"H-hey, Kuro!" a voice called out.
I turned. "What is it, Hina... no. Private Hina?"
"You can just call me Hina," she insisted, stepping closer. "More importantly, what are you going to do?"
"...Do about what?" I asked.
"What's the point of calling the Five Elders? What if they ignore you and order them to take the non-allied people?"
"If that happens, we'll act like pirates and steal... them back. Don't worry," I said reassuringly.
I have enough power to fight both Aokiji and Kizaru to a draw. And even if they take out our main fighters, my crew has trained for fighting large groups. We can hold them off until the refugee ship gets to safety.
Besides, if that happens, the Marines' spirits will be broken. The ones I really need to watch out for are Kizaru and the government's Cipher Pol.
"Look, the government knows it," I continued. "They can't get the Marines back on a leash unless the Marines mess up, or the government finds a big reason to show everyone they're in charge."
Of course, it's possible the Five Elders won't show. They might let CP9 handle it. Actually, that was very likely. That's why I dropped that poison, to keep them in check. If the Five Elders try to do that, that thug boss will try his best to get them to show up, without making them mad.
"The main goal of this order is to remind the Marines who they serve, and how far they're supposed to go."
It's all a big show. Man, working for the government is tough. I get it, I really do.
"...And winter is coming," Hina muttered. "Where are they going to make these people work? There are only so many crops you can grow..."
"Idiot," I said. "There are islands in the Grand Line with all kinds of weather."
"...Ah."
She's in headquarters, but she's still stuck thinking like she's in a normal sea.
I turned to the tall Admiral. "Kuzan, if the government really helped, how much of the food crisis do you think they could fix?"
"Hard to say..." Kuzan replied, his voice slow. "Pirates are causing trouble in every sea."
"Food is the first thing pirates steal when they attack a town," he added.
"...Right. So, you don't know?" I pressed.
"Well, they didn't lose their islands. So, until the next harvest... No, I don't know much about farming," Kuzan admitted.
Yeah, the only "soldiers" who know farming are us, acting like farmer-soldiers. ...Wait, we're pirates, not soldiers.
If the cost of help is too high, the government will hesitate. The only ones who know the real numbers are the government.
If that's the case, the only move left is...
"Oh my? It looks like the Chief is back," Kizaru observed mildly.
"...That was pretty fast," I muttered.
It's surprising when Kizaru speaks up after listening to us so quietly. Anyway, he's really back. ...He doesn't look too pale, but he's still tense.
The Five Elders... So they agreed to talk to me, just like that.
That's good for me. It's clear proof that the Five Elders themselves see value in me. And that means the poison I gave Spandine is still working.
"Hey, Black Cat," Spandine called out.
"Yes," I replied.
"The Five Elders want to talk to you," he announced.
...Don't be scared of a kid like me. No, wait. Is he scared of my relationship with the Five Elders?
The pressure I felt from this man is way down. Now, how should I handle him?
He is Robin's enemy. Honestly, I could probably use him and throw him away. I could, but...
I glance at Robin. She was pulling on Mihawk's clothes, but now Hancock is hugging her from behind. What happened?
Our eyes meet. I look toward Spandine. She just tilts her head. "Hm?"
...Wait, are you serious? You know this is the guy who destroyed your island, right?
No, not a thumbs-up. ...Are you mouthing words?
I... leave... it... to... you.
...I see.
Well, if she says so. I'll use him, but I'll be as careful as I can.
"Thank you, Chief Spandine," I said formally.
"Uh, oh," he responded.
"The fact that they agreed so quickly must mean this is a situation the Five Elders already planned for," I continued smoothly.
It helps me to have a poisoned man inside the enemy's group. For a long time. So, earning this man's trust is a good move for me.
I don't need to add any more poison right now.
It's like a sickness. The longer it hides, the worse it is later.
"The rest is between me and the Five Elders," I told him. "I don't know what will happen. But in the meantime, could you work with the Marines to make sure there's no chaos?"
