"Devil Fruit users really are amazing, aren't they…" Hina watched the scene unfold, stunned. The men who had been making money by swindling a blind man were effortlessly swept aside by that very man.
—Well,
"Oh, it's all right. We'll handle the repairs," a calm voice interjected. "Shopkeeper, is that acceptable?"
"Well, if you're fixing it for us… I suppose that's fine. You've already filled in most of the hole, too."
He'd smashed them straight through the floor and into the depths of the ground—and as a result, the shop had been destroyed.
The tavern that ended up being occupied afterward had soldiers who'd remained on the ship gathered inside, with a pirate directing the repairs.
No—now he should be called a great pirate. He sat at a table in one corner of the tavern, rereading documents he had received from the Fleet Admiral along with newspapers from the last few days.
"Did you figure anything out?" Hina asked. Captain Wired, his superior, had also ordered her to stay as close to the pirate as possible. Placing a hand on Kuro's shoulder as he sat at the table with the blind Devil Fruit user Issho, she leaned in to look at what he was reading. As ever, he was the kind of pirate for whom books and letters suited him better than weapons.
"Yeah, a little," Kuro murmured, his eyes scanning the text. "…Though that just means even more questions came up."
Even after the fighting ended, the pirate had stayed busy—commanding overall operations, catching fish to preserve rations, hunting Sea Kings that tried to sink the ships, and cooking. After rescuing the thugs dangling at the bottom of the hole, he issued orders for soil and lumber procurement and let out a sigh.
"The complicated cipher was just a warning related to the government taking action. The remaining codes were simple—about the contents of an agreement between the government and the Marine." Adjusting his glasses in his palm, Kuro continued. "For the most part, it's about reparations and other forms of compensation… but the key point is this."
What Kuro spread out with a rustle were numerous new bounty posters for members of the Black Cat Pirates.
Hina's eyes widened. "Your bounty is 2.8 billion. On top of that, 'Steel Blade,' 'Devil of Ohara,' 'Pirate Princess,' 'Teacher of Death'—there are so many bounties over a hundred million it's ridiculous…"
"But they're overwhelmingly cheap," Kuro stated flatly.
"Compared to yours, sure."
"No. According to information from Sengoku, two Admirals were dispatched. Considering they were defeated, these numbers are too low. Precisely because they're too low, something becomes clear."
Captain Kuro.
Also known as Kuro of Thousand Sights & Ten Thousand Plans.
The man quietly called the 'Strategist' by Marines tilted his head, wearing a grim expression.
"I think the government intends to reset the West Blue."
Hina frowned. "What do you mean?"
"The West Blue is the sea where information about the Marine slave incidents spread the most. …From the government's perspective, everything about it must be irritating."
"Don't tell me—they intend to provoke an uprising on purpose!?"
"No, not that. If the Marine were to split and an uprising occurred here, it wouldn't stay hidden for long. But… assassinating officers who openly oppose the government? That's something they might do. And not just within the military—it wouldn't be strange if royalty of member nations were targets as well."
Hina felt a chill. "…So your subordinates' bounties being lower than yours isn't because this is just the initial listing…?"
"They probably set the amounts at the bare minimum that still seems plausible so as not to leak what's about to happen in the West Blue. If the bounties were too high, the West Blue would attract strange levels of attention." The words of a man who foresaw a thousand phenomena and countered them with ten thousand plans carried real weight.
"But, you know… with this many bounties over a hundred million already out there, I think you've drawn plenty of attention as it is…"
"…Ah, yeah, well… that's true, but…" Kuro trailed off, conceding the point.
--
To begin with, sending two Admirals means the government was fully prepared to crush whatever forces it left behind in Mopuchi. Kuro's mind began to race, calculating the variables.
Maybe their reading was shallow… but another weakness of the government was becoming clear.
They probably judged the situation using nothing more than surface-level numbers and maps.
That was likely one reason for the inconsistencies in government policy.
They'd been doing whatever they pleased, relying on the numbers they'd amassed over time, yet politically and militarily they had no grasp of conditions on the ground.
If that's the case, Daz and the others may have won even more decisively than expected.
He wouldn't be at ease without hearing their voices, but the anti-Marine tactics he'd prepared were three basic strategies for dealing with enemy fleets of roughly fifteen to twenty ships, plus a sub-plan for unusual tactics, and then some.
If the government decided on a more covert deployment… and secretly turned the five bases near Red Port into logistics hubs… the maximum integrated force they could deploy would be—
After securing patrol forces to protect nearby member nations from pirates, they could probably field only about ten to fifteen ships.
They couldn't spare much from headquarters either. Even if this front were prioritized, suppressing Shiki and other pirates would still be necessary.
At that level, victory was possible while keeping damage to a minimum.
And if this time they'd managed to hold back Admiral-class opponents, even if Kuzan came later with sheer numbers, he could be contained.
Just to be safe, he was also coordinating with Tesoro on strategies to cut supply lines.
Once troop reorganization and situational awareness were complete, either Daz or Amisu would move in accordance with conditions on the ground.
In the worst case, Rayleigh might be incorporated into the defensive force, but no matter how things unfolded, as long as the Marine didn't abandon other seas and commit a massive force, the odds of victory were sufficient.
Even in defeat, thorough retreat preparations were in place—there was virtually no chance of a collapse-level rout.
All that remains is figuring out how to get back…
He looked up at Hina's face as she peered over his shoulder at what he was holding. She wore that familiar expression—the one she always had when she was full of questions.
So, the next question would be—
"Um, excuse me."
"Ah—sorry. I left you waiting." When he turned back, the man whose eyes had been blinded was looking at him with an uneasy expression.
Right—this was someone who had the means to return to the West Blue. He needed to communicate a bit more.
"So, the young lady who spoke to me earlier is a Marine… but you are—?" Issho asked.
"Yes, a pirate."
"…What sort of relationship would that be?"
"How should I put it…" A pirate who was traveling back to the West Blue while breaking through a Marine pursuit fleet together with Marines…
"…"
"...."
He and Hina exchanged looks without thinking.
Back in the West Blue, he'd kicked this woman around unilaterally, and since reuniting during the alliance incident, he'd somehow been treating her almost like a secretary, on par with Robin and Amisu…
Hina was probably at a loss for words too.
She opened and closed her mouth, but nothing came out.
A relationship… huh…
As the two of them went back and forth silently for several seconds, Issho began to fidget slightly, wondering if he'd said something awkward.
After a good ten seconds like that, they finally settled on their answers.
"She's a woman who will eventually beat this man to a pulp and then work him to death as a dog of the Marine," Kuro said dryly pointing to himself.
"And he's a man I'll beat into submission when he becomes an enemy someday, then grind down by using him as my secretary," Hina shot back instantly.
"…I-I see… is that so." Good. Issho seemed to accept it, which was for the best. Hina was nodding too, so no problem there.