"Heh heh heh. Good, good. Everything went well."
After finishing the final task—destroying all remaining Marine ships—Capone Bege, the Black Cat's ally, looked through his spyglass to check the results, then smiled as he blew out cigar smoke.
"Really helped that so many Marines switched sides, Ga-ne..," said the man beside him. "We could put a lot of strength into this."
"Yeah. They had more supplies stored than I expected," Bege replied. "Taking the base was one thing, but loading everything and setting up the fakes took a lot of time. Glad we got it."
As part of the First Fleet's special covert team, Bege and Galdino—who handled the disguises—laughed happily at the huge amount of seized supplies.
"Would've liked to take at least half the medical stuff with us, Ga…" Galdino mused, adjusting his glasses.
"We hit them with everything we had because they made the first move, but we're not trying to kill for fun," Bege said, shaking his head. "Leaving some food behind shows that. We even left… some of it."
"It's just enough for rescue ships to reach them. Their morale will drop day by day. If fights break out between government troops and Marines, well… not our problem, Ga-ne…"
"Yeah. And once the wounded need more food, the supply will drop even faster. If someone starts shouting about it…"
"Mwahahahahaha!!"
"Hehhehehehe!!"
"Man, you two really have evil smiles," a female voice sighed. "Not as bad as Captain Kuro, but still."
Sighing at them was Sandersonia, the one in charge of the operation.
"Nyuu~~," hummed Hachi the octopus fish-man, standing beside her. "I knew you guys were pirates, but still… I always saw Bege's men as regular customers at my food stalls…"
Beside them was Hachi the octopus fish-man, one of the main scouts from the Fish-Man Pioneer Group, who kept watch on the Marine fleet and sent quick updates during the operation.
"Oh, Hachi. Thanks to you and the others for watching and guarding the transports. The timing was perfect," Sandersonia said. "Well… except for that extra trouble that came up."
"Yeah… In the end, we never had to fire those long-range cannons we loaded into Bege's castle."
"The anti-Akainu water cannon we packed for safety ended up being used just to dump water, Ga-ne."
Kuhahahaha. Good thing we saved so many shells and gunpowder.
As the officers and elite guards made strange faces at the disembodied voice, a swirl of sand rose beside them. In this sea—the West Blue, far from the Grand Line—such a sandstorm shouldn't exist.
When it cleared, a pirate stood there.
"Crocodile," Bege said, keeping his guard up. "Never thought the 'Desert King' of the Grand Line would show up here."
"Heard Robin asked to let you escape before we sailed out," Sandersonia added. "Is this your way of paying us back?"
"Don't be stupid," Crocodile scoffed. "Pirates work on business. I don't waste my time with useless gestures."
The great pirate who attacked the Kanan Kingdom to capture Robin—later defeated by Mihawk and the Guard Unit, then imprisoned in Mopuchi—now stood with a cigar, watching the Marine base with no ships left.
"You won the battle, then emptied out the enemy's escape route and trapped them. Nice," Crocodile noted.
The island was already far away and looked tiny. No pursuers were coming.
The operation had worked perfectly.
"Once the Mogwa Kingdom fell, the Marine had very few places to run. Just like your Captain wrote," Crocodile continued. "In sea battles, distance is everything. They had to choose their route based on supplies, cannon ammo, and the wounded they carried."
"In the plan Captain Kuro gave us," Sandersonia explained, "he wrote that because all nearby countries were hit hard by the war, they had little food and manpower. So once we beat them, there were only a few places they could hide."
"Heh. I thought the enemy might scatter in panic since their numbers were lower than expected… but looks like they walked right into the plan."
The pirates and gang members looked relieved, happy the operation had ended safely.
Crocodile watched their relaxed faces with an unreadable expression.
"Even if the Marine managed to call for rescue early, it'll still take time," he said.
"Yeah… even rushing, the fastest would be ten days," Galdino calculated. "They'll pick them up quicker since two Admirals are there, but it will still take time, Ga-ne."
"As their supplies drop each day, their minds will break. When the food clearly starts running low, riots may happen… That's what this is, isn't it?"
