"So the World Government says an emergency inspection of the holy land's interior by the Marines, the Land of the Gods, is currently impossible."
"That's right. It's absolutely unacceptable."
"This incident has only increased the Marines' distrust of the Government. There's no doubt that the World Nobles inappropriately interfered with Marines who swore loyalty to them using methods they shouldn't have used."
The third day since negotiations began.
Unlike the first day, which included renewed greetings, these stomach-churning discussions continued.
I want to go home...
I want to go back and read the books I've been saving up, write development plans, and make some progress on the road maintenance plans and port town improvements I threw at Daz before leaving...
I know this is necessary work, and it's important for expanding our influence over the Government and Marines, but I just can't get motivated...
I never thought the hellish training from "Hawk Eyes" and the "Dark King" would give me more sense of accomplishment than this.
"The holy land belongs to the Celestial Dragons. No matter how much you're the Marines, we absolutely cannot accept interference there."
"But at this rate, there's a possibility these talks won't qualify as negotiations."
"Even now, the Marines are following our instructions. Do you really think we need to go that far?"
"Even if that's the current situation, this incident is undoubtedly too large a spark. That's precisely why you accepted my proposal, which could become an unpleasant scandal if handled wrong, isn't it?"
These bastards! I thought we could make some real progress once they agreed to negotiations, but now they're suddenly being evasive and stalling for time!
And why do they keep talking directly with me without involving the Marines?!
What a waste of time!
Well, I suppose there's the advantage of being able to bring up topics that might worsen their impression of the Marines when they're not present, but if it doesn't advance the talks, it's meaningless!!
"...Persuading the Celestial Dragons living in the holy land is quite troublesome."
That's your job!!
Exercise your authority like the supreme rulers you claim to be!
Wielding power recklessly is what foolish rulers do, but you're supposed to be governors! You are governors, right?!
Use your power appropriately and shut those idiots up!
By the way, I have no intention of dealing with those idiots myself!
Hearing about the captured Marines from the Navy side didn't just kill my motivation, it drained my sanity!
"Then please consider it an action to gain a card."
"Hmm."
I'm working with Fleet Admiral Sengoku trying to find a compromise that will appease the Marines' dissatisfaction while not interfering with future Navy operations!
I'm wearing gloves to hide it, but my hands are covered in ink!
They look like an elementary student's hands after finishing pages of kanji writing practice with a pencil!
"From the Marines'—excuse me. From the Marines' perspective, one reason for their resistance is the possibility that soldiers are still imprisoned in the holy land."
"...Even though the Government declared they released everyone?"
"With respect, it would take more than a few years to erase the impression that the Celestial Dragons would do such things."
That's why nobles should normally present themselves in a way that makes people go "Kyaa, Your Excellency!" But as far as I know, the only ones fawning over Celestial Dragons are those whose only ability is consumption.
Like the nobles of the Goa Kingdom.
(No, that might just be a kind of peaceful ignorance. When I flattered them and promoted the rarity of goods, they bought expensive items like crazy, thinking they'd make good tribute...)
"That's precisely why, conversely, the track record of accepting requests from the Marines could serve as more than enough of a card."
On the other hand, I can't read their intentions.
Why are they stalling for time now?
(I hate to think it, but are they buying time to eliminate any remaining Marine slaves and evidence before accepting the holy land inspection?)
If that's the case, I need to press a little harder here.
"If you accept the inspection swiftly, the Marines will see it as the Government's sincerity. Or rather, it would give the Fleet Admiral material to convince the Marines."
"...Moving the Celestial Dragons inevitably takes time."
While it's starting to look like nothing but stalling, honestly, I can understand that feeling too.
They seem like the type to throw tantrums somehow.
But from the Marines' perspective...
"If this drags on any further, there's a possibility the Marines could split. Already, this incident has caused numerous experienced headquarters officers to leave the military, creating confusion in the command structure. At worst, the current power balance we're somehow maintaining could collapse significantly."
From talking with the Navy brass, it seems the West Blue is somehow as stable as the East Blue.
Really?! I think, but apparently not only the Grand Line, but the North and South Blues are becoming incredible disasters with pirate damage plus wars between nations intensifying.
If the West Blue's current state is the better option, we're really walking a tightrope...
"The emergency inspection wouldn't be entirely negative for the World Government. The card of 'forcing through something unreasonable while proving innocence' to the Marines would be effective as leverage against future Marine demands and pursuits."
"Please. Please, I beg you to make this decision."
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
"Somehow, we got them to accept the emergency inspection. They'll accept the investigation team starting tomorrow at noon. Are your preparations...?"
