"Gihyahahahaha! Look at all the food we stole! We won't have to worry about eating for a while!" a pirate captain boasted from the deck.
"Let's aim for a place with berries next!" another yelled.
"Idiot! Money's useless if you can't spend it!" a third one slurred.
"Then let's find a place with women. I heard there's a town nearby that's starting to do well."
"Gahahaha! That's what I'm talkin' about! Sounds like fun!"
A single pirate ship dropped anchor, stopping in the dark sea.
They had just finished robbing all the food and valuables from the tired nearby villages.
"Ugh, damn. I drank way too much. I gotta take a leak," one pirate grumbled, stumbling away.
"Hurry back, or we'll finish all the booze!"
"Don't be stupid! We raided five villages and three towns! We got enough to swim in, it won't be gone in one night!"
"Damn right! Hihahahaha!"
"Uuuugh... damn it," the young pirate muttered to himself in the filthy toilet. "We stole a lot, but it's all cheap barrel grog. I wanna try bathing in some expensive rum for once. Damn... the light's out, too... Did we run out of oil?"
He finished his business and, with a drunken hand, looked down to fix his pants.
"...Huh?"
He froze, staring at the blade sticking out of his chest.
--
I'm starting to think the Captain was right to be so picky about toilets after seeing how foul this one is, one of the men in black thought.
Don't talk, another one whispered. We're on a mission.
...Sorry.
Three men in black suits and dark cloaks stood behind the pirate. The one who stabbed him quickly covered the pirate's mouth, pulled out the knife—its blade painted black—and slit the man's throat to finish the job.
The other two stood guard, knives in hand, making sure no other pirates were nearby. One of them pulled out a small Den Den Mushi.
"Squad 3," he reported in a low voice. "One enemy in the toilet, eliminated. Continuing to secure the ship's exits."
Following his report, others chimed in over the receiver.
"Squad 2, ship bottom is secure. No enemies or prisoners found. We're preparing to move the supplies."
"Squad 5, along with 6 and 7, cargo hold is secure. No enemies or hostages found here either. Moving to catalog supplies."
"Squad 1, mid-level is secure. Eliminated six drunk enemies in their cabins. We've hidden the bodies in a crate. Waiting for orders."
The voices of young men and women came one after another from the Den Den Mushi. While they listened, the three men in the toilet hid the body in a cleaning closet so it wouldn't be found.
Okay, the squad leader thought. If the reports are right, the ship is secure, and there are no hostages...
The man was a 'Black Cat' pirate. He had joined after they took Mopuchi Country, deciding he'd have a better life with them.
"Good work, everyone," a new voice said. "You can turn the lights on."
It was just as the pirate expected.
The door opened, and a young girl's voice—a familiar one—spoke.
The men re-lit the lamp they had put out. The three of them stood at attention, saluting the person at the door.
"Squad 2, all present, Admiral Hancock."
"Good," Hancock said, stepping inside. "I've taken care of the enemies outside. The other squads will bring the supplies to the deck. You three work with the guards to prepare for the Marines."
Through the open door, moonlight spilled onto the deck. There were no enemy pirates.
There were only... statues... scattered everywhere.
They looked brittle, as if they would shatter with a single push.
The three men saw the sight and replied to the girl with a sharp, "Mam!"
It might have looked like they were playing along with a girl's game, but the three adult men were tense.
This was the Admiral of the Black Cat Pirates' First Fleet, Boa Hancock.
She was not a famous pirate.
She had no bounty.
If she announced her title out in the world, most pirates would laugh.
But inside 'Black Cat,' no one dared to disrespect her.
--
"Well, well. You caught more," Kuzan said, looking over the report Hancock handed him. "You're getting as much done as Daz Bonez."
"Hmph! There are too many small-fry pirates!" Hancock snapped. "Where are they all coming from! And I can't just sink their ships, which makes it a huge pain!"
"I thought you could just turn them all to stone," Kuzan remarked idly.
"I turned a hostage to stone by accident, and they got stuck together! I told you this!"
With Kuro gone, Daz was defending Mopuchi Country, so working with the Marines fell to Hancock.
