Sorry for such a long delay on the next update.
Shout out and thanks to Angel Zamora, Joshua Scott, Robert Clegg, and Temple12 for being a part of the 10 dollar Advanced Tier on my Patreon.
…
Chapter 8
Lilia Confesses to the Demon Unit
Under the light of the morning sun, the Demon Unit's ship sailed onwards in the direction of the Red Line. At least that was the story on paper. In truth, they were on course to find the Straw Hat Pirates.
Standing on the upper deck of their ship was the vice admiral of the unit, Aura D. Lilia. She appeared to be in deep thought with her eyes closed and standing as still as a statue, but…
"Wake up!"
"Oof!"
She was actually just sleeping on her feet soundlessly. At least, she was until someone rudely woke her up with a solid kick to her side, knocking her down. Lilia shot a murderous look up at who ever dared to interrupt her sleep in such a disrespectful way. There was only one person on the ship who would do such a thing without a second thought. It was her right hand and oldest friend, who also acted as her chaperone and kept her on task half the time.
"Nagi-chan," she hissed. "What's the big idea?"
"Don't sleep out here, moron," Nagika said in a scolding tone. She was in her white and red priestess robes, as per usual. "Least of all on your feet."
"Who are you to tell me where and how to sleep?" Lilia said, getting back up.
"Your reluctant babysitter?" She offered.
"Feel free to resign."
"No, I think I'll keep my job. It's thankless, but somebody's got to do it. Anyway, could you do something about Jillian?"
The two women glanced down at the lower deck where a certain silver haired woman lay curled up in a ball of self pity and despair. She was shoved to the edge of the ship like a discarded rag nobody knew what to do with.
"Lilia-neesan… Nee-san… Aneki…" She muttered various variations of "sister" as she lay on the edge of the ship with a broken expression. The other navy officers ignored her as they went about their day. The only person paying any attention to her now was her little sister, June.
"Come on, Jillian," she said. "Get up already. I know the vice admiral's revelation of her family was shocking for you, but it's been days now. Get up!"
"The world is grey… life is meaningless… nothing makes sense…"
"Oh, god. You sound as bad as Yuki-san."
"When do I ever sound like that?" Yuki asked.
"What do you expect me to do about it?" Lilia asked Nagika, looking unsympathetic towards Jillian.
"Something, I guess. It was your news that broke her."
"It isn't my problem that she's got poor coping skills."
"Still. Do something."
The reason Jillian was now lying about as if she was catatonic was because of what Lilia had confessed to the unit days earlier. It had been shocking to everyone, but Jillian took it the worst of all.
…
"…And that's everything about me. Well, probably not everything, but the important stuff."
Everyone member of the Demon Unit stared at her wide eyed, shocked, and in disbelief. Her confession of her closest secrets left them all in stunned silence, except for Nagika and Rizen, who knew all of it already.
She had just confessed that the infamous pirate Straw Hat Luffy, who had just declared war against the World Government to rescue Nico Robin, was her son. She also confessed that she had six other daughters. In addition to that, she said the famous and notorious Fire Fist Ace was like an adopted son to her(although, he was more a woman named Dadan's kid than hers). But the most shocking revelation was that the father of her children and her husband was none other than Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army and the Most Wanted Man in the World.
"Any questions?" Lilia said lightly.
"WHAAAT?!" Everyone screamed except Nagika and Rizen, and also a man named Kirstoff, who was totally indifferent.
"I said any questions," Lilia joked.
"Lily-chan," Nagika sighed. "I don't think this is the time for jokes."
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Ellie snapped, waving her hands sporadically. "Hold up! You're telling us that Straw Hat Luffy is your son?!"
"Yes." She said simply.
"And you have six daughters?!" Oscar shouted.
"That is correct, Oscar."
"And Dragon-the navy's biggest enemy-is their father?!" Ridge said.
"Yes, that's correct. He's my husband."
"That's a lie!" Jillian shouted. "That can not true! It just can't!"
"It is, though," Lilia said, completely disregarding Jillian's rapidly deteriorating mental state.
