Regarding the Black Cat Crew's Current Territories
'Nameless Uninhabited Island'
A forest-covered island where Kuro and the crew relocated after abandoning their previous uninhabited island base following the District HQ sea battle. It has a large lake at its center and a small river flowing to the sea. It features a hidden cove, invisible from the outside, which was initially used as a secret dock. (The author imagines it like the island from Porco Rosso.)
With the cooperation of the Fish-Men, a part of the cliff was carved out to create a new hidden waterway and dock, which now serves as the main port. In Chapter 49, 'Pirates and Marines,' Rayleigh and Hatchan used one of these hidden waterways meant for Fish-Men and Merfolk.
Since the suppression of Mopuchi, it has become a sanctuary for the Fish-Man development team members who fear humans; they are primarily in charge of the island's development and production. As such, the internal development, like the wide canal network built using the spring water, is designed to be easily escapable and suitable for Fish-Men and Merfolk.
Kuro, finding this "stylish, like a cleaner Venice," used it as a reference. As a result, major port towns built by the Black Cat crew, starting with 'Shamlock,' are now unintentionally built to be Fish-Man friendly by default.
Supervised by Hack, Hatchan, and Kuro's mermaid friends.
'Mopuchi'
A non-affiliated nation effectively conquered by the Black Cat Pirates. Located in the southwestern part of their West Blue territory. The enemy during the suppression was the mafia, but they were already decimated, as Kuro had systematically crushed their large-scale human trafficking operations.
Reconstruction is proceeding at a rapid pace, but the population is sparse after eliminating the mafia, leaving mostly the elderly or exhausted. They were struggling with how to secure labor for farming the vast lands and repairing the town, but a certain swordsman solved the problem with brute force, slashing and blasting things into shape. (This was the birth of the pirate known to the Mopuchi populace as the "Man in Overalls.")
However, the labor shortage remains, and solving it is a major issue for Tesoro and the internal affairs staff. The port town 'Shamlock'—a key base for the Black Cat and Bege crews—is more prosperous than the capital partly due to this population issue. Kuro wants to develop the capital to avoid appearing to look down on the royals, but progress is slow.
This is mainly thanks to the Pirate Alliance incident and the Marines' betrayal. The internal affairs officers are probably the most furious at the Marines in the entire crew.
(What is a pirate crew internal affairs officer, anyway?)
This is also one reason the Black Cat HQ is being moved from Shamlock to the "Black Cat Hall" within the royal castle.
Currently, Princess Chantilly rules, having been entrusted by Queen Henri. Kuro holds practical control by serving as her guardian and regent. The two royals were rescued, and there are now five royals (including the young princess), but only Princess Chantilly makes public appearances.
'Ruchu Island'
An island southwest of the Mopuchi mainland, the first place suppressed by the Black Cat crew. It was initially controlled by various factions—mafia remnants, cult-like local religious groups, etc.—but all were eliminated.
It has an even greater lack of young workers than Mopuchi. The future challenge is to build production facilities and send a labor force, but for now, it's essentially been left alone with minimal upkeep. Kuro, wanting them to feel a strong sense of belonging to Mopuchi, has requested the princess to make official visits.
When it was suppressed, the fields were improved and the wells were re-dug, so living conditions are much better. It's one of the most pro-Black Cat regions in Mopuchi.
They mainly grow wheat, but crude leadership for so long meant no proper farming methods survived, so they are experimenting with potatoes and other crops. The old church Mihawk attacked in Chapter 35, 'Preliminary Skirmish,' is one of Perona's favorite places. The elite guard periodically maintains it, and Perona spends her holidays there.
Population: 280
'Pyurina,' 'Kanagan,' 'Mio,' and 'Kyaratto'
Four reasonably large islands scattered near Mopuchi. Kuro's initial plan was to bring Mopuchi and these four islands under his control to establish independent production, primarily of food. He intended to sell food and supplies at a minimal profit to poor member nations on the verge of losing their status, creating a situation where they needed the Black Cat crew to maintain their national standing.
...However, the Pirate Alliance incident erupted, and they were neglected. The islanders heard rumors that Mopuchi had become the fortress of a powerful pirate crew and were living in terror.
While Kuro was at the Holy Land (and slightly after the Cannet suppression/development began), the elite guard, under Daz's orders, suppressed these islands. They are now developing fishing ports, boats, farms, and lumber mills, adding to the Black Cat crew's production capacity.
'Mogwa'
The nation that hired Germa to conquer Mopuchi and turn it into a colony. The country is now effectively destroyed. It was formerly a military power with advanced steel technology, but most of its technicians were abducted by Shiki's faction.
