(POV: Daz Bones—Third Person)
"Captain, I've reconnected the comms," Daz said, speaking into the receiver. "Just as before, only those in the Black Cat Mansion are listening now."
"Thanks, Daz," Kuro's voice replied through the speaker. "...By the way, how is it?"
Daz blinked. "How is what?"
"The atmosphere."
"Ah, so that was what you were worried about..." Daz smiled slightly, proud that his guess was correct: Kuro, the Captain, had feared that the Black Cat Pirates would hold excessive hostility toward the Celestial Dragons and the World Government.
"It should be fine," Daz reassured him. "At the very least, the anger and bloodlust have decreased significantly. ...You can hear it, can't you?"
Even without opening the door, the voices were likely still reaching the other side through the Den Den Mushi.
— Captain Kuro!! Captain Kuro!! Captain Kuro!!
The frenzy born of hostility and despair had transformed into one filled with hope. Perona looked like she was having fun, and Robin was smiling with a hint of joy. The same went for the Guards remaining in the Black Cat Mansion.
"Yeah," Kuro sounded almost sheepish. "...It's kind of embarrassing to have my name chanted over and over like that."
"As you can see—no, as you can hear, morale is extremely high," Daz noted.
"Yeah, looks like it's okay. I'm leaving the command to you, as usual," Kuro said, his tone shifting back to business. "Make good use of Tesoro and the others."
"Captain, do you have a way to return?" Daz asked.
"I do. However, if possible, there's one place I'd like to stop by first."
"...Stop by?"
At those words, Hancock nodded slightly, letting out a soft "Ah..."
Having become a Fleet Admiral after the battle with Germa, she displayed a maturity that belied her age. She had likely guessed where Kuro intended to stop.
"Sorry," Kuro apologized. "I want to hurry back to the West Blue, but there's something I need to check."
"If the Captain says so, then it must be important. But..." Daz trailed off, concerned.
"It's no problem for you guys, having survived this far," Kuro assured him. "Besides, I've organized and operated the organization so that even if I were to die or get captured, it wouldn't be an issue. It'll be fine."
This is it, Daz thought. This side of the Captain is truly terrifying.
Daz had no complaints about being treated as a pawn by his commander, but at the same time, the Captain treated himself as a pawn too. As a leader, he wouldn't use himself recklessly, but if he judged that he should be used, he wouldn't hesitate to do so. Just like how he went to the Holy Land alone.
Mihawk probably liked that about him, and even Crocodile, who had promised temporary cooperation, looked amused hearing the Captain's words.
"...Captain," Daz called out.
"Hm?"
"We'll manage the West Blue from here until you return."
"Yeah."
"But, do you have anything to say regarding policy?"
"...Policy, huh? Honestly, I don't have much to say, but..."
Well, that makes sense, Daz thought.
At least the task was clear. Leading the troops to occupy and suppress the Superior Kingdom, which was likely in chaos from the damages caused by the Celestial Dragons.
If left alone, it could become a target for pirates—or looting by the neighboring Ligalo Kingdom—but more importantly, that land possessed fertile and vast arable land that the 'Black Cat' wanted desperately. That 'something,' worth as much as treasure, could now be obtained as a set with the people's hearts—something usually hard to acquire.
The unit organized for large-scale patrols against government ships would likely become the advance team for the suppression of Superior.
...I said something careless, even for me, Daz realized.
This current communication assumed wiretapping. The Celestial Dragons' disgraceful behavior and the subsequent talks were a warning to the Navy. And the speech was meant to guide the direction of the Black Cat Pirates while simultaneously driving the first wedge between the Navy and the Government.
If that's the case, I can't carelessly state a concrete plan in this situation...
If he verbalized specific strategies or tactical goals, they might take countermeasures. Even if the World Government was in chaos too great to look at, they were still a formidable enemy.
"Daz."
"Yeah."
After a pause, perhaps wondering how to phrase it, the Captain's voice came through. "From here on out, follow your heart."
It was surprisingly abstract for the Captain, but Daz didn't sense any deception in those words.
"Surviving the battle with the Navy is one thing, but the fact that you could do that means you managed to control Mopuchi during the uproar about me joining the Celestial Dragons. ...Then, you must have seen a lot during that time," Kuro said.
"...I suppose so," Daz admitted.
Hearing the talk of the Captain joining the Celestial Dragons, some got excited that this would become an important affiliated nation, while others feared they would be made into slaves. Or some were distraught, thinking this land would be abandoned because he became a Celestial Dragon—
"If seeing those things gave birth to anger, pity, or a feeling of wanting to do something specific, then that feeling of yours is correct," Kuro continued firmly. "That is exactly why you shouldn't try to think in terms of 'can' or 'cannot'."
"...Is that not important?"
"The staff to judge whether something is possible or not was already sufficiently assembled, albeit barely, before I went to the Holy Land. Now that we have excellent personnel from the Marines as well, it's even less of a problem."
Daz instinctively glanced at Tesoro, Commodore Taki, and Galdino of the First Fleet.
"Rather, what's important is that the one taking command doesn't shrink away," Kuro said.
"Shrink away, huh."
"That's right. If you start thinking about whether it looks possible or not, your range of action and execution speed will inevitably drop. Because you are the conductor, be bold. It's Tesoro and the others' job to build the path and ultimately determine feasibility or propose alternatives."
The Captain's voice softened slightly. "It's okay. I hold no anxiety about having you as my deputy."
Daz fell silent, listening.
"That is exactly why—run the organization following your heart."
"You can do it."