Mopchi, the effective headquarters and largest base of the Black Cat Pirates.
A massive underground chamber built unusually sturdy, located somewhat distant from the royal castle.
For the residents of Mopchi, who had grown accustomed to the Black Cat's rule, this was a symbol of terror far greater than Shamrock, the town of pirates and mafia.
A detention facility where those deemed criminals were taken. A prison.
Fortunately, since Black Cat began his rule, while it had been built, it hadn't been used much.
At most, petty thieves were put in, and even those were just overconfident newcomers to Black Cat's crew.
"To think my guard would be you, Marine Hunter."
"I was the one who ordered your capture. I must take responsibility for that."
This Mopchi was, as mentioned, Black Cat's headquarters.
Unlike Canet Island where Mihawk was working on development under Robin's command, this was the place where Black Cat's current resources and research results could be used most abundantly.
"Hmph... even I can't do anything in this situation. Not with Seastone shackles used like this."
"I won't let my guard down. I did defeat you once, but that was only victory with Imperial Guard support."
Meaning Kuro and the engineering team's trial-and-error Seastone products could be used with relative freedom.
"Crocodile... was it? You're a persistent pirate. Don't think I or the Imperial Guard are complacent about you."
Like the somewhat distorted shackles fitted on the hands, feet, and neck of the pirate who was a Sand-Sand Fruit sand human who could normally slip through ordinary prison cells with ease.
"Well, I've somewhat figured out you weren't acting on government orders. If a pirate of your caliber had moved and failed, there should have been some action toward Kuro by now."
"Your proud Governor, huh? Kuhaha... I'd like to see his face once. Isn't he here now?"
"He's currently assisting with government and Navy negotiations at the Holy Land. Normally we should be getting regular communication about now, but..."
"...That's... a pirate?"
"While the Navy aside, he's particularly viewed as dangerous by the government. He's definitely a pirate."
"...I see."
Despite being imprisoned, the pirate had a cigar in his mouth.
While they had defeated him as an enemy, since it wasn't a one-on-one fight and he was undoubtedly strong, this was Mihawk's form of respect delivered to him.
Horohoroho, somehow you two seem to get along well.
Then, not from the door but from the ceiling, a girl's voice spoke.
At the same time, a young girl holding a parasol phased through the ceiling and appeared.
"Hmm? For you to come here. What's wrong, Perona?"
"I'm also interested in pirates who came after Robin. Plus, he's strong enough that you'd personally stand guard, right?"
Mihawk, who despite the sharp sword aura clinging to him was surprisingly caring, had built good relationships not only with the Imperial Guard students and some soldiers, but also with the younger members like Perona and Robin.
"Ah, the ghost girl. Come to think of it, there was a wanted poster."
"It's Perona! ...Well, whatever. Mihawk, regular communication came in from Kuro. He seemed busy and hung up right after talking."
"That's unusual. He usually chats a bit with Robin and Amis."
"He probably doesn't have time, his voice sounded incredibly sleepy."
"So, what happened? For you to come all the way here means there was some movement, right?"
"Yeah. Apparently the Holy Land was attacked by pirates."
At the tremendous news casually reported from Perona's mouth, both Mihawk's and Crocodile's eyebrows twitched.
"Holy Land assault? Knowing Kuro, he engaged in combat for defense. Who was it?"
"Some guy called Golden Lion Shiki. I only know him as the carrier from that recent battle, but do you guys know him?"
"...!"
"Golden Lion?"
The pirate in the cage and Mihawk were well-known pirates on the Grand Line, and they knew well about pirates who had rampaged there.
"A great pirate who crossed swords with Gold Roger. I see, with his ability... Kuro was safe?"
"Yeah. He managed to drive him off, but since he was essentially being toyed with, he said he'd crush him next time. Oh, and apparently he teamed up with that muscle-bound fool we fought before."
"Muscle-bound fool? ...Ah, that one."
"Hey, Marine Hunter. Who are you talking about?"
"This was before I came here, but Gecko Moria."
"...! The pirate who fought Kaido."
Crocodile was internally amazed by the pirate crew called Black Cat.
For a pirate crew that seemed to only be establishing roots in West Blue, their battle record was nothing short of astonishing.
(I was constantly wondering why Marine Hunter was dawdling around in the Four Blues...)
The soldiers standing guard at the entrance in shifts were all elite on par with or better than the soldier who had blown away his sandstorm with slashes alone, as he could tell from their movements and presence.
