In the northern seas, where not a single island could be seen on the horizon, a strange fleet of massive ships floated upon the shells of enormous electric insects, each vessel resembling a floating castle.
Among them stood the largest yet oddly weathered castle-like ship. Within one of its chambers, a man raged in fury.
"Damn it!"
He smashed the desk, kicked the chair to splinters, and scattered the furnishings across the floor.
"DAMN IT!!"
"Kill him, pirate! There's no mercy for the defeated!"
"We harbor no such intentions, Your Majesty Vinsmoke Judge."
The image of a single pirate burned itself into his mind. Daz Bonez, the young pirate who had defeated him, stood calmly by his side.
"There is no reason for us to continue fighting."
"Don't mock me! If you show mercy here, I'll return with my full force and destroy you all!!"
"But there is no longer any nation willing to pay the price for your services."
"What?!"
The pirate "Cat Burglar" Kuro adjusted his glasses with that distinctive gesture, speaking in the measured tone of a butler despite his weathered appearance.
"Currently, tensions have begun escalating between the Mogaro and Mishon kingdoms, along with their vassal states."
"Foolish..."
"To be precise, the leaders of those vassal states have realized they're wearing a far more dangerous collar than they initially believed."
Judge immediately understood that the man before him had orchestrated this entire situation.
"One wrong move could plunge them into war or civil unrest. Whether they attempt to resolve the crisis or prepare for conflict, massive funds will be required. Even if they were to hire Germa, the compensation they could offer would be drastically reduced."
"You! During this battle... no, even before that, you were sabotaging us!"
He was equally shocked. Never had he imagined pirates who would wield strategy instead of brute force.
"Even if you manage to repel Germa this time, as long as that man remains, he'll find other ways to interfere."
That assessment was disturbingly accurate. The man who called himself a king was the type who derived pleasure from crushing others beneath his heel. He would undoubtedly want to trample the Kuro Pirates, whom he despised, at any cost.
"Mogaro didn't move openly this time. The ones who attacked us recently were merely nameless pirates."
"..."
"This battle was originally supposed to be a formal diplomatic visit from Germa to Mogaro. They probably intended to frame it as repelling pirates who attacked along the way, but..."
That had been exactly the plan, the intended narrative. For a great nation to become entangled with upstart pirates was nothing short of disgraceful, especially for a kingdom that relied on military might.
"In that case, word will undoubtedly reach the Navy and the upper echelons of the World Government. However, we can make this battle disappear from the official records."
"So you want me to admit defeat and flee with my tail between my legs?!"
"For Germa, a nation without territory where industries struggle to flourish, mercenary services form the backbone of your treasury. That's precisely why an undefeated reputation is worth more than gold."
"Guh..."
There was no rebuttal. Literally, the Kingdom of Germa existed through mercenary work. What elevated its value was the trust that "victory is guaranteed as long as you pay." Everything hinged on the reputation of possessing the strongest military force.
The fact that they had been defeated by a newly emerged pirate crew led by a young captain, even if it wasn't their entire army but a select group of elite soldiers, would shatter Germa's prestige completely.
"Compared to the Germa I know of, your fleet numbers are far too few. There must have been some reason you hesitated to deploy your full armada. Perhaps the cost of mobilizing the entire fleet wasn't worth the contract, or maybe..."
"Perhaps you didn't want to move the pregnant queens or those who recently gave birth..."
Despite being restrained and stripped of his Raid Suit, Judge reflexively lunged forward to grab Kuro. But at that moment, a female soldier standing beside him pressed a sword to his throat.
"You! How dare you!"
"As I said, we have no desire to wage war against Germa. And Germa no longer has reason to fight either, does it? Your unit has been destroyed, and there are no clients willing to offer sufficient compensation for its replacement or reorganization."
"...!"
"We too have lost valuable personnel fighting you. Continuing this conflict would be exhausting for both sides. Even if we were to kill the king of a World Government member nation, all we'd gain is infamy."
"Why don't we call it quits here?"
"You bastard, Kuro, you coward..."
"Your current abilities don't even come close to Captain Kuro's level."
"You bastard, Daz Bonez!"
"I won't lose next time! The children we'll have will be perfect warriors who know no fear!"
"We'll mobilize all the Raid Suits we couldn't deploy this time, along with more heavily armed soldiers!"
"By the time we meet again, we'll have created an army even you'll be forced to acknowledge!"
"KUROOO!!"
***
"Report from headquarters! The pirate alliance is active across multiple locations beyond Mogaro Kingdom, and the damage is escalating!"
"The number of pirate ships believed to be affiliated with them currently exceeds thirty!"
"Report! The Distra Kingdom has been destroyed by pirate assault! The Navy has received a distress signal stating that a large number of citizens have been captured along with food and supplies!"
"Report!"
Damn it! Could it be that the stabilized shipping routes have allowed these pirates to organize?
Fleet Admiral Sengoku received the reports and hastily began organizing rescue forces. Beside him, Garp listened to the updates with an unusually grave expression.
"What's the situation over there?!"
