The abandoned port of Minion Island was littered with the bodies of pirates, scattered across the messy, snow-covered ground. Swords and pistols were strewn everywhere.
A hundred or so Marine soldiers were busy cleaning up the battlefield: tying up prisoners, treating the wounded, and moving bodies. There was plenty of work to do.
These pirates were once part of Diez Barrels' crew and were among the few survivors of the "birdcage," lucky to escape Doflamingo's clutches, only to be caught by the Marines' net of justice.
"Hah..."
Cross sat on a snow-cleared rock by the shore, a cigar clenched between his teeth, exhaling a cloud of smoke. He stared expressionlessly at the pink feather in his hand.
Bastet squatted beside him, her two fluffy tails covering her paws. She was drowsing, her small head occasionally tilting to one side, only to jerk back awake just before she fell over, a cycle that repeated over and over.
The battle to capture the Donquixote Pirates was over, but the outcome wasn't the complete annihilation they had hoped for.
When Vice Admiral Tsuru arrived at Minion Island with her female unit, they quickly stormed the Donquixote Family's pirate ship.
With Doflamingo, the crew's core, absent and three key fighters, Vergo, Gladius, and Buffalo, missing, the rest of the crew were either severely wounded and unconscious, completely out of the fight, or not badly injured but with their fighting ability significantly reduced.
The only ones in perfect condition were Giolla and Baby-5, both of whom had low combat strength to begin with. They were no match for this elite female unit.
However, Tsuru's arrival was so sudden and she saw that the battle on Minion Island was still underway. Assuming the Donquixote Pirates were fighting the Marines, she hastily ordered the two warships to land her female unit, who then launched a land-based assault on the Donquixote Pirates.
The result was predictable. Pica used his Stone-Stone Fruit ability to change the terrain, creating a labyrinth that blocked the main Marine force's advance. The rest of the Donquixote Family members quickly seized the opportunity to control their ship and retreat.
Although Tsuru's unit quickly broke through the labyrinth, they could only stand on the shore and watch as the pirate ship sailed away in the distance.
Meanwhile, Cross's final battle with Doflamingo ended with the latter's escape despite being wounded.
Cross hadn't deliberately let Doflamingo get away or refused to change history. The truth was that when he pursued Doflamingo to his ship, the pirate's Devil Fruit ability "awakened."
It was like a last-minute breakthrough for a protagonist in a novel or a desperate power-up for a character in an anime.
Doflamingo's String-String Fruit reached the "Awakened" level, which made Cross wary. He didn't chase after him like a mad dog from the hawkish faction would have, instead just grabbing the little girl, Baby-5, from the ship and taking her back.
In the end, the Marines failed to achieve almost all of their strategic objectives for this operation. Yet, in a sense, they still managed to achieve them, albeit just barely.
First, they didn't get the Op-Op Fruit, but they did secure its user, Trafalgar Law.
Second, while they failed to completely wipe out the Donquixote Family, they did severely damage Doflamingo's crew and, as an unexpected bonus, rooted out a Marine traitor.
The last objective was to eliminate Diez Barrels' crew. While this mission was completed, it was the Donquixote Pirates, not the Marines, who did the job.
As a result, the Marines were completely taken aback that, aside from Cross's contributions, saving Rocinante and Trafalgar Law, stopping Vergo's rampage, capturing the spy Doflamingo planted in the Marines, and apprehending Baby-5, the biggest credit went to Bastet.
At Cross's direction, Bastet secretly escorted Rosinante and Trafalgar Law. Along the way, she defeated two members of the Donquixote Pirates, allowing the G-5 Marines to capture them later.
Without a doubt, she was the one who received the most praise besides Cross. Or rather, the most praise was for the beast!
In stark contrast, Tsuru's female unit essentially sat on the sidelines and landed for nothing.
"Your fish is ready, Bastet-san!"
Suddenly, Captain Lunta walked over quickly, holding a basin-sized iron bowl in both hands. An enticing aroma wafted from within.
Bastet, who was half-asleep, twitched her nose, smelled the food, and instantly perked up. Her eyes lit up as Lunta placed the iron bowl in front of her.
Cross turned his head and saw that the bowl was full of fish, grilled to a golden brown and covered in sweet honey.
"I'll dig in, meow~"
With food in front of her, Bastet could no longer maintain her aloof demeanor. She said just that and then eagerly pounced, taking large bites of the honey-glazed tuna. Her whiskers were soon covered in the sweet honey.
Lunta watched Bastet eat with a doting smile before he snapped out of it. "Sorry, Commodore Cross, the cooks on the ship are already preparing your meal. You can come aboard to eat in a little while!"
"Huh? I know!"
Cross couldn't help but smile wryly. So they made the cat's food first before the humans'? It seemed their favoritism was a bit too much.
Still, Cross didn't mind. In the great pirate era, cats were irreplaceable crew members whose main job was to control rodents.
Rats on ships could chew through ropes and wooden parts, threatening the ship's food stores and eating the crew's rations, causing economic losses.
More importantly, rats were a major source of disease. For warships on long voyages, they were extremely dangerous, as the fleas on rats were thought to be the main carriers of the Black Plague.
Because of this, ships sailing the seas would keep one or more cats to control rat infestations and protect the crew's health. This led to a unique fondness for cats among sailors.
However, the era of keeping cats on ships had long passed. The main sea routes of this world were now well-developed. Islands inhabited by people were everywhere, so it was no longer a common occurrence to sail for months without seeing land. Sailors could rest and clean their ships frequently without worrying about rats and the plague.
But it seemed that people's love for cats hadn't changed at all. At the very least, Bastet was extremely popular with both Marine Headquarters and the other branches.
Just then, a female Marine with pigtails and a very unconventional fashion sense ran over. She stopped in front of Cross and said with a serious expression, "Commodore Cross, Vice Admiral Tsuru would like to speak with you. She has something to discuss!"
"Huh?"
Cross looked surprised. He sized her up and said seriously, "What's the trick this time, Captain Jiyana?"
Jiyana then broke into a wide smile, patting Cross's shoulder with a big, carefree gesture. "Can you give me Bastet? Name your price; anything you want!"
"Meow meow meow?"
Hearing her name, Bastet stopped eating. She instinctively looked up, her eyes bewildered as she stared at Jiyana.
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