(From what I can see, at least ten on this island. The silver-haired woman on that island was certainly a cut above, but even so, they've gathered people who could match the heads of mediocre pirate crews)
All of them were haki users.
An elite group receiving sword training from 'Marine Hunter' who sat at a table beyond the iron bars, continuously writing with large amounts of paper and ink.
(They were called the Imperial Guard... Indeed, they're certainly useful pieces)
While slightly ashamed of his overly optimistic assessment, he was impressed by this pirate crew's capabilities.
(If I had this many forces back then...)
The pirate had been defeated recently.
The pirate, Whitebeard. A living legend.
With the Pirate King gone, now the world's strongest pirate.
(Powerful trump cards like ancient weapons are one thing, but... competent subordinates are necessary too)
If he had elite forces like the Imperial Guard at his disposal.
While Crocodile quietly spun his thoughts in the cage,
"So that Shiki bastard was driven off, but apparently all the Celestial Dragons' food was stolen. He didn't say it directly, but the idea is probably to be cautious since we don't know how the government and Navy will move in response."
"...Knowing Kuro, he probably won't be captured, but he might not be able to return directly."
Marine Hunter bundled the papers he'd written, lightly tied them with string, stuffed them into a paper bag, and stood up.
"The Imperial Guard is also assembled here. Let's train the Imperial Guard hopefuls along with Hack for the first time in a while. Among them, some are approaching Amis and Toya's level, if not Chris's."
"Yeah, do that. Daz and Hancock are also double-checking the ship's equipment."
"...By the way, Marine Hunter. What were you writing on those papers?"
"Hmm? I was compiling things that proved useful or concerning from experiences in development, agricultural work, and bandit hunting into a book for Black Cat's soldiers."
"..."
"..."
"Kuro's tactical manual has been so useful. This kind of thing shouldn't hurt to leave behind either?"
"...I see."
"Well, Hancock is also organizing naval battle and development records for easy reference, but... a book?"
"I think I'm writing it clearly enough?"
"...Mihawk, you cut down Kuro, but before I knew it, you're completely dyed in our colors."
"What kind of pirates are you people?"
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
"Hina, where did I put the statistical data on Celestial Dragons' daily food consumption?"
"Ah, sorry. I was reading it out of curiosity."
"...Gives you a headache, right?"
"It's painful and makes me itch."
"You guys, even if this is a temporary office assigned to Kuro, don't forget we're inside the Holy Land?"
"Ufufu, is that so?"
"...Ufufu, Kuro you..."
Oh my, come to think of it, that's right.
This is inside that shitty castle on that shitty land where those shitty people live, I forgot fufufufufu...
Ha...
(Hey, girl. Isn't Kuro pretty far gone?)
(It's because the government keeps pushing work other than the main negotiations! He's barely slept since then! What are they making a pirate do?!)
(You also built the Navy's command structure around Kuro...!)
(I thought that was the best option at the time...!!)
(I'm just following orders from the Five Elders too!)
(Refuse them! Hina is dissatisfied!)
(Like I could?!)
Just move your hands... no, your heads.
If we carelessly dump this on the government, they might do crazy slave supplementation or forced food requisition.
Somehow I need to build a reconstruction plan that minimizes external impact as much as possible, and get understanding from the Five Elders and Navy to push it through... creating plans and doing groundwork for the simplest, most comprehensible project possible... ah, and depending on the situation, I might need to hire workers with maximum safety guarantees, so I need to check those routes too... but the Celestial Dragons' bad reputation is hopeless... oh right.
"Spandam, how's the debris removal and material recovery work going? I did one inspection after combat ended, but I don't know the current situation..."
"Ahhh... about that, Kuro."
Stop it, Spandam, please, I'm really begging you.
That tone means some trouble occurred, right...
Stop already... I managed to sleep for an hour but my stomach is dying...
Sengoku is also running around, and Tsuru is helping with coordination as much as possible...
Garp is handling things on site and suppressing the Celestial Dragon scumbags' unreasonable demands...
(The only people here I can vent my complaints to somewhat are these two...)
Actually, we're critically short-handed to begin with, and the idiots with half-baked authority are too much of a hindrance.