"...Fine," Spandine agreed, stepping back with his officials and the CP9-looking guys.
...He seems more wary of the Marines. So the main order was just to provoke the Marines. Oh well.
I take the Den Den Mushi receiver from Spandine.
'It has been a while,' a voice crackled from the speaker.
"Yes, it has been about six months."
I never thought I'd be talking to these people again. I'm a pirate. Even the main character, Luffy, has never met or talked to them. Sheesh.
"It is only your voices, but I am glad to hear you are well... Elders."
Miss Hina, why are you so scared?
"First, please let me thank you," I said. "The supplies the government sent saved many people from starvation. Thank you for the supplies and for the people to help manage them."
'...You are a strange man,' one of the Elders said. 'I never thought a pirate crew would help the Marines.'
"It is true we do not like the government's ways, and we are pirates outside its protection," I replied. "But that does not mean we like lawlessness."
Ugh, so they're not going to get to the main point, are they? It would be so much easier if they just brought it up.
...The World Government set up a show this time, with the Marines as the audience.
They want to show that you can't be "clean" when you're fighting pirates and other threats. Spandine, with his personality, is the "bad cop."
This is just a guess... but based on the supplies, if the fight with the Marines gets worse, the food problem will be at its worst in the middle of winter. The fuel problem will be bad then, too.
Let the "bad" Spandine take all the hate. Then, send in the "good cop" with supplies to save the people. They'd say, 'The Marines need the government. Sometimes you have to make hard choices.' That must have been the World Government's perfect story.
Well, it looks like they had a backup plan, just in case...
Using politics as a show to solve a problem and control the story... That's a good move. But...
They wanted the Marines to be the audience and the officials to be the actors.
But their mistake was not understanding that in a play, the audience is also part of the show. They are not just sitting there.
'If you hate lawlessness, you should understand,' the Elder's voice continued. 'The West Blue is in a very dangerous state.'
"So you're saying it's okay to work non-allied people like slaves?" I challenged.
'You, with your skill at ruling, should know how dangerous hunger is.'
"I don't think I have enough information to make that call," I countered. "I don't know how much food the government has, or how they plan to move it."
Sengoku gave me all that information, which is why I could do so much. I really have to thank Sengoku. I can't sleep with my feet pointing his way...
"I cannot agree unless you show me that information, and the meeting notes with the Marines who will be moving it."
'You want me to show our military secrets to a pirate?'
"Of course not," I said. "I'm just saying, it's not enough to make me agree. And it won't be enough for the regular Marines, either."
'They are our, the World Government's, army. They must carry out any order they are given.'
"Yes, you are right."
"But that is only true if you, their leaders, have not betrayed them. Am I wrong?"
--
The first time they met, she couldn't even see his face.
Her training officer, Rear Admiral Munchkin, called the start of the fight. In that same second, Hina was kicked away, unable to move.
'Betrayed?' the voice from the Den Den Mushi replied. 'What a strange thing to say. A military is a tool used by politicians. That is how it should be.'
"Ah... I see," Kuro's voice answered, calm and clear. "I finally understand the strange feeling I've had, ever since the Marine slave incident."
She wanted to prove him wrong.
He was her first battle, her first enemy, and the first person who ever beat her. She wanted to catch him with her own hands. So she asked Garp, the hero, to train her. She is getting stronger, little by little.
But—
"You do not understand what a military is," Kuro stated.
'...Oh?'
But he is far away.
The pirate she decided to catch that day... has become a pirate who stands side-by-side with the Marines.
And now, this pirate... this man she is supposed to catch... is showing them his back. He is fighting the Five Elders, people she could never reach, with words.
"It is true that a military is a tool of politics, used by the government. I have no argument with that," Kuro continued.
'We agree on that, Black Cat.'
"Yes. But—"
Kuro's voice rose, sharp and certain, cutting through the silence.
"That is only true if the government, the foundation, is truly ready to be that foundation."
The man, who should be a pirate, shows his unguarded back to them, the Marines.
—He is standing up to the world.
--
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