Most facilities were razed. The Black Cat crew, jointly with the Marines, used it as a main base and began restoration, prioritizing the rural farming villages. They considered restoring the iron ore and stone quarries, but an earlier-than-expected snowfall delayed the work. Just as they were about to begin in the spring, the Government began preparations for its surprise attack on the crew.
Currently, the Black Cat First Fleet has begun re-development. However, the already small population has shrunk further, as the Government abducted even more citizens as "farmers" during the preparation for the surprise attack. The population, once nearly 20,000, is now around 3,000.
While they are relieved that the food problem has been mitigated, the massive decrease in labor makes future maintenance and expansion the greatest challenge. That said, almost every nation in West Blue, member or not, is suffering from similar problems after the Pirate Alliance incident.
(As a result, some nations are attempting to "hunt" for labor, requiring vigilance.)
'Cannet'
The current major breadbasket where the "Man in Overalls" (Mihawk) is enjoying himself. Using the experience from Mopuchi and Ruchu, Mihawk is currently transforming this into the Black Cat crew's largest wheat-producing region. After trying some rice wine (sake) that Bege brought over as a conversation starter, he has apparently also become interested in rice farming and sake brewing. (Currently recruiting artisans.)
A common sight was the "Dark King" Rayleigh drinking sake while watching Mihawk, Robin, the elite guard, and the locals discuss how to best use a wetland (which would have been drained if not for Robin) for rice cultivation.
(What is this, West Blue?)
As of the end of Chapter 4, this is the main provisional base for the former Marine contingent.
'Nameless Trading Island'
A developing uninhabited island between Mopuchi and Cannet, first appearing in Chapter 58, 'The Meeting Dances in West Blue.' It was an island of sheer cliffs, making it difficult to even land a ship, but the Fish-Men and the elite guard's swords forcibly carved into it, hollowing out a section of the cliff to create a dock. (The author imagines it as a wider version of the island where Sanji and Zeff were stranded.)
It is currently undergoing rapid construction by the Bege Family and cooperating Fish-Men. While not yet functional as a trading port, it serves as a hidden supply depot for the Black Cat crew and the Bege Family. When Kuzan returned to Headquarters, supplies were moved from here to Mopuchi in preparation for a potential battle. Construction is temporarily halted, and elite Fish-Men are assigned to its defense.
Current Black Cat Pirates Organizational Chart
Governor-General: "Thousand-Sight Myriad-Plan" Captain Kuro (Bounty: 2.8 Billion)
Vice-Governor: "Steel Blade" Daz Bonez (Bounty: 180 Million)
Spotter/Operator: "Ghost Princess" Perona (Bounty: 35 Million)
Spotter/Operator: "Demon of Ohara" Nico Robin (Bounty: 100 Million)
Elite Guard Captain: "Sword of Royal Counsel" Amis (Bounty: 80 Million)
See below for other members
Internal Affairs Director: Gildo Tesoro
'Main Fleet Strength'
Pirate Ships (Modified Merchantmen): 6
Gunnery-Type Armored Escort Ships: 3
Transport Ships: 3
Patrol-Use Modified Fishing Boats: 12 (Many were rapidly outfitted and are rotated for service)
Includes the flagship used until the Fish-Man liberation battle.
Total Military Strength: 754
First Fleet Admiral: "Pirate Princess" Boa Hancock (Bounty: 150 Million)
First Fleet Flagship Captain: Boa Sandersonia
First Fleet Flagship Vice-Captain: Boa Marigold
First Fleet Staff Officer: Galdino
'Fleet Strength'
Pirate Ships (Modified Merchantmen): 4
Gunnery-Type Light Escort Ships: 3
Armored Transport Ships: 4
Total Military Strength: 365
'Force in Formation'
Provisional Special Fleet Admiral: "Ash General" Taki (Bounty: 55 Million)
Provisional Special Fleet Flagship Captain: Bigle
'Fleet Strength'
Large Marine Warships: 3
Medium Marine Warships: 5
Large Armored Transport Ships (as above): 2
Total Military Strength: 2,377
'Guest Generals & Allied Forces'
Bege Family Boss: Capone "Gang" Bege (Bounty: 55 Million)
Guest General, Black Cat Pirates Special Instructor, & Internal Affairs Officer: "Teacher of Death" Dracule Mihawk (Bounty: 280 Million)
Black Cat Pirates Instructor: Hack
Retainer: "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh
Prisoner & Guest General: "King of the Desert" Crocodile (Bounty: 81 Million)
'Elite Guard Members (Featured)'
"Sea Breeze" Toya (Bounty: 48 Million)
"The Deadly Dance" Miakis (Bounty: 53 Million)
"Marksman of the Magic Bullet" Kyazarii (Bounty: 52 Million)
"Silver Maiden" Chris (Bounty: 80 Million)
"Sea Hawk" Kika (Bounty: 50 Million)
"Sea Dragon" Troy (Bounty: 50 Million)
"Sword Witch" Amelia (Bounty: 39 Million)
"Juggler" Airi (Bounty: 30 Million)
"Flying Swallow" Valeria (Bounty: 40 Million)
"Golden Arrow" Flare (Bounty: 33 Million)
At the end of the District HQ sea battle, there were 21 elite guard members. Four more have since passed Mihawk's trial, bringing the total to 25.