She now sat where Kuro used to, next to Admiral Aokiji. She and Amisu, her assistant, handled the reports.
But unlike Kuro, she spent a lot of time on the battlefield. She had to, to command her newly formed fleet.
"Well, you're a big help," Kuzan said with a yawn. "We're slowly getting back the stolen supplies."
"And we are taking our twenty percent," Hancock reminded him.
"You sure twenty percent is enough? Honestly, it feels like 'Black Cat' is doing most of the work. The agreement was for thirty."
"It's the amount I decided on with the captain before he left. It's not a problem," Hancock said, dismissing his concern. "Besides... moving soldiers, working on rebuilding, managing supplies... I'm starting to see just how much work he was doing."
She had a broad view for a pirate, managing the fleet while also handling political work with the guards.
"If the sea isn't calm, the people panic. I used to think that wasn't a big deal... but it really hurts production and supply. We're lucky the captain already made a production plan, and we weren't damaged..."
The radishes, cabbage, and spinach that Mihawk and the citizens planted in the fall were now being harvested. The 'Black Cat' food stores were full enough to last until spring.
"Are your people getting nervous, too?" Kuzan asked.
"We are still pirates. Some are saying we'll stop ruling and steal all the food because of this crisis."
"Whoa... Is that going to be okay?"
"The Vice-Captain and others who are good at this work are still there. It's fine... But."
From the office in Mogwa Castle, she could see the town below.
The people who had been shivering in shacks were slowly rebuilding, and the town was taking shape.
"We have to expand the farms fast, or we'll be in trouble again by summer. But this fear is draining the people's will... We can use our soldiers for farming, but..."
"Marines aren't trained for that," Kuzan said. "No joke, I really wish I could have your soldiers. Not just for fighting, but for everything else."
"This is no time to be jealous. We'll get the supplies. You stabilize the situation. We can't interfere with the member nations."
"I know, I know..."
The Marines were most shocked not by 'Black Cat's' fighting, but by their versatility. They'd change from suits into work coveralls and do everything from farming to rebuilding.
What shocked them most was that Kuro himself would sometimes lead the construction.
"We're short-handed on rebuilding, too," Kuzan lamented. "A lot of the workforce was kidnapped... I'm almost tempted to have your soldiers pretend to be Marines."
It was a risky thing for an Admiral to say, but only a pirate executive was there to hear it.
"I used to think the captain's vision wasn't very pirate-like," Hancock said. "But now I see that everything he taught the soldiers is paying off. And because they see us working, no good-for-nothings try to join us just to loot."
"And those soldiers just make 'Black Cat' even more productive... Man, I'm jealous."
Kuzan took off his sunglasses, placing them on the table. He sighed at the stack of aid requests from nearby kingdoms and cracked his neck.
"Well, the downside is that training and education take time..." Hancock glanced at a clock. "Hm? Hey, Aokiji, it's time to go."
"Huh? Oh, it's that time already," Kuzan mumbled, blinking.
"An aid request that's also a visit to the royal families... Being an Admiral is tough," she noted.
Kuzan picked up an eye mask instead of his sunglasses and reached for the "Justice" coat hanging on his chair. He paused.
"Hey."
"Hm?" Hancock looked up from her papers.
"What is justice?"
"...That's not something a Marine Admiral should ask a pirate. And I don't have the captain's knowledge or experience."
Kuzan kept his hand on the coat, lost in thought.
Hancock was comparing a report from Gild Tesoro on their available supplies with a list of what the kingdoms needed as she sighed.
"For now, we just have to deal with what's in front of us. At least, until captain returns."
"...Do you think Kuro will come back?"
"It depends on what the government does... but." Hancock's eyes sharpened. "If he can't, then we will simply go and get him."
--
"So, instead of filling in the swamp, it's better to reduce the water flowing from the mountain?" Mihawk asked.
"Yes, Mihawk. The swamp won't disappear, but it should shrink over time," Robin answered, as she consulted her notes.
The development of Kanan was going more smoothly than planned.
The villagers weren't resisting, and they were surprisingly obedient.
"And you want to make fields on the mountain?" Mihawk asked, looking up at the slope.
