"Tch. Finally showing up, you pirate dog bastard!"
"That's why I'm saying it's a cat!"
"You're human, idiots."
I'd be forgiven, right, Arlong?
I'd be forgiven for punching these guys, right?
Or rather, Marines shouldn't punch prisoners. At least let me, the pirate, punch them.
...
No, I don't have a reason to punch them though.
"Anyway, I've mostly grasped your situation."
"Hah?! Why've you already grasped it?!"
Because while you and Hina were engaging in Round 2, I asked around the other Marines!
They all answered while giving you guys subtle looks!
"Rushed to depart without knowing specific details, then upon arriving on site, cleaning up after the continuously expanding damage from Celestial Dragon rampage. Though gag orders were issued to each unit, they were essentially ineffective, huh?"
Smoky, who'd regained some energy after fighting with Hina, clicks his tongue quietly.
Dude, why are all your gestures so pirate-like?
...Original Smoker really did mature. Seriously.
"The unclear operation details probably stemmed from disliking the spread of Celestial Dragon-related information, but they truly didn't understand the operation."
Several prisoners darken their expressions even more, apparently finding it relatable.
"Whether to protect the Celestial Dragons, stabilize the region, or whether pirates or rebellion occurred. Such field information itself was confused with nothing clear, but only one thing was certain—they needed manpower. So they tried dispatching soldiers at least..."
And every destination was one of various Celestial Dragon-made hells.
That apparently resulted in the gag orders becoming meaningless—a situation unbecoming of a military organization.
(No, with rebellions breaking out frequently, it's already collapsed as a military organization.)
This is nothing but a precursor to a revolutionary army different from the Revolutionary Army emerging.
As I told Hina, directly independent Marine forces will soon start joining hands while involving nations, turning into regional warlords.
(First, securing production capacity to maintain military organization... Same as us right after occupying Mopuchi. A situation where military strength and labor force become nearly identical. Add in the Government's desire to suppress the situation as quickly as possible, and... large-scale battles will probably occur once in each sea before summer, but the Government no longer has power to completely suppress rebel forces.)
Meaning—it becomes troublesome.
Probably, acceleration of the scramble between the Government and rebel forces for islands and labor can't be avoided.
Worst case pattern would be the troublesome Shiki and Moria combo riding that to establish solid spheres of influence, but...
"Well, let's set that aside for now. What I want is information regarding this deployment to Fishman Island."
Hey, Smoker. Please cooperate.
I won't say fight, but I want as much information as possible to reduce bloodshed—rather than combat, any further bloodshed even slightly.
...I really wanted to avoid combat itself though.
"The Celestial Dragons on our side whom we're protecting—Holy Pluming and others—have stated they want to settle this incident, and we've received their signatures on several oath documents proving it."
A stir, the Marines stir.
That punk girl—Chief Petty Officer Doll, was it? She seems particularly surprised.
"Can we—end the fighting?!"
Smoker took the bait.
As expected, he must have feelings about this battle.
Well naturally, but—
"It's ambiguous."
"""""Ambiguous means what?!"""""
Marine boys, good energy.
Good coordination.
For tsukkomi.
"Simply put, only our side has cleared the conditions."
Simultaneously with snapping my fingers, Arlong and Hina brought a blackboard and hung it on the wall. Helpful.
I draw small circles equal to the number of Celestial Dragons on our side, then encircle them with a large circle.
"Rather than continue quarreling over fishmen and remain inconvenient hostages, they want to quickly return to the Holy Land. Well, I succeeded in exploiting such inner thoughts to use their authority."
Actually, the story is they swallowed our poison and got a bit scared of the Celestial Dragons on the other side.
"The fishman side is currently adjusting opinions, but if we can somehow handle Celestial Dragon interference with Fishman Island and the slavery problem, opinions will lean that way. The entire island is exhausted from this battle. They want to quickly start reconstruction."
Though the biggest problem is the damage was so huge that the general populace's resentment has become terrible.
...Well, how to handle that is King Neptune's job.
Leave specialty work to specialists.
Pirates have pirates' work.
I must secure advantage on both political and combat fronts even slightly.
