Superior and Rigalo's suppression operation ended surprisingly smoothly.
Probably largely because expected Navy interference never came—perhaps since nearby bases unconditionally surrendered.
Thanks to that, all detachment forces led by Kika and Troy could be allocated to suppression battle support.
King Rigalo fled alone, abandoning wife and children.
The abandoned queen and children—knowing the king fled—immediately begged the Black Cat to protect them.
Some towns suffer rampant mob plundering, but suppression progresses with elite unit deployments led by royal guards.
Superior's first-suppressed port town 'Pausania' regained most stability, so set as Black Cat's temporary base.
Grasping residents and registering family records. Parallel to grasping numbers of people taken by Celestial Dragons, but—
"This much..."
Royal Guard Captain Amis—determined to participate as coordinator for rescue forces crossing the Calm Belt—nearly lightly despaired while preparing handover to follow-up restoration forces.
"Missing persons and injured both match the pirate alliance incident. Casualties too... not all Celestial Dragon doing, but..."
Amid riots and rampant plundering, fires were set to towns, shops and homes attacked, producing numerous casualties.
Money, food, daily necessities to furnishings—all scattered away; from collapsed building rubble, victims' terrible figures still emerge.
As swiftly as possible—among royal guards, those especially skilled in Observation searched for rescuees; in the capital conquest battle's latter half, Mihawk and Nico Robin—whose roles ended—returned rear lending hands to rescue and restoration, but both fell silent at excessive injured/casualties.
"Amis-san, medical facility staff completed materials summarizing injured names, blood relations, known blood types, and current shelter numbers—brought copies."
"Thank you, Robin-san. How are Miakis and others?"
"Former Superior army already banditized during initial raids barricaded in mountains, so they're entering that subjugation. ...Um, those mountains are also water sources."
"Ah. Must suppress that or it's bad. ...If we could allocate land forces, talks would be quick."
The land army organization Kuro determined formation for from the start.
Currently organized centered on Bigul—defected from Navy—that's most struggling not with combat but preparation stages.
"Land transport know-how, or rather preparations before that aren't ready..."
Expecting vast farmland naturally means this island is quite large; wherever ships dock, moving soldiers to target points requires transporting much material including food there.
Currently utterly insufficient.
Methods for transporting massive materials inland are only wagons and such, and roads necessary for passing those wagons aren't completed.
Moderately dry plains like where Mihawk recently rampaged posed no problems, but executives trouble over transport to mountainous areas with many water sources and uncommon wet spots.
"Teacher, Bigul-san requested preparing pastures, right?"
"Yeah. Asked for environments increasing horses later, but... first must decide surveying and where to draw how wide roads connecting both conquered nations. Horses eat, so must allocate reasonable area."
"...So to properly prepare those, must suppress bandits and rioters stabilizing security or can't allocate manpower."
"Then how to send and accumulate massive materials to mountainous areas—the main field?"
Problems magnificently circled completely.
If just strong enemies existed, deploying final humanoid decisive weapon Mihawk would suffice, but Mihawk was in a sense too strong for scattering every last bandit hiding in mountains with terrain advantage.
"Why not just cut the entire mountain?"
"It's a water source!!"
"...Mmm."
Cutting everything down with one sword produces excessive damage; inevitably requires numerical power called soldiers.
"Robin-san, ability-using searches are difficult, right?"
"Yeah. They apparently noticed me searching from above using kites... hiding thoroughly."
"Then how about setting fires? Regrettable that lumber resource recovery becomes difficult, but Canet and Mopchi have plenty plus preparations are progressing."
"Fire strategy. ...All villagers around mountains are housed in shelters, and snow melted now. Better than leaving troubles half-finished here."
For the future too, the Black Cat unanimously definitely wants completely sweeping bandits.
Strictly speaking, Amis feels instinctive aversion to setting fires to mountain resources that will produce food hereafter.
Mihawk didn't miss that.
Though somewhat rough, he didn't train Amis and other royal guard members for nothing.
