Because of Cross's unique abilities and special assignments, he mostly acted alone. At most, he'd coordinate with Marines from other branches. There was no need for him to have a dedicated warship or a direct crew.
Even when he was at Marine Base G-2, no one was constantly following him. Or rather, people wanted to follow Cross, but he rejected them.
It wasn't that Cross liked being a loner or didn't want subordinates. It was just that his tenure in the Marines was too short and his roots weren't deep enough to have a suitable and trustworthy crew.
Those who wanted to join him were either too weak or had ulterior motives, wanting to take shortcuts, and couldn't be trusted. Compared to them, Bastet, whom he had raised for two years, was far more reliable.
That's why Cross had many friends but not a single trusted subordinate. It was also why he was always carrying Bastet around. Another reason was that Cross didn't dare leave Bastet in his office or dorm.
In his previous life, people said huskies were destructive, but this little fella was much worse. With its strength, shattering a rock was as easy as playing. When it "destroys a house," it really means it can demolish the entire building, like a violent demolition crew hired by the mob.
When he was at Marine Headquarters, Vice Admiral Tsuru could keep it in line. If it got too naughty, it would get a good scrubbing. Later, at Marine Base 211, Shanna became very fond of Bastet and sometimes even took it to live in the royal palace in Doma City. Even when it was naughty and tore down a house, Shanna wouldn't get angry; she would simply rebuild it for it to tear down again.
So when Cross was transferred to Marine Base G-2, he didn't dare leave Bastet behind. He could only carry it around with him. First, to give it something to do and distract its curiosity. Second, to burn off some of its boundless energy. And third, to help it further develop the powers of the Nekomata Fruit, so as not to waste such a rare Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
At that moment, Gladius immediately noticed that Bastet had disappeared. It wasn't blown away by Buffalo's high-pressure windstorm but had dodged the attack at a speed too fast for the naked eye to see.
"So fast... Where is it?" Gladius's face was grim as he frantically looked around.
"No, up there!" Gladius suddenly realized and looked up at the sky. He saw a small black cat perched on Buffalo's back, having leaped more than ten meters into the air.
"When did it get there?" Buffalo's face went pale as he felt Bastet on his back. Instinctively, he rolled over, his body spinning in mid-air, trying to shake the cat off.
But Bastet was unhurried. It extended its sharp claws and latched onto Buffalo's thick coat.
No matter how many aerial maneuvers Buffalo performed, the cat couldn't be dislodged. Bastet even had time to lift one paw and nonchalantly lick its ruffled fur. It was as if it had mastered a technique from a legendary martial art: "Though his strength may shake the earth, the mountain slope yields to a tender breeze. Though his fury may roar unbridled, the vast river still glimmers beneath the quiet moon!"
Suddenly, Gladius's expression brightened, and he shouted, "Buffalo, get that cat out of here!" With that, he ran forward, planning to use the opportunity to capture Law and Rosinante.
"Meow~" Bastet yawned lazily, then pushed off with all four paws. A massive force erupted from its small body.
Buffalo's eyes bulged. He felt like a mountain had landed on his back, and his body plummeted uncontrollably. He crashed hard into the snow below with a loud "boom," kicking up a plume of snow several meters high.
"Rosinante!" On the other side, Gladius saw Rosinante and Law crawling out of the snow pile. He shouted and aimed his gun at them.
At this point, he had decided to follow the order to "kill Rosinante and bring Law back alone." Even though Vergo's identity had been exposed, killing Rosinante could still contain the damage and keep the Donquixote Family's plans hidden.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The continuous gunshots echoed across the vast snowy field. Rosinante held Law close and quickly rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the fiery lead bullets.
Gladius's face was dark. He clicked his tongue in frustration as his shots missed, but he continued to pull the trigger, relentlessly chasing Rosinante with his gun.
Whap!
But in the next second, a black shadow flashed by. It was like a bolt of black lightning that struck Gladius's right hand, knocking his pistol to the ground.