"No!" She squealed, falling to her knees and pulling at her silver hair. Her shipmates stared with a mix of pity and cringe. "T-Tricked! That bastard Dragon must have tricked you!"
"Tricked, huh? Certainly, not. At least, not on his end. Me on the other hand…"
"No!!!" Jillian shook and covered her ears. "I don't want to hear it! I'd rather -ERG?!"
Jillian was hit with a potent tranquilizer dart by none other than Nagika, who flicked it at her shoulder with her hand. She quickly collapsed and crumpled to the floor. The others stared in utter confusion as their gazes moved between her and Nagika.
"You always keep tranquilizer darts on you?" Lilia asked coolly.
Nagika shrugged. "I had a hunch a few of us would have trouble processing your confession, so I asked Kureto to give me a few. Strong stuff." She added, noting Jillian's instant knock out.
"I was wondering why you asked…?" Kureto said. He was both the ship's doctor and the oldest among them by far. He was 141, but despite his age, he had the vigor of a young man. Even if he was making click sounds every time he moved.
"I'm sorry about Jillian, Vice Admiral…" June muttered.
"It's alright. She took it better than I expected, honestly. Plus, I think it was actually quite sobering for everybody. So, back to the topic on hand. Any questions for me about what I've just revealed?"
"Me, maim," Shauna said, raising her hand like an honor student. "Is… Dragon, our uncle?"
"Hmm… to be honest, I never really considered it. But he's my husband, so yes. He's your uncle."
"You two didn't know any of this?" Leoha asked.
"Of course, we knew about Luffy and the others," Ren said. "They're our cousins. But Dragon being their dad is totally news to us!"
"You never asked?" Akina said. It seemed like something that would come up.
"Umm… we were always curious of course, but Luffy and the others clearly didn't know who their dad was, which now that I think about it, is weird. We always meant to ask, but it never came up. Until now. Dragon's our uncle!"
"It makes a weird sort of sense, though, doesn't it?" Shauna said. "We've always wondered who their dad is. Him being Dragon is probably the most believable thing there is!"
"Better than what everyone was actually thinking, I'd say ." Ren said with a smirk, which made Lilia raise her eyebrow at her twin niece and nephew.
"Who is everyone in this case? And what did you all think before?"
The twins exchanged uneasy looks.
"This and that," Ren said. "Lots of things. Like you took Luffy and the girls as children from pirates that you defended."
"A pretty weak theory," Shauna admitted. "The girls look so much like you."
"There was also the theory that they are your clones that you had Dr. Vegapunk make for you."
"I didn't make them." Lilia grimaced at her choice of words. "Well, obviously I did, but the natural way!"
"And then there was the theory that Uncle Rizen is the father," Shauna said, which caused multiple people to stare at the main trio of the Demon Unit. Nagika, who was Rizen's wife, laughed.
"Never. Would. Have. Happened." Lilia said in separate breaths to accentuate her point.
"Agreed," Rizen nodded, before looking confused. "Did it?"
"Never!"
"Don't be embarrassed," Nagika laughed, cackling. "You could do worse."
"Stop laughing," Lilia glared lethally at her best friend. "Nagi-chan and Rizen are only the godparents."
Nagika stopped laughing and shot her a look. "Only?"
"You know what I mean."
"I better. I'll remind you, it was us who supported you when the kids were born and growing."
"I know," she said softly. "I'll always be grateful towards you both for everything you've done for us. You both have been and always will be a part of our family."
Nagika and Rizen looked moved. "Well, so long as you know."
"I do. You belong to me."
Nagika shouted at her, teeth barred like a shark. "As if!"
"Uh, speaking of natural births," Kureto said, raising his surprisingly toned arm. "I've known you for over twenty years. How come I wasn't a part of your pregnancy?"
"Kureto, you're a doctor. Surely you must understand how getting pregnant works."
"Obviously! I mean why didn't you ask me to help with your birth and prenatal care?!"
They waited to hear her answer. Lilia looked solemn as she came up with an answer. "I could say it was for the safety of everyone involved. Dragon and me. Our children. You guys. But that's bullcrap. Ultimately, I just didn't trust you guys."
