"How's it going, Hancock? I had the carpenters select the strongest, most durable wood they could find."
"Hmm, excellent material. Here, see for yourself."
With that, Hancock pulled on a leather chest guard over her blouse and drew the wooden bow she'd been holding.
Well, I don't know much about bows, but... if Hancock is this proud of it, it must be quite impressive.
"The arrows are also being crafted by the carpenters as part of the reconstruction efforts."
"I heard from Toya when he returned from his shift. Once we have enough arrows, we'll head up into the mountains to break in the bow with some hunting."
"That would be a great help."
"Hmm, everyone must be getting tired of nothing but bean and fish soup."
I want to make a bow.
Hancock and the other two members of the Nine Serpents had mentioned this the other day.
Until now, Hancock had mainly fought hand-to-hand, occasionally using swords or knives, while her two sisters favored spears. However, all three claimed that bows were their true specialty.
(Now that I think about it, the Nine Serpents used bows quite extensively in the original story as well.)
"Are there many archers among the Kuja Clan?"
"Most warriors can use them. Amazon Lily has little contact with the outside world beyond occasional raids, so such weapons are scarce. Even when we do seize them, most end up being used for cannons, so we rarely employ firearms."
Hancock's words brought back memories of the original story.
...Indeed, I don't recall them using cannons much.
"That's why bows serve as the primary ranged weapon for most warriors. They're easy to craft, arrows can be produced in large quantities even on that island, and when infused with Haki, their power can rival guns."
"I see, that makes perfect sense."
While we're not short on weapons thanks to recent spoils from the mafia forces, considering future replenishment and maintenance, it might be better to focus on that approach until we establish a solid base.
The personal guard can use Haki. The only issue is training time.
"Captain, Hancock!"
As I watched Hancock adjust her bow, Robin arrived.
"Robin, even though this palace is practically our territory now, you still have your circumstances. Don't venture out alone too often. Be careful."
"Ah... I'm sorry, Hancock-san."
Right, most of the Royal Guard was out working on port repairs and setting up residential areas for the citizens.
"My apologies. Some of the people have been uncooperative, but the royal family has been helpful, so I let my guard down. From now on, I'll make sure to assign at least one member of the royal guard to accompany you. So, what's the situation, Robin?"
"Oh, right. I saw Daz and the others' ship returning from patrol, but everyone on deck looked frantic... They're towing two unfamiliar vessels."
Ah, I suppose enemy ships approached and they captured them along with their weapons and equipment.
Or perhaps they caught an unusually large haul in their nets.
This really was the Golden Age of Pirates.
Thanks to that, pirates continuously deliver new ships, cannons, gunpowder, and ammunition, a tremendous help for our armaments.
...The problem is that we can't simply recruit new personnel, so we need to steadily expand and train our existing forces.
"Understood. Hancock, watch over Robin for a while. I'll head to the port to assess the situation and take command."
"Got it. Robin, sorry, but could you help with the cleanup? I made quite a mess with all these wood shavings from carving and polishing."
"Of course!"
***
"Even in the age of pirates, isn't this excessive?"
There was indeed considerable chaos at the port.
We'd decided the locals couldn't be trusted with organizing weapons, so we were handling it ourselves, but there were so many weapons we couldn't keep pace.
You pirates are risking far too much.
If you have enough money to buy all that equipment, you should find a better way to live...
"Captain, you're here. Can you spare some men?"
"Yeah, I've already asked Toya to select reliable workers and dispatch a personal guard to lead them..."
Cannons, cannons, more cannons.
They appeared to be relatively new models that hadn't seen much use, being carried out one after another.
The firearms weren't the usual pistols we typically encountered, but flintlock muskets and rifles scattered throughout.
...Guns, huh. I'm sure some were used by Whitebeard's crew, and the red-haired crew's first mate stopped Kizaru with a gun, so they must be effective, but they don't leave a strong impression in the One Piece world...
Well, it's good that we can upgrade the soldiers' standard equipment.
We'll test-fire the cannons as well and use the data for reorganization.
