A semi-circular space enveloped part of Loki Port. Under the influence of the Op-Op Fruit ability, Coby's position and a table were swapped. Not only did he avoid being crushed by the boulder, but he also appeared in front of Law.
"You are... Trafalgar Law?"
"It seems my reputation isn't small, Navy."
"Why are you here?"
"Are you joking? I'm a pirate. Pirates appearing on Hive Island is the most normal thing in the world. On the contrary, your actions are incredibly foolish. Do you really think your Navy identity can reassure people here?"
Law had no impression of Coby. In the original timeline, his miraculous actions alongside Buggy made him somewhat of a celebrity, but not now. He was just an ordinary Navy soldier, perhaps with some connections.
Law was able to identify him as a Navy solely because of Coby himself.
The aftermath of Jack's attack spread to Loki Port, causing chaos. Amidst the chaos, ordinary people were easily affected. When a stampede seemed imminent, Coby, who wanted to restore order, shouted out his identity, catching the attention of Law nearby.
In other places, a Navy identity could indeed calm people, but Hive Island is different. Ever since Rocks took to the seas, this place has been a pirate territory for decades. Even though it changed hands multiple times, it was always at the hands of powerful great pirates.
Unless absolutely necessary, the Navy does not want to waste vast amounts of military power here. This has led to a long period where no Navy has set foot on Hive Island, making the people here lose faith in the Navy long ago.
"So what? Not trusting the Navy, should we trust the pirates?"
"I don't want to debate this issue with you. It's pointless. Navy, you're here to save people, right?"
"That's right."
"Then there's no problem. But it's obvious your power is insufficient to complete this task."
Before the words were finished, Law suddenly drew his sword and slashed beside him. Two pirates trying to attack him were directly bisected by Law.
The split bodies scattered on the ground, yet the cuts were exceptionally smooth, without any visible blood. Even the pirates cut in half had faces full of terror.
No pain, not even loss of sensation, yet their legs were no longer attached to their bodies.
"The center of the island has the pirates of the Hundred Beasts. I don't know why the pirates of Hive Island offended the Hundred Beasts, but those people are in big trouble.
This is a good opportunity to save people. I can help you deal with the remaining pirates, but as a condition, you have to help me deliver a gift to the Navy."
"A gift?"
"That's right, nothing like a terrorist attack, just something very normal."
While Law was speaking, the two pirates he bisected grabbed their runaway halves and reattached them to their upper bodies.
"Damn rookie, is your ability just for juggling?!"
"Magic tricks, huh? What's the use of a non-lethal ability!"
The pirates of Hive Island are more vicious and merciless compared to those outside, acting with even less regard for consequences. Standing up again, they once more slashed at Law with their swords, not realizing they were in Law's Surgical Space the entire time.
"ROOM · Scalpel."
Kikoku sliced through the air with several flashes of light, and Law's left hand suddenly held two strange cubes with visible pulsating veins.
Anyone familiar with human anatomy, or who's been to the market, or experienced fierce battles on the frontlines, could tell: Law held two hearts in his hand.
The two pirates intending to attack him collapsed on the ground, drained of strength.
Square gaps appeared where their hearts should be, and the two hearts in Law's hand belonged to them.
"Cardiac shock."
Law sheathed Kikoku, then clasped his hands together. At the moment his thumbs touched, an electric current emanated from his hands. Under the effect of the current, the pirates on the ground weakly clutched their chests before finally losing consciousness.
"Ghost Claw Rambert, Blood Hand Baruk, each with a bounty of fifty million Belly. Pirates like these might not be much, but what if there are a hundred?
Including those even stronger than them, their hearts are my gift. Although sending them in person would be better, having a Navy soldier like you deliver them is not a bad choice either.
You won't embezzle these accolades, will you, righteous Navy gentleman?"
"What do you intend to do?"
"I'm helping you clear out the pirates. As for what I want, of course, it's the position of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Strength and achievements, that should be enough, right."
Law had his own plan. He still had a grudge against Doflamingo, and for revenge, he needed to find a way to get closer to Doflamingo and learn more about his current situation. This required a new identity to better carry out his subsequent actions.