Only a portion of the Demon Unit's current members had been a part of the unit that long ago. Even so, that comment stung the hearts of the entire group. That was because, for all of them, for every person who followed Aura D. Lilia, the She-Demon, she was someone they all held dear to their hearts.
"But that was foolish of me. It wouldn't have been a mistake to entrust you all with my secrets. The mistake was not trusting you guys sooner. I will deeply regret not revealing this earlier, before so many of us were taken away."
Her subordinates smiled contently. They could feel her affections for them, and that was enough. They were all sure the ones who died would feel the same.
"So… why exactly are you telling us this now, Vice Admiral?" Ellie asked.
"Well… I have a feeling after what my son Luffy did at Enies Lobby, the secrets of my kids' father will come out sooner or later, so before that happened, I wanted you all to hear it from my own mouth."
"To think the infamous Straw Hat Luffy who's been rampaging from the East Blue and all throughout this half of the Grand Line… you know, it actually makes a lot of sense that he's your son, Boss!"
Lilia, Nagika, Rizen, the twins and Yuki smiled at that.
"Say, Bird Girl," Leoha said, referring to Yuki in her typical animosity. "Did you know all of this already?"
"Of course, Leo-Baka," Yuki said in a haughty tone reserved for those she disliked. "Although, I didn't know Master's husband was Dragon, I have met and befriended her son Luffy… he's a very good person." She muttered the last bit, a small blush on her face.
"Oh, really?" Akina said, interested. "And what are Master's daughters like?"
"…They all hate me." Yuki crouched down into a ball of depression.
"S-Surely, that's an exaggeration?" Akina said.
"Nope, it's true," Ren said.
"Luffy is the only one of them who treats her nicely," Shauna said.
"Sounds like my kind of people!" Leoha laughed.
"I can't believe you kept this hidden from me, Yuki," Ellie said. "I thought we were cool!"
"…It was Master's story to tell…"
"Still, your son's a pirate," Oscar said. "That's shocking no matter what, honestly. Is he rebellious?"
"Honestly, he's one of my more well behaved children."
"That true?" Ren whispered to Shauna.
"I suppose compared to Layla, he's downright obedient."
"He's always wanted to be a pirate, ever since he was a child," Lilia continued, speaking nostalgically. "To be honest, it didn't make me happy. Pirates aren't exactly my favorite people, yet I never felt compelled to stop him. I don't think I could even if I tried. I suppose I hoped by not standing in his way, he would eventually stop it on his own. Of course, that was never going to happen."
"That was a losing bet, Master," Yuki said, getting up from her gloomy state. "Luffy has always had a clear view of the path he wants to walk. He'll walk it no matter what, because that's who he is. Because to walk any other path would be to betray who he is, and that isn't the kind of son you raised."
Her shipmates stared at her with fascination. Yuki wasn't generally one for heartfelt monologues.
Ridge grinned teasingly. "Wow, kid. You must really have the hots for the Boss's son. How adorable~"
Yuki turned her head slowly at him, staring at him with an icy look that would freeze a polar bear in its tracks. The two of them had known each other since Yuki was first recruited by Lilia over five years ago. Her relationship with the giant man was even more antagonistic than with Leoha. "Don't make fun of me, you giant oaf. Keep it up and I'll rip out your intestines and wrap them around your neck."
The man who looked big enough to swallow the young girl whole several times over, flinched and cowered behind Oscar, who was much smaller than him.
"Don't tease her if you're gonna get scared when she bites back, man," Oscar sighed.
LIlia smiled. "Yuki's right. I may have hoped Luffy would have picked a different path, but if he had he wouldn't be him. And that would be the saddest thing of all."
"Hey, Vice Admiral," Ellie said. "So, uh, Dragon, huh? How did that happen?"
"Oh, how did we get together?" Lilia said. The ship stood on bated breaths waiting for her answer. "That's a long story. Something to be told another day."
"Aww… boring," Elllie complained.
"Aside from my oldest two, my kids don't even know that Dragon is their father, so they really should be the one to hear this story first. Well, actually, Luffy just learned who his dad is, but my girls still need to hear it."
"Luffy did?" Shauna said.
