'He actually opened fire.' Viola's face reddened in anger as she watched the Marine warship continue its bombardment.
She'd heard whispers of a mad genius (Rob Lucci) in the World Government's intelligence agency, a man who had once 'resolved' a hostage crisis for an affiliate nation by executing every last hostage, all 500 of them. But to encounter that kind of insanity here, in the calmest of the four seas?
'Wasn't this captain supposed to be just a bit corrupt?' she thought, bewildered. 'Fond of female pirates, sure, but still a man who upheld justice. Is this what he calls justice?'
And what about Vergo? She had specifically instructed him to approach the Marines under the guise of a merchant vessel from their home country, desperate for help. Did this captain intend to sink the merchant ship right along with them? Was he not afraid of the consequences from Vergo later?
Just then, one of her subordinates approached, his voice tight with anxiety. "Viola-sama, what are our orders? Do we continue the call for help?"
Even with the Marines acting so despicably, they had not forgotten their mission.
Viola fell silent, a headache beginning to throb at her temples. 'So much for best-laid plans.' Who could have possibly predicted the Marine would be this reckless? Her original strategy was simple: put up a convincing fight, appear to be outmatched, and allow herself to be captured. She was confident that her identity as a female pirate, combined with her looks, would be more than enough to catch the eye of a corrupt captain.
But he hadn't even bothered to get close. He just kept firing from a distance!
'Did he not even see me?' Viola wondered, glancing down at the revealing dancer's outfit she had chosen for the occasion. It was alluring, provocative, perfect for the role she was playing. 'Why isn't he coming over?'
Raising her head, she focused her Farsight ability on the warship. The Marine captain was still lounging on a deck chair, casually attended to by another captured pirate. A fresh wave of frustration washed over Viola, but it was quickly followed by a flicker of insight. She took a deep breath.
"We surrender," she announced.
"Surrender?" her subordinate asked, confused.
"That's right," Viola confirmed, her gaze fixed on the distant figure. The plan had hit a snag, but the ultimate goal was to be captured. Surrendering now would achieve the same result. As for the captain... she would deal with him personally once her mission was complete.
"Yes, Viola-sama!" The subordinate seemed to understand and nodded quickly. They were going to be captured anyway, what was the point of resisting? He hurried off to arrange their surrender.
It didn't work.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Another volley of cannonballs tore through the air.
The subordinate scrambled back, his face pale with panic. "Viola-sama, they're not accepting our surrender!"
"...I can see that."
--**--**
"Captain Dante, they've raised the white flag, they've surrendering. Should we cease fire?" a marine asked.
"Surrender?" Dante said without opening his eyes. "I don't see anything. Keep firing."
The marine relayed the order, and the bombardment continued. Dante remained slouched in his chair, a lazy smile on his face, waiting to see what his opponent's real game was.
Beside him, Robin watched him with an amused smile. "That's quite a pretty pirate over there, Boss. Are you sure you don't want to capture her?"
"Oh, I'll capture her," Dante replied smoothly. "Just not yet."
"Is the Boss going to 'play' with another female pirate?"
"That woman..." Dante said casually, ignoring Robin's teasing, "...isn't just a simple pirate."
Robin's smile softened into a look of understanding. She nodded slightly. "Should I have the crew exercise more caution?"
"No need. This is fine," he said with a dismissive wave. He let out a sigh. "Besides, these old-fashioned cannonballs from Headquarters aren't powerful enough to kill anyone. It's a shame they rejected my request to sell them for Berries. They're useless, take up space, and are a complete waste of money."
As he spoke, a sudden chill ran through him. "Why did it just get so cold? Did the temperature drop?" He cracked open an eye, looking up at the bright, clear sky and the sun hanging high overhead. 'No, doesn't look like it.'
He had barely finished the thought, "Captain! Captain!" a Marine exclaimed, his voice a mix of confusion and shock. "The... the sea surface... it's freezing over!"
--**--**
On the other ship, seeing that even surrender was being ignored, Viola gritted her teeth. What was this corrupt captain playing at? Was he refusing their surrender, or was this a double-cross? 'Is he planning to sink us and seize the merchant ship's cargo for himself?'
Suddenly, a realization dawned on her, and her face grew even darker.
What a fine, corrupt Marine captain!
She thought he was just into fooling around with female pirates, but to have fallen this far? As a Marine, he'd even rob merchants? Was the Marine Hero blind? How could such blatant corruption go unnoticed?
But then... what should they do now? To think she'd fail a mission as simple as seducing a corrupt captain...
A bitter smile touched Viola's lips before she sighed. Looking at the two severely damaged ships, she waved a hand at the subordinates who were still pretending to be merchants calling for help.
"No need to keep up the act. Start defending against the attacks and prepare to retreat."
The plan had failed. They'd just have to find another way. Her mission wasn't extremely urgent, she just needed to complete it before the other executives successfully deceived the East Blue Overlord.
'Corrupt Marine Captain,' she thought, the anger draining away to be replaced by a sharp, focused resolve. She gazed at the figure on the deck, a slight curve forming at the corner of her lips. "You had better hope you never fall into my hands."
The intelligence reports had been incomplete. He wasn't just a womanizer, he was greedy. As the thought crossed her mind, Viola shivered slightly. "Why did it suddenly get so cold? Did the temperature drop?"
One of her subordinates pointed toward the open water, his face a mask of disbelief. "Viola-sama! It's... it's frozen! The sea surface is freezing over! And... there's someone standing on it!"
Viola dropped her Farsight, her eyes snapping to the horizon.
He was right. The surface of the ocean before them was a sheet of ice. A lone figure was riding a bicycle across it, a palpable chill radiating from him as he stared, unblinking, at the Marine warship.
Seeing that figure, Viola's pupils constricted sharply.
'Why the hell is he here?' As a knot of dread and tension tightened in her stomach, she heard a voice drift across the frozen sea, a voice as cold as the ice itself.
"Marine Captain, Ashford Dante," the man said, his tone flat and devoid of emotion. "Explain yourself. Why did you open fire on civilians calling for aid?"
===============
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