"If fearing burning everything, how about establishing fire suppression then setting fires while simultaneously firing field artillery to apply pressure prompting surrender? At minimum, bandits' fighting spirit definitely gets shaved."
Hence quickly toss in compromise proposals.
Whether realizable or not—if just tossing conceived ideas, Amis who led people can probably shape them somehow using that as clue.
"Fire suppression... using those pump hoses? True, rivers exist so usable, but if lighting fires surrounding mountains, fire suppression range—"
"No, Crocodile arrives soon. His ability should safely extinguish them."
At the word Crocodile, Robin's shoulders jump slightly.
After all, the pirate who attacked the Black Cat targeting her.
When this island settles, he'll apparently head to Fishman Island with Rayleigh and Hancock...
"Don't worry, Robin. He has no ill intent now. Even if by chance, with this many royal guards plus me, no problems."
Actually, just Chris and Mihawk together provides drastically different reassurance, so Robin unhesitatingly nods.
Actually, however powerful an ability user Crocodile is, his winning probability against these members was extremely low.
Moreover, accompanying Crocodile is 'Pirate Princess' Boa Hancock.
Among Black Cat Pirates, a top Haki user and foot technique user following Kuro.
However much 'Desert King,' devising schemes amid this many top executives gathered is simply foolish.
"If Perona-san came, it'd help."
"She's busy until the last moment compounding and organizing medicine."
If present here, the veteran girl who'd settle mountain bandit problems including suppression without question is currently apparently swamped treating escaped fishmen.
Participation in Kuro's rescue force is decided, but she's confined to Mopchi's workshop with mountains to do until that last moment.
"Understood, I'll contact land forces and assemble operations. Meanwhile, please prepare fuel including fish oil."
"At this dryness level, some amount should suffice. If carts exist, quantities soldiers can pull should be enough."
"Field artillery—Bigul-san took five, so probably no problems if we have oil, shells, and gunpowder. ...But food—"
"Can only continuously transport small amounts. Leave transport unit formation to royal guards."
Once battlefields are determined, move immediately.
This light footwork and organizational strength supporting it are the Black Cat's weapons.
"First, if Mihawk hadn't gotten carried away messing up the plains, this wouldn't have happened!!"
"It's now because Teacher plowed various plain spots, greatly limiting wagon-passable places!!"
"Hahahahahaha."
Incidentally, some coordination is problematic.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
"Never imagined you'd be sent to Fishman Island!!"
Hina thoroughly tasted the jutte techniques' amazingness of Smoker—a Marine of similar age—during joint training.
Still, precisely because she clung on showing herself, she was internally decided for headquarters entry one step ahead.
Incidentally, at the final practical training encounter just when internally decided, her path walking the elite road changed greatly for better or worse.
"Why are you... You who was so annoyingly discipline-discipline is helping pirates!!"
"Orders!!"
"From where!! Huh!?"
Sharp thrusts weighting the jutte.
That sharpness—one that poor evasion wouldn't escape in time—Hina meets it calmly at the wrist, then half-rotates to lightly deflect the strike.
Not techniques learned in the Navy.
Close combat techniques learned from Kuro and his entourage while moving with the Black Cat in that West Blue.
Combat techniques improved centered on Hack—fishman karate master's—movements, becoming Black Cat soldiers' basics, finished into things capable of handling even weapon-bearing opponents depending on proficiency.
Despite having the jutte once repelled by Issho, Hina deflects that strike still persistently targeting her, enters boy soldier Smoker's bosom, and drives a fist into his solar plexus.
"Miss Hina!"
"Leave this man to me."
Clearly wary of strong Issho, Marines Hina doesn't recognize also gather swarming.
Though Hina was at headquarters extremely briefly, even so she notices this group completely lacking 'Marine'-ness everyone without exception acquires through communal living within the Navy organization—the Marines—is strange.
Ordered to guard Kuro, consequently turning comrades who were Marines into enemies—colleagues showing no hesitation, excluding some, aren't flatteringly high proficiency.