"Most conditions for resolution are gathered, but the only problem is—for some reason, the Celestial Dragons who've seized actual control of the Marine unit."
So on the opposite side from the circled our side, I write 'Celestial Dragons 2' in chalk and circle it round and round.
I can't help but get rough with that, but please forgive me.
They're currently the biggest problem and guys with absolutely no visible thread for resolution.
"I wished they'd given up on the fishmen and fled home, but..."
"That's ruined. Rioters destroyed the Marine vessels' coating functions, so the Celestial Dragons are stranded along with the Marines. We ended up continuing this pointless standoff."
"Oi, Hina."
When Hina continues, the fishmen on our side like Arlong and Jinbei feel dejected, and even more so, the prisoner Marines are downcast.
(...The war-weariness is this severe. I'll try negotiations at dawn, but if the Celestial Dragons don't withdraw with this, the other side will seriously collapse... that'd still be better, but worst case, won't moral hazard occur?)
"Kuro..."
"It's fine, don't worry, Arlong. I won't say there's no responsibility on your side, but I naturally also have responsibility for underestimating fishmen's distrust of humans."
I was the operation planner, after all. Saying that, Arlong backs down.
...And Jinbei... he's been off since the rescue operation ended.
I should call out to him before dawn.
"If the Celestial Dragons on the other side accept the conditions of the ceasefire agreement signed by Holy Pluming and others, lift the encirclement, and withdraw all forces to Fishman Island's outer perimeter, that's fine. But if not, attacks will resume."
Everyone vaguely feels that's what'll happen.
Yeah, honestly I think so too.
(In the first place, properly creating documents and getting signatures aimed at having Celestial Dragons handle public documents signed by other Celestial Dragons, creating a hierarchy among Celestial Dragons who should be equals.)
If they accept the document's conditions, Holy Pluming stands above the other Celestial Dragons; if rejected, below.
At least Holy Pluming has that personality. If this trick works, he'll see himself as having moved the situation, and if ignored, he'll hold hostility toward those Celestial Dragons who did so.
I'm the one who directed that, and I plan to incite further.
If Celestial Dragons see each other as enemies with this, we gain justification easily, and the Marine side gets caught between Celestial Dragons who prepared public documents trying to settle combat, and Celestial Dragons ignoring that and crying for combat continuation.
(I'll use every trick available. And if combat still can't be avoided, there's only one way to reduce casualties.)
Win.
Break through enemy lines in the shortest time, capture the Celestial Dragons holding actual control of this unit, and eliminate the Marine side's options.
That's the only way to resolve the situation.
Then have the Marines take them back.
At that time, the Celestial Dragons who became our pieces will lead until return.
"Let me ask again for confirmation—the Marines on the other side can mostly be considered green, right?"
"...Though there are Headquarters elites, mostly they're a hodgepodge of soldiers remaining from rear support like logistics units. They probably have minimum basic stamina at least, but they've got hardly any experience with actual combat."
Yep. Same as our estimation.
That's good.
I signal Hina with my eyes, and she adds 'Marines' with chalk to the blackboard where 'Celestial Dragons 2' is written, continuing with 'lacking combat experience.'
(But if so, the competence of whoever's advising the commander is considerably higher than estimated.)
I wasn't planning to let my guard down anyway, but they're a scary opponent.
Excellent command ability—or enemies with corresponding strategic or tactical vision are more threatening than mediocre ability users.
Though I'm confident they don't hold actual authority, maximum caution is still needed.
"Who's commanding in place of Special Vice Admiral Skipper?"
"Some woman called Moira. Don't know her rank."
...Don't know her.
I see.
"Government?"
"Probably. But she doesn't seem sharp or trained. Probably the type who climbed up through sex appeal and sucking up."
"...To the Marines with Special Vice Admiral Skipper?"
"Yeah. ...She was a textbook toady."
Doesn't seem like she personally has command ability, huh?
Can't swallow it whole, but it's reference.
(I see, the type who runs for self-preservation. Makes sense that attacks were slow and defense was quick.)
Enemy movement tendencies are becoming readable.
Fortunately, the prisoners are unexpectedly cooperative with us.