"How many enemies were there?"
"Six ships. Four of them were too troublesome, so I had Perona sink them... I'm sorry, I wanted to capture as many vessels as possible..."
"Ah, no problem. Losing even a few of our trained elite trying to capture ships would be far more painful."
The same goes for the personal guard, but the members who joined after the regional headquarters battle have also developed into proper combat forces. I don't want to lose them over trivial matters.
After all, it takes skill and experience to maneuver a ship properly, so you shouldn't let subordinates die carelessly. Daz, who executed the order, never disappoints.
"Still, this is some serious firepower..."
"Yeah, not only the fixed weapons on the ships, but as you can see, there are even wheeled cannons packed densely on the decks... Their cannon fire was truly annoying..."
"It was really annoying, damn it!!"
Perona, who had arrived without my noticing, guzzled water greedily and let out a loud "Phew!" with an oddly old-man-like gesture.
What's wrong, Perona?
"Not only direct combat, but we were forced to avoid the mid-range battles that are our specialty..."
"Plus, they kept retreating just beyond the range of our Negative Hollows, so we had to use Mini-Hollows to intercept their cannonballs mid-flight and then finish them with Special Hollows! Ugh, I'm exhausted!"
"...They're adapting faster than expected. What about Amis?"
Amis has also been deployed to hone her command skills as a captain.
Since Daz has returned, she should be preparing for the next patrol.
"I've already informed her. Just to be safe, we'll mount two long-range cannons each on the second and third ships from the captured supplies."
"Are there sufficient ammunition and gunpowder?"
"We have plenty. It seems they intended to eliminate us with one-sided cannon fire from beyond our range..."
That's troubling, or rather, it makes me uneasy...
To be precise, the fact that there's a force other than the World Government or Navy that's so determined to eliminate us gives me an ominous feeling.
They don't appear to be connected to the mafia.
"...Daz, when Toya brings back the men, I'll leave the rest to you."
"Huh? What about inspecting the temporary settlement and reconstruction work?"
"Right. If you deem it necessary, utilize Hancock and Robin. Of course, don't leave Perona or Robin unattended."
Perona kicks me, protesting that I shouldn't treat her like a child, but she isa child, so it can't be helped.
If she could fight like Hancock even without her abilities, it would be different.
"I'll join the patrol. Just as a precaution."
If it were me, even in the worst-case scenario, I could simply run across the sea surface or through the air and slice through a ship's hull or mast.
Robin and the others crafted some cat claws for us, and I'm confident I can manage that now.
"I don't think we should make the foolish mistake of deploying our forces piecemeal..."
If someone wants to destroy us, we'll naturally analyze their tactics individually.
I just hope no more enemies appear before the decisive battle with the Navy blocking the western waters...
***
(... Why did it have to turn out like this?)
The situation was so dire I couldn't help but clutch my head.
"Captain Kuro, what should we do?"
"... We're flying the flag. We have to hear what they have to say."
It had been roughly half a day since we set out on patrol. Under Amis's command, we'd passed through the planned checkpoints on schedule, and just when I thought it would conclude as a routine patrol, a familiar ship was approaching us.
No way.
"Amis, the radio."
"Yes. It's already connected to the speaker."
Thanks.
But Amis, it's written all over your face.
You want to say, "Let's sink them right now!"
Hmm, first things first...
"We have confirmed that you show no intention of engaging us. We will now board your vessel."
My voice, broadcast through the speaker, was likely met with a response from the other ship's speaker. A burst of static came from the other vessel, a ship I knew all too well, and then:
"Nyeh heh heh, normally the captain would come alone. You're still the same peculiar pirate, aren't you?"
"You're not even the one who's supposed to be here."
"—Bejji."
"Hah hah hah! You're still the same, Kuro!"
You bastard, why the hell are you coming here!?
And you're even raising a white flag to negotiate!?
"I have something to discuss with you. Come on, board first. We'll disarm, and then we'll talk, eh?"
You're definitely going to cause trouble, you bastard!!
I know you will, you bastard!!!!
***
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