The attack carried out by the Marine's strongest forces ended in failure, something rare even in its long history.
One reason for the defeat was that they had to reduce their forces. Their enemy was strong enough that they should have sent a huge fleet for a full battle, or it would have been dangerous. But the government forced them to keep things quiet, so they had to fight with only a near–Buster Call-level force.
Every soldier who knew the Black Cat had a bad feeling that this would happen.
"No way…" a marine soldier whispered, leaning against the railing of a retreating ship. "Both Admirals lost?"
"It really was the Black Cats," his companion muttered, staring back at the horizon. "Even without their Captain… damn it."
They gathered as many wounded soldiers as they could from the ships still barely afloat, and the remaining Marine fleet managed to escape safely. The only reason they escaped was because, after defeating the two Admirals, the pirate side focused more on saving their injured than chasing them. Even so, it was a miracle they got away from certain death.
They were supposed to return to the Mogwa Kingdom after the battle, but the marine fleet sent to secure the area had stopped responding. They had probably been sunk by those soldiers who joined the Black Cat, like Commodore Taki.
That meant the Mogwa Kingdom was now fully under the Black Cat's control. The local people already trusted him from his past actions, and he had plenty of experience in ruling territory. Even if the government tried something, it wouldn't be easy.
"We knew this… but our morale is terrible," a commander sighed, looking over the depressed men.
That left them with only one base they could rely on—the one they had used to launch the attack on the Black Cat. It was the closest and the only place where the surviving marines could get help fast.
It was a small island, but the whole island was a Marine fortress. By the time they reached the port and finally arrived in safe territory, the sky was already dark.
Most of the staff left at the base were government reinforcements. They kept insisting that the Marine make them fight the Black Cat, but the Marine didn't want to send untrained people to the front lines. They tried to leave as many of them behind as possible.
But first, they had to confirm their losses, treat the wounded, and give everyone rest.
They stepped into the military port. Torches were lit to push back the darkness.
Seeing them, Akainu—less injured than Zephyr—clicked his tongue and took command.
"Move the wounded out quickly and let them rest."
"Yes, sir!" A subordinate rushed over. "Admiral, you should receive treatment too—"
"I'll do it later."
"…Yes, sir."
The Marine who had served beside Sakazuki since his Commander days saluted and left to give orders to nearby soldiers.
We gained nothing from this war, Sakazuki thought bitterly as he surveyed the battered fleet.
They gained nothing at all. They lost an unpredictable ally in the West Blue, their soldiers fell, the government reinforcements were wiped out, the Marine's honor was crushed as two Admirals were beaten, and many of their own soldiers defected to the pirates.
The only good thing was that Marine losses were low, while most of the government's reinforcements… were wiped out…
The eight Special Vice Admirals who acted as watchdogs and bossed around every Marine were all killed by Marine Hunters and the pirate elite who chased them. The forces under their influence were also crushed. Some of the survivors had even lost the will to fight.
The government's influence inside the Marine had dropped sharply. They would try to regain it, but that would take time.
Depending on what happened to that man in the New World, we may get an order to attack again… but how many forces can we even spare…?
They didn't have time to focus on the West Blue. Even if the Black Cat brought stability, trouble was spreading everywhere else.
After Kuro disappeared from the Holy Land—the one who balanced supplies and food according to each kingdom's situation—the Celestial Dragons began grabbing resources from everywhere without thinking.
The Marine had to guard them, which ate up even more manpower. Pirate attacks were rising, and the damage was growing. But the Marines already didn't have enough people. They were short in every sea.
And yet the government kept sending them to fight an enemy who was dangerous but not even a real threat to the world—wasting precious forces for nothing.
"If he ever comes back to the West Blue…" Sakazuki muttered to the empty air, "no one may be able to stop his crew."
A Marine Admiral should never say such words. But he could not deny it.
A single plan that Kuro must have left behind before going to the Holy Land had caused so much damage.
The pirate known as the Black Cat, Kuro.
No—the Black Cat now had a new name: "Kuroof Thousand Sights & Ten Thousand Plans."
A fourteen-year-old who watched a thousand things at once and countered them with ten thousand plans—one of the world's finest strategists.
From now on, the Marine had to treat him as their greatest threat.
To crush him… now is the only time. While his soldiers and him are apart… but…
Nearby, soldiers began sorting the supplies left in the base. They had to load cannon shells onto the ships in case the enemy attacked.
"Huh?" One soldier lifted a box full of shells and tilted his head.
"Hey," he called to his partner. "This is…"
"Yeah?"
"This feels… kind of light, right?"
The moment Sakazuki heard that, a cold shiver ran down his back.
"You there."
The soldier jumped. "Y-Yes, sir! I'm sorry, Admiral! We'll load them right away!"
"No." Sakazuki stalked forward. "Open that box. Let me check it."
"Right away, sir!"
Admiral Akainu—famous for his harsh temper—watched as the soldiers set the box down, saluted, and opened it.
Inside, the shells were tightly packed.
Sakazuki picked up one of them, the torchlight reflecting off its black surface.
"…So that's… how it is!"
His hand glowed red as he held it.
Even a few steps away, Marines could feel the heat from his power. One soldier panicked, thinking it would explode, and fell back as he tried to run.
But the shell did not explode.
Under the intense heat that could melt anything… it burned and melted like wax.
"Wax!?" Sakazuki roared. "Check every last thing in this base!"
His angry shout rang through the fortress, and the soldiers ran in panic to inspect all supplies.
"M-Medical supplies are fine! Everything is real!"
"All cannon shells, bullets, and gunpowder were fakes made of wax!" another voice screamed from the armory.
"Someone get help! In Warehouse Four, a soldier is tied up and covered in wax like a statue!"
"The food too! More than half of it is wax painted to look real!!"
"Damn it, everything from metal tools to equipment… even the documents in the shelves are fakes! Even the Den Den Mushi!"
One report after another came in, all showing the same truth.
While they were fighting for their lives near the Mopuchi Country, this base had already been taken once.
Even though the Black Cat should have been fighting his hardest in the main battle, he still sent another team to take this base before they returned.
Wait, Sakazuki thought, his mind racing. Why bother with all this fake stuff?
It wasn't strange that the base had fallen.
They knew how strong the enemy soldiers were. Most of the base's troops had been sent out for the main battle. If even a small group of the Black Cat's soldiers came with two or three of his elite officers, the base wouldn't stand a chance.
But why fake everything afterward?
There had been no people, but everything else looked untouched.
The disguise was so perfect that no one noticed the base had fallen.
So the Marines docked their ships, got off, and—
"…No! Everyone, get away from the ships!!"
The moment Akainu shouted, the warships that had been moored since the beginning suddenly tilted.
Huge holes had been opened in their hulls, sealed only with wax that had now melted.
A timed trap using flame and slow-burning fuses had gone off at the perfect moment.
In seconds, seawater poured into the ships. Every warship—those meant for the next attack—began sinking.
The masts, stuffed with wax, were set on fire and burned fiercely.
And the last ships still afloat—badly damaged from the previous battle—
—were suddenly cut apart by blades of sand that flew in out of nowhere.