They talk honestly about most things we ask, and if I broadly gather and assemble information, grasping enemy force reality isn't difficult.
(The only anxiety is time. I need to complete the declaration to thrust at the enemy before sunlight comes in—)
"Oi."
Mm?
What's up, Smoky?
"What is it?"
"Why are you fighting?"
...No, even if you ask why.
"That guy with the cane sword flew this ship here with his ability, right? Conversely, you guys alone could break through this encirclement anytime."
Then the casualty numbers would become absurd!
I certainly considered evacuating with just civilians aboard, but one ship absolutely isn't enough!
How many civilians do you think are still outside—we haven't even finished housing just the injured!
"Yet why are you still fighting as a pirate? In this—where there's nothing to gain...!"
No, I'm gaining massive profit. Gaining tons.
I directly confirmed the World Government's failures and made a not-bad pipeline to Celestial Dragons, though thin.
Add to that connections with Ryugu Kingdom's king plus some fishman forces.
There's profit beyond a billion, two billion berries.
"Why?"
"Why are you risking your life to this extent?!"
(...Well, there is a reason.)
Right in this room, in fact.
There is, and no need to hide it.
So I point with my finger.
...
Why are you guys looking blank?
Arlong! Hina! Also Issho!
In this current situation, is there any reason I'd risk my life more than you guys?!
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
A classmate, the annoying woman who'd earnestly followed rules, was willingly fighting under a pirate.
Honestly speaking, it was a scene hard to believe, but I'd heard mountains of hard-to-believe stories even before that.
The Marine slave incident, many traitorous officers, Headquarters forces and pirates cooperating in the pirate alliance incident, then from the Holy Land raid incident—the beginning of hell.
Everything believed in was crumbling.
After finishing training, the pillars for overcoming the days of battle to come had rotted away.
In contrast, the classmate woman's eyes were alive.
Not eyes reluctantly following for personal safety.
Eyes believing the path this pirate advances is correct.
Even if that path fights us, the Marines.
"Why?"
I wanted to know.
"Why are you risking your life to this extent?!"
The ideology of the pirate followed by the woman who in a sense most kept following the World Government's justice and rules.
To those words uttered unconsciously, the pirate answered with a single finger.
Pointing with his index finger at the classmate—Hina, and the fishmen, former Marines, and swordsmen around her.
"Here."
Those pointed at look blank.
Faces not expecting to be brought up.
"Here, there are those who fight believing in me."
Like a soldier, standing perfectly straight without the slightest movement, pointing at Marines and fishmen who aren't prisoners.
"Here, there are those enduring while believing my words."
At those words, particularly the two large fishmen react with a twitch.
The fishman with the jagged long nose snorts lightly, while the other silently stares intently at this man.
"That fact alone is sufficient."
The classmate—Hina—is looking at this inherently incompatible man with eyes like looking at Instructor Zephyr or Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"Just that lets me stake this life without hesitation, no matter what hell it may be."
A pirate. Taking in the Government's enemy who should properly be called that.
Age not that different.
"...You're not an official."
"Yes."
Yet there's the unbelievable achievement of contributing most to Holy Land reconstruction and minimizing its impact on member nations.
"You're not a Marine either!"
"...? Yes."
Yet in the pirate alliance commotion in West Blue, this man was the name everyone raised as the commander who achieved most military results among dispatched Marines.
"And—you're not a pirate either!"
The bespectacled man looks blank as if caught off guard.
But I couldn't help shouting.
"What are you...!"
"You can't be a pirate!"
The man doesn't answer.
Or rather, he has a troubled expression.
Trying to say something but it won't take form—after several seconds of silence, deepening that wry smile—
"In your eyes, what do I appear as?"
He asked back.
That troubled smile irritated me unreasonably and I tried to retort.
Tried, but—no answer came.
No abuse, no insults, and no answer came. I could only close my mouth, swallow my frustration, and look down.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
South Blue, Sorbet Kingdom.
The member nation that received Revolutionary Army attack for passing evil laws that scraped away the southern half of its territory and even scraped citizens to enslave many was currently under Revolutionary Army control.
