Bonus Chapter for 100 Powerstones.
--
"Hey Daz," Perona called out, "I got a report that we finished loading the spoils of war. How about loading the food, tools, and seedlings now?"
"Wait a bit, Perona," Daz replied. "Mihawk and Robin are doing the final check right now."
In Mopuchi Country, in the base of the Black Cat Pirates, winter had come. It was the first winter in a long time without any signs of raids.
Most of the people stayed quietly in their homes. They spent their time preparing firewood or making ropes.
But the port town was more lively than before.
Members of the Black Cat crew, wearing suits or work clothes, were busy moving supplies and fixing ships. At the same time, people from Mopuchi Country came to ask for or take materials to repair the town.
"So, Miss Robin is going to an island called Carrot, and Miss Perona is going to Mogwa Kingdom... It's going to be lonely here for a while," Hack said.
"Horohorohoro," Perona laughed. "Well, Mihawk's group has to take control from scratch, but I'll be back here sometimes. I'll come back once every half-month. I'm counting on you while I'm gone."
"Yeah. Everyone is slowly getting used to this place."
The people who get on the ships usually wear suits or work clothes with a three-claw mark. But there are exceptions.
These are the members of the 'Fish-Man Pioneer Corps' who travel between Mopuchi Country and the second base.
"By the way, Lord Daz," the fish-man asked, "how is Maple?"
The members of the Pioneer Corps were guests of Kuro. They were staying on the Black Cat's empty island. They helped with hard work and assisted in fights. They were also talking about what to do next.
Some planned to get a ship and start pioneering again once things calmed down. Others wanted to keep helping the 'Black Cat' crew and have them build a second Fish-Man Island in their territory.
And some of them decided to join the 'Black Cat' crew.
"That female fish-man? Amisu and Toya are taking care of her now. Mihawk said he would train her too, once her basic skills are better... Until then... she's probably doing fine."
"Hahahahaha!! Well, it's a good chance. I heard that stubborn girl insisted on joining the 'Black Cat's Guards."
There was one fish-man who decided to wear the three-claw suit. She said it was important to have a fish-man working under Kuro. This was to prove that the 'Fish-Man Pioneer Corps' was a friendly group, whether they negotiated for a second Fish-Man Island later or not.
"Still, I'm surprised Kuro accepted her," Hack mused. "Is it okay, with the public's image of fish-men?"
"We are working with the Marines right now, even if it's just for a short time," Daz explained. "We all talked about it and agreed it's probably fine as long as things stay this way."
"Ah... well, that's true."
"...The Marine liaison also seemed to enjoy the harvest festival and Hancock's ceremony... Well, I guess part of it was to investigate our internal situation."
"Hahaha, after seeing that festival, they must know you aren't bad people, even if you are called pirates."
"Well, being pirates who can run joint operations with the Marines definitely makes us extremely unusual."
This must be the only pirate base where Marines can enter openly without their weapons drawn, even if their numbers are limited.
They are welcomed normally, and we even have an agreement that they can use the docks if needed.
Looking out at the port from the ship, Daz could see a few people in white Marine uniforms.
The Black Cat executives have started to move, so they are probably returning to the Mogwa Kingdom base to report the information they gathered.
"Everyone, sorry for the wait, we finished checking the supplies, and the soldiers are starting to load them now."
"Sorry. We're a little late."
Just then, a young woman and a swordsman appeared on the deck.
One of them is the guest general, but both are essential people for the Black Cat crew.
"Horohorohoro, you're finally here," Perona greeted them. "It's rare for you two to be late. Especially you, Robin."
"I'm sorry, Perona. We've checked the situation over there a little, but we don't know how long we'll be working there. So we were talking about bringing extra food and fuel, just in case..."
"It's winter, after all," Mihawk added. "We were late because we were discussing with Gild Tesoro how much to bring."
Robin was following Mihawk. He must have been working just before this, as he was wearing his usual jumpsuit with a coat over it, not his fighting clothes.
"The amount of supplies we can get from the Marines is more than we thought, so we talked about sending those supplies here... but at the same time, we have a lot more people now..."
"Oh, right," Perona remembered. "Mizuki and the others are coming back after all."
The battle happened during the Marine slave incident.
We met and rescued over seventy Marines during the fight with the pirate Gecko Moria.
The news that most of them were returning to the 'Black Cat' crew was happy news for Perona and Robin, who had taken care of the Marines on the empty island while they recovered.
"In that case, it's Hack's turn," Daz said.
"Hm, do those people want to be soldiers?" Mihawk asked.
"Yes. They said they would do any job, even chores, but they seem to hope for combat roles."
"Oh, they are motivated," Mihawk noted. "They will be rewarding to train."
The strength of the Black Cat's regular forces today is largely due to hand-to-hand combat using Fish-Man Karate.
Kuro asked Hack to train the regular crew members. He believes it's a big advantage to be able to fight right away, even without a weapon, while doing ship duties.
"Once winter is over, Captain Kuro will make his next big move. I'm looking forward to it," Hack said.
"Ray said the same thing," Mihawk commented.
"Speaking of which, is Ray going with the pioneer team too?"
"...Hey, Mihawk," Perona said suddenly. "Don't you two destroy the island while you're sparring, you hear?"
"Hahahaha," Mihawk just laughed.
"I'm counting on you, okay? I'm really counting on you! Robin, you keep a close eye on Mihawk!"
"...Yes."