"How did he hear that?" Ren asked.
"Garp told him. At Water 7 after the Enies Lobby incident."
"Grampa Garp saw Luffy at Water 7?" Ren said, smirking. "I can't imagine that was very fun for old rubber boy!"
"Knowing Luffy, he probably never told his crew about his family," Shauna added. "I bet his crew was surprised."
"Um, when you guys say "Garp", you don't mean the Vice Admiral Garp… do you?" Ellie asked dubiously.
"That's exactly right," Ren said.
"He's her father-in-law," Shauna said.
This newest revelation elicited another round of shocked screams and stupified faces from the Demon Unit.
"WHAAAT?!"
"Vice-Admiral Garp is our Vice-Admiral's father-in-law?!"
"Does that mean he's Dragon's dad?!"
"The man's a hero of the Navy! His son is the World Government's greatest enemy! And his grandson is super rookie pirate who just made Enies Lobby look like chumps!"
After fully processing this fact, the entire ship's crew laughed heartily.
"That's perfect!" Ellie laughed. "That's absolutely perfect for you, VIce Admiral!"
"Agreed!" Oscar said. "Only you would have such a crazy and messed up family!"
"Hey!" Shauna said, offended. "That's our family, too, you know?!"
"But they aren't wrong," Ren said, which made them both laugh along with the rest of the crew. The only ones not laughing were the Demon Unit's Big Three, and Yuki, who sensed that her master wasn't finding this amusing.
"I believe that's enough," Lilia said in a cool, quiet voice. She didn't yell, nor did she use her demonic voice. She didn't even use her Conqueror's Haki. But when she ordered her crew to stop laughing, they all shut their mouths like clams. No one could ever say Lilia didn't command the absolute respect and obedience of her crew. "Listen, everyone. The reason I am telling you all this now isn't simply to get it off my chest. The fact of the matter is, eventually my relationship with Dragon, and the fact I am the mother of his son and daughters will come out. Given how lineage focused the Government is and how much they fear letting bloodlines of criminals exist, they will not just accept it. They will take action against me. Worst case scenario, they'll want to arrest and execute me. And they'll take down whoever is near me to do so."
The Demon Unit's people nodded grimly. That was definitely something that the World Government would do. They'd order the Navy and Government's top agents to pursue her to the ends of the earth. Naturally, they'd persecute her children, even the ones who weren't criminals, for being the children of Dragon.
"So, knowing all of that, if any of you wants to leave-"
"Never." Elllie said firmly. "I will obey every command you give, Vice Admiral Lilia. Except one where you tell me to run to safety and turn my back on you!"
"Ellie-"
"Me, too," Oscar said. "Don't go thinking I'm such a wuss that I'd let the Government chase me away."
"The same for me!" Ridge declared, lifting his heavy hammer to the sky. "You're my boss, Boss! From now to the end! Come Hell or high water!"
The other officers shouted their agreements and affirmatives. None of them wanted to run away or turn their backs on Lilia. Their love for her exceeded any fear of being labeled a criminal or dangerous by the Government.
Lilia didn't look moved. She maintained a stone face as she stared each of her dear subordinates in the eye. "Some of you have families. The Government could decide to go after them in order to punish them for your loyalty to me."
It wasn't highly likely that the World Government would go after the families of every single subordinate she had. If they decided to go that route, they would prioritize her family and the families of major members of the Demon Unit. Even so, it was still possible.
"So what?" Oscar challenged. "We just protect them, right? Or were you planning on abandoning them, Boss?"
"Of course not," she scoffed. "Of course, I'll make sure the loved ones of everyone who stays with me are safe no matter what, but are you okay with them being in danger in the first place?"
"You're our family, too," Ellie said. "I know Haga and the others would've agreed, too, if they were here. If the World Government is ungrateful enough to turn their backs on you after all of the good you have done just because of who you love and who your kids' father is, then I'd rather fight with you than obey any stupid laws they want to enforce." She looked at her friends. "Am I right?!"
"Hell yeah!" The marine's voices boomed loudly.
"What about the little brats of the crew?" She said, referring to Ren, Shauna, Leoha, Akina, June, and Yuki. "Are you prepared for the possibility of being labeled criminals if you stay with me?"
