"While treating me as a guest commander, you made me cut wood and rocks more often than cutting people."
The simple structure, prepared as a warehouse, had no consideration for sunlight, and part of its wall had been cut into a perfect square.
"Master, I brought glass panels and window frames from the supply warehouse!"
The swordsman who had carried out the work was giving instructions to his students.
"Kuro's conditions were mainly three: keep a decent distance between the beds, let in sunlight, and ensure ventilation. Was that it?"
"We have some brand-new, fine-mesh nets that were meant for fishing. If we attach them to the window frames first, we can ventilate without letting insects in when the windows are open."
"I'll leave that to you guys who are used to construction work. I'll go get fuel. Most of the people we rescued are probably cold."
"Got it."
The sun was still high, and the temperature wasn't that low, but people were preparing bonfires here and there. They were preparing to warm the soaking wet bodies of the marines who had been shipwrecked, as well as soup and porridge to calm those who had been rescued. Pirates and marines skilled in cooking stood side by side, seriously tending the fires.
I never thought I'd see such a scene. And that I'd be part of it...
"Mihawk-sensei."
"Chris?"
To Mihawk, the members of his personal guard were those who had obtained the "talent of effort." They had no natural talent for combat, but they had risen from despair and taken on a resolve that had led to astonishing growth. They can now hold their own against the elite sailors and pirates he has cut down in the past, or even fight with enough composure to wait for reinforcements.
Among them, he had identified a few who also possessed the talent for the sword. Chris, a female member of the personal guard, was one of them.
"As always, it feels awkward to be called 'teacher' by you all."
"It's an appropriate title. In any case, we've moved all the beds, blankets, and medical supplies to this side. Fortunately, the evacuation zone is calm, so we've left a minimum number of doctors there and the rest are waiting at the port."
"What about Kuro?"
"I've sent a messenger to him."
"Then there should be no problem. If there's anything concerning, he'll handle it. Let's get to work moving things. Help me out."
"Yes, sir!"
The only flaw, Mihawk thought, was that he was a bit too serious when he wasn't drawing his sword, but in terms of work, he was the second most reliable person after Amis.
"Chris. How are the soldiers, including the personal guard?"
"They were a bit anxious, but Deputy Governor Daz gave them a pep talk before we set sail, and Miaxis did a good job of calming them down, so now their morale is just right."
Hmm... Mihawk let out a small sigh of admiration. As the strongest individual fighter in the Black Cats, Mihawk felt there was much to learn from the way the Black Cats demonstrated their strength as leaders in such situations.
"Then that's good. The next battle will be crucial."
"But where should we attack? The governor and Admiral Aokiji are unable to pin down the enemy's main forces and are focused on defense."
"We'll find them soon. Kuro has finally gotten serious. No, sorry. That might be misleading."
The two reached a spot where they could see a shed where large amounts of firewood were stored. The marine guarding the shed noticed Chris's black cat suit and saluted, to which Mihawk responded with a light wave and Chris returned the salute in the black cat style.
"Kuro always tries to take the safest possible course of action. He wants to minimize casualties among the soldiers."
"I understand."
"That's precisely why he rarely gives his all to the point of exhaustion. That's why, in this situation of material shortages, he sometimes loses his composure."
"I get the feeling that the governor fears a mass uprising of the people the most."
"I agree. If we don't take down the enemy's central command as soon as possible, that thing will become even more active. That's why Kuro is going to make his move here."
Under Kuro, Aokiji, and Bege's orders, the management of supplies has been tightened. This is to prevent the resale of valuable food and medicine to the black market. Kuro and Baji know the outlaws well, and Aokiji knows that even marines can fall when they fall, so they agreed to manage this aspect with particular rigor.
Chris, who is skilled at paperwork, completes the procedures for removing supplies and loads a decent amount of firewood onto a cart to transport it out.
"The battle against Germa, or when I fought him. When there's no way to avoid casualties, but there's still something that must be done, that's when he truly shines. Whether it's soldiers, Daz or you guys, or even his own body... as a warrior or a commander, that's when Kuro is at his strongest."
"Based on the information he gathers, he can deliver the decisive blow. He always does. Be prepared."
"Hah."
***
"Golden Lion... Another troublesome one..."
"Admiral Aokiji, do you know him?"
It sounds familiar, but I can't quite place it... Golden Lion, Golden Lion... Let me see...
"Oh, I didn't expect that."
"I thought someone like you would know such a big name."
Huh? Is he a big shot?
"Golden Lion Shiki. He's the pirate who created the only known escape from Impel Down and, well, he was in a position equivalent to the Four Emperors of the current era. He's famous for having faced the Pirate King himself."
Damn, he's a huge deal!!
If he's such a big shot, he should stop lurking around in these waters and go back to the New World already!!
Huh? But...
"Wait a moment. If he was once part of the Four Emperors, he must have a lot of followers, or rather, soldiers, right?"
"Yeah, most of them are currently fighting against the Big Mom Pirates in the New World. They're defending their territory."
Numbers are power. With that many, you could have stirred things up more. You were captured once, so did you abandon the subordinates who had become almost independent? Or are you selling the slaves you captured?
Not all pirates under the same banner fight together. Even in the Whitebeard faction during the Summit War, there were various pirate crews besides Whitebeard's captains.
I don't know who they are, but it's impossible to unite them at Whitebeard's level. Especially after being captured...
Among the subordinates acting independently, selling slaves to those aiming to expand their power steadily and then letting them go with the flow seems most likely.