"Ponds would be good, too. The fields will hold water and make the land better. The only problem is... pests and animals."
"And to deal with those," Mihawk added, "the bandits are still in the way."
"We're 'exterminating' them right now," Robin said.
"You're learning, Robin," Mihawk praised.
The villagers were probably so calm because the bandits who had tormented them were being... 'removed.'
Any bandit who thought the guard members were for sale was quickly beheaded, scattered by flying slashes, or had their legs snapped by arms sprouting from the ground.
At Robin's suggestion, Mihawk and the guards, leading new recruits for training, were sweeping through the mountains and crushing the bandit groups.
Their hidden bases were being found from the sky, using a combination of a high-flying kite and Robin's power, and were being raided one by one.
"Hm. Speaking of, where's Rayleigh?" Mihawk asked.
"Drinking in the port town," Robin said with a sigh. "...Why did they build a tavern before the docks or warehouses?"
"We are pirates. It's better for the locals if we have one clear place to be, rather than just being everywhere."
"...I know I suggested that, but why a tavern?"
"That's what pirates do."
"...Is... it...?"
"I'm just a guest, but don't use Kuro as your example," Mihawk said. "Most pirates are like the men we've been killing."
Mihawk sheathed his new favorite sword and looked around.
"Miakis, get rid of these bandits."
"Got it," Miakis replied. "But... hmm, we've cut down enough to make a point. Should we just banish them on a small boat?"
"...Boats are valuable, but I suppose so. Robin, what do you think?" Mihawk deferred to her.
"Yes. I don't think they'll work for us. That's fine. Please, Miakis."
Miakis, the twin-sword user with the butterfly bow in her hair, smiled as always. "Will do~"
"Um, sorry for making you do the dirty work..." Robin started.
"Not at all. This is what the guard is for. Alright, I'll haul these guys away~"
Miakis, who Robin was fond of, was a good commander. She gave orders to the new soldiers, who tied up the bandits whose legs Robin had broken.
"Anyway, making fields on the mountain... you mean cutting into it?" Mihawk asked, returning to the task.
"Yes," Robin said. "Like wide stairs. How about that?"
"I understand... Hmm."
Mihawk, still in his coveralls, placed a hand on the slope, feeling its angle and comparing it to his farming experience.
"I can't just use brute force like usual. I'll measure out the land, then we should focus on expanding the port and the new village."
"It will take time?"
"And people. We need to make the foundation solid first... Hm."
Suddenly, Mihawk looked up at the sky.
"What is it, Mihawk?"
"...Chris, are you there?"
Robin asked, but Mihawk ignored her, his eyes sharp. He called for the guard member closest to him.
"Here," Chris replied, appearing instantly.
"Take Robin and get back."
"Understood."
Before Robin could say anything else, Chris picked her up and vanished.
Mihawk felt their presence disappear. He put his hand on his sword's hilt and, in one fluid motion, drew the blade.
Ouuu...t!
Mihawk's skill had grown from his many "training" sessions with Kuro.
His slash was sharper than before. It cut through the air, slicing at the spot where Mihawk sensed it.
"Kuhahaha! I see. You're not just some no-name pirate."
But Mihawk felt no impact.
He dodged, Mihawk thought, resetting his stance. A small sandstorm swirled in front of him.
"This is a surprise," Mihawk said, his voice calm. "I didn't think anyone would come here to target 'Black Cat' directly."
When the sand cleared, a man stood there.
He had a long scar across his face, cold eyes, and a large, golden hook where his left hand should be.
"Fine. I'll finish my business and get back to the Grand Line," the man said. "Now... Where is the Demon of Ohara?"
"Beyond the point of this sword."
"Hand her over."
"I refuse."
"I see."
In the next instant, a blade of sand shot at Mihawk, who shattered it with a single slash.
"You... You can use Haki?" the man with the hook snarled, his guard up.
"So, a sand-user," Mihawk said, a small smile on his face. "As always, strong people gather around Kuro. That girl walks Kuro's path. Do not think you can take her so easily." His smile turned into a smirk. "You will regret this."
"Tch..."
In the West Blue, an unexpected clash between great pirates had begun.
--
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