"Ivankov, transported materials are stuffed in the warehouse. Allocate personnel to process them or move locations—anyway, empty the warehouses around the port. More transport ships are still coming."
"Heehaw! Just the cargo from pirates who tried to attack us was already tough, and more are coming?!"
"Unexpected reinforcements arrived."
The Revolutionary Army—originally a vigilante-like gathering called the Self-Defense Army that became organized—still had few members and limited capabilities.
Rebuilding a nation would be impossible first of all.
That they could now engage in reconstruction was—
"Dragon, contact came in. They'll reach near the port in two hours. If warehouse sorting takes time, we'll lend personnel from our side too."
Thanks to reinforcements arriving.
The man commanding reinforcement forces flutters his white uniform and coat, reporting and proposing to Revolutionary Army leader Dragon.
"Isn't navigating through this night's darkness dangerous?"
"This area was our patrol range's waters. We thoroughly know the least dangerous route. Leave it to us."
"...Gratitude. Never thought Marines would lend a hand."
"We're no longer Marines... Though we didn't have time to change clothes."
The World Government's direct military organization. The large man wearing a coat with the Marine symbol 'Justice' written on it looks at that very symbol with frustration.
"As stated earlier, we—tentatively calling ourselves South Blue Independence Force—are prepared to form an alliance with the Revolutionary Army."
"...Honestly speaking, that helps. Even handling pirates who attacked this nation exploiting the chaos was dangerous without your assistance."
Lined up at the port the Revolutionary Army defended to the death aren't just Revolutionary Army or former Marine ships.
There are also numerous pirate ships, tattered from shelling, awaiting dismantling as usable materials.
"Ah. Seeing this reconstruction activity, I understood you Revolutionary Army aren't just an anti-government organization but an existence rising up for the people. Therefore we'll lend strength and can join hands. But, there's a condition."
"...That condition is?"
At Dragon's question, the former Marine officer looks toward Marine vessels lined at the port.
Though he doesn't know, just as a certain West Blue base had done, their warships' gulls on sails were caught by a cat.
"We're waiting for a certain pirate."
"...The Black Cat?"
"! You know them?!"
"I saw their departure with these eyes."
A proud, magnificent departure.
When Dragon says that, the former officer breaks into a happy smile.
"Someday, they'll extend influence to this South Blue. If their ideology hasn't changed then—"
"We want to entrust our future to him... that's what we're thinking."
Negotiations quickly concluded.
The Revolutionary Army already thought they'd eventually contact the Black Cat, and depending on circumstances, alliance or even fusion would be fine. There were no particular demerits.
After finishing giving instructions throughout, returning to his ship's private room that also serves as base, sitting at the desk.
Pushing aside piles of reports from subordinates, spreading one wanted poster at the desk's center.
Pirate, Captain Kuro.
The face of the man who made proud Marines leave the Navy to organize vigilante-like groups and even say they'd wait.
"Realize it."
When Dragon once saw Kuro, it was right after rushing to save even one thing—or one person—that Ohara left behind.
Surrounded by many warships, with just one ship yet facing them without missing the chance for victory—pressured by that appearance, he reflexively lent a small hand.
"Realize it, young man...!"
Though he didn't directly see his face afterward, he'd heard all about his activities.
That's precisely why.
That's precisely why Dragon strongly thinks.
"You're no longer an existence that should be content with the position called pirate!"
A pirate because you're the Government's enemy.
As the guardian of Ohara's will—to protect Nico Robin, you probably call yourself pirate, emphasizing being the Government's enemy.
But even so—to call yourself pirate.
To continue calling yourself that, you've attracted far too many humans.
Borrowing Kuro's words, for those desperately struggling while living to scoop up the shining thing at the bottom of the heart's filth, you've become a symbol far too dazzling.
"You yourself—"
Night breaks, and hazy red light barely enters through the window.
That pale light and the small lamp's light faintly illuminate one black cat.
"You yourself are!"
At Fishman Island, shortly before pirate 'Black Cat' delivers the ceasefire agreement issued by Celestial Dragon Holy Pluming to the opposing Marine forces.
And this was a brief story in South Blue, two hours before the curtain rises on the second act of the First Battle of Fishman Island.