They take out their frustrations on Marines who started reconstruction work, abuse and overwork surviving slaves for stress relief, tanking site morale, and try to assault good-looking female Marines after making unreasonable demands... I'm somehow holding back Garp from immediate forceful action while using CP personnel through Spandam to handle these situations, but suppressing my murderous intent toward them is hard and my stomach and heart are dying... they're going to die...
If it were just the Five Elders, we could still talk, but really those guys!
A considerable number of slaves who would normally be workers during times like this have died, and impatient Celestial Dragons apparently went out to Sabaody's human shops and such, so just die.
"The Celestial Dragons can't stand houses with burnt odors clinging to them... remove all debris and even tear down mansions that escaped damage to rebuild immediately."
"...Well, that's within expectations. There's a builders' guild in Goa Kingdom in East Blue with extensive experience in royal palace construction. Most of them have strong admiration for World Nobles, so they'll come if we request through the Navy. Regarding materials and building supplies aside, for manpower..."
"They want it done by tomorrow..."
"Are you fucking kidding me, you worthless bastards, I'll beat you all to death!!"
"Hey idiot, stop! Girl, cover Kuro's mouth... don't pretend you don't see! Our heads could literally fly!!"
Do those guys really understand how hard it is to build things?!
To begin with, sudden assault plus reconstruction work is like a sudden emergency plan sprouting up with zero arrangements or groundwork! What about manpower?!
Just gathering random people calling them slaves and forcing them to work won't go well!!
It's basically inefficient anyway!!
"I'll write a letter or rather report with persuasive materials for the Five Elders, so Spandam, please deliver it later."
"Don't say it so casually, you fool! They're the Five Elders?!"
"That's the only place that can suppress the biggest troublemakers, so it can't be helped. Hina, get me the green number seven and yellow number three files from the shelf."
"Eh? Yes... but what data is it?"
"Maps and surveys of the Holy Land before it burned, and ledgers of Celestial Dragons' purchases and deliveries over the past five years. I heard from CP personnel that Saint Kamael rebuilt his mansion three years ago. From that data I should be able to calculate approximate time and material requirements."
"...Did you memorize all the brought materials?"
"I can't manage the details, but roughly."
There's no time left.
If I waste time here, the plan to have the government apologize to the Navy, reset relations between both organizations, and at least restore some order to the Four Blues will fall through.
This could be another situation where the Navy accumulates hate toward the government, so I want to show the government's intention to work well with the Navy beforehand.
...I think the government should feel the same way!!
(Please realize that you can't be trusted because your goals are too unclear!!)
At least keep a grip on the idiots who only do whatever they want in this emergency!
"Here, Kuro. But are your hands okay?"
"Turning pages is no problem. However, I don't have confidence writing neat letters. Sorry, but I'll need you to write for me."
"I understand."
Nobody expected political work to sprout up after helping with combat in an away environment!!
Well, combat happening at all was completely unexpected!
That rooster bastard, just wait!!
Next time I'll face you after sleeping well and equipped with Cat's Claw and my usual shoes!
I spotted several of your weaknesses in that fight!!
"...Ugh, one mansion uses quite a bit of area... the required materials will be considerable too..."
"Realistically, how long would it take?"
"Normally, measured in years."
"Wouldn't gathering slaves and working them to death work? Kuro."
Hina glared at Spandam's comment, but it was probably a viable option. However...
"Materials are also a problem. Time and effort for transport. Plus, even using slaves, forcing unfamiliar people into labor won't build mansions that satisfy the Celestial Dragons. There will definitely be fine flaws."
The current Celestial Dragons have already lost their homes and... irritatingly, property like slaves, leaving them in a stressful state.
Frankly, they'll be dissatisfied with anything.
In such circumstances, I don't want to do shoddy work and increase unnecessary trouble and damage.
(Actually, regarding the main topic of repairing relations between both organizations, what should be done? Currently, negotiations have focused on Marine slavery, and we've gotten a response suggesting we could make the government side back down several steps. Around here, the Marine side needs to show some compromise too)
Holy Land reconstruction is, to put it bluntly, a good opportunity.
Marines also worked hard to protect the Holy Land, and Sengoku and others were active in suppressing forces difficult to intercept with normal troops... really... I didn't see it but apparently there was a dangerous huge monster.
(But assigning Marines to slave-related work would be cruel, so other work where we could earn points from the government side...)
"Alright, let's start by moving Sengoku. Hina, I'll quickly write the message, so please copy it neatly and deliver it to the Fleet Admiral."
"Yes, understood."
