"Captain Wire! Trap ahead—movement stopped! Distance 150! Painted marker confirmed! The rope between the weights is slack!"
"Tch! Slow down! Take in the sails! Hard to port!"
Ever since Kuro started fighting Admiral Kizaru, the people aboard the escort ship began acting to escape alive.
Captain Wire, acting as captain, led the ship as it ran from the pursuing fleet.
Our speed was slow, very slow.
But even so, we were moving smoothly across the water.
Meanwhile, the Marine ships charging straight toward us had run aground and were stuck.
Realizing they might lose us, the grounded ship began firing its cannons.
I flinched, but—
"It's fine, Corporal Hina!" Wire shouted. "The pursuers are far behind us. Their shots will never reach. Focus on watching the sea and steering!"
"Yes! My apologies!"
Still—Kuro had prepared a plan for us to escape.
―― We still have a good amount of chain left for the anchors, plus lumber and empty barrels and crates meant to be fake supplies.
―― Use them to make markers.
―― Tie ropes of identical length to anything that floats—barrels, boxes—then attach something heavy to serve as a hook instead of an anchor.
―― Make three chain lengths if possible. If that's too much, then two—long and short. Just make sure each category is the same length.
―― The long ones must be deeper than the ship's draft. The short ones must be just a bit shorter than the depth you think is dangerous.
―― This area used to be an island. Even if the land is gone now, the seas here aren't as wild as the open Grand Line. The Eternal Pose also shows the currents aren't that chaotic.
―― So let the traps drift with the currents. Depending on the length of the chain, they'll hook onto the sea floor. Use that to mark the safe route.
At first, some soldiers doubted the improvised traps Kuro had built right in front of us.
But now—they worked perfectly.
Short-length floats were painted red. The rest were left unpainted.
Then we only had to follow the signs:
If an unpainted float was caught and the rope between it and the chain wasn't floating, the depth was safe.
If a red float got caught—it was shallow and dangerous.
Even unpainted ones were dangerous if the rope was floating rather than sinking.
If we watched the signs carefully and didn't rush, we could move safely through this crazy sea.
―― Even if we run aground, it's fine. As long as you escape beyond the pursuers' reach.
―― If that happens, I'll stop Kizaru and then steal whatever ship I have to. Just wait safely.
Kuro…
The battle I couldn't see during the defense of the Holy Land—I could see it clearly now.
In the New World's sea and air, Kizaru and Kuro clashed with force that shook the sky.
Light bullets rained down like a storm.
Kuro slipped through the gaps that looked impossible and moved in close again to fight hand-to-hand.
This must have been what it looked like when he fought the Golden Lion.
A man who shouldn't be able to fly ran freely in the sky.
A monkey made of light attacked with impossible power.
And the black cat dodged and struck back.
If only I were stronger… If only I had power…
—If only I had enough strength…!
–
"I knew this sea was dangerous, and that's why you chose it again—but how did you pull this off?" I asked, frustration creeping into my voice.
Again?!
"Call it tactics."
That reply…He's definitely done shady work here before.
Is this about the altered slave paperwork we found signs of? Does that mean the Marines really were involved with trafficking even within member nations!?
So it was true…! They even touched royal bloodlines—right under cover of the Marines!!
You don't need subtle tricks for non-member nations.
For a member nation, though, they have to hide everything.
This place is close to the Holy Land.
A treacherous sea where ships easily wreck.
If an "accident" happened here—A ship running aground, a royal going missing, and a "Marine search" finding nothing—the government could cover everything up.
Why do the Celestial Dragons always exceed my worst expectations!? Enough already!!
―― Yasakani no Magatama.
A blinding attack.
Shrill ringing fills the air as countless light bullets flood my vision.
—But still!
It's more dangerous at close range, but there are gaps!
It's nothing like Mihawk's point-blank full-circle slash!
And compared to Rayleigh joining him for double full-range slashes—this is manageable!
Above all—
…
…
--
One Marine ship in the chase had fallen slightly behind.
It was Admiral Kizaru's ship.
With a soft pshhhhh, Admiral Borsalino reappeared on the deck.
The Marines who served under him stared in shock.
It was the first time they had ever seen it.
The Admiral—who always caught any pirate with an easy smile—was exhausted.
His suit, the symbol of his image under the cloak of Absolute Justice, was torn in several places.
"Sakazuki once said…"
He tried to steady his breathing.
But even then, he muttered to no one in particular:
"He said he once met a pirate he should have killed—but couldn't. Back then, I didn't know what he meant…"
He let out a long breath.
"But now I see… this one really is hard to fight."
―― If he's too hard to fight, then I'd like you to withdraw right here, Admiral.
The sudden voice made every Marine freeze.
Even Kizaru's eyes widened.
"Whe—"
Before he could turn his head, a black-clad foot slammed into his stomach.
"My apologies. I have bad manners with my feet."
In the next instant, Admiral Kizaru vanished—
and a tremendous crash shook the ship as he smashed through a door into the cabin.
The Marines immediately raised their rifles at the pirate.
A child.
Some even had sons around his age.
But every one of them trembled as they aimed.
This child was the pirate who forced the entire government to move.
"B-Black Cat…"
"Black Cat is here…!!!"
–
Yes… the Glint-Glint powers are too flexible. Close range, long range—almost no openings. Among the Admirals, he's truly the brightest. I thought looking at where the Admiral went flying.
While all the Marines were pointing their rifles at me, shaking.
The younger ones were nearly frozen.
Hey—don't look at me like I'm the bad guy here.
…Well. I was.
Fair.
Still, fighting him at sea helped. He's not as overwhelming here as Sakazuki… only slightly less terrifying, though.
He softened the impact when I kicked him away, so he shouldn't be badly hurt.
He'll reappear somewhere—but…
His movement is the worst part. You can't seal it. But on a ship, his footing is limited. That makes predicting him much easier.
Just like earlier, when I cut him off before he even returned.
The first CP group and now the Navy…
Their biggest mistake was choosing a sea battle.
They should've forced an on-land fight, where their options were wider.
Maybe they thought sticking to their specialty—the sea—gave them the best chance.
Voices reached me. Not words—more like sounds, colors, feelings. Rayleigh once said I was born for Observation Haki.
I didn't take it literally, but the more I trained, the more I sensed.
Flashes of the near future.
Emotions like colors.
Thoughts like sounds.
Sometimes even tastes—why tastes?
Right now, I was pushing it to the limit.
And…
They don't want to fight.
The ships chasing Hina's escort kept running aground—oh, look, another one just did—but here, these are true Marines.
If only they actually hated me—it'd be easier.
All around me were fear, confusion, doubt.
None of them saw meaning in this battle.
That's why their fingers hesitated on the trigger.
If they try… I'll kick their jaws off, but still.
And behind all that…
…someone strange.
What the heck? There's some idiot beating a drum??
A weird echo—don-don-dot-tot, don-don-dot-tot—circling around me.
But there's no ship there.
What? Who? Where?
Whoever you are, read the room.
This is not drum-circle time.
Not don-don-dot-tot, you clown—
–
He must be erased.
He must be destroyed.
The moment I saw him, I heard it.
It reached my ears.
That cursed sound…
That cursed drum beat…
He must be erased.
He must be destroyed.
That man's existence…
must never be allowed.
--
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