"We've been calling people just in case since the talks began. It'll be cutting it close, but we should make it on time. Well done, Kuro."
"However, they'll open the areas where slaves were managed, but entry to other areas won't be permitted."
"...It took time, but... well, it can't be helped."
I'm truly sorry.
I thought things would progress more smoothly, but they stalled for time with subtle word games.
"If there are any Marines still remaining, I think it would be difficult to completely hide the traces by tomorrow noon..."
"Ah, no, it's fine. We're the ones at fault for not pushing through in the first negotiations."
I'm technically in a neutral position, but my deeper relationship is still with the Marines.
Yeah, despite being a pirate. Strange, isn't it?
It's weird that I'm drinking tea surrounded by Marines in a room provided by the Marines while being a pirate.
"Bwahahaha! Well done, Kuro! How about it, if you're okay with bean paste, I brought some sweets. Navy manjuu!"
"Garp... you bastard..."
"Garp-san..."
This really is strange?!
Garp-san, please don't grab my head and shake it.
You could probably crush someone's head with just your grip strength!
And Hina, stop casually sipping tea!
Don't you think something's odd about sitting normally next to a pirate?!
"By the way, Fleet Admiral."
"Mm?"
"Why does the Five Elders' side frequently hold meetings with me without the Marines?"
If I could somehow eliminate this unnecessary time-wasting, the work would finish quickly, and I could return to the West Blue and continue the plan, even if it might mean breaking the agreement with the Marines...
"Oh, didn't you realize?"
Chief Staff Officer Tsuru called out with a surprised expression.
I'd received a letter from her after the Moriah battle, so I had some idea, but this was our first conversation, and the impression was quite positive.
"Huh?"
"Kuro. The World Government is dying to use you."
.....
....
Huh?
"What do you mean?"
"You know they announced the Shichibukai system but still haven't gathered people, right?"
"Yes. I believe the few who gathered were recently eliminated by Whitebeard's subordinates and other New World pirates."
"They thought that with the Government's backing, they could use Marine forces at will. Without any consideration for our circumstances."
Are they idiots?
Even if they were friendly, forces don't move so conveniently.
Moreover, if pirates tried to interfere with Marine movements, there would normally be severe backlash.
Even giving them the benefit of the doubt, they'd first need to match Marine actions once and prepare negotiating materials...
"Well, as a result, they rampaged on their own and got sunk on their own. Thanks to that, there are no capable Shichibukai now, and the Marines are being pushed back by pirates in numbers alone."
"Didn't the Government secure capable pirates before announcing the Shichibukai system?"
"The more useful a pirate seems, the more they'd think it was a trap if approached beforehand. They'd just become more wary."
Ah, I see. So that's how it is.
Come to think of it, during Punk Hazard, there was talk about distress signals often being used for traps.
I thought about this during Fisher Tiger's flashback too, but I don't think you should attach the scent of trap possibilities to emotional matters.
Anyway, if suspicious proposals came from the Government or Marines, they'd naturally be wary.
Thinking about it, Crocodile hasn't joined the Shichibukai yet either.
Setting aside Hancock and Mihawk since there's no point thinking about them, I wonder what will happen with Moriah...
"So the Government wants you guys."
As Shichibukai? I'll punch the World Government.
So the frequent meetings are a performance showing that I'm friendly enough to talk with the Government?
"Have they forgotten why Amis and I became pirates?"
"Surely not."
"...Even knowing that?"
"Yeah."
If this weren't in the middle of negotiations involving the Marines, I might have gotten a little angry.
Those bastards really...
"Even if I joined, the Shichibukai is literally an organization to gather seven pirates. What about the other six?"
"No, that's not it, Kuro."
Hm?
"To be precise, they want your subordinates as Shichibukai. And they want to bring you in as their overseer on the Government side."
I'm seriously going to beat the crap out of those guys?!
...Wait a minute, so the time-stalling is—
"Fleet Admiral, by any chance, are rumors about us spreading in weird directions?"
"Nothing's been twisted, but details about the West Blue—the pirate alliance incident—have gradually begun spreading to Marines in other seas."
Those bastards! They plan to pressure from the outside!
And by focusing on pirate alliance details, they're deliberately ignoring the Marine slave incident that started it all! Damn them!
"It's not a bad deal for you either, isn't it? Black Cat-kun~"
Admiral Kizaru—Borsalino-san, who ended up staying at Marie Geoise, called out.
...Honestly, I find this person harder to deal with than Sakazuki-san.
Both as a person and as a military force.
"If you guys become Shichibukai and join the Government side—"
"Where's the guarantee that the Government won't unilaterally abolish the Shichibukai system once the situation stabilizes?"
