Mopuchi was the true headquarters and largest base of the Black Cat Pirates.
Far away from the royal castle, there was a huge, strongly built basement. For the people of Mopuchi who had gotten used to the Black Cat's rule, this place was a symbol of fear, far scarier than Shamrock, the city of pirates and mafia.
It was a detention center where people considered criminals were taken.
A prison.
Fortunately, since the Black Cat took control, it hadn't been used very often.
At most, only petty thieves were put in there. The only ones inside were new recruits of the Black Cat who had gotten a little too cocky.
"I can't believe my guard is you, Marine Hunter," the prisoner rasped, his voice dry.
Dracule Mihawk sat calmly on a chair outside the cell. "I was the one who ordered your capture. I have to take responsibility for it."
To repeat, this place, Mopuchi, was the Black Cat's home base.
Unlike the Kanan Kingdom, where Mihawk had been working on development under Robin's command, this was the place where the Black Cat's resources and research were most available.
"Hmph... Even I can't do anything in this situation. Not with these Seastone handcuffs."
"I won't let my guard down. I won once, but that was only because of the Guards' support."
In other words, they could freely use the Seastone items that Kuro and his engineering team had created through trial and error.
"Crocodile... was it? You are a tough pirate. Neither I nor the Guards will underestimate you."
Crocodile, a sand-human who ate the 'Sand-Sand Fruit', could easily slip out of a normal jail. But now, slightly twisted shackles were clamped around his wrists, ankles, and neck.
The Future Warlord leaned back against the cold wall. "Well, I can tell you aren't acting on the Government's orders. If you had moved such a big pirate like yourself and failed, there would have been some action against Kuro by now." He paused, studying Mihawk. "Your boastful Captain? Kuhaha... I'd like to see his face once. Is he not here?"
"He is currently in the Holy Land helping with negotiations between the Government and the Marine. Usually, a scheduled report comes in by now, but—"
"Is he truly..." Crocodile frowned, genuinely confused. "A pirate?"
"Aside from the Navy, the Government views him as especially dangerous," Mihawk confirmed with a slight nod. "He must be a pirate."
"I see."
Even though the pirate was a prisoner, he had a cigar in his mouth.
Mihawk had defeated him, but it wasn't a one-on-one fight. Plus, Crocodile was definitely strong. This was a gift of respect from Mihawk.
Horo horo horo, for some reason, you two seem to get along.
Just then, a girl's voice came from the ceiling, not the door.
At the same time, a young girl holding a parasol floated right through the ceiling and appeared.
Mihawk didn't even blink. "Hm? You came here? What is it, Perona?"
"I'm interested in the pirate who came for Robin, too," Perona said, floating in the air. "He must be strong if you're guarding him yourself, right?"
Even though Mihawk had a sharp, dangerous aura, he was surprisingly good at looking after others. He had built good relationships not only with his students in the Guard but also with the younger group like Perona and Robin.
Crocodile looked at the floating girl. "Ah, the ghost girl. Come to think of it, there was a wanted poster."
"It's Perona!" she snapped, before turning back to the swordsman. "...Well, whatever. Mihawk, a scheduled call came in from Captain Kuro. He seemed busy, so he just said what he needed to say and hung up immediately."
Mihawk frowned slightly. "That's rare. He usually chats a little with Robin or Amisu."
"He has no time. His voice sounded incredibly sleepy."
"So, what happened?" Mihawk asked, sensing trouble. "If you came all the way here, something must have happened."
"Yeah. Apparently, the Holy Land was attacked by pirates."
At the shocking news reported casually by Perona, Mihawk and Crocodile's eyebrows twitched.
"An attack on the Holy Land?" Mihawk leaned forward. "Knowing Kuro, he probably fought to defend it. Who was it?"
"A guy named Golden Lion Shiki. I only know him as the guy who was the transporter of that island in the last battle, but do you guys know him?"
"...!"
"The Golden Lion?"
The pirate in the cage and Mihawk were well-known pirates in the Grand Line, so they knew exactly who that pirate was.
"He's a great pirate who fought against Gold Roger," Mihawk said gravely. "I see... with his ability... Was Kuro safe?"
"Yeah. He managed to drive him off, but he said he was basically toyed with, so he's going to beat him up next time," Perona relayed casually. "Oh, and he said Shiki teamed up with that muscle daruma we fought before."
"Muscle daruma? ...Ah, that one."
"Hey, Marine Hunter," Crocodile interrupted, his interest piqued. "Who are you talking about?"
"It happened before I came here," Mihawk answered. "Gecko Moria."
"Tch. The pirate who fought Kaido."
Crocodile was secretly amazed by the pirate crew known as Black Cat.
For a crew that only seemed to be trying to set roots in the West Blue, their battle record was astonishing.
I couldn't understand why the Marine Hunter was wasting time in the four seas, but...
He could tell from their movement and presence alone that the soldiers guarding the door in shifts were elites. They were just as good as the soldier who had blown away his sandstorm with just a sword slash.
Just looking at the faces, there are at least ten of them on this island. That silver-haired woman on the other island was on another level, but this place has gathered people who could easily be captains of average pirate crews.
All of them were Haki users.
An elite group being drilled in swordsmanship by the 'Marine Hunter,' who was currently sitting at a table on the other side of the iron bars, writing something with a lot of paper and ink.
They called them the Guard... I see, they are certainly useful pawns.
While feeling slightly ashamed of how naive his outlook had been, he admired the strength of this pirate crew.
...If I had this much manpower back then...
The pirate had been defeated recently.
By the pirate, Whitebeard. A living legend.
Now that the Pirate King was dead, he was the strongest pirate in the world.
Powerful trump cards like Ancient Weapons are important... but excellent pawns are also necessary.
If he had elites like the Guard in his hand...
"So, they drove Shiki away, but apparently, all the Celestial Dragons' food was stolen. He didn't say it directly, but he means we should stay alert because we don't know how the Government or Navy will react to that."
"...Knowing Kuro, he won't be captured, but he might not be able to come back straight away."
Mihawk gathered the stack of written papers, tied them lightly with a string, put them in a paper bag, and stood up.
"The Guard is gathered here too. I'll train the hopefuls with Hack for the first time in a while," Mihawk decided. "Some of them are getting close to Amisu and Toya's level, though maybe not Chris's yet."
"Yeah, do that," Perona nodded. "Daz and Hancock are re-checking the ship's equipment too."
"...By the way, Marine Hunter," Crocodile asked, eyeing the package. "What were you writing on that paper?"
"Hm? I was compiling a book for the Black Cat crew. It summarizes things that were useful or concerning from my experience in development, farming, and hunting bandits."
"..."
"..."
Mihawk blinked at their silence. "Kuro's tactical manual is very useful. It wouldn't hurt to leave something like this behind too, right?"
"...I see," Crocodile deadpanned.
"No, well," Perona floated lower, looking baffled. "Hancock is also organizing records of naval battles and development so she can read them back... but a book?"
"I intended to write it simply."
"...Mihawk," Perona sighed. "You're the one who cut Kuro down, but before I knew it, you've completely become one of us."
"What kind of pirates are you people?" Crocodile muttered softly.