"…Captain Kuro thought only Akainu would come," Sandersonia admitted. "With Zephyr here too, maybe it won't get that bad… maybe."
"Even so, fear and frustration will explode. And once those tired, broken soldiers get rescued, guess what stories they'll spread to their friends… heh heh heh." Crocodile smirked. "That Kuro guy really planned something nasty!"
No pirate or gangster showed doubt.
Even before this, even while waiting for the enemy, none of them had shown distrust.
Black Cat… Crocodile thought.
"So, Mr. Crocodile," Bege interrupted his thoughts. "What you said at Mogwa… was that true?"
"Yeah. I'll forget Nico Robin for now—and I'll help you and in return—"
"Take me to him."
"To the Captain you're so proud of—the one who created this whole plan."
–
In the New World, near the sunken Island, the fight still continued.
"I won't let you move. Stay still!"
Even though the Admiral fought with attacks as fast as light itself, the pirate blocked them all.
When Kizaru tried to jump back and reset his stance, the pirate read his movement and kicked him with Haki before he could fire his technique.
It wasn't a full-power blow, but it was sharp enough to smash into Kizaru's shoulder. Kizaru blocked with Haki as well, but his confidence was wavering.
I can't… even dodge him anymore…
Ever since the fight moved to this deck, the pirate's strikes had grown more dangerous.
Kizaru had kept things even by dodging and keeping distance, but every second, the pirate's attacks—no, his reading—grew sharper.
"Won't you surrender now?" Kizaru asked, his voice strained. "A man like you would be more useful working for the Marine instead of sitting in prison, you know?"
"Even if the Marine thinks so, the government doesn't!" Kuro shouted back, parrying a beam. "That's why they started this stupid fight that only causes harm!!"
It was a harsh answer he couldn't deny.
He was right—there was no benefit at all.
The Black Cat had been a pirate they could actually work with, as strange as that was.
"This fight… the Black Cats will win!" Kuro declared. "I prepared plans for every outcome, and my preparations are perfect!"
In this situation where he had no real weapons, the pirate's strength had not dropped at all. If anything, he was using this battle to grow even stronger.
"But even so, we can't avoid casualties! My soldiers, and your Marines too!"
Yes—people were dying.
People who should never have had to die were dying.
"How can we trust a government that forces such a useless fight on us—even hiding the reason from Marine Admirals themselves!!"
–
Why did they even start such a stupid fight!!
Sure, the Marine, the government, and we pirates have different ways of thinking—but there are limits!!
Every move they made was halfway done and pointless!!
If they have enough strength to use Admirals for something like this, then send them to the other nations to keep Shiki in check! He's clearly planning his next move!!
Once someone becomes top-tier power, their presence itself becomes a weapon!
Especially for a huge idiot organization like the World Government!!!
"You really… say painful things, you know…" Kizaru muttered.
"You're not the one at fault. All of this comes from the twisted structure of that organization."
Kizaru's kick came from the side—I could see it.
The moment I blocked it with a Haki-covered kick, I also saw the possible future: his finger pointing at me.
I knew a beam was coming—but again, I was a fraction of a second too late. A sharp, silly ting sound rang out as my skin burned a little.
Not fatal, but the small hits kept adding up, wearing me down.
…Still, compared to those insane days of training, this was nothing. It's only one enemy.
If Sakazuki or Kuzan had joined, I'd be in serious trouble, though.
"If the World Government wants a twisted world that refuses to grow and only consumes everything—!"
But besides that one kick I landed earlier, I still hadn't dealt a true finishing blow. Something was missing.
Or something was blocking me.
But I should have everything I need to take the next step…
Reuniting the split parts of my thinking and senses. Running reflex and thought at the same time. And adding future-sight Haki beside it—I should be close to mastering it.
Before, I saw only a blurry few seconds of the future. Now I could see tens of seconds—even multiple possible futures—and sometimes I could even see the branch points.
But lately, at the most important moments, the vision became noisy.
And that damn drum man needs to calm down seriously.
"I'm going through, Admiral Kizaru!!"
"…You're really scary… pirate Black Cat…"
My focus kept shaking at critical moments.
I knew why—it was confidence.