First of all, no matter what conditions they present, I absolutely refuse to join the Government.
Honestly, my trust in them is about the same as in random pirates.
I might accept some small jobs under contract, but I absolutely won't join their inner circle.
Even setting aside Robin's situation.
"Considering the incident that started all this and their subsequent responses, the Government is completely untrustworthy."
If possible, I'd like to clearly say "Those guys are seriously scum," but that would probably be unwise.
(There's a possibility Kizaru is connected to the Government side... or rather, I think it was mentioned somewhere in the series that Marine Admirals are essentially treated as Celestial Dragons' watchdogs...)
Well, if asked by Government personnel, he could deflect but couldn't refuse to answer. If he's a Marine.
Then I'll use that too. Sorry to the listening soldiers, but please serve as my speakers.
"I don't intend to fundamentally deny the World Government, but I can't possibly consider their governing methods good."
Even if I developed non-member nations using the Shichibukai system as a shield, it feels like they'd end up confiscated.
In that case, I'd have to refuse confiscation to avoid anxiety from other governed territories, but at worst, it could lead to skirmishes or even war with Marine and Government forces.
"...Then what do you plan to do? Continue being pursued as a single pirate force?"
"Of course not."
"I have a plan."
The bigger problem is the World Government prioritizing foothold-strengthening tactics at this point...
What should I do...
...
Hey Hina, those are my tea sweets.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
In the royal castle of Arlong Park—well, a corner of the port town a bit away from it.
In a tent in the area that mainly served as a base for the Black Cat Pirates' regular crew members, a boy who should normally be at the main base in Cocoyasi Village, the Black Cat's Vice Governor, along with main ship executive Perona and First Fleet Admiral Hancock, wore difficult expressions.
"So food hoarding among civilians has finally begun."
"Fortunately, when the Marines and I discovered it, it was still just minor skirmishes, so I quickly shut them up with Negative Hollow..."
"...Indeed."
Daz Bonez spread several report sheets from the Marines on the simple table, his expression more serious than usual.
"The food the Marines distribute is mainly bread and preserved food. They seem to have continued the same distribution as before without particular concern..."
"The fact that it's food that can be stored if you want to proved troublesome. If some people hoard it out of anxiety about the future, others will want it too. ...Looking back, we should have noticed this earlier."
"What do we do, Daz? We're pirates. It'd be quickest if Amis and I just shut them up with force."
"Even so, we're the 'Black Cat.' We can't carelessly raise our hands against civilians."
Hancock was staring at documents comparing Tesoro's compiled distribution plan with their remaining food supplies and estimated amounts they could procure quickly.
"If only the trade liberalization our master proposed had been implemented in time, it wouldn't have deteriorated this far..."
"I heard Fleet Admiral Sengoku also moved. If only part of it was realized, someone must have interfered."
The troubles weren't occurring in areas under direct Black Cat control.
They were all in refugee centers on the member nation side.
"I don't really care what happens in Government territory, but it would be troublesome if they turn into rioters and then pirates."
"A bunch of people with just numbers wouldn't be much trouble. Even without Kuro, if any of Amis and the others were there, it'd be easy."
"...That would be true if they gathered in one place. But if they scatter, the trouble level jumps up."
Daz marked the locations and sizes of riots and skirmishes from the reports on a map, putting large circles around areas close to their controlled territory.
"As Hancock says, if many become pirates, we'll need to revise our transport and fleet escort plans. We'd like to improve things before that happens..."
"Then what do we do, Vice Governor? ...Should we give them our surplus food? Limited to nearby areas, it might cool things down a bit."
While asking Daz, Hancock voiced an idea she'd been considering.
Daz nodded slightly.
"It would be effective short-term, but as you say, it would be a drop in the bucket in this situation. Winter is still long, and it won't resolve just because spring comes. Moreover, it might accelerate the hoarding."
He agreed initially but looked even more troubled.
"If we give food as a temporary measure and conflicts arise over stealing that food, worsening security, it's meaningless. Moreover, it would only reach a tiny fraction of people. We need a more fundamental solution."
"But Daz, the fundamental problem is basically not enough food, right? Should we pray for spring to come quickly?"
"No..."
He wrote necessary information on the map, thinking.
That was a habit of none other than Kuro, the head of this pirate crew.
Always write out what you know, line it up for comparison and examination, reorganize the information more concisely, and think.
"There was enough food for daily needs. There were no signs or rumors of it running out. ...Yet civilian anxiety has increased."
Daz was imitating that technique.
"...It's concentrated in areas somewhat distant from where the Marines established rescue bases."
