The Shichibukai might be a grandiose title, but pirates are pirates. When the Government or the Marine tell them to do this or that, unless it's a "mandatory participation" order, they almost never show up. Either they send a polite refusal, or they don't even bother replying.
Some do occasionally accept on a whim, or agree because they happen to have business nearby, but those cases are rare.
Among this group, I'm known to the Marine and the Government as "a reasonably cooperative, diligent Shichibukai."
If they explain their reasoning properly and present compensation or some kind of return, there's a fairly high chance I'll comply. A convenient pirate, following in the footsteps of the late Bartholomew Kuma. That's how they see me.
"I'll have to decline. I have plans coming up, so I won't be able to go. ...Yes, excuse me."
Click.
That said, I don't accept every single time. I do refuse sometimes.
Sometimes I refuse simply because it's a hassle. Sometimes the destination is just too far away. Sometimes the matter is something I don't want to stick my nose into. And sometimes Papa tells me, "Don't get involved in that one," so I decline.
This time, too, I turned them down.
The reason: it sounded like a pain, and I didn't want to get involved.
Right around when the call ended, Leona, who'd been relaxing on the sofa in the same room, asked me about it.
"What was that about, Mama? The request from the Marine?"
"They said subordinates under Blackbeard and Big Mom got into a skirmish with each other, and things might get ugly, so could I lend a hand."
"Huh!? A skirmish between the Four Emperors' people... Isn't that bad? Could it escalate into a war?"
Leona looked alarmed at the mention of the Four Emperors, but I just laughed.
"It's fine. When I say subordinates, both sides are the lowest of the low, total small fry. Blackbeard won't lift a finger over some underlings getting beaten unless someone picks a fight with him directly, and Big Mom's side is probably the same. Just because they've both come to be called Four Emperors doesn't mean they consider each other equals. They'll just shrug it off as something that happens all the time."
Worst case, Big Mom's subordinates might purge Blackbeard's subordinates entirely, but as I just said, Blackbeard wouldn't retaliate over that.
The man's got some screws loose, sure, but he's not impulsive enough to rush into an all-out war with Big Mom... I think. Unless he has some kind of ulterior motive.
...And if he does, that's all the more reason not to get involved.
Besides, the Marine should already understand all of this.
This particular request was really about the fact that a World Government Affiliated Nation happened to be within range of that skirmish, and since it was an economically important country, they wanted someone to keep watch to make absolutely sure no damage reached it.
And to be precise about what "economically important" means in this context: it's about "donations" to the Government and tributes to the Celestial Dragons. Yeah, no thanks.
I feel like I've said this before, but I'm not particularly fond of the Marine to begin with, and I actively dislike the World Government.
Still, Blackbeard... his Bounty went up again.
Between him and the Grand Executive Class members who were around him at the Summit War, the numbers have been climbing steadily over the past year and change... and in the newspaper that arrived this morning:
WANTED!
Four Emperors "Blackbeard" Marshall D. Teach
Bounty: 1,960,000,000 Berry
"On top of increasingly ravaging Whitebeard's former Territory even more aggressively than before, he's been stealing Powers through his Ability User Hunt and expanding the number of Ability Users among his subordinates... add the fact that he recently 'defeated and drove off Fire Fist Ace,' and this figure probably reflects all of that."
"That's when he started being treated as one of the Four Emperors, right? He didn't actually 'defeat' anyone, though. Morgans really does write whatever he wants."
"Well, that guy's creed isn't necessarily about reporting the truth as-is. The Government probably sent him a 'request' for some information manipulation. Check enclosed."
The incident that led to Blackbeard being called one of the Four Emperors.
As I just said, to the general public, the big story was that he drove off Ace, who was both "the Pirate King's son" and "Whitebeard's successor."
But, also as I just said... that's not actually what happened.
Sure, you could arguably say it amounted to something like that... but strictly speaking, it's different. There wasn't even a real fight to speak of.
