"You bastards, keep firing! We've got plenty of ammunition!"
The soldiers inside Capone "Gang" Bege's body continued launching cannonballs at the enemy forces in rapid succession. The enemy returned fire with small, unfamiliar heavy weapons, bombarding Bege's fortress-like structure, but it didn't even budge.
Damn it, what the hell is that thing...?
Despite their advantage, Bege's soldiers were growing increasingly terrified. Not because of the enemy soldiers who kept moving and fighting despite taking direct cannonball hits.
That kid... was he really that strong...!?
On the opposite side, pirates were slicing through enemy soldiers who couldn't be killed by cannons, piling up mountains of corpses and incapacitated soldiers on the deck of an enemy ship that had attempted to flank them. Witnessing this sight, or rather, the traces of the massacre the pirates had caused, the mafia finally realized the true horror of the enemy they had underestimated just days ago.
And it wasn't just one person. On another ship, though they didn't vanish like Kuro, someone was using sword techniques too fast to be seen, creating similar mountains of corpses.
On the battlefield spread out below, a girl who appeared valuable was using a bow and arrow, along with a beautiful knife likely taken from a fallen enemy soldier, to swiftly eliminate enemy soldiers one after another. The two girls following behind her were also wielding long weapons to cut through enemies while maintaining solid defense.
"That newcomer, Hancock, right? He's got good tactical sense. He repositioned the front line to maximize our cannon effectiveness. Thanks to him, we can fire away without worrying about friendly fire."
On the pirate side, they were enjoying the action. Especially the pirate named Kuro, who seemed genuinely delighted that his trusted subordinate had gained such a capable ally.
"Bege!"
"Holo holo holo! I knew people with abilities could do anything, but did they really have such incredible powers?"
"Oh, you two made it here safely."
Under his command, they focused on retrieving and treating wounded allies while supporting their fellow pirates with cannon fire. Following orders from the others, two girls who were members of the pirate crew were brought aboard.
***
"How's the battle progressing?"
"We're currently defending against enemy forces boarding the ship. Of the remaining four ships, two are being handled by Kuro and Mihawk."
"Right, the other one is being delayed by cannon fire from Bege's ship and our escort vessel, but we should catch up soon."
"Things are mostly going according to plan... but the problem is the soldiers on the enemy flagship where that Germa king named Judge is located."
The enemy's main force was currently engaged in fierce battle. Even among the already enhanced enemy soldiers, this group appeared to be elite forces, and their assault was particularly overwhelming. Moreover, as the flagship, it was the most impressive vessel with numerous soldiers aboard.
"We've secured the non-combatants inside the ship, and the personal guard, Miaquis and the others, are heading this way. If we can hold out until then..."
"But we can't deny the numerical disadvantage... To concentrate our forces in one location, we need to delay at least one more ship's arrival... But even if we board, it's clear from this battle that ordinary soldiers alone won't stand a chance."
Bege carefully observed the ship below while deep in thought.
"Hey, girl. Your ability didn't work on those soldiers, did it?"
"Perona! Yeah. When I pierced them with Negative Hollow, their movements slowed slightly for a moment, but by the time they passed through, they were back to normal. They moved just like regular soldiers again... And when I pierced them, it felt like something disgusting was transmitted through me."
"If we send more troops..."
"Of course we've already tried that!"
"Right."
Even though he was a pirate, he hesitated to smoke in front of two young girls, so he pressed the remaining cigar into the ashtray, extinguished it, and fell into contemplation for a moment.
"Hey, Perona."
"What?"
"Did you try your ability on that giant Den Den Mushi?"
He cut straight to the point.
"It's a living creature, right? Different from humans, but if we hit it, maybe we can slow it down somewhat?"
***
"Me?! Are you saying I'm weaker than some kid pirate?!"
"That's right."
The spear swung in anger was faster than before, but it lacked the brilliance of his earlier strikes.
