While guarding the fallen Daz, Amisu raised her voice and gave orders as the temporary commander.
"Admiral Zephyr was defeated by the Vice Captain! This battle is our Black Cat's victory! Push through!!!"
The man who raised many Marines fell to his knees and collapsed.
That fact spread quickly through the Navy flagship, and the battle line completely broke.
"Amisu, I'll go to the front too," Airi said, stepping forward.
"Yes, please," Amisu nodded. "I'll take the Vice Captain to the flagship—"
—...uh...
At that moment, the giant man they defeated let out a faint sound.
Amisu froze. "...Sensei?"
"Haha..." The fallen Admiral coughed. "You still call me that?"
He could not even stand. He slowly moved his massive body, rolling onto his back. The man who was like a second father to the Marines breathed heavily, staring up at the sky.
"Amisu," Airi called out softly, looking at her with concern.
"I'm fine, Airi," Amisu replied quickly, shaking her head. "More importantly, the front—"
"—Secure the transport cell in the back of the cabin," Zephyr interrupted, his voice straining. "Two members of the Mopuchi royal family are inside."
The moment they heard that, the two Guards froze and looked at the "Black Arm."
His Marine coat was slashed, showing deep three-claw marks. His body rose and fell as he struggled to breathe enough to speak.
"That was... the order," Zephyr wheezed. "If we won, the Navy could claim to have protected two royals, defeated the evil 'Black Cats,' and freed Mopuchi. If it looked bad, we would sink this ship, and the Black Cats would be blamed for killing the two royals..."
"The World Government..." Airi clenched her teeth so hard it looked like they might break. "How far will they go..."
Amisu gently tapped her shoulder to calm her.
She then signaled the flagship, and whispered the information to the ear blooming in her hand.
"Sensei."
"Mn..."
"Why tell us this?" Amisu asked, her voice trembling. "You are Navy. You did not need to help us."
"...There is... some payback to the Government involved... but also..." Zephyr's eyes drifted shut. "—I'm begging for my life."
They had not known each other for very long, but hearing words that a man like him should never need to say, Amisu and Airi opened their eyes wide in shock.
"I gave you important information," he murmured. "Let me go."
"I cannot die here. I can't."
"Is that as a Marine?" Amisu asked.
"No."
"I have a promise," Zephyr whispered.
"A man's promise... with your Captain... Kuro..."
Amisu and Airi looked at each other without meaning to.
"After betraying you this badly, I know I have no right to say this, but..." Zephyr swallowed hard. "At least... at least..."
Amisu sighed softly and looked at the battle ahead.
With one of the Admiral defeated, the front had shifted completely in their favor.
Of the four Guards, the pair—Cazarie and Toya—were gone, likely rushing inside the ship to rescue the two royals after hearing Robin's report.
The strongest fighters surrounded the cabin door, while others threw Marine after Marine into the sea under the guards' orders.
"...I'll give you time to escape," Amisu decided, looking down at him. "But I'll set fire to the mast. Without a clear signal that we won, more people will die for nothing."
"Fair..." Zephyr let out a ragged breath. "But harsh."
"The Captain ordered us to think just as hard about ending battles as we do about winning them."
"Ha-ha-ha... ugh... I see..."
Even with pain in his chest, Zephyr could not hold back a loud laugh. Still lying on his back, he looked at the sky.
"...Total defeat."
–
"Really, Mihawk. You know Haki, fine, but what was that attack? You're a swordsman. Use your sword."
"I was distracted, but—"
Far from the main battle, the First Fleet's fight with the Navy continued, where the "Pirate Princess" and the "Marine Hunter" joked in front of the blown-away Akainu.
"In sparring with that old man, this was how I always lost. Even when I used my full strength—trying to cut him down—he blocked it with a single finger."
"...Ah. Yes. Well..." Hancock said nodding.
No officer or Guard who guarded the Mopuchi royals had ever escaped being sent flying by that old man.
Hancock had also had her strongest kick stopped, so she remembered very well.
"Kuro and Daz grow stronger at a scary speed. I trained hard so they wouldn't catch up easily," Mihawk said, "But honestly, I swung my sword and that farming hoe every day because I wanted to land one clean hit on that old man."
"...Hey, something strange slipped in—"
"In short—" The strongest man of the Black Cats, who had trained all the elites and the guards, grinned wildly. "It's payback."
"Do it to him, not here!!" Hancock shouted, kicking him hard in the back.
They looked careless, but no Marine dared step forward. These two had just blown Akainu away. And the soldiers who tried were held down by Chris and the other Guards.
The First Fleet—both the first arrow and the most dangerous unit—had three Guard teams with huge attack power. They could crush even a poorly prepared Navy fleet in seconds.
How far... will they go...
While they talked, magma rose again.
"How long will you mock me..." A deep, gurgling voice erupted. "You brats make me furious!!"
His rage warped his body so much it looked like his Logia ability had mutated. Hancock glanced at his burning red body, but she did not flinch.
"You are the ones fooling around," Hancock retorted coldly. "To think you locked the Mopuchi royal family inside the flagship's prison, right on the front line. Not only do you repay our Captain's kindness with betrayal, you even crush trust itself."
