"What happened? Why did the Big Mom Pirates retreat?"
On the open deck of the second-class warship, Tokikake walked over, hands in his pockets, swaying slightly, his voice full of confusion.
Cross, who had just returned, rubbed his chin, pretending to think deeply. "Perhaps my demands were too much; they were scared off!"
"What demands?"
"They weren't willing to call me 'Papa'!"
"???"
Tokikake froze for a moment, then suddenly realized, his expression strange. "Big Mom wants to... find you to be her husband?"
"You're partly right. She wants to marry her daughter to me and have me join the Big Mom Pirates!" Cross replied.
Hearing this, Tokikake immediately became excited. He quickly slung an arm around Cross's shoulders, chuckling strangely. "I heard that monster woman was also a great beauty in her youth. Although her daughters vary, there are certainly beautiful ones among them. Take Charlotte Smoothie, one of the Three Sweet Commanders, for example, those long legs... gulp... Even Gion-chan pales in comparison!"
Yes, that's right. There are only three Sweet Commanders now, because Charlotte Snack, who was one of the original Four Sweet Commanders, is the youngest and about the same age as Cross now, but his strength is probably not as good as Cross's, so he naturally couldn't hold the position of Sweet Commander yet.
At the same time, the Marines on the surrounding deck gathered around to listen to the gossip, their faces not only showing curiosity but also displaying the knowing, lewd grins that all men understand.
"It wasn't Smoothie; it was Galette!" Cross's expression was unfazed, his tone indifferent, showing no interest in Smoothie. There was nothing he could do; that woman was too tall. Even if he grew to the average height of a Marine Admiral, he wouldn't be able to "enjoy" her.
"Charlotte Galette... You mean the Butter Woman!" Tokikake's eyes gleamed as he excitedly said, "I remember that chick; her figure and looks are quite something!"
"You remember that clearly? No wonder Gion rejected you. It seems she saw through your true nature long ago, you old pervert!" Cross looked disgusted, completely surprised that this guy remembered the women of the Charlotte Family so clearly, recalling them just by their names.
No wonder in the later Gran Tesoro, this guy was playing golf with four ladies accompanying him... Pfft! I'm genuinely envious!
"Cough, cough, cough~"
Tokikake's old face flushed, and he choked, coughing several times. He quickly explained, "I've been recently researching intelligence on pirate overlords like the Whitebeard Pirates, Beasts Pirates, and Big Mom Pirates, which is why I remember so clearly! What 'old pervert'? Don't talk nonsense! Be careful, I'll sue you for defamation, you know! I'll sue you for defamation! You're defaming me! You're defaming me!"
Slap!
Seeing the other party's agitated state, Cross slapped away the hand he was pointing at him, annoyed. "Cut the act. We're both men; I know you well enough. Don't pretend!"
The surrounding Marines looked at each other. Suddenly, one of them leaned in and said seriously, "Captain Cross, I can testify that Rear Admiral Tokikake hasn't been researching Charlotte Family intelligence alone in his office recently..." He paused there, then, unable to hold back a chuckle, added, "Because he's been asking all of us to research it with him!"
"Hahahahaha—"
Immediately, everyone burst into laughter.
Tokikake sulked, shrinking his body, not wanting to speak, but he couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked again, "So, what happened next? Did you agree?"
"Are you stupid?" Cross glared at Tokikake, saying, "If I had agreed to join the Big Mom Pirates, I would have already burned all of you to death and left with Cracker. Would I still be here wasting words with you?"
"Is that so... And then they just left?" Tokikake's face showed a lack of interest, and he lazily asked again.
"Of course not! If it were that simple, wouldn't the Big Mom Pirates lose too much face?" Cross retorted annoyed, then told Tokikake about Mont-d'Or's threats and his own thoughts on the matter.
