Tashigi began her morning as usual, practicing her sword swings in solitude. The training field had been built specifically for her and the other female marines by her superior, Smoker.
But since she was the only woman stationed in Loguetown, she always had the place to herself, quietly honing her blade.
As she focused on her swings, a marine came running up in a panic.
"Tashigi-san! It's bad! Captain Smoker went to pick a fight with one of the Five Emperors!"
Hearing that, Tashigi hastily threw on her coat and sprinted toward the harbor.
When she arrived, she found her fellow marines aiming their rifles at two figures standing aboard the Konoha Senju.
Tension hung thick in the air, one spark and the situation would explode.
She turned to a nearby marine. "Where's the Captain?"
"Captain Smoker was hit by that red-haired woman!" the marine said angrily. "She sent him flying into the ship's cabin. The medics are already attending to him."
With a few agile leaps, Tashigi landed on the smaller vessel's deck.
Through a jagged hole in the wall, she saw Smoker lying among scattered supplies, marines surrounding him as the medics worked.
Seeing that he was not seriously injured, Tashigi let out a small sigh of relief. Still, she was indignant. To raise a hand against the Navy, that was no different from being a pirate.
She stepped onto the dock beside the Konoha Senju, drew her sword, and pointed the blade toward the red-haired woman on deck.
Forcing her voice to sound commanding, she shouted, "You have violated the laws of the World Government! Step down from the ship and submit to inspection!"
Every movement Tashigi made was being watched by Kushina and Natsuka from above. The two women curiously observed the earnest young swordswoman.
Even when she drew her blade at them, they didn't take offense, in fact, they found her unexpectedly endearing.
"Kushina, did you hear the soldiers calling her Tashigi?" Natsuka said with interest. "This girl's got spirit, holding her ground among all those men."
Natsuka couldn't help but feel a touch of fondness for the marine below.
"What a pity she's Navy," she added with a playful sigh. "If not, I'd kidnap her aboard and we'd have another adorable sister!"
"What adorable sister?" Nami asked curiously as she stepped out from the cabin, sunlight glinting off the brim of her sun hat. Yuna trailed behind her.
Natsuka gestured toward the deck below. "That one, the girl with the sword. Isn't she cute?"
Nami leaned over the railing to look, only to see a line of marines aiming their guns straight at her. She squeaked and ducked back behind cover.
"Why are they so hostile? Why are they pointing their guns at me?" she complained, bewildered. Just days ago, the marines had been perfectly civil, so why surround the harbor now?
"I beat up a cocky marine," Kushina said helplessly. "And then… well, this happened."
"Oh, I see! Good for you, Kushina! Marines are nothing but bullies who pick on the weak," Nami huffed.
Her disdain for the Navy had run deep ever since the Arlong incident, when corrupt marines had turned a blind eye to her suffering.
As they spoke on deck, one reckless marine suddenly opened fire. The others, startled, instinctively pulled their triggers as well.
From the nearby battery positions, cannons roared, hundreds of bullets and dozens of shells rained toward the Konoha Senju like a deadly storm.
"Wind Release: Pressure Damage!"
Natsuka's hands blurred through the seals. Chakra gathered at her mouth before she exhaled a compressed blast of air.
The swirling wind sphere burst outward, creating a violent vortex that deflected every incoming shell.
Seeing the marines attack first, Kushina's temper ignited.
She leapt onto a nearby ship, slapped both palms down, and the massive vessel rose into the air like a balloon. With a casual wave, she sent it hurtling toward the marines.
If that ship crashed down, the consequences would be catastrophic, at least seventy percent of the marines would be crushed or killed.
But Kushina hadn't meant to slaughter them, only to scare them senseless. After all, no one could stay calm after being provoked again and again.
And besides, there was Yuna on deck. Even though the girl could protect herself, the thought that these marines had fired so recklessly, even with a child present, made Kushina's blood boil.
Just as the ship was about to crash down on the marines, a surge of frost erupted across the harbor. Admiral Aokiji appeared, freezing the vessel midair and saving the troops below.
"Oh? So there's a real powerhouse here after all," Kushina said coolly, eyeing the tall man. "No wonder they've been acting so fearless."
She instantly recognized him, Aokiji, one of the Marine Admirals.
Scratching his head with a sigh, Aokiji said, "This is all a misunderstanding. I've already caught the one responsible."
He tossed an unconscious man to the ground before her, hoping to explain.
Kushina glanced at the half-dead man and asked suspiciously, "Who is this?"
"That's one of the Donquixote Family's assassins," Aokiji replied.
"The Donquixote Family, huh? So it's them after all." Her lips curled. "Bold enough to fight us. Tell me, Admiral Aokiji, are you here to arrest us too?"
Aokiji shook his head.
"Vice Admiral Garp asked me to watch over this area. I didn't expect you to have some kind of invisibility technique, that's how you managed to sneak treasures out of Mariejois without a sound, isn't it?"
"Well, since the misunderstanding's cleared up, let's leave it at that."
Kushina turned and flew back toward the Konoha Senju.
The commotion had already drawn everyone else on board.
By the time she returned, the crew had gathered on deck. After Kushina explained what had happened, they quickly understood the situation.
"We'll discuss it again once Arima's back," Mito said, her gaze turning downward. "For now, we've got another problem."
Below them, an army of biscuit soldiers had surrounded the Konoha Senju. Beyond them stood the pirates who had been lurking in Loguetown, all under the banner of Big Mom's Pirates.
At their head were Charlotte Katakuri, Big Mom's second son, and Charlotte Cracker, her tenth. Both were among the "Sweet Commanders," the strongest of the Big Mom Pirates.
Aokiji frowned deeply at the sight. "Two of the Sweet Commanders already, and dozens of the officers as well… How did they sneak in right under my nose?"
Now, two of the Five Emperors' forces faced each other across the harbor.
Katakuri stepped forward, his voice low and cold. "Where is Arima?"
Ten years ago, Arima had visited Totto Land with Kushina and Tsunade. On Whole Cake Island, Kushina had met Katakuri once before.
"Katakuri? So it's that fat hag's pirate crew," Kushina said with a sneer.
The memory of Arima's siege ten years ago, when Big Mom herself had joined the attack, was still fresh in her mind. Naturally, she had no intention of showing them any courtesy.
Katakuri's expression darkened, fury flashing in his eyes at her insult toward his mother.
Grinding his teeth, he asked again, "Where is Arima?"
Kushina slammed her palm against the railing. "What, you want me to hand him over to you for execution?" she snapped.
"If he won't come out," Katakuri said coldly, raising his trident, "then I'll just take it out on all of you!"
With that, he stepped forward, using Geppo to launch himself into the air, charging straight toward the Konoha Senju.