Thanks to training with Mihawk and Rayleigh, I had gained confidence in normal fights. But stepping into unknown territory brought my natural fear back.
Damn it… now that I think about it… even back in school, the capable guys always had this pressure about them…
They were confident, stubborn, and pushed their opinions strongly. I used to wonder how they could believe in themselves that much…
—Ah.
I'd always been bad at fighting or arguing, so people from the top layer of confidence always scared me.
I wondered where their self-belief came from.
So that's it… this is what it was.
Cutting off emotions didn't work.
Trying to merge only the "useful" parts didn't work either.
Cutting away more thoughts only made me get hit harder.
Nothing extra was messing me up.
Something essential was missing.
Faith in myself.
Courage.
I thought those bright, shining things could only be earned through desperate training… but—
"I finally understand."
I poured that missing piece between the gears that kept slipping.
Not changing the gears—just giving them what they needed to connect.
I stepped forward.
Then another step—completely open, defenseless.
Kizaru used a technique and took a huge leap back.
Up above the deck.
All other soldiers had already evacuated.
I saw the future.
A storm of narrow, focused light beams.
To avoid them, I should move now—far and fast.
But—
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!!!"
I saw everything.
–
"Yasakani Sacred Jewel!!!"
The pirate had shown a huge opening.
Kizaru instantly used his power to retreat and showered the battlefield with his deadly light bullets.
This was it.
If he didn't kill the pirate now, he wouldn't be able to stop him again.
And yet—
The rain of light bullets that could pierce through even the ship's deck fell hard.
He expected the pirate to run far, far away.
But—
"Ahh… what I was missing was…"
The pirate simply walked forward.
No panic.
No rush.
Just walked.
"Faith in myself. The will to stick to myself. The will to push forward. And even the power to lie to myself just enough to ignore fear—"
Deadly light bullets that punched through steel fell around him.
And he walked as if they were nothing.
Th…this is impossible…??? Kizaru panicked.
The beams didn't hit.
Not even once.
He dodged every single shot with the smallest movements.
"And too much of those things becomes poison. So just a little bit—the right amount, just a spoonful—yes, that's it."
Not a single hit.
Not a scratch.
When the rain of beams finally began to thin, the pirate—without even using the Silent Step—looked straight at him.
"Madness. I still didn't have enough."
Kizaru fired the same move again, panicking.
The pirate still didn't dodge—just watched calmly.
"That's cheating! You can't get stronger that fast!!!"
Kizaru shifted the beams into countless copies of himself—one of his best trick moves.
He mixed himself among the illusions, aiming for the pirate's neck.
Heavenly Cloud-Riding Sword
Every copy held a glowing blade.
He sent one forward to strike first.
Then I'll—!
But then—
"Too bad…"
Something soft and warm touched Kizaru's throat.
"I already saw that."
It was a shoe.
A plain leather shoe.
Coated in Haki—hooked around his neck—and—
In the next instant, faster than light, his body was slammed into the deck.
"Gah—!? …Khh?!"
He couldn't breathe.
But if he didn't get up, he'd be finished.
The pirate he had aimed at—was somehow standing behind him.
He forced Haki through his injured body and leapt back.
Reflex, instinct.
He had to gain distance.
And—
—that was fatal.
A tearing sound.
His own flesh.
"If I can't match the speed of light—"
Blood sprayed.
Red splattered everywhere.
His clothes.
His coat of justice.
"—then I just have to move first."
"Ghh—aa—?!"
He had no idea what had happened.
The pirate hadn't moved at all in that moment.
Forcing his blurry eyes to focus, he finally understood.
Cut…slashing attacks are… hanging in the air…?!
"Sorry, Admiral Kizaru."
Through the net of Haki-charged slashes floating like invisible threads, even the air looked bent.
"I'm moving on."
The pirate's right leg filled with heavy Haki.
Black, crackling with lightning.
"Conqueror's Haki…" Kizaru wheezed.
"You really are…! You ARE—!!"
Sovereign Kick!
The pirate struck the center of the floating slashes.
His kick wrapped everything together and shot toward Kizaru.
And—
Admiral Kizaru—Borsalino—lost consciousness.