After listening, Tokikake scoffed dismissively, "After all, it's a pirate crew led by a woman; they only have that much vision, resorting to such low-class, despicable tactics!" Then, he patted Cross's shoulder, reassuring him, "Don't worry, I'll report this to Marine Headquarters. Fleet Admiral Kong won't ignore it!"
"Moreover, the Big Mom Pirates' main forces are in the New World. The Four Seas aren't their territory, so it's naturally not their place to act so recklessly!"
Ever since the family of former Marine Admiral Zephyr was killed by pirates, this incident caused a huge uproar within the Marines. As a result, Marine Headquarters began vigorously developing Marineford Island to arrange and protect the families of high-ranking Marines.
Even the World Government put in a great effort, having the CP organizations meticulously conceal information regarding high-ranking Marine officers.
Most importantly, as the most famous young generation in the Marines, Marine Headquarters would naturally provide strong protection for Cross. Otherwise, who would dare to join the Marines in the future?!
If the Big Mom Pirates dared to act carelessly, Marine Headquarters probably wouldn't mind going to war with them and fighting a good battle.
A smile appeared on Cross's face, and his mind felt much more at ease. "It's fine. Big Mom's trick is only meant to deal with small fries. If she dared to use it against stronger individuals, her children would probably be reduced to just a few survivors by now."
"That's natural. After all, it's a despicable tactic that can't be brought into the open!" Tokikake took a cigar from his pocket and offered it to Cross, then waved his hand grandly, saying in a deep voice, "Let's go back. Return to base!"
"Rear Admiral Tokikake's orders: Return to base!"
Everyone's expression turned serious, and they immediately dispersed, maneuvering the warships to return along the same path.
...
One month later.
The nameless island had been renamed Shanna Island. The Marine branch fortress on the island was mostly complete, including its accompanying port, with only the final capping remaining.
Of course, the reason for such rapid construction was primarily due to the strong support from the Bion Kingdom and the fact that the civilians of this world were physically robust, far surpassing those of Earth. Coupled with Cross and Tokikake personally helping to move bricks, construction naturally proceeded at lightning speed.
This fortress occupied 3,300 square meters, nearly filling all available space on the entire small island. Even part of the port was built on the sea, a mix of wood and stone. The fortress itself was oval-shaped. Due to the high terrain, the highest point of the fortress was sixty-five meters above sea level. It primarily consisted of five main levels. In addition to the external and top turrets, lighthouses, and watchtowers, the interior included an open-air plaza, officers' and soldiers' quarters, a mess hall, storage rooms, and more, capable of accommodating a full 1,000 soldiers. This small fortress was like a giant oyster on the sea.
In truth, the Bion Kingdom and Marine Headquarters weren't particularly fond of this location, as Shanna Island was too small to accommodate many troops or warships. Unfortunately, there was no other option, mainly because there were no other suitable small islands in the Shiloh Island waters.
Some were too low-lying and would be submerged by high tide at any moment. Others were too far from Shiloh Island's Oneway Port, requiring Marine ships to circle half of Shiloh Island to reach them.
Still others had rugged terrain, making fortress construction impossible. Therefore, only this palm-sized island met the requirements and could barely support a Marine fortress and establish a Marine branch. To that end, the fortress was specially built very high to accommodate more personnel.
"Doma City is in ruins and needs rebuilding; you're so busy, why did you come all the way here?"
Meanwhile, on the wooden pier of the port, Cross looked at the woman before him, asking with a slight headache. The woman standing before him was none other than the new Queen of the Bion Kingdom, Doma Shanna VIII.
"Am I not welcome?" At this moment, Shanna was radiant, her smile as beautiful as a flower. She wore a golden crown inlaid with sapphires, and her magnificent white robe embroidered with gold thread made her appear both dignified and beautiful. Her lovely eyes, like autumn water, surveyed Cross from head to toe, and she replied softly, "The completion of Marine Branch 211 is closely related to the Bion Kingdom. It's only right that I come to see it, after all, in the days to come, I'll have to rely on you for protection!"
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