"If we ran away just because of something like this," Ren said. "Luffy would make fun of us endlessly."
"And then there's Layla," Shauna said, and the twins shivered with fear of what their younger cousin would say if they actually did decide to run away. The insults she would sling at them, That fear alone was enough to keep them loyal. "We're on your side, Vice Admiral Lilia."
"I'm insulted you'd even ask me, Master!" Leoha said. "I'm not such a pussy that I'd run from a bunch of Government pussies! Besides, this is all I've got. And I'm not done learning how to be a badass from you yet!"
"To be honest, being labeled a criminal sounds a bit unappealing to me," Akina admitted. "But it seems redundant to run away just because of the danger. I mean we all agreed to put our lives at risk pirated every day. In that respect, nothing will change for us except for how the world will view us. And that isn't enough to make me want to leave. Besides, I like it here and I want to keep learning from you, Master Lilia."
"I know there's no way I'm abandoning ship!" June declared fearlessly. "And I know my sister would agree when she wakes up."
Jillian was still out cold from the tranquilizer so she was oblivious to everything that was being discussed, but nobody doubted she would stay by Lilia's side til she died.
"Hahaha!" The only fishman of the group laughed heartily. Actually, he was probably the only fishman in the whole Navy, especially if you don't count Jinbe the Warlord. He was a big yellow cowfish fishman. He was a button shirt that was nowhere near big enough to cover his huge rotund body. "Boss Lady, you know I'm no fan of the World Government, nor am I a stranger to their persecution. I'm fine either way."
"Tom…"
"And at my young age," Kureto said. "Worrying about what others are going to do is a waste of time. Besides, the only family I got these days is my hag sister back at Drum Kingdom, and I'd love to see the Government try and mess with her!"
"Kureto…"
"Master." Yuki approached Lilia until she was just a few inches apart from her. She knelt down on one knee like a knight in front of her queen. "I'm here because of you. We both know I was basically a walking corpse until you took me in, so I pledge my life to you. Do with it however you desire."
Lilia stared down at her with an unreadable look. Then at the rest of her unit.
"You're all pretty foolish. This is your last chance to leave what promises to be a tumultuous future."
They said nothing.
Lilia grinned. "Alright, then. You all made your choice. It's too late to have regrets. As you all know, I don't let go of my people no matter how much they cry and beg. That's who I am. Just remember, I gave you a chance to leave and avoid the madness. From this moment forward, whether we fly the Navy's flag, or our own whether we are on the side of the law, or against it, we will always be the Demon Unit. Understood?"
"Yes, maim!"
"We don't even use the Navy brand sails," Nagika said, looking up at their sails and flag. It was not the traditional navy logo that branded their sails and flags, but a personal design of Lilia's choosing. The Demon Unit's ship's flag was a demonic face inspired by the oni face of the land of Wano.
"Shut up, Nagi-chan!" She snapped. "Alright, everybody. Now that we've settled your resolve, let's move onto the next order or business. I want to go find my son and check on him."
"We're going to go see Luffy?!" Yuki said a bit too excitedly.
"Do we know where he is?" Nagika asked.
"He just left Water 7. Most likely, the next destination for him and his crew is Fishman Island, so he'll likely be headed towards the Sabaody Archipelago. I hope to intercept him before then."
"Sabaody, huh?" Nagika felt uneasy. She definitely did not want her beloved godson anywhere near such a place. Particularly, near the Celestial Dragons. No good would come of that, she was certain.
"It'll be okay," Lilia said reassuringly, as if reading her mind. Given her innate talent, she sort of was.
"Water 7, huh?" Tom said uneasily. "I haven't been there since my arrest."
"I know. Speaking of, Tom, there's something I want to talk with you about later."
Tom looked at her curiously. "Alright, Boss."
"The same for you, Elilie, Kureto, and those who have been here for more than twenty years."
"Is this another secret?" Ellie asked.
"I have tons of secrets, Ellie. This latest thing was just something that needed to be revealed."
"I see. A woman's got to have a few mysteries to her."
"You get it. Now, let's fly."