"The Big Mom Pirates have entered into conflict with the remnants of the Golden Lion! We've also received emergency assistance requests from neighboring countries!"
Damn it! Everyone's causing trouble at once!!
"Big Mom is one thing, but we don't know how the Golden Lion's remnants will move after their retreat! Send Kizaru!"
"Yes, sir!"
Sengoku clutched his head. Ever since the incident, he had been conducting a major investigation to tighten internal security, uncovering and arresting members and officers involved in crimes that could not be overlooked, all while reorganizing their forces.
Relying on numbers to assault a country, then taking everything of value before scattering like locusts! You worthless scum of the sea!!
"What about Akainu?"
"Yes, he's currently investigating and suppressing the internal rebellions that have erupted."
"Ugh..."
Simultaneously, multiple internal uprisings had broken out, which posed another serious problem. Among the nations that had already been overthrown, ideologies akin to anti-World Government sentiment, or rather, anti-Celestial Dragon sentiment, were spreading.
"Messenger! Messenger!"
"What now?!"
The headquarters was on the verge of being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of incoming intelligence.
"A message has arrived from Admiral Aokiji!"
"Aokiji?!"
Aokiji, Kuzan, had been tasked with reconnaissance and, if necessary, suppression. Had he uncovered something, or defeated the enemy?
"Reporting! The Black Cat Pirates have been confirmed heading toward Mogaro Kingdom! They are currently joining forces with the Black Cat Pirates and will begin the operation to retake Mogaro Kingdom!"
"You fool!!!!"
Whether his anger was directed at the Marine who delivered this report or at Aokiji who had issued the order, Sengoku couldn't help but roar.
"In what world does a Navy Admiral join forces with pirates?!"
"Bwahahaha!! If you're going to say that, then pirates trying to save a country are perfectly normal too!! Wahahaha!!"
"Is this really the time to be laughing, Garp?!!!!"
***
"Captain Kuro! We've reached visual range of Mogaro Kingdom! ...What the hell?"
"They're setting the town ablaze..."
Why do pirates, or rather idiots like these, always want to set things on fire? Is it to force the Marines who rush to the scene to split their forces between interception, firefighting, and rescue operations? The reconstruction work afterward will be grueling and perilous, and setting fires is a waste of time in the first place...
Well, I suppose I can understand why they'd choose arson over simply firing cannons like Buggy... maybe...
No, actually, I don't think so at all. Never mind.
If the fires are still burning three days after we set sail, that means they're still there. They probably looted everything they could carry and set fires to cover their escape.
"Raise the observation kite!"
"Huh?"
"Robin, I'm counting on you!"
"Understood!"
This time, Perona stayed behind to defend the island. Even if there's an attack, as long as she's there, we can handle the numbers. If a powerful enemy appears, Hancock and the others can deal with it.
In that case, battlefield reconnaissance becomes Robin's responsibility. However, there's an issue that became apparent during the battle with Germa. With Robin alone, it's difficult to maintain elevated observation points, and relying solely on her for battlefield awareness would exhaust her considerably.
So after returning home, we brainstormed during breaks between settlement work and training, eventually developing the kite observation system. By flying kites with Robin's eyes attached to them, we could achieve aerial reconnaissance.
Well, compared to ghost observation, it's useless at night, which is a weakness, and the kites are easy targets...
"This is terrible... Captain, the entire town is engulfed in flames. The fields are burning... some areas are completely consumed."
No way... The climate hasn't changed that drastically, and it should be nearly harvest season, right? And they're setting fires... ugh...
"It's merely a foreign country with which we have no connection. I had no particular interest in lending aid, but I accompanied you because you requested it."
He really didn't have much motivation, did he? During our previous battle against Germa, he properly changed into his combat gear, but now he's wearing our standard uniform with Robin's straw hat, and his strongest weapon, the freshly sharpened sword, remains sheathed at his waist.
"I'm beginning to feel like causing some trouble. Kuro, add me to the front lines."
There it is. Our fully automated mass murder machine has activated on its own. I nodded and gazed toward the burning city, lost in thought.
"Hey, Kuro?"
Or rather, why did they move at this particular timing? If it were harvest season, I could understand, but why now of all times?
"Hey, are you listening?"
Bege, who's operating separately, is gathering intelligence, but even with his information network, the mastermind remains unclear. Is this just a random gathering of unknown individuals, or...
"I have something I'd like to ask you."
"What is it, Admiral Aokiji?"
"Oh my, you're being rather formal."
"Could you please try to understand the feelings of a pirate ship captain who was suddenly boarded by the Navy's top combat force?"
Don't you dare laugh, you bastard!! Please, just try to understand! I thought I was going to die! To be specific, I found myself caught between Kuzan and Mihawk, who had suddenly switched into serious mode!
And you, Mr. Navy Admiral, just casually board a pirate ship and announce, "You need reinforcements, right? I'll lend a hand." You're supposed to be a Marine, not a pirate!
I get it! If things continue like this, we Black Cat Pirates will be the first to reach Mogaro and cause all sorts of chaos, so you probably figured you needed to involve someone from the Navy somehow, right? But I never imagined it would turn out like this!