"Could the sense of security from having Marines nearby be making civilians use their heads for unnecessary things?"
"That's possible. Or..."
Among the three executives present, Perona, who was the least motivated but not unserious, was the first to catch on.
"Hey Daz, could it be the same guy who was agitating during the pirate alliance?"
"That's possible too."
"You sound so uncertain! Everything's just 'possible, possible!'"
"It can't be helped, Perona. We still don't have enough information... but that is certainly likely."
Hancock put on the jacket she'd modified when she became admiral and stood up.
"I'll use the guard unit we're keeping here. Regular forces are sufficient for patrol and skirmishing naval battles. While we handle that, having the guard members investigate various areas might uncover something."
"Will the soldiers' burden be okay?"
"It's about time for the wounded from that island conquest to return to active duty properly. The Marines should be able to increase patrols too. Besides, while the crew has gotten used to combat, we can't keep relying on the guard unit forever, right?"
The girl who was once seen as just a Kuja child who had somehow gotten mixed up with the Black Cat had become, with her beautiful features and black hair, a presence known to every Marine in the West Blue.
"Tactics without the guard unit are also gradually taking shape. It wouldn't be bad to raise the First Fleet's reputation here."
Leaving with "I'm going ahead," the beautiful young admiral left the room. The remaining duo of oldest members, Daz and Perona, looked at each other.
"Tactics... you mean those assassination tactics?"
"She's also polishing artillery tactics and regular close combat. She just prefers those."
"The Marines who came to collect supplies the other day were totally freaked out seeing the mountain of corpses."
"Well... that kind of thing is necessary too. In fact, it results in the least loss of soldiers and supplies. With recovered loot and rescued people completely unharmed, there's no complaint."
"Well, that's true, but..."
Perona brewed roasted barley tea—cocoa was currently in short supply and limited—poured it into a cup, and sighed.
"Geez, I thought things would settle down somewhat before Kuro returned, but it doesn't look like it'll be that simple."
"That means we have our chance to contribute."
"Huh? What's that Daz, you want a chance to shine?"
"In a way."
Taking the cup Perona offered, Daz also took a break.
"If we can show results as the 'Black Cat' here, it should be a tailwind for the Captain in Marie Geoise."
"If the Government takes it seriously."
"I see that possibility as high. If the Government saw us as just ordinary pirates, they should have already moved to capture us and Robin."
"Well, that's true..."
The tea-like drink made by lightly roasting barley and boiling it in water, which Mihawk said was quite good for a first attempt, helped ease the chill.
"In that case, should we focus on capturing the agitator... if there is one?"
"...To quell riots, you need to either remove the source of anxiety or have a pillar they can believe will overcome it."
Daz looked down at the sea chart again, pointing to the islands scattered throughout their controlled waters.
"As the Captain says, a large governing organization different from but coexisting with the Government might be unexpectedly essential."
"To advance that plan too, every non-member nation after this... oh?"
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
When Perona responded with "Come in," the door opened to reveal—
"Hancock? Didn't you go to the port?"
"Indeed, I was going there, but... we have a guest."
It was the First Fleet Admiral who had just left.
And behind her was—
"Hey, sorry to interrupt your chat."
"Kuzan?!"
"Aokiji... coming all the way here personally?"
None other than Marine Admiral Aokiji, one of the Navy's highest combat forces.
"I was heading to the port when I saw him coming this way. When I called out, he said he had business."
"Sorry about that. I came here thinking to consult with you guys, but I got lost."
"Idiot, it's bad for an Admiral to come to a place like this alone! Anyway, get in and sit down. I'll make you some barley tea if that's okay."
Hancock ushered Aokiji into the well-organized room that was far from any pirate image, Daz prepared a chair, and meanwhile Perona reheated the water in the kettle she'd used earlier and prepared drinks.
"No, sorry about this. I'm grateful. I was just thinking I wanted something warm."
"Horohoroho, even an ice-freezing person wants heat after all. Wait there, it's Mihawk's pride and joy barley."
Perona was surprisingly well-received by Marine personnel.
Partly thanks to her appearance, which could still be called that of a young child, but also because she had knowledge of medicinal herbs and basic medical skills, having even provided emergency treatment to Marines, she was naturally beloved by both Black Cat members and Marines.
"...So, Aokiji. What was this consultation about?"
"For you to come personally, it must be something serious."
"Ah, well. It's nothing major. Well, it is major, but it's difficult for us to handle... So, well, it's a request."
Kuzan put a small ice chip in the barley tea cup Perona brought to adjust the temperature, drank the contents in one gulp, took a breath, and—
"Could you guys buy some people?"
"....Huh?"
***
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