Darkness burst out of her like a smoke bomb. The inky black miasma formed a straight line that moved systematically in both directions then rose like smoke off both sides oaf the ship. The darkness took shape and formed a pair of devilish and demonic wings. The marine officers braced themselves as the giant pair of wings flapped several times, generating powerful winds strong enough to carry the large ship into the deep blue sky.
The citizens of Alabasta saw this and were amazed. This was not the first time they had seen the Demon Unit take flight into the sky. It was actually how they had first arrived in the country a month ago, but it was still incredible to see. The Demon Unit members-at least the ones who became attached to the desert kingdom-waved their last good by to Alabasta and her people.
"Next stop. Luffy!" Lilia shouted.
…
"Well, it's your fault, isn't it, Nagi-chan?" Lilia said.
Nagika scowled. "What is my fault?"
"Jillian's condition. You took the easy way out and now she's unable to process anything."
"And what would you have done?"
"I don't know. Brainwash her?"
"That's way worse than the 'easy way'!"
"Hah!" Away from the commanding officer's cabin, Ellie was engaged in an intense sparring match with Oscar. Although, calling it just sparring didn't do it justice. It was an intense fight. If Oscar the Boxer was a weaker man, he would have already been beaten several times at this point. Ellie was fighting him with the fury of a slighted woman, utilizing all Six Powers and even the Gift Lilia gave her Demonic Six. If one didn't know the circumstances, they might've thought she was angry with him, but in truth she was just angry at everything. The world's unfairness and her own weakness. This intense fighting was her way of dealing with those sordid feelings. And Oscar was more than content to let her use him like that if she needed it.
They were that sort of couple, after all.
"Over there," Nagika said, looking at Ellie and Oscar fighting. "Is another emotionally jilted member of your ship."
"I see," Lilia said. "Ellie took the news hard. They all did."
After arriving on the path to reach Luffy, Lillia took certain members of her ship, which included Ellie and Kureto, and revealed to them a hard and painful truth. It was difficult for them to hear. Since giving them unfortunate news, there's been a melancholic cloud hanging over the heads of some of the members.
They were in mourning of the death of a sister in arms they hadn't seen for close to 17 years. The fact it had been so long wasn't stopping from grieving. Time did not change how one felt about a person. Sometimes, a long time apart maintains the feelings of who they were to somebody stronger than if they were still together everyday. And when people learn they can never see that special someone ever again, it affects them deeply.
Some were processing Like Ellie was, engaging in heavy sparring with their willing partner, most of whom didn't know the circumstances that were causing their shipmates to feel sad, but they would be there for them until they were ready to talk. Others threw themselves into work to alleviate the grief they felt.
"Yes," Nagika said. "And how are you doing with it?"
"Me?"
"If I recall, she was like a little sister to you. You can't tell me it doesn't affect you."
Lilia's expression didn't change, except for the slight tinge of sadness in her eyes. "I'm fine. And what about you, Nagi-chan? Don't act like she meant nothing to you. You have been here with me since the start. I'm sure you hoped she was still alive out there, same as us."
"She didn't mean nothing to me," she said, gazing thoughtfully at the open ocean. "But, in the end, I don't feel her loss like the rest of you."
"Is that so?"
BOOM!
Their conversation was interrupted when a cannon ball landed in the ocean mere meters from hitting the ship. Some of the ship's occupants panicked a bit, but most were unphased by the sudden cannon fire. It attested to their nerves of steel forged through years of experiences taking on the worst pirates in the seas.
"We're being attacked," Lilia said indifferently.
"So it appears," Nagika said, looking equally blase. In the misty distance, a large ship bigger than the Demon Unit's vessel steadily but quickly approaching. Clearly, it was a pirate ship. However, it was definitely not them, the Demon Unit's mortal foes. When the ship got closer, it flags showed a jolly roger that had the typical skull and crossbones centered in the middle of an iron closed fist gauntlet. "The jolly roger belongs to the Iron Fist Pirates. Their captain is Iron Fiist Igor. His bounty is 295 million."
Now Lilia looked mildly interested. "That's just 5 million less than Luffy's."
