Dante felt a headache coming on as he watched the figure gliding across the water.
Marine Admiral Kuzan.
'Why is he here?' Dante thought, his mind racing. 'Of all the times...'
He glanced up at the heavily damaged merchant and pirate ships across from him. The pirate ship was irrelevant, but the merchant vessel... that was the whole point.
Then he looked back at the Marines aboard his own ship. They had ceased fire, but their cannon barrels remained trained on the enemy, fresh rounds in hand, ready to resume the bombardment at a moment's notice.
He fell silent.
His gaze finally settled back on Kuzan, who was sitting on his bicycle, watching him with a blank expression. Dante managed an awkward smile. "I realize this is... easy to misunderstand," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "But if you'll let me explain?"
Kuzan continued to watch him from his bicycle, his posture deceptively relaxed. "I was waiting for your explanation, Captain Dante Ashford."
If he hadn't been keeping tabs on Dante these past few years, knowing that while the captain had his corrupt tendencies, he wouldn't normally go this far, the entire warship would already be encased in ice. Any other Marine officer would have been frozen solid without a second thought.
In truth, a cold anger was simmering just beneath the surface. He was already starting to question his own judgment, wondering if he'd been deceived all along. After being recalled by the World Government, Marine Headquarters had reassigned him to his usual task: pursuing the "Devil Child," Nico Robin. It was the same old routine, a mission he'd grown used to over the years. As long as she was free, he'd be sent out periodically to track her down.
So, after accepting the assignment, he'd set out on his bicycle at a leisurely pace. The plan was to swing by the East Blue, check on how Robin was faring in her latest hideout, and maybe get a little relaxation in.
With Vegapunk's sudden disappearance, all the Admirals had been stretched thin, constantly moving to keep the powers in the New World in check. Unlike Vice Admiral Garp, he couldn't just take off whenever he felt like it. The old man who just returned from enjoying a comfortable vacation in his hometown, and would no doubt had piles of souvenirs. It was infuriatingly enviable.
This trip was his chance to unwind. He'd enjoy himself in the East Blue, drift through the Grand Line for a bit, and then arrest a few pirates to make it look official. He'd been in a remarkably good mood when he set out.
And then he'd pedaled right into this.
To find a man he'd vouched for leading a Marine warship, ignoring the pleas of merchants while bombarding their vessel. There were, of course, protocols for such things. Under direct orders from superiors, a Marine might be forced to open fire on a ship with hostages as a last resort. But this... this was being done without any orders at all. For reasons he didn't care to name, this was the kind of thing that truly got under his skin.
Hearing Kuzan's measured tone, Dante felt some of the tension leave his shoulders.
'Okay,' he thought. 'Not a total disaster. I can still explain this.'
But just as he opened his mouth, a chorus of wails erupted from the merchant ship.
"Are you a Marine Admiral? Please, you have to help us!"
"That Marine just opened fire! He wouldn't listen to us!"
"We begged him for help! Even the pirates surrendered, but he wouldn't stop! He's trying to kill us all!"
Dante's eyelid twitched as he watched the so-called merchants ham up their performance. It didn't stop there.
The captain of the pirates, a woman named Viola, stepped forward, her voice filled with indignation. "That's right. We, the Viola Pirates, had already surrendered." She shot Dante a resentful glare. "This corrupt Marine intends to kill the hostages right along with us. We were ready to turn over a new leaf and accept arrest, but he wouldn't spare anyone."
She wasn't particularly worried about being arrested. She was a new face on the scene, not even worth a bounty yet. At worst, she'd be held at a local branch, and she was confident her associates would arrange her release. Even if her true identity was exposed, it shouldn't be a problem. As long as they didn't target World Government member nations, the Shichibukai and their crews had a license to plunder. Not even an Admiral had grounds to arrest her.
A thought of Dressrosa brought a flicker of conflict to her eyes, but it was quickly extinguished by the memory of Doflamingo's power, and the fact that she still hadn't uncovered the truth of what happened that year. 'Would an Admiral even help?' she wondered. Probably not. And if the Donquixote Family found out she'd betrayed them, she, her father, her niece... they would all die.
She would stick to the mission. Still, she was going to make this despicable Marine pay for ignoring her. In the end, it would just be another story of the Marines taking down a local pirate crew. Who cared which Marine got the credit?
Glaring at Dante, she delivered her final accusation. "I'll tell you what's happening! He plans to sink us, seize the merchant ship for himself, and blame it all on the Viola Pirates!"
Her words hung in the air, and a tense silence fell over the water.
The "merchants" all stared daggers at Dante and his crew. Even Kuzan turned his impassive gaze back toward him. As a Marine, he wasn't about to take a pirate's word for anything, but the situation was looking worse by the second.
"Well, Captain Dante?" Kuzan asked, his voice dangerously mild. "Care to explain?"
Hearing Viola's accusation, Dante kept his silence. What she said... was essentially true. He had planned to seize that ship, and he had intended to let Viola go, hoping to lure Doflamingo into sending more assets his way.
But that plan was clearly out the window. Time for a new approach.
He looked at Viola, who was now giving him a subtle, triumphant smirk. He sighed, then drew himself up to his full height, raised his right hand, and announced clearly, "Admiral Kuzan, I wish to report a crime!"
Viola and Kuzan stared, both thrown completely off balance. Report a crime? Now?
Before either of them could react, Dante continued with the utmost seriousness, "My investigation at the 16th Branch has uncovered a conspiracy. The Shichibukai, Donquixote Doflamingo, is plotting to maliciously seize the throne of a World Government member nation."
A Shichibukai? Usurping a kingdom? A member nation? Why did this story sound so familiar? Kuzan could feel the looming headache, the corner of his mouth tightened.. He looked over at the female pirate, who was staring at Dante in utter disbelief.
'Don't tell me,' he thought, a sense of dread washing over him. 'This woman isn't another princess from a member nation, is she?'
Sure enough, no sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the young man continued, smiling at the stunned pirate.
"Am I right, Princess Viola of the Kingdom of Dressrosa?"
"You... you..." Viola's eyes went wide with shock. "How do you know that?"
"How I know isn't important," Dante said, his voice ringing with confidence. "What's important is that your kingdom can be saved." He didn't bother explaining further, instead turning back to where Kuzan had been. "After all, standing before you now is, "
He stopped short. The spot where the Admiral had been was now empty. "Where did he go?"
A flicker of movement caught his eye. Off to the side, Kuzan was already on his bicycle, pedaling away from the scene with surprising speed.
"Admiral Kuzan!" Dante yelled after him. "Admiral Kuzan! There's a member nation here that needs your help!"
Kuzan didn't even look back. He just pedaled faster, his lazy voice drifting back over the waves. "Ara ara... Where am I? I can't see or hear anything anymore... I must've gotten tired and lost from traveling so much..."
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