"Good grief, the number of pirates around here has increased..."
The East Blue. Of the four seas, it was considered the symbol of peace. Because it was the calmest sea, often used for training new recruits, a man known as the Hero of the Navy had arrived.
"Garp, thank you, you saved us, to think pirates would come here..."
"I wouldn't call that lot pirates."
The elderly man wearing round glasses—the Village Chief—spoke with concern, but the Hero replied seemingly uninterested, picking his ear.
"They're just people who hit rock bottom and barely managed to scrape out to sea... they're refugees," Garp grunted. "I'm having my subordinates round them up for now, but... what to do with them?"
No, despite his casual tone, his reply contained a hint of hidden anger.
"The number of suspicious ships has suddenly spiked in the last few days," the Chief explained, looking out at the sea. "When we lost contact with some places and I sent people to check, there were villages that were completely empty, as if no one had lived there to begin with."
"Rest assured. I've increased the patrols. Besides..."
Garp looked at the docked Marine battleship. Inside, those who were too old to be called pirates, gaunt and thin, armed not with guns or swords but with rusted sickles, were weeping as they slurped down simple wheat porridge. Seeing this, Hero Garp sighed heavily.
"I just spoke to the royalty of this country while greeting them earlier," Garp muttered. "Since an acquaintance lives here, I told them that if nothing were to happen... it would be for the best."
"...Garp, is that rumor true after all?" the Chief asked in a hushed voice.
Recently, a strange rumor had been spreading rapidly, reaching even this quiet village. It was an insane rumor: that nations were hiring pirates to attack the towns and villages of countries they found desperate or annoying, to strip them of everything.
But it went even further—
"...At the very least, the Goa Kingdom side won't make any unnecessary moves now," Garp stated grimly.
"...I never thought a time would come when we couldn't even trust our own country," the Chief lamented.
There were even terrifying rumors that the state was carving up its own territory and selling off the citizens living in those excised regions. The Village Chief with round glasses had asked Garp hoping it wasn't true, but the hesitation in Garp's demeanor confirmed that his fear was correct.
"As I said, I have indeed increased the number of patrols, but... honestly, it's not enough," Garp admitted, crossing his arms. "Please think about evacuation measures just in case."
"That is the Village Chief's job," the old man replied wryly. "...Though, where would we even run to?"
Even in this East Blue, there were many Marines and nations that had defected from the World Government. Not in these immediate waters, but in the easternmost area of the East Blue, defecting Marines had gathered around a certain non-affiliated nation and were advocating independence.
A subjugation order had come from the top when they learned Garp was in the East Blue, but he had just ignored it. To Garp, dealing with pirates who had suddenly become enthusiastic about the kidnapping business was more important than dealing with a bunch of guys angry at the Government.
"Garp."
"Hm?"
"What... is going to happen to this era from now on?"
"...Well now."
Garp recalled the figure of a single boy.
"The one holding the key to that is, as expected, that pirate."
A unique pirate who mingled with officers and barked orders at Marines and government officials. The skill with which he infiltrated the Holy Land without a single subordinate, taking on all the groundwork with relevant departments and preparing documents single-handedly so the Marines could move easily, executing it perfectly. A 'Phantom' Marine who, even now that he was wanted again, was still believed by some Marines to be a Naval Officer.
Garp recalled the figure of the pirate whom even his friend, the Great Staff Officer Tsuru, had insisted "should have his crimes wiped and be recruited into the Marines immediately," and who was now one of the top five most influential pirates in the world.
"A pirate?" the Chief asked, confused.
"Bwahahahaha! It's a good opportunity, I'll rest at the bar for a bit! Makino-chan must have grown up too, right?"
Garp had never seen her in person, but he recalled that among the wanted posters, there was a pirate who had a bounty over a hundred million at the same age as a girl he knew. An outrageous girl who had defeated an Admiral-level force—the 'Pirate Princess'.
"Just perfect, I'll tell you about it instead of bringing a gift," Garp grinned.
"...Personally, I want to hear about the baby you suddenly brought here—"
"Bwahahahaha!!"
As if to interrupt the Village Chief's words, the Hero laughed heartily and pulled a wanted poster from his pocket. A wanted poster of a pirate that Marines, officers, and even government officials had begun to hide in their pockets like a protective charm.
"Don't worry, I won't bore you," Garp said, slapping the paper onto the table. "It's the story of a strange pirate... born in this East Blue, who is fighting the world right now."
–
"All hands, prepare to board! The Guard who can use Silent Step will land first upon confirming the enemy! Strike down those running wild and secure the port first!!"