Simple Character Summaries
"Thousand-Sight Myriad-Plan" Captain Kuro
A man who daily prays to "Clemens" while fighting strong enemies, allied swordsmen, paperwork, reports, and public opinion. His greatest enemy is his lack of sleep. He was at his most vicious in East Blue, where he was truly starving. He was only able to eat properly after Daz joined and they could start trading.
His initial plan was to lead a small crew and build a minimal economic/production zone in Paradise, the first half of the Grand Line. This was massively derailed by finding and protecting Nico Robin. He rushed to enter the Grand Line to hide with her, and while planning an attack on a smuggling ship to secure funds, he ran into the "Marine Slave Incident." At this point, he was sure his future was bleak.
Resigned to the fact that he was now deep in the world's darkness, he schemed to build connections with Marine high command to launch a pirate crew that was more of a "third party" they couldn't touch, all while keeping Robin hidden. The result: the District HQ sea battle.
He got mad about various things, tried his best, and as a result, the "Drums of Liberation" sounded, and the West Blue Great War and the battle against Kizaru broke out.
This guy may be winning tactically, but he's losing strategically. Is he Lelouch?
His greatest weapon is his memory. He can easily remember anything he recognizes as "necessary." Combined with his awareness of being that Kuro, he trained his legs obsessively since his time leading the children and constantly experimented with Haki. He's largely unaware that he's become a monster.
Character Concept: "Take the good parts of Rai and Lelouch and shove them into Suzaku from Code Geass."
"Steel Blade" Daz Bonez
Unlike Kuro (who is faking his age), Daz is a true youth who has grown rapidly by helping manage the unnaturally bloated pirate crew. He is, in a sense, a "what if" Mr. 1. By interacting with Kuro, his life seniors (Mihawk, Rayleigh), Perona (who acts cynical but can't hide her kindness), Robin (who took time to warm up but trusts him completely), the elite guard, and his friend Tesoro (who knew the world's bitterness but didn't fall to darkness), his expression is likely softer than in canon.
A man who became a hero precisely because he was convinced he could never be one.
He's weak at Observation Haki, but his Armament Haki is naturally very hard. He is an amazing tank, just as Kuro intended. However, as he's still a boy, his lack of stamina and small stature are weaknesses. He has keenly realized he needs to acquire knowledge as much as strength.
"Ghost Princess" Perona
The Black Cat Pirates' wide-area MAP weapon (with IFF), trump card for night-time artillery battles, and best spotter. She was raised by an old woman called a "witch" who used indigenous medicine and was skilled with herbs. After the old woman died, Perona was ostracized by the villagers, neglected, and starving when she found and ate a Devil Fruit.
She was being scorned as a "cursed child" when pirates, hearing rumors and thinking she'd be worth money, came for her. At the same time, Kuro and Daz, hearing rumors of a decent bounty, arrived looking for their first score as pirates.
Author's Note: When deciding her role, I based it on her bandaging Zoro in canon and made her the ship's (makeshift) doctor for the time being. As a bit of trivia, her casual goth-loli outfit has pigtails (like canon), but when she's in her officer suit, I imagine her with a fluffy ponytail.
"Demon of Ohara" Nico Robin
The Black Cat Pirates' strongest operator and secondary spotter (Daytime only. Requires kite.) Her weakness is her ability's effective range, which she trains with Perona. ...However, she's also capable of office work and often helps Kuro and Tesoro. She is also one of the few people who can act as a brake and advisor for Mihawk.
After Kuro, she is probably the busiest person in the crew, followed by Daz and Tesoro. Because of her workload, Tesoro and the elite guard secretly feel they must increase their support staff.
(She often visits Tesoro's home and gets spoiled by Stella.)
