell me I can't take back the commoners or the food?! Why did you even summon me?! This is why I hate the lower people!"
The elderly man who had been shot—the king who had given the Celestial Dragons everything he could, who had offered up anything they desired, even his own people—was already dead. He was a king who was both capable and an utter fool, a man who had justified raising taxes to create a separate fund from the Heavenly Tribute, who had framed his own people as criminals when slaves were demanded, and who had sometimes even faked their accidental deaths, all to serve them.
It was precisely because he had done so much, because he had continuously met the Celestial Dragons' expectations, that their disappointment and anger were so great when, at this crucial moment, he failed to deliver. It was only natural. No matter how foolish a king he was, he could not possibly comply with an order to hand over all of his people and all of his food. The misfortune was that the World Noble who had given the order was incapable of understanding that.
"Every last one of them is so unpleasant... Hey!"
At the words of one of the world's most noble bloodlines, his attendants quickly responded with a sharp "Yes, sir!" If they didn't, the golden gun, one of the symbols of the Celestial Dragons, would be pointed at them, and they would end up like the man who had just ruled this country.
"Take his daughters! His wife will be enslaved along with the other commoners. Load as many as you can onto the ships! My slave collection, which I spent so much money on, was burned, and I couldn't even have them taxidermied! My mansion and my garden are all charred black, it's unbearable! It would be so much faster to just put the slaves to work and restore everything, but that insufferable brat, a mere pirate, had to go and cozy up to the Five Elders—"
"B-But, sir! To take the people of a member nation, and so many of them—"
"A king who defies a Celestial Dragon is a great sinner! It is our right to take the people of his country!"
"What is the problem?"
***
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