Marineford, Marine Headquarters. "Screech—" A prolonged eagle cry pierced the air. A massive silver eagle, riding fierce winds, descended wi
Marineford, Marine Headquarters.
"Screech—"
A prolonged eagle cry pierced the air. A massive silver eagle, riding fierce winds, descended with a whoosh onto the spacious balcony of Cross's office.
Cross's office balcony was specially constructed, several times larger than a typical balcony, resembling a small platform. This allowed Enliven creatures like the silver eagle to quickly land and take off, enabling Cross to deploy rapidly.
After all, Cross's abilities differed from Kizaru's; his flight relied indirectly on external forces, as he couldn't fly on his own. That's why Marine Headquarters specifically built him such a platform.
Cross dismounted from the silver eagle's back, a metal cat cage in hand, inside which was Bastet, the small black cat.
As Cross entered his office and placed the cat cage on the coffee table, just as he was about to sit down, a knock, knock, knock sounded at the office door.
"Come in!" Cross called out.
Creak.
The office door opened, and Jonathan strolled in with a composed expression. "I just heard the eagle's cry, figured you were back!"
"Oh, Commodore Jonathan, I just got back. You're not here to tell me I have another mission already, are you?" Cross said with a slight headache.
"There's something, but it's not time for you to act yet. Just to let you prepare a bit," Jonathan chuckled.
"Looks like I still have time to freshen up then!" Cross sighed in relief, then plopped onto the sofa. "Have a seat. If you're looking for tea, I can't offer any right now."
"You, you think I'm here for tea?" Jonathan laughed, sitting opposite Cross. He then looked at the small black cat in the cage with some curiosity. "This cat is quite cute, but why is it bound with chains?"
At this, Jonathan looked at Cross suspiciously, hesitating. "You don't have some strange… masochistic tendency, do you?"
"Hey, two-legged beast, let me out! I can give you paper that buys things, and lots of shiny gold stuff, meow!"
Suddenly, a clear female voice came from inside the cat cage, startling Jonathan, who visibly flinched.
"It, it, it can talk?" Jonathan's eyes widened, and he pointed a trembling finger at Bastet in the cage.
"Shut up, Bastet!"
Cross reprimanded, and after seeing the little creature meekly lower its head, he explained to Jonathan, "I don't have any strange cat-abusing quirks. It's just that this little guy caused Gion's trouble, and it took quite a bit of effort to catch it last night."
"Oh~ If it made Gion ask for your help to resolve it, this little guy isn't simple!" Jonathan said, surprised.
"It's a black cat that ate the Zoan: Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Nekomata. Besides being able to speak human language, it possesses other unique abilities. A normal cat cage can't hold it, which is why I used the finest Seastone chains to bind it," Cross explained.
Hiss—
Jonathan gasped, his expression astonished as he stared at Bastet in the cage.
A Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit was obtained by a cat! This was an ability even rarer and more precious than a Logia-type Devil Fruit!
Throughout Marine Headquarters, they could find several Logia users, but it seemed there was only one Mythical Zoan user: Admiral Sengoku.
Was it bad luck, or good fortune?
Now, such a rare and precious ability appeared in a cat, and was even obtained by the Marines. He wasn't sure if it was a pity or a blessing.
The next second, Jonathan abruptly stood up, his voice agitated as he said to Cross, "This matter is too important. I must report it to Fleet Admiral Kong!"
"Huh?!"
Cross looked at Jonathan in surprise, not understanding why he was bothering Fleet Admiral Kong.
Although Bastet was a rare Mythical Zoan user, it was still just a cat. Did he really expect it to fight against Whitebeard or Big Mom in the future?
Jonathan looked at Cross's expression and suddenly realized he had been a bit too excited.
While the Mythical Zoan ability was precious, the user was just a cat, destined to be unable to become a formidable Marine commander on its own.
"Alright, I got too excited, but it is a Mythical Zoan user after all, so reporting it to Fleet Admiral Kong is still necessary!" Jonathan scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.
"You're right, let's go now then!" Cross agreed, also standing up and picking up the cat cage from the coffee table.
Subsequently, Jonathan and Cross, along with Bastet, the small black cat, went together to the office of 'Steel Bone' Kong.
Upon learning of Bastet's identity and abilities, Kong couldn't help but reveal a peculiar expression.
Such a rare and valuable ability falling into the hands of a cat… If this news got out, who knew how many people would beat their chests and curse the heavens for their injustice.
Later, Kong thought it over carefully. He pardoned Bastet for harming the Marines and didn't ask Cross to hand her over. Instead, he allowed Cross to keep her, earnestly instructing him to take good care of Bastet, to subdue and train her well, and under no circumstances to lose her.
Although Bastet was a cat, possessing the Mythical Zoan ability meant she would undoubtedly be a formidable fighting force in the future. Keeping her within the Marines was far better than letting her roam freely.
It's worth noting that Devil Fruits regenerate. If Bastet were to escape and accidentally die, this Cat-Cat Fruit, Model: Nekomata would reappear somewhere in the ocean.
If it were then eaten by someone with malicious intent, it would undoubtedly create a huge problem for the Marines, something Kong absolutely could not tolerate.
With that, the Stonewood Island incident came to an end. Gion also returned to Marine Headquarters shortly after.
After the Stonewood Island incident was resolved, Cross officially began his career as a 'firefighter'.
Besides taking care of Bastet daily, Cross frequently traveled between the Sabaody Archipelago and surrounding islands, cooperating with nearby Marine forces to severely crack down on troublesome pirates causing disturbances.
Since the Mariejois Attack Incident, the already turbulent undercurrents became even more restless.
Ambitious individuals from non-World Government affiliated nations harbored ulterior motives, constantly trying to probe the World Government's true strength.
In addition, some rookie pirates, unafraid of anything, frequently provoked the Marines. They seemed to believe they were the protagonists of this world, perhaps overestimating themselves or having never experienced the cruel beatings of society.
Furthermore, pirates in the latter half of the Grand Line were also stirring, forcing Marine Headquarters to focus their attention on those monsters.
Therefore, as a rising star in the Marines, Cross bore a significant responsibility, leading to him, a mere Lieutenant Commander (Major), often associating with, and even being treated as equals by, Captains, Commodores, and Rear Admirals.
However, with great power comes great responsibility!
Cross did not betray Marine Headquarters' trust. With his outstanding strength, every time he went into action, he smoothly defeated pirates who would have been extremely troublesome for ordinary Marines.
——————————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/JuanPiece [remove the parenthesis ( )]
There are 100+ advance chapters available for you to read!