"Yes, he's also a rookie, too, but contrast to him though, his crew has over 200 members, which gives him the record of having the largest crew of any of the super rookies. He's a candidate for what the news and the Government is calling, the Worst Generation, or the Supernovas. Fyi, Luffy is also a candidate."
"What's that supposed to be?"
"A lot of impressive rookies are making a name for themselves this year. If they make it to Sabaody, the last stop before the Red Line, then they will officially be considered a Supernova."
"Well, that's interesting. Tell me more about these Iron Fist Pirates."
As they spoke, another series of cannon balls were fired. This time they were flying in the direct path of the Demon Unit's ship. No one was particularly concerned, though. Yuki leaped into the sky, transformed into her full Hawk form, and flapped her wings with so much power the gust of winds generated blew away the cannon balls and sent them flying harmlessly into the sea..
"Their crew is from the West Blue," Nagika said, ignoring the commotion.
"Our homesea," Lilia said.
"Yes,. Their crew has some impressive accomplishments, among which is overwhelming the marine captain in charge of the West Blue entrance to the Grand Line."
"Jinsa, eh?" She was of course aware of the top marine who oversaw the Grand Line entrance of her home sea. She didn't like him much for his pompous nature and lack of concern towards civilians. She much preferred Smoker to him. Still, he was a capable and formidable marine fighter, so these pirates must be that good. "And what else?"
"Their biggest accomplishment-or I guess crime is more apt-is that they defeated Commodore Atkins, which is how Iron Fist received his 295 million bounty. 4 other members of the crew also have bounties ranging from 20-100 million. It's his first mate, "Two-Shot" Viktor, who has the 100 million bounty."
"Impressive." She didn't personally know Atkins, but his reputation described him as a considerably strong commander who was the bane of every pirate he encountered. Except for these ones, it appeared.
Another series of cannon balls were fired at them, but again, Yuki deflected. She waited patiently for her master's command.
"What's the worst thing they've done?"
"Aside from fire cannon balls at us? Them defeating and heavily injuring Commodore Atkins is perhaps their biggest crime."
"What kind of damage have they caused?"
"From what I know, they don't go around everywhere pillaging small towns and murdering civilians, but they don't exactly avoid it either. That's all I can tell you at the moment."
"I see. 200 pirates is too much to arrest," she groaned. "Plus, I just want to go see Luffy asap."
"You're the boss. What do you want to do?"
She considered her options. She could let them go. That seemed easiest. Although, the pirates in Alabasta were really weak and offered them no challenge at all. It sounded like these guys were considerably stronger than who they faced over there, although rookies were rarely at her level. This may be a good opportunity to alleviate some of the tension affecting the unit. She made her decision.
She smirked. "Let's take these kids down. Ellie!"
"Yes, maim," Ellie responded.
"Oscar! Ridge!"
"Here!" Oscar replied.
"Present, boss!" Ridge said.
"Nagi-chan!"
"I'm right next to you. Don't yell!"
"Rizen!"
"I'm here!" Rizen responded, then he looked around, confused. "Where is here, again?"
"Yuki!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Let's take the fight to these punks!"
"Okay!" The Demonic Six shouted.
"And… Ren, Shauna, Leoha, Akina! You kids come, too. It will be a good learning experience for all of you."
"Yes, maim!" The four of them said.
"And, I guess, Jillian should come, too." Lilia said in an afterthought.
"Really?" Nagika looked down at the woman who was still down in a state of depression, oblivious to what was happening around her.
Liloa shrugged. "You told me to fix her. A bit of danger and bloodshed should wake her right up."
"Why not just drop a bucket of ice water on her if you just want to shock her awake."
"Maybe I'll try that if this doesn't work. June-chan, you don't mind if I take your sister, right?"
"Not at all, maim!" June said. She had become quite fed up with her sister still being like this, so she welcomed anything at this point. "Please take her with you."
Right. The rest of you, defend the ship."
With her decisions made, Lilia and the others, with Lilia carrying Jillian over her shoulder, flew towards the ship of the Iron Fist pirates with super human speed and power.
That day, a potential Supernova was eliminated.
…
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