Even if we abandon our subordinates, they're attacking the Navy, so hiding out isn't an option. The likelihood of a surprise attack is also low. If we're talking about a diversion, then the only timing would be after some time has passed since the attack, but we have zero information. Then, maybe a reset for a long-term plan...
"Ah, I'm sorry for leaving the two of you behind."
"Hah, no, don't worry about it..."
Among the survivors, the two who managed to keep their consciousness, the rear admiral and the two who would later become known as the "Black Cage," were given clothes and blankets by Amis and Robin, who had been waiting nearby, along with a female colonel who was also nearby. They are now warming up.
Seriously... I understand that formality is important in the military, but at least maintaining basic health is essential... Hypothermia isn't something to joke about. Even the marines who were hung during the Mogwa Liberation War took some time to recover.
"So, you were ambushed by Shiki?"
"Hah! By the time I realized what was happening, two ships, including the one I was on with Private Hina, had been destroyed... After that, the remaining three ships, led by the vice admiral, tried to counterattack, but one after another, our ships were sunk and we were dropped from a great height..."
"Wait."
I was trying to speak in my usual serious mode as the pirate "Black Cat" when facing the admiral "Blue Pheasant," but my true self slipped out.
"Floated?"
"Ah, right, you don't know that either. Well, Shiki of the 'Golden Lion' is a user of the Float-Float Fruit, so he can make anything he touches float. Once a ship is touched, it just floats away."
Um, could that be...?
"Lieutenant, excuse me, Lieutenant General of the Marine Headquarters. The ambush... was it from above?"
"Yes, 'Nukiashi.' Suddenly, a slash came from above... and our ship was cut in two."
That's what I've seen Mihawk do before? Um... so that means... roughly on par with Mihawk...
"Major General, when you were cut, was that pirate called 'Golden Lion' alone, or was there a ship or something?"
The Major General and the young woman beside him look at me with a puzzled expression. Just answer. This is important.
"In terms of combat power, he was almost alone, but there was a ship. A fairly large one."
"Where did you notice they were approaching?"
"I don't know. I just noticed they were directly above us."
"Amis, Robin, bring several maps of the same scale, no, one map and several transparent plastic sheets. And Admiral."
"Ah, I see. You want the weather reports from each branch at the time of the attack, right?"
"Yes."
"I'll also have the records of the days when many people were taken captive."
"Please do."
***
The man who once fought and defeated him now stood shoulder to shoulder with the admiral at headquarters.
"Range? Is that what you're concerned about?"
"I've seen Mihawk's slashes countless times, so I understand, but to cut a ship in half, you need to get close enough."
One man, slightly slouching but wearing a navy uniform, and another pirate elegantly dressed in a black suit, were laying transparent plastic sheets over a map pinned to the wall, scribbling arrows and lines one after another.
"But the generals didn't notice the enemy approaching to that distance. Even if they were unfamiliar with the area, they should have noticed the shadow of a giant ship. The fact that they didn't notice until it was directly above them means that they must have used something else to hide themselves."
"Clouds?"
"Yes, probably."
That's right, they are working side by side. Normally, this would be the job of the marines.
"Until now, we have been searching for the enemy's base using eyewitness reports and ocean currents. If the fleet was hard to spot, we could fill in the visible areas and infer the remaining locations."
"But we discovered that the enemy was using the sky."
"Yes. And the enemy is moving by hiding their ships in the clouds. In other words, we should focus on the wind direction rather than the waves. We can ignore land that ships cannot pass through... Well, it's just a hypothesis, but if we reverse-engineer the enemy's movements based on this..."
How seasoned he is.
Standing beside him, a young second-class soldier not much older than the pirate watched intently as the pirate spoke and handled the documents.
"Robin, next map. And this... align them properly."
"Yes... got it!"
"Thank you. Amis, the wind direction and weather records for the next day."
"Here you go."
After the interrogation, the usual thing happened, and it's been stuck in my mind ever since.
If we had just been captured, it would have been over!
The words I shouted at the child who fought as a pirate that day have become a curse. The gruesome sight of my former students, released under the pretense of being returned, is burned into my eyelids and won't fade.
"Kuro, I'll handle Shiki. You—"
"If the worst comes to the worst, I'll ask you, but Shiki probably won't show up."
"A while ago, they said this wasn't the main part of the plan..."
"I didn't know, but if it was a famous pirate who fought the Pirate King, just mentioning his name would have drawn many pirates."
And the one who saved them was the very man I had dismissed as "it would have been better if he had become a slave."
"I didn't do that. Then, that pirate called 'Golden Lion' is not the main force behind the turmoil in the Western Sea, but merely involved as a transport role."
"Then, who sank the headquarters' ship?"
"It was probably just a side job. Rather, couldn't we ask them to focus their efforts on hunting pirates in the New World?"
Here he was, a man trying to save the Western Sea with strategies unbecoming of a pirate.
"Ah, the remnants of Shiki?"
"Especially those who haven't shown any activity. Of course, there are others, but they're the most likely candidates."
"Understood. I'll advise Sengoku to act immediately."
He had been demoted in name only for the ironic reason that he had driven the pirates away from an island where they had attacked and reported the incident without losing a single life. And before he knew it, he had become a quiet "legend" among the marines.
"Captain Kuro. The information you requested is all here."
"Alright. The attacks occurred here and here, with clear skies and few clouds. The wind direction connecting these points is... like this... OK, Robin, give me all the plastic sheets."
"Yes, sir."
The pirate stacked all the thin, flimsy plastic sheets he had been writing on and replacing, then pressed them against the map. Layers upon layers of black arrows, some connected by red lines. The pirate traced them with his finger—
"We've got him. Finally."
***
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