Author's Note: She is the one who most altered the course of "Black Cat." I was wavering between two options until just before the District HQ battle: a "Robin escapes" route (closer to canon) and the current route. If she had fled, Kuro would have scoured West Blue to find her, entered the Grand Line years later, and started a war of wits with the new Baroque Works. ...But this would have somehow escalated into an all-out war with Shiki, the Pink Bird Alliance, and Big Mom, turning Paradise into hell, all while Kuro used Crocodile as a scapegoat/punching bag and prayed to Clemens.
(Aside from Crocodile, that's almost the same as what's happening now.)
"Sword of Royal Counsel" Amis / and the Elite Guard
One of the main original characters. She has no specific model—or rather, she's Tashigi but with different hair, good eyesight, and none of the clumsiness. In the original plot, Mihawk was supposed to cut off her arm, and her epithet was going to be "One-Arm."
As the elite guard captain, she excels in academics, martial arts, and unit command. She's the best captain. But as a pure fighter, she's about fourth or fifth in the guard.
Author's vague strength ranking: Chris >= Troy >> Valeria = Kika >= Amis = Toya~
Others are specialized (Miakis in defense, Airi or Kyazarii in mid/long-range), so it's hard to compare.
The elite guard has more "screen time" than planned, but they are most useful in internal affairs scenes... so I figure "eh, whatever." ...A warrior who can handle domestic policy... no wonder she gets along with Mihawk. She's the type of frontline officer you'd overuse in a Three Kingdoms or Nobunaga's Ambition strategy game. Probably has all stats in the 80-90 range.
Gildo Tesoro / Stella
Kuro sees him as a civilian he rescued and tries to keep him out of the spotlight, but he is the most important person in the Black Cat Pirates. If he were to disappear, their entire strategy would collapse. He and Stella have two elite guards assigned to them at all times.
He is the "face" of the crew, handling negotiations in place of the young-looking (and thus underestimated) officers. He was working to establish an insurance business (which doubled as merchant ship protection) to acquire foreign currency, but he is appalled by the completely uneconomical moves of the Marines and the Government.
He was the one most enraged when the war with the Marines began. He was doubly enraged when he learned of Mogwa's situation and the Celestial Dragons' thievery. As a result, he is just as devoted as the elite guard to Kuro, who favors "governance" over "domination."
First Fleet Admiral "Pirate Princess" Boa Hancock
Probably the Black Cat crew's most talented commander. She started with the Kuja warrior mentality of "Strength is everything! The weak can die!" but grew rapidly after experiencing unit command, civilian defense, and partial governance. She's a budding heroine.
Author's Note: I debated giving her a Devil Fruit until the last minute, but I felt the three sisters—especially Hancock—needed them. As a result, a long-range MAP weapon (with no IFF) was completed. She's basically unbeatable in a simple clash of soldiers. Her canon combo is just too strong. And now we have S-Snake. Vegapunk, what the hell did you create?
Regarding the First Fleet:
The crew's first fleet separate from the main force, originating from the 60 elites of the "Hancock Squad" she led during the Germa battle. At Hancock's insistence, they train to be the "most excellent" fleet (the one that always delivers the results the organization needs) rather than the "strongest."
Kuro and Hancock, wanting to avoid expending soldiers, created an unorthodox fleet structure centered on stealth units combined with Hancock's ability. They specialize in capturing enemy supplies and ships undamaged. This is one reason the Black Cat crew, which was struggling with ship and personnel numbers, was able to expand so rapidly after Kuro left for the Holy Land.
The most elite soldiers are given a black-bladed dagger for stealth operations. Every soldier aboard the flagship is a wielder of one of these "black blades."
First Fleet: Boa Sandersonia / Marigold / Galdino
Sandersonia and Marigold serve as captains of the First Fleet's provisional flagship, with Galdino as the staff officer. The sisters, having eaten Devil Fruits and trained in Haki since childhood, are capable warriors but lack command skills. The addition of the surrendered Galdino's intellect allows the fleet to function fully even in Hancock's absence.
Galdino is making great use of his extensive knowledge of West Blue, gained from his time as an agent.
(Whether I'll ever get a chance to write about it is another question. The children Galdino was trying to sell when he surrendered are scheduled to appear later.)
"Teacher of Death" Dracule Mihawk
While Hancock contributes as a commander, Mihawk is a Guest General who contributes via education (for officers and the elite guard), individual combat power, and development. (What the hell is 'pioneering power'?)