The best counterattack would be to block it, but the size difference is too great to overcome.
However, his combat skills were undeniable, and while he could parry the consecutive strikes, it was far from easy. Even Daz Bones would have to acknowledge his prowess.
The difference between him and Mihawk is that there's no 'refinement' in his attacks. If you can read his breathing, you can read his attacks.
Daz Bonez. Do you know what the greatest advantage of your ability is?
...The ability to transform into any weapon suited to the purpose at any time... Isn't that it?
That's not wrong. But there are other advantages to your ability in combat.
What are they?
I don't know.
...What?
Figure it out and develop it yourself. That process is what will nurture you as an ability user.
It's fine, there's no need to rush. Once the front lines stabilize, the personal guard and Hancock will handle the enemies.
Black Cat Pirate Crew Vice-Commander, Daz Bones. Though still relatively new, this man had not forgotten his duties as vice-commander of a pirate crew that had grown to fleet size.
Alongside his own training, he personally oversaw the training and conditioning of his subordinates, sharing meals with them to gain as much insight as possible into their individual conditions and states.
If the enemy soldiers are on par with or slightly above the level of those we first fought, they won't be easily defeated.
During training with Mihawk, the personal guard got beaten to a pulp, unable to stand even once. After engaging Mihawk in all-out combat, they managed to rise once more on sheer willpower. After about ten minutes of intense swordplay, they would fall, rise again through sheer willpower, and challenge him once more.
The strength of the personal guard, who had been training relentlessly in both theory and practice since Mihawk arrived on the island, was the most reliable combat force for Daz and Kuro, who commanded them.
And while Hancock and the others followed orders, they were also mentors to Daz, different from Mihawk. They trusted his combat prowess and respected it.
I just need to focus on this battle.
With a deafening roar, the heel of Judge's boot bulged outward. At the same time, a massive burst of heat and air erupted from that area.
It's not a charge. He's feinting to slip past and take the high ground.
The outcome was already decided. Vinsmoke Judge couldn't defeat Daz Bone.
With a loud "Guh," he charged toward Daz at a speed not as fast as the captain's but still threateningly dangerous, delivering a warning strike with his spear before soaring into the air.
At the same time, four soldiers who had broken through the encirclement from the front lines held back by the bodyguards and soldiers rushed in.
"Don't turn around. Focus on the enemy in front of you."
Daz could sense the panic of several bodyguards and soldiers. That's why there was no need to panic. He had already seen their movements.
Presumably, the four soldiers were planning to stop Daz's movements at the cost of their lives, allowing Judge in the air to finish him off with a powerful thrust. That was likely the plan, but before that could happen, Daz performed a handstand on the spot, transformed his legs into blades, spun around, and sliced through the throats of all four soldiers, rendering them incapacitated.
Judge, who had already assumed a thrusting stance, locked eyes with Daz.
"Daz Bones!!"
"You overestimated your weapons and your numbers, Germa."
Daz's armored right arm collided with Judge's spear, sparking flames.
My ability, the Dice-Dice Fruit, allows me to instantly transform any part of my body into a blade. But I can also turn myself into plain steel.
"Guh... It won't come out!?"
"That kind of acceleration? I've seen it enough to be bored."
One of my advantages is the ability to instantly switch between slashes and strikes.
His fists, hardened into steel by his armor, gripped Judge's spear at its core.
One of the techniques he had used before. By aligning both fists at the wrists and forcefully opening them upward while releasing a slash, he unleashed a powerful technique. Daz performed it with just one hand.
Though its power should have diminished, it had gained greater precision and sharpness through repeated challenges against Mihawk.
The Raid Suit, scientific armor crafted by the culmination of Germa's technological prowess. Its defensive power was immense, and even Daz Bone's current strike couldn't cut through it.
"...Gah...ha..."
But even so, he couldn't completely nullify the impact. Blood-mixed foam dripped from his mouth, and with a vacant gaze as if his brain had been shaken, the king of the Germa Kingdom, who led Germa, collapsed.