With a shocked face, Akainu stared at the two pirates in front of him.
"We just received a report," Hancock announced, raising her voice so the Marines could hear. "The Vice Captain and Amisu's guards defeated the Special Admiral Zephyr. They took the flagship and will come once they finish regrouping."
"...Impossible... that 'Black Arm'..."
Akainu's cigar fell from his mouth.
"Toya and Cazarie secured the two royals. Both were so injured they could not even stand," Hancock added, her voice dripping with venom.
Clearly wide open, Akainu turned to look.
Toward the flagship led by Admiral Zephyr—the place where his invincible 'Black Arm' unit should have been.
It was burning.
The proud seagull flag, symbol of Absolute Justice, was on fire.
"I heard the Mopuchi royals were protected as a reward because our Captain helped defend the Holy Land. ...Whatever the truth may be."
Only Mihawk, a few Guards, and Robin and Perona seemed to notice it, but Hancock's insides were boiling with rage.
"And this is what you do," she hissed. "We are pirates, fine. But even if they are from a non-member country, you treat recognized royals like this?"
If the plan had been to wipe them all out, she would have already turned every enemy into stone and thrown them into the sea.
"The justice you brag about is nothing but breaking agreements under the Government's shadow, denying dignity to countries outside the alliance, and pretending it's for 'order' while creating the weak just to rule them. And after all that, this defeat... hah—"
"What a cheap, sneaky justice you have. Right, Akainu?"
–
I see... Hancock surprised me by learning Haki that doesn't touch, but she's truly growing as a commander, Mihawk thought, observing her.
"If you mock us that much, even if this ship sinks, I can't let you escape..."
Falling for Hancock's provocation, Akainu's rage flared as he activated his power fully.
Fearful of being caught in it, the Marines jumped into the sea the moment he waved his hand for them to flee.
Their side also began retreating, except for the Guards—likely arranged by Robin using her devil fruit.
The deck smoked with heat, and the nearby cabin entrance caught fire.
The sea breeze fanned the flames, sparks danced upward, and the fire reached the mast.
It didn't take long for it to become a large blaze.
On every front, the Guards and soldiers who got Robin's message should be spreading the news that Zephyr was defeated. His flagship is burning so clearly we can see it from here. If this ship also catches fire...
A force that relies on numbers and a few strong fighters, with no real coordination. If morale collapses now, the battles on the other ships will turn heavily in our favor.
Wearing a suit marked with three-claw marks and a snake eating its tail, the girl stared straight at Akainu.
"The Vice Captain and Amisu's people did it," Hancock said to him. "Mihawk, we're also going to Win."
"Of Course."
"The few elite enemy soldiers still standing will be handled by the Guards."
Not bad.
He had a reason to swing his sword, comrades worthy to stand beside, and students strong enough to fight with him.
And even though he was not here now—he had a leader worthy of entrusting his sword.
Something he thought he would never hold again was now on his back.
Something that once symbolized bitter memories was now close to him.
You're probably being chased by an Admiral too, but even one or two Admirals won't stop you.
His grip on his sword tightened.
As Hancock had said before the fight, anger at shameless betrayal—and many other feelings—sharpened his sword spirit.
Hurry back, Kuro.
Akainu focused more hatred on the swordsman than on Hancock, but he was distracted. Maybe the earlier strike hit well. His breathing was rough, and his attacks were easy to read. Zephyr had likely been the same—hardly in the right state for battle.
We need you—
–
The battle between the Black Cats and the Navy—later known as the Great West Blue Battle, or the Mopuchi Independence War—was raging when four Navy ships arrived.
Their flags bore the seagull symbol of peace and order.
"I started this, but I didn't expect so many to gather..."
However, that symbol of justice had three strange lines added to it.
Three claw-like lines.
"Marine slavery, pirate alliance, the reconstruction work, then the Five Elders, and finally being sent alone to the Holy Land... and after all that, this war," his companion replied.
"They saw a future in that pirate. Not in the World Government—in him."
"...Yes."
The old soldier leading them wore not a Marine uniform, but a plain black suit, watching the battle ahead.
"Commodore Taki, your order," the man beside him prompted.
"I don't need that rank anymore, Captain Vigle," Taki corrected him. "Ah—no…"
The old soldier looked at the man beside him. Their serious faces held for a moment, then both quietly laughed.
"Habits really do stick," Taki chuckled.
"They truly do," Vigle smiled.
After a soft laugh, Taki looked forward again.
At the burning flagship, the sinking ships, and the ones still fighting.
"The burning ship is likely already defeated, or the Black Cat main force is fighting Akainu. If we enter now, we could disrupt things," Taki analyzed.
"Yes—hard to port!" Taki commanded.
Vigle shouted, "Hard to port!!" and the helmsman turned the wheel fast.
"Bring us alongside the Navy ships still fighting, board them, and drive out—" Taki started, then corrected himself with a grin. "No. Help the Black Cats!"
"Follow the three-claw flag—" Vigle bellowed.
The crew responded in unison, a thunderous cry of loyalty: "Yes, sir!!!!"