Before settling these matters, he would rather have Rami never remember him because he wasn't sure he had the ability to defeat Doflamingo.
Now Weevil had been overturned by the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates, leaving a vacancy in the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Law had his eyes on this position.
The pirates who were too strong, he couldn't beat; without the camp buff, fighting those monsters was too difficult for him.
Those too weak, on the other hand, didn't have enough weight, so he targeted Hive Island, where many pirates suitable for his situation gathered. Originally, Law's aim was to conduct guerrilla warfare nearby, hunting pirates going out or returning.
In this regard, he had a natural advantage because the Polar Diving was a submarine, and ordinary pirate ships were not equipped with sonar radar, so they couldn't handle Law's underwater assaults.
But Jack's attack allowed Law to spot an opportunity. After Jack lured away the most troublesome monsters on the island, he was able to handle the others. Coby's appearance gave Law another chance.
"I can't make such a decision."
"I certainly don't think a warrant officer like you can do much. I just need you to act as a messenger. However, thinking it over, I don't quite trust you, so let's play it safe."
"What are you going to do....."
Bang, Coby's body also fell to the ground. Although he had awakened Observation Haki during the top war, his combat power was far inferior to that of Law, and he couldn't react to Law's surprise attack.
At this moment, he experienced the same feeling as those two pirates earlier, with a sense of emptiness in his chest and a feeling of powerlessness that terrified him.
"Don't worry, it's just to take some precautions. Your stamina will recover in a moment, but until then, I'll be keeping your heart safe."
Law's hand once again held a heart, which belonged to Coby. Law couldn't trust the character of someone from the Navy. Instead of relying on intangible qualities, it was more secure to hold someone's life in his hand.
"I'll take it as you agreeing to my demands. Don't be afraid; regardless of whether I become a Warlord, I'll return your heart, but, well, you better hope the Navy and the World Government agree to this request.
I'll get the imprisoned people out. As for how to settle them, you decide."
Saying this, Law tossed the hearts of the two pirates in front of Coby.
"These are their hearts. Under the influence of my ability, the hearts can still function normally even outside the body. However, if they are torn apart by external force, their owners will die. If these two guys wake up, you can use this to threaten them into doing things for you.
As for your heart, I'll keep it safely."
After storing Coby's heart, Law waited a little longer and only left with the Op-Op Fruit's teleportation after Coby's stamina recovered.
After Law left, a confused passerby showed up in front of Coby. Judging by his hands-on-head panic, he must've just narrowly escaped danger. The sudden arrival at a safe place didn't reassure him; instead, the abrupt change in environment frightened him to unconsciousness.
Law's target was to hunt pirates, while rescuing people was up to Coby himself. Just like Law didn't trust him, Coby didn't quite trust pirates either. For him, rescuing people was more important.
Before Coby could figure out his next move, a house beside him collapsed with a crash. A giant Allosaurus had already stepped onto the ruins, followed by a group of Hundred Beasts' pirates.
As the current top combatant, Drake didn't have much authority, but with Jack's permission, he could still lead a temporary team.
"Hey, Red Flag, do you know where the hostages are?"
"According to the intel, they should be over there. The tricky ones have been lured away by Lord Jack; we can break through directly."
In the overall environment of the Hundred Beasts, strength was still respected. The ordinary pirates wouldn't call Drake 'the newbie' like Jack; instead, they used his old codename to address him.
And for Drake to integrate quickly into this group, he also started to develop into a more reckless person. They didn't pay attention to Coby on the side; pirates ignored a passerby like him, while Drake simply didn't recognize him.
In terms of duty, Drake was the captain of the Sword Squad, but Coby joined after Drake began his undercover mission; Drake had no idea there was a newbie like him.
Just as Drake planned to proceed, suddenly several giants made of clay appeared around, surrounding Drake's team.
The other pirates instinctively pointed their weapons at the clay giants, but after pulling the trigger, instead of flames, their barrels burst into blooms of flowers.
"You go rescue the employer; leave this to me."
Seeing the familiar style of the clay giants and the changes in the pirates' weapons, Drake had already guessed their source.
Sword was a squad. Drake still knew the abilities of the other members. Although there had been no prior contact, this must have been an action by other members to assist his operation.