His daily routine: Wake up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, attack Kuro, go farming, attack Kuro, eat lunch, beat up the officers and some soldiers, attack Kuro with Rayleigh, continue farming, hand off the work, fight Rayleigh, eat dinner, take a bath, drink, brush teeth, and sleep. While he was repeating this, one of the world's foremost pirate crews was built around him.
(Writing this, I realize it's not that he's amazing, but that the elite guard's guts are insane. As for Kuro... you poor, pitiful soul...)
Kuro secretly asked him to look after Robin, so they often act together. He frequently consults with her about development and pioneering plans, and their relationship, which was different at the start, is now excellent.
"Ash General" Taki
Former Marine Rear Admiral. The current leader of the defected Marine contingent. She was severely wounded by enemy pirates during the Pirate Alliance incident but was rescued by Daz. After recovering, she often acted alongside Kuro.
She values Kuro's skill in reconstruction and his ability to win the hearts of civilians and soldiers more than his personal combat strength. She was one of the people who repeatedly petitioned for Kuro to be made a Shichibukai or have his sentence reduced. She also demanded to know the reason for his bounty, and the vague responses she received made her deeply suspicious of Marine high command and the Government.
Because of this, she was on the Government's blacklist. Due to her popularity with the soldiers, if her decision to defect had been any later, she would have been a high-priority target for assassination, disguised as death by illness.
She is not skilled in close combat, but her command abilities are respected by high-ranking officers. A veteran who might have made it to Headquarters if she had polished her combat skills. She is likely the person Sengoku wants back the most in this crisis, as she is an ideal commander to entrust with the defense and management of a key location.
Hack
If Mihawk and Rayleigh train the officers, Hack is the one training the rank-and-file soldiers. He has successfully drilled a decent level of Fish-Man Karate into the First Fleet's flagship crew. The result is a "ninja squad" capable of stealthy infiltration without weapons.
He has conferred with Kuro and promised to cooperate with training at regular intervals even if they go their separate ways. However, after seeing the uninhabited island's development for Fish-Men and the co-existence in 'Shamlock,' he's starting to think it might be fine to just join them.
Because Kuro doesn't want to publicly reveal the Fish-Men as part of his crew, in battle, Hack and his compatriots rescue anyone who falls overboard and assist in transporting main fighters (who can't use Stealthy Foot).
"Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh
Not much to note. When he's bored, he spars with Mihawk or blows away the elite guard. He never intended to teach the elite guard, but he's the main reason they are so tenacious and hard to break. Now that a few of them, like Chris and Valeria, can almost keep up with him, he's gotten serious about blowing them all away.
Any mercy he had for Kuro vanished the instant they first crossed swords. Kuro surviving that first day with all his limbs intact was the greatest miracle of his life.
"King of the Desert" Crocodile
A sad crocodile who went to the trouble of coming to West Blue for Nico Robin's KNOWLEDGE, only to be captured after being defeated by the combined tactics of a top-tier Grand Line swordsman and an elite unit. He is also a victim whose entire perception of what a "pirate" is has been shaken by reading Mihawk's book while in his cell.
(He apparently asked Mihawk about parts of the manuscript he didn't understand, and Mihawk added annotations, making the book even easier to understand. In a way, Crocodile is to blame for this.)
From a business perspective, he highly values the Black Cat crew's non-plundering governance. For now, his goal is to appraise this pirate named Kuro, who has assembled such an elite force, but he has no plans beyond that. He does want an elite unit like the guard and is interested in their training.
(He'll probably watch them train for one second before he starts screaming and clutching his head.)
He is a very obedient Guest General, as he understands that clashing head-on with a pirate crew that the "Dark King" is helping is a bad move.
"Gang" Capone Bege
He was planning to hijack the massive "Marine Slave" business, but he witnessed Kuro's crew attack just before he could. He was initially interested in Perona (for her ability) and considered taking the "kid in glasses" (Kuro) as well, but he got burned.
After his defeat, he immediately foresaw that the families involved in the slave ring would collapse and focused on taking over their territory. He then sensed the "Pirate Nation" Mogwa's plots and their plan to attack Black Cat territory. He used this to forge an alliance with the "Black Cat" crew at the perfect moment, predicting they would grow powerful.
He has inserted himself into Kuro's sales routes—as Kuro had zero connections in West Blue—to make money and increase his own influence. He has a good business relationship with Tesoro, who acts as a check against him.
After hearing Kuro's dream (liberating the Grand Line), Bege is now dreaming of being the one to manage West Blue in the new system. With Kuro away, he is busy dealing with and countering other families trying to move in on Black Cat territory. He gives solid advice on Robin's development plans, so he has earned the trust of both Robin and Mihawk.
***
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