"Kuro, is there nothing special for me besides waiting for your letter?"
"...I'll present a plan to hire labor instead of slaves. For that, I want to know exactly what situation the surviving slaves and guards other than Celestial Dragons are in, so I'd like to arrange a joint inspection with me, Marines, and several CP agents."
"No problem. From now... I think I can arrange time around noon tomorrow, is that okay?"
"Yes. Sorry, please do."
Uh, now then...
...
Huh? What was I about to do?
...
Ah, right, right, the letter to Sengoku.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
"So, a letter from Kuro via Hina."
"Indeed."
"What, Kuro does detailed things too. He could just show up and talk directly."
"You're being foolish, Garp. Sometimes there's meaning in leaving things as documents."
In the Navy quarters bustling with post-incident handling of Golden Lion Shiki's assault, Marines were moving around frantically, though casualties weren't as severe as Sengoku had expected.
"So, what does Kuro say?"
"Indeed."
Sengoku passed around to Tsuru and Garp the letter he'd been reading in Kuro's usual writing style, though the handwriting was slightly smaller than Kuro's.
"He apparently intends to propose and persuade the Five Elders to hire architects and workers from various seas as temporary laborers instead of slaves for reconstruction labor. He's asking for Navy connections and cooperation in preliminary arrangements."
At Sengoku's words, Garp laughed heartily as if delighted, while Tsuru sighed quietly.
"He's hardworking. His health probably isn't fully recovered either?"
"Indeed, I told Hina to make him rest and assigned Zephyr as protection."
"Ah, that was wise."
When they finished dealing with zombie soldiers and finally regrouped with the troops, reorganization was already complete, and they were ready to move on orders while starting debris removal.
According to what they heard, it was Kuro's instructions.
He probably understood Marines' basic movements in such situations from his series of activities in West Blue.
"In this battle, we relied too heavily on Kuro. There's the matter of dignity, but here we Marines must stand at the forefront of negotiations."
"...That's true, but... the government seems to value Kuro more than the Navy. For the Navy to seize initiative here, we definitely need that kid's support."
At Tsuru's words, Garp, who had been cheerful until now, slightly twisted his face.
"It was correct to assign not just Hina but also Zephyr. You know what those scum said to me?"
"Garp, this is the Celestial Dragons'... no, fine. So, what did they say?"
"They told me to capture Kuro."
Sengoku's and Tsuru's faces slightly twitched, and nearby Marines working momentarily lost words before becoming agitated.
"...Is that true?"
"At first, I thought they were complaining about him kicking ships and causing damage to the plaza, but..."
Perhaps remembering that time's anger, he grabbed a rice cracker from the snack box and roughly bit into it.
"They apparently watched Kuro's battle from this castle. His fight was aerial combat. Seeing that, they thought Kuro would make a good slave."
"Ridiculous...! He clearly protected them!"
"Hmph. If the word gratitude existed in their heads, the Marine slavery incident wouldn't have happened."
Sengoku's mind was considering the possibility of the worst-case scenario.
"Those bastards, they even started bidding on who would buy Kuro without him present... I nearly destroyed the Holy Land."
Namely, the possibility of Kuro being captured through abuse of authority in this situation.
"Garp, so the Celestial Dragons..."
"Don't worry. Before I could punch them, the Five Elders came directly. They said Kuro was their guest and wouldn't permit interference."
"...That's also not good news."
"Right, Sengoku."
On the table where the three sat were several papers stacked up: site reports Kuro compiled immediately after the incident, trial calculations of necessary materials, and requests based on those foundations.
The work showed Kuro's intention to efficiently reconstruct the Holy Land by skillfully organizing documents to minimum pages.
"For us and for the government, Kuro's value is skyrocketing."
The Navy on site naturally, and the government through CP, witnessed the abilities of this un-pirate-like pirate called Kuro.
Political power they already knew from two hearings, individual military force capable of fighting Shiki, command ability that reversed a disadvantageous battle situation, and administrative capability currently showing remarkable versatility.
"They'll try to get Kuro even if it means granting him Seven Warlords status or some other position."
"But Kuro won't comply. It's precisely because he has that much backbone that he gained such ability."
Garp's words were reasonable.
And that was the biggest problem.
"Kuro, who has political power that even the government notices, doesn't approve of joining the government."
"They want him under their control somehow, but if that can't be achieved..."
"How the government will move..."