The island that became the stage for what was later called the Rinorecotto Incident, Rinorecotto Island as the name suggests, was a nation unaffiliated with the World Government, and formerly part of Whitebeard's Territory.
However, it was a resource-poor, impoverished country with no real value in controlling it, so apparently Blackbeard hadn't been particularly interested in taking it either.
Even a place like that could become a target for human traffickers from pirate crews and other Underworld organizations, so the island had borrowed Whitebeard's flag for protection.
And that continued even after Ace took command of the Second Generation Whitebeard Pirates.
The incident itself came about... almost entirely by coincidence.
While Ace and the Second Generation Whitebeard Pirates were staying on Rinorecotto Island, multiple pirate Ships appeared offshore. Ships flying the Blackbeard Pirates' flag.
What's more, one of the confirmed vessels was the main ship carrying Teach himself.
Shocked by the sudden, unannounced appearance of their sworn enemy, Ace and his Crew launched their ship to stand guard.
They called it "standing guard," but it goes without saying that burning inside every one of them was the flame of wanting to seize this chance to take down their enemy, to fight. Not just Ace, but nearly every member of the Crew.
They couldn't begin to guess why, but if Teach was coming to attack this island, they had to intercept him.
Or perhaps he was targeting Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit Powers.
Even if it were either of those, Ace and his Crew reportedly had absolutely no intention of backing down.
And then... after putting out to sea, they noticed something.
On closer inspection, the Fleet wasn't entirely composed of Blackbeard Pirates ships.
They were split into two Groups, with one chasing the other.
The pursuers were the Blackbeard Pirates.
The ones being pursued were a moderately well-known, mid-tier pirate crew from the New World.
This came to light afterward, but at that time, Teach and his people were in the middle of one of their usual (?) Ability User Hunts.
The fleeing pirate crew had an Ability User who possessed the Warp-Warp Fruit, a teleportation power, and Teach was chasing them down to kill the user and steal it.
And during that chase, they just happened to pass by Rinorecotto Island, where Ace and his people just happened to be. That was all.
Ace and his Crew were forced to make a decision.
Right now, Teach only had a fraction of the total forces he commanded as Blackbeard with him. On top of that, they appeared to be somewhat worn down from the fighting that must have occurred beforehand.
Setting aside Teach and his Grand Executive Class members, many of the rank-and-file seemed wounded. The targeted pirate crew had apparently put up a decent fight.
It was a rare opportunity to take on Teach, who now commanded a Fleet-scale force.
But if Ace and his Crew picked a fight here... Rinorecotto Island wouldn't survive unscathed.
A small island with a small Town. If it got caught in a collision between the Second Generation Whitebeard Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates, two pirate crews that were both called Quasi-Four Emperors (at the time) due to the scale of their forces and the strength of their members, the damage would be catastrophic.
Even if the battle took place at sea, just the Shockwave from Teach's Tremor-Tremor Fruit earthquake power reaching shore could blow the Town away, and a tsunami would be equally devastating.
And if it turned into a land battle, an entire Town could be wiped off the map in an instant.
Fortunately, if you could call it that, the Blackbeard Pirates appeared wary of Ace and his people but showed no signs of approaching. If anything, they seemed unwilling to let up their pursuit of the Warp-Warp Fruit user.
A power as absurdly useful as teleportation was dangling right in front of them. Of course they'd want to capture it at all costs.
Moreover, the Warp-Warp Fruit pirate crew was moving away from the island. It would have been the worst-case scenario if they'd been heading toward it instead. And their ship seemed quite fast, too.
In other words, as long as Ace's side didn't make a move, Teach and his crew would continue their chase and sail off into the distance. ...Naturally, that meant letting the chance to take down Teach slip away.
Strike at Teach to avenge Whitebeard, and abandon Rinorecotto.
Or protect Rinorecotto, and let Teach, Whitebeard's murderer, escape.
The answer Ace gave was...
"Zehahahaha! So you're letting me go, is that it? How kind of you... But are you sure about this, Ace? I wouldn't mind a war with you guys, y'know?"