"Mission complete."
Daz did not attempt to strike the still-breathing man further.
In that situation, where morale should have been raised sharply, the captain used the word "defeat" instead of the stronger "kill."
Though it may not have been a long time, Daz had spent enough time with the man to understand the underlying meaning of his orders.
There must be some uncertainty about the consequences of this man's death... If we could neutralize him without killing him, that would be sufficient.
He knew that his job was not to kill, but to connect and support the captain and the crew as the vice-commander.
"The enemy commander-in-chief, Vinsmoke Judge, has been captured by this unit!"
And now that the tide had turned, he knew that the only way to suppress the enemy clone army, which would continue to fight even if scattered, was to greatly raise the morale of the entire force.
"Without a leader to command the entire force, the more we press forward, the more the enemy will be thrown into chaos! There is nothing to fear!"
Though not accustomed to shouting loudly, he still managed to voice his resolve from the depths of his being.
"We will now transition to mop-up operations!!"
***
"Hmph."
"Oh."
I slashed and kicked every soldier on the ships that had been moving to surround us, and when I jumped onto the last ship, which had been hit by a barrage of attacks from an overwhelming number of Negative Hollows and was moving slowly, I made eye contact with Mihawk, who had just jumped onto this ship with Hack's help.
"If you're here, this must be the last ship."
"Yeah, and..."
Germa, who should have been fearless, was beginning to show signs of panic. More than that, the command structure was breaking down. They couldn't decide whether to force their way back to the ship we had initially boarded, deal with Mihawk and me, or how to attack.
...Hey, could you stop silently launching slashes and just knock them out for now?
"Daz Bones. You did excellent work."
"Normally, we would have surrendered at this point and ended the battle... but that's not going to happen."
"Hmph, soldiers who can't stop when they should... How ironic. As fighters, they are perfect, but that perfection prevents them from becoming perfect soldiers."
Mihawk smiled as he raised his sword.
"Let's go, Kuro. The time for sowing seeds has passed, but there is still plenty of land to cultivate on that island."
You should just call yourself a farmer now. Or maybe an idol.
Still...
"Me too. Reconstruction work, surveying land and seas, infrastructure development, investigating the situation of neighboring non-member nations... there's a mountain of work to do."
"Kuro, you should just call yourself a pioneer instead of a pirate."
"I don't want to be called a pioneer. Anyway, we're both busy."
The negative auras around us vanished all at once. We must have overused a lot of ghosts over a wide area. Perona can rest now. The rest is up to us.
"Let's clear them out."
"Got it."
***
"Well, that's the story... About twenty years ago, we, the 'Black Cats,' fought against Judge."
"Yes, I've heard that story so many times since I was a child that it's burned into my head."
"Huh? Really?"
"Yes, you too, 'Steel Blade' Daz Bones. Every time your news appeared in the newspaper, my father made us read it and told us to surpass you all. Everyone."
"...So that's why you looked at me and the captain strangely when I first met Sanji..."
"It's karma, I guess... Well, never mind. So... is that acceptable? Judge."
"...Our long-held dream has been shattered. We trusted the wrong person, and now we're in this... this...!"
"...Though it's hard for me to say after all I just said, there was indeed a possibility that Big Mom, who favors marriage alliances, might have accepted it normally. The fact that we didn't realize we were being seen as prey... was just bad luck."
"...Kuro."
"Yeah."
"We are no longer a member nation. From now on, Germa will be under the umbrella of the Black Cats."
"...I accept. For now, we'll form you into a special task force and incorporate you as members of our group. And, Vinsmoke Reiju."
"Yes."
"I appoint you as the commander of the special task force."
"I understand. I will accept this responsibility with humility."
"Judge will assist as an advisor. As a base, we will provide you with Akishima and another nearby island."
"Understood..."
"Ah."
"...I am deeply grateful. Thank you."
***
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