Perhaps Kuro vaguely noticed—he took time for physical training and technical lectures for soldiers including First Class Private Spaniel who felt training-insufficient for crossing the New World, but in this short period, truly minor improvements level.
Though some strong for Captain-class—humans with skill Kuro acknowledges including Wired exist, engaging Issho—a probably strong-force ability user—in one place is extremely irrational.
"For classmate's sake."
Black leather gloves Kuro tried using when attempting to reproduce his weapon 'Cat's Paw,' ultimately giving up.
Taking out those casually requested from Kuro and received from pockets, she fits them on both hands with squeezing sounds.
"You say I was annoyingly rule-rule, but then conversely I want to ask you."
Hina calls out to the jutte-bearing Marine also provocatively, "Smoker?" but the man stays vigilant, readying his weapon.
"You who bit even instructor officers with insubordination fine for disliked things, frequent brig visitor, are quite docile."
"Shut up!!"
Originally upper-ranking in combat results among classmates—Smoker's jutte handling is considerable.
Thrusts, sweeps, then high stance heavy downward swings.
But Hina handles all that.
Just because Kuro tried using what he bought on that island, quite sturdy black leather gloves protect Hina's slender fingers, fully demonstrating her performance.
She redirects any blow that would be immediately fatal, then exploits the openings with the fewest, heaviest strikes aimed at vital points—usually the solar plexus.
Perhaps intuition worked—Smoker instantly flies backward trying to escape impact, but still Hina's movements are one step faster; he lets out small anguished sounds and greatly retreats.
"Hina, you..."
"Not for nothing was I trained by a man who can fight Admirals!"
Hina's West Blue experiences involved much practical work like command and document processing, but that doesn't mean no combat training.
Sparring with Kuro, Hack, plus some royal guards and elite soldiers including good-natured Toya who seriously accompanied training definitely greatly raised Hina's ability.
Field grade and above would probably have dangerous moments, but conversely, ordinary Marines capable of handling current Hina are greatly limited.
"White Blow!!"
Seeing close combat—where he once won during training—disadvantageous, Smoker shifts to attacks using his ability.
Petty Officer Smoker, Navy Headquarters.
Though promotion lags one step behind Hina due to frequent problematic behavior, he's one of the Marines expected highly for extremely high combat power and future potential.
And a smoke human who ate the Smoke-Smoke Fruit.
Possessing extremely rare Natural Logia-type abilities, ordinary soldiers can only be helplessly restrained.
Transforming arms into smoke, accelerating fists by jetting massive smoke from wrist tips—before that, Hina shows absolutely no panic.
"True, your ability is amazing—but!!"
Because that speed is fully trackable by eye.
Unlike the man she kept challenging to surpass.
There's sound.
Clear markers called smoke.
And though certainly fast, that speed is still visually comprehensible.
More than anything.
"I've sparred daily against fighters rivaling Teacher!!"
Smoker's unleashed technique—strikes via fists accelerated by massive smoke jets.
Ability-accelerated fists probably possess considerable power, but Hina deliberately dodges by paper-thin margins.
Aiming for counters.
But Smoker's torso with vital points concentrated sits outside range.
That's fine. Hina's target from the start—the smoke portion he carelessly thinks untouchable.
Probably in Smoker's eyes, Hina's leg momentarily blurred.
In that instant, before pain registered, his arm was struck down.
"The smoke arm! You!?"
"Yes. Though barely just mastered, I can use Armament Haki!"
That Kuja girl who kept assisting Kuro after the transported island fell, settling the pirate alliance incident, and afterward when Kuro returned to Mogwa.
The girl later given the epithet 'Pirate Princess' taught just the basics of that technique called 'Haki,' and what she repeatedly tested against Kuro and royal guards finally took shape during this voyage and training thrown into the New World.
A Marine, yet a girl opposing Marines like pirates—her legs glow faintly red while shining blacker than the slacks she wears.
"Smoker! Why are you here at Fishman Island! And in this situation!!"
"You just got promoted to Petty Officer—"
"You should be in field training under Admiral Aokiji's command!?"
***
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