"What was that?!" Gladius sucked in a cold breath from the pain. He looked at the bloody claw marks on the back of his right hand and quickly focused on the figure in front of him.
A tiny black cat was crouching on the snow, licking its front paw. Blood was still on its sharp claws, and a few drops fell, staining the pristine white snow with deep red, plum-blossom-shaped prints.
"So fast... Was Buffalo taken out? What a useless piece of garbage!" Gladius looked back with a wary expression. He saw Buffalo lying motionless in a large crater in the snow, his eyes rolled back.
"Cross said if I'm attacked, I should capture the attacker. So, will you let me capture you, meow~?" Bastet cocked its head, asking in a clear, crisp voice.
"Who would be stupid enough to let a cat capture them?!" Gladius roared in a rage and quickly charged, kicking at Bastet.
But Bastet was small and agile. It leaped lightly, easily dodging Gladius's attack. At that moment, Gladius quickly pulled several small, black, thumb-sized spheres from his pocket and threw them at Bastet with force.
"Punc Bala!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The specialized metal bullets instantly expanded and then exploded, turning into dozens of tiny metal fragments that shot out in every direction, propelled by the powerful shockwave.
"Meow!" At the same time, Bastet opened its mouth, revealing its dual-serrated teeth, and let out a sharp, piercing shriek.
A faint green light emanated from its back, and the air around it rippled visibly. It created an invisible barrier that blocked the incoming flames, shockwaves, and metal fragments, keeping them a meter away.
"What?!" Gladius yelled in disbelief, his expression a mixture of shock and rage.
Then, Bastet snarled, "Meowr!" Its body suddenly swelled up like an inflatable balloon, transforming into a black panther as big as an adult bull.
Its emerald-green, amber vertical pupils filled with ferocity. It pushed off with all four paws and leaped, its speed still terrifyingly fast. Like a black flash of lightning, it shot through the air and slammed its head directly into Gladius's chest.
Thud!
With a dull sound, Gladius coughed up a huge stream of blood. His body curled up like a cooked shrimp, his face filled with pain and disbelief.
But in the next second, Gladius gritted his teeth, enduring the sharp pain in his chest. He grabbed Bastet by the neck, and his arms began to swell as if air was being pumped into them.
"Punc Blast!"
Rumble!
Gladius bellowed. His arms, inflated to their limit, exploded, emitting a dazzling flash of light and thick smoke.
"You damned beast, what a waste of my... This is impossible!"
When the smoke cleared, Gladius's face froze. He couldn't believe it. Bastet was completely unharmed in his hands, not a scratch on it.
"Meowr!" Bastet's eyes were full of malice. Its body twisted, and its two fluffy black tails shot out like snakes, wrapping around Gladius's neck and body.
"Ugh...ugh...ugh..." Gladius felt a sudden, intense suffocation. The two tails felt like steel rods, squeezing his neck and body.
"You damned two-legged creature!" Bastet shook its head, easily slipping out of Gladius's hands. It let out an angry growl while using its two tails to lift Gladius into the air.
In the next moment, it twisted its body and slammed Gladius, still wrapped in its tails, onto the ground.
"Damn it..."
Boom!
With a tremendous crash, Gladius's body created a crater more than two meters wide in the thick snow. A powerful blast of air and a cloud of snow spread out.
At that moment, Gladius's eyes were rolled back, blood was spilling from his nose and mouth, and he lay unconscious in the crater in a perfect "spread-eagle" position.
"That really hurt, you damned two-legged creature." Bastet stood on Gladius's stomach, its body shrinking back to its original size. It wasn't happy. It stepped on Gladius's face with its small paw, leaving a perfect little cat-paw print in his blood.
"Gunfire came from this way!"
"Hurry up, I see people!"
"A grown-up and a kid!"
"..."
At that moment, shouts came from a distance. Rosinante turned his head and saw a group of Marines running toward them. Leading them was a long-faced Marine in a beige coat and a Marine cap.
——————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanPiece [remove the parenthesis ( )]
There are 100+ advance chapters available for you to read!