"Shut up. I'll take you down one day, that's a given... but not today. Now get lost!"
Click. Beep... beep... beep...
"...Was that really okay, yoi? Ace?"
"Yeah, it's fine. If I put everyone on this island in danger for the sake of scum like that... Pops would be furious with me."
This truth got embellished as it spread, and only the parts about "Blackbeard drove off Ace" and "Ace avoided a fight with Blackbeard" gained traction.
As a result, the impression formed that Teach had surpassed Ace... and from that point on, he came to be called one of the Four Emperors. That's the real story.
And the reason I know all this? I simply asked Ace about it. We meet up and talk from time to time.
My position as a Shichibukai? I don't care about that. What they don't know won't hurt them. Jinbe did the same thing, didn't he?
Well, even if that particular part is mostly misinformation, you don't earn the title of Four Emperors through bluster and spectacle alone. It takes real strength and real forces to back it up.
I mean, it's not like some hilarious character would come along later and become one of the Four Emperors based on nothing but rumors and misunderstandings... right? That won't happen, will it?
Anyway, regardless of all that, Teach does have the power to match the title.
And there's no telling when, what might trigger it, or who he might unleash it upon.
I'm not saying I acknowledge that guy, but I suppose it's fair to say he possesses the kind of brutal tyranny befitting someone called an Empress of the Sea.
'Actually, the ones in the most danger, the ones who really need to be careful... it's probably us, isn't it? Plenty of Ability Users among our subordinates and affiliated pirate crews... and on top of that, while the outside world doesn't know, we still have dozens and dozens of natural Devil Fruits.'
The thought of him finding out is terrifying. He'd declare war on us without a moment's hesitation.
In his case, I don't think being a Shichibukai would matter one bit. His brakes are completely shot. Reckless, rash, thoughtless even. For whatever reason, I have no idea.
Well, enough about Blackbeard... moving on.
"Alright, I should head out soon. Hold down the fort for me, Leona."
"Roger that. Be careful, Mama."
That "I have plans coming up" line I used to decline the Marine's request earlier wasn't a lie at all.
I actually have a research trip scheduled to a certain island starting now.
To be more precise, to put it bluntly... the one who really wants to go there isn't me. It's Mother.
However, the island is officially under Government control, so even someone in the Shichibukai's circle or affiliated with them can't just waltz in.
So the other day, I submitted a formal notice to the Marine under my name, it was duly accepted, and now I'm on my way.
...Honestly, from my personal standpoint... I am interested and I did want to visit, but... at the same time, I wasn't sure if it was really okay for me to go. Because our destination this time is...
"Oh, sorry, it slipped my mind. Where are you going again, Mama?"
"Hm? Baldimore."
Future Country Baldimore.
The birthplace of that genius scientist, Dr. Vegapunk... and a country where precious materials remained, including various inventions and blueprints he left behind from his younger days.
And at the same time, a country with a painful past: not long ago, roughly a year earlier, in what was called the Nightmare of Baldimore, a massive accident, an explosion at Vegapunk's Laboratory, destroyed all of those invaluable legacies.
Thanks to that, with nothing left to protect, security had been relatively relaxed, and getting a stay permit was easy enough.
What neither the Government nor the Marine know, however... is that there was actually a second Laboratory belonging to Vegapunk, and the materials and everything else inside it are perfectly intact.
And staying there right now, in the middle of self-modification and various other power-ups, is none other than the Straw Hat Pirates' shipwright, "Cyborg" Franky.
Sending our resident problem-child genius scientist into that environment... Hehehe, how terrifying...
...Terrifying, yes, but... sorry, it's too fascinating as a research subject. I want to see it for myself.
This time, I'm going to be a proper pirate and follow my Greed.
And what we found at Baldimore, what kind of exchanges took place, and what it all ultimately gave birth to...
That's a story for another time, if the chance to tell it comes along.
To be continued...