The ship, originally organized to attack Government vessels and manned by a small but elite group—the finest of the Black Cats—arrived at the target point.
Superior Kingdom. The largest granary region in the West Blue, defended by double and triple defensive lines because it was predicted that enemies would target it during the Pirate Alliance incident. A nation that had successfully defended itself and fulfilled its role as a food storehouse, despite political friction, was now—burning.
This reminds me of that time—the Mogwa Liberation War. It was night back then, but… Amisu thought grimly.
— No way... the Celestial Dragons just took the people and the food back with them...
— Calm down. We're landing immediately, pull yourself together.
Fires were being set in the city, though it was sporadic compared to the Pirate Alliance, which had incorporated thorough burning into their strategy. Seeing this, veteran soldiers were calming down the agitated soldiers.
"Amisu, I've finished a general reconnaissance."
Next to Amisu, who was commanding the advance party, a member of the Guard skilled in solo action landed soundlessly.
"Cazarie, who is the enemy?" Amisu asked immediately.
"I can't call them... enemies," Cazarie replied, her face grim. "The ones currently rioting are the citizens of Superior themselves fighting each other."
"—What did you say?"
Most of those aboard this ship were veterans who had long fought under the Black Cat, bearing the 'Three Claws' on their backs. Even those soldiers couldn't suppress a slight waver in their composure.
"In the hinterlands, the Ligalo Army has begun an invasion under the pretext of condemning the rebellion against the Celestial Dragons," Cazarie explained rapidly. "It seems the remaining soldiers rushed out to intercept them... but after that, various speculations and rumors flew, and the populace fell into confusion. It seems it has turned into a storm of looting for supplies..."
Hearing Cazarie's report, concluding that there honestly wasn't enough time to grasp the situation correctly, Amisu shook off the urge to hold his head in his hands.
"No change to the operation! The Guard will advance and secure the safety of the port perimeter!" Amisu shouted.
The members of the Guard, who had learned Kuro's footwork techniques the most, responded with a salute.
"Kika, Troy. Prepare to fire at any time after landing the combat forces," Amisu ordered.
"—! Are we using them? In the middle of the city, and in this confusion?" Troy asked, surprised.
"If Ligalo is attacking, their goal is occupation and looting. Or perhaps their prominent land forces might reach here. I want you to assist in checking and destroying them at that time."
"I see. ...Captain Amisu, is the request for bombardment the same as usual?" Kika verified.
"Yes, we will use flares at the bombardment request point. The color is red."
"Understood. As soon as we unload the forces, I will prepare with Kika and the gunners."
"Yes. Also, be vigilant against maritime forces, including pirates."
"Sir!"
The mission of the advance party would be technically achieved once they secured this port town. Whether taken by the Celestial Dragons or because people fled immediately, the ships docked at the port were only small boats. There wasn't much need for organization, and with the help of the Fish-Men collaborators who possessed immense strength, it would be cleared up immediately.
Since the opponents were rioters, suppression would take time, but in the worst case, they just had to drive them out of the control zone and secure the location. But—that would undoubtedly raise the difficulty of future governance in an unfavorable direction.
"We will reference the suppression battle on the island we were transported to. First, let's establish a safe zone and set up a simple relief facility," Amisu decided.
"Rescue of injured civilians comes first, huh? ...What about the food distribution?" Cazarie asked.
"...After things settle down a bit. Even those hiding and trying to flee from us 'pirates' will likely try to enter our protection once they see the people of this country eating in a safe place."
The ship, approaching cautiously, drew closer to the port. Sounds of things breaking, gunshots, and someone's screams could be heard more clearly.
"...I hate to say this, but we wouldn't be able to move if not for the massive amount of food we obtained when we took down the Marine base," Cazarie murmured.
"Speaking of which, I slightly regret that we didn't just take it all without leaving any for the defeated soldiers."
Amisu responded to Cazarie's words with a wry smile. Come to think of it, since the flag-raising—no, since the days of fleeing before that, the 'Black Cat's' greatest enemy had been food shortages.
"If we secure this place and carry out reconstruction swiftly, we'll finally be liberated from those problems."
"Good grief, don't get too eager. ...Well then, let's take the first step towards that."
Cazarie, with a katana and pistol at her waist, placed her foot on the edge of the ship. She wasn't carrying her usual rifle because they had consumed ammunition in the war, and also because its lethality was too high.
The enemy was a mob. They needed to be suppressed, but they couldn't kill them indiscriminately. Facing a battle unlike that of pirates, the soldiers of the Black Cat Pirates straightened their posture, lined up, and steeled their morale.
Behind Cazarie, the other Guard members followed.
"Guard, draw swords!"
"Operation start!!"