Daz, the Vice-Captain of the 'Black Cat' crew, watched with a straight face. Perona and Robin looked worried, while Mihawk laughed like a child, even though he was older. Daz sighed quietly.
"We sail as soon as we're ready. First, we'll all follow the Captain and Hancock to Mogwa Kingdom. When we arrive, we'll get the supplies from the Marines. After that, we follow the plan."
"Leave things here to us," Hack said. "Lord Toya and the Guards are here, and Lord Gild Tesoro is quite capable, too."
"Yes, I'm counting on you, Hack. We can't leave Perona or Robin behind, so things will be different from usual, but..."
"Don't worry, it's only until you and the others come back, Lord Daz. You can count on us."
"Yeah... thank you."
--
"Mr. Sengoku... sorry, Fleet Admiral Sengoku sent a message for me?"
"Yeah," Kuzan replied. "He said you probably already noticed and aren't letting your guard down, but just in case..."
Just in case...
Seriously, ever since the Marine slave incident, Mr. Sengoku has been so considerate to me, even though I'm just a pirate...
If the World Government would agree to stay out of it completely and let me and the top Marines decide everything, I wouldn't mind taking on a role like a "sort-of" Warlord.
"So, what did the Fleet Admiral say?"
"He said, 'The chance of them forcing their way is growing. Be careful.' ...Do you know what he means?"
"Yes, well..."
Ah, so the World Government is finally showing strong signs of making a move.
Well, their target is probably—
"Admiral Aokiji, what's the status of the government transport ships?"
"They're all docked here at Mogwa Kingdom," he answered. "They'll unload their cargo on this island, and Marine ships will transport it. Just like you suggested."
"No other movements?"
"Nothing so far. The government officials aren't doing anything special, other than handling the supplies."
...So, can I say we've cleared the first block?
If they move freely here, our response will be delayed if something happens.
"Kuro."
"Yes."
"Are they really aiming for a Buster Call?" Kuzan asked.
"..."
...What?
"No, that is impossible."
Why would he think that?
"It's true the World Government has the right to order a Buster Call from the Marines. But right now, there is a big crack between them and the Marines who have to carry it out. If they force it without a good reason, it could cause the Marines to leave... or at least cause confusion and division. It would be very hard for them to attack us, since we have an official, written truce."
On top of that, the Great Pirate Era has just begun, and I've heard many countries have already been hit hard.
The leaders shouldn't want to do anything that would weaken the West Blue's allied nations, which are a somewhat stable source of income.
"W-Wait a minute, Kuro!" Kuzan interrupted. "What about those men who dressed as Marines and targeted Nico Robin?! We know for sure they were government agents!"
"That was an attack by government agents. But all the ones we caught just kept demanding to be freed in the name of the government, right?"
"Ah..."
"Did the government say anything? What about the officials who came this time?"
"...No, nothing in particular. ...Kizaru?"
"Nooo," Kizaru drawled from the corner. "I haven't seen any strange movements, either."
I thought so.
"If the order to kill Robin had come from the government, they would have arranged things with the Marines first."
It sounds bad, but it's not impossible for them to make the Marines dislike Robin. She could be a burden for us, especially after we've earned so much goodwill from the Marines.
They could easily offer me a Warlord position in exchange for getting rid of Robin.
I've been working hard to show Robin's position in the 'Black Cat' crew to fight against that, but it will take more time for it to stick.
This means the government could have used that weakness if they wanted to.
The fact that they didn't means...
"But they tried to kill her on their own, weren't picked up after they failed, and the government hasn't done anything. It was probably just some low-level agents who got greedy and acted on their own."
To be more exact, they were probably pawns. They were sent to test us, to see how we really treat Robin.
The government probably allowed them to act, thinking it would be a bonus if they succeeded... but that's it. Nothing more, nothing less.
They didn't give an official order, so if they failed, it doesn't matter. The Marines already distrust them, so it's nothing new.
We should see them as disposable messengers, sent just to put a little pressure on us for protecting Robin.
They aren't moving now because they are either watching to see how the Marines handle the captured agents, or they plan to use this as a card to play later...
"Then what about those reinforcements?" Kuzan pressed. "They were definitely heading for your main base, not here. The government must have arranged that..."
"...Ah."
So that's what Kuzan is worried about.
I didn't want to poke the government, so I was planning to let that slide. I wanted those Marines to go home feeling guilty, or like they owed us one...
We are enemies of the government, but it's not like we want to fight them no matter what...
This is bad. I have to find a way for the Marines and the government to meet in the middle.
If this keeps up, with the Revolutionary Army also moving around, the world could fall into chaos. It's so serious my stomach is killing me.
If that 41-year-old causes more trouble at a time like this, I'll have to beg the Marines to let me use the Red Port and go punch him in the North Sea.
...
Wait? That's... not a bad idea.
I could hit him with my current forces.
...No, but I don't have anything to offer them in exchange for using it.
Oh well. For now, let's focus on this. From how Rear Admiral Munchkin acted back then, the truth is probably...
"Since we're on the subject, why don't we go visit them together?" I suggested.
"...You mean the reinforcements from headquarters?"
"Yes."
"For now, let's clear up the misunderstanding."
"...Misunderstanding?" Kuzan asked.
"Yes."
To be honest, the one who is most in the way of the World Government right now isn't us, the 'Black Cat' crew. They could probably crush us with their huge numbers if they really tried, even if we are getting stronger...
It's the Marines.