I'm grateful that you're not trying to sink us or stop us, but still...!
"So, what do you want to know?"
"Why did you suddenly become so motivated to hunt down pirates?"
That's what I want to know!! You should understand by now!!
"Even though it's a foreign country, you're irritated because your carefully cultivated fields were burned, aren't you?"
"What? Why?"
"Mihawk is our ace agricultural worker."
What's wrong, Aokiji? You look surprised enough that you probably didn't notice during the Moria battle.
"You really are an unpredictable pirate crew..."
"If you're looking for a fight, I'll take you on."
Mainly Mihawk.
"I was trying to compliment you..."
What was that supposed to mean?
"Wait, seriously? 'Pirate hunting' involves farm work?"
"Land reclamation and flood control projects top the list. Plus lately, a compilation book of crop varieties and farming methods from various regions has become my favorite reading material."
"Eh... That completely ruins the intimidating image."
Well, other residents helped with the land reclamation and flood control work too, but... That guy is invaluable because he can instantly slice through solid rock.
"Captain, we've spotted five ships flying pirate flags and three Navy vessels with large X marks painted over their Marine emblems."
That's a surprisingly small number for a fleet that defeated a Navy unit. Maybe some were sunk, or they split up and went elsewhere?
"Admiral Aokiji, how many Navy ships were sent to rescue Mogaro?"
"No need to be so formal, you're not a Marine. I believe... five ships, if I recall correctly. After all, following the pirate repulsion, rescue operations were inevitable. For such missions, you need supplies like food and medicine."
"Two were sunk. No, perhaps they were captured as well?"
The Navy ships marked with X symbols have apparently become the pirates' flagships, with figures visible moving about on their decks. Or maybe they're just testing the cannons, firing wildly at the town.
Naval vessels are designed to prioritize frontal firepower. They're probably ideal for leading a fleet. Additionally, they provide a psychological advantage over enemies.
Well, if they're thinking that strategically...
"It would be troublesome if they escape. Sinking them is also problematic... Aoki... that doesn't feel right."
Freezing the sea surface would immobilize the enemy ships. But we don't know where the captured Marines are being held.
"Kuzan, can you use your ability to halt their movement?"
"Well, that's a reasonable plan. Understood, I'll do it immediately..."
"Wait, Kuzan!!"
Just as we were about to fully utilize the power of the Ice-Ice Fruit, one of the strongest abilities in existence, Robin shouted and pushed us back.
"Don't freeze the ships!"
"What's wrong, Robin?"
Robin, who had been observing the situation through the eyes she'd created on the kite and had extended her reconnaissance range, was the first to notice and stopped us.
"There are people hanging all over the ships! They're all wearing Marine uniforms, so they're probably..."
"Damn, hostages and human shields, I see."
Kuzan quietly seethed with anger. No wonder.
"Robin, what's their condition?"
"Some are hanging there injured, others have torn or tattered clothes... but some are moving... I think they're alive..."
They must have beaten them before stringing them up. Even if it's only mildly cold, prolonged exposure to sea winds would have lowered their body temperature significantly.
"That's physically dangerous."
Or rather, using ships as meat shields? Are these guys goblins? Come back to being human.
"Kuzan, can you go ashore with the others to eliminate the enemy forces on the island? Simultaneously, please rescue the residents and extinguish the fires."
Since we can't use our signature cannon bombardment, boarding and cutting them down is our best option. Besides, even though it's been captured, sinking a Naval vessel would reflect poorly on Kuzan and the rest of the Navy.
"Can I count on you to handle them?"
I nod at Kuzan's question. It wouldn't hurt to keep the Navy on our side.
"No problem. The captain and I will board."
To begin with, our vice-captain is already eager for action. He's been full of energy since we set sail, brimming with determination, which is excellent.
"I understand. I'll leave it to you."
With that, Kuzan leaps from the ship and activates his ability. He creates an ice barrier at a safe distance to prevent the captured Marines from freezing while ensuring the enemy ships cannot escape.
"What the hell is this?! Ice walls?!"
"Get the ship moving! Something's coming!!"
From the other side, panicked shouts from the pirates can be heard. If they're this surprised by ice walls, it's safe to assume there are no powerful Devil Fruit users among them. In terms of combat strength, there shouldn't be any issues.
Honestly, if it's just about defeating the pirates holed up in Mogaro, a few members of our personal guard and the second ship's combat strength would be more than sufficient.
The real problem is...
Depending on the scale of this pirate alliance and the extent of the damage, this could lead to all sorts of complicated political ramifications...
Things might get quite messy depending on the scope. Depending on the information Bege brings back, we might need to revise our strategy again...
"Alright, leave the ship's defense to Catherine and five crew members. The rest of you, prepare for landing immediately!"
"Eliminate the pirates entrenched in Mogaro and rescue the civilians! The fires will be extinguished by Admiral Aokiji!"
"Don't forget the possibility of survivors trapped by flames or debris! Stay alert!"
"Hold your heads high!!"
***
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