(I see...)
When I was suddenly told they wanted to hold an emergency meeting with both the West Blue Marines and Black Cat members just when we were supposed to discuss the details of tomorrow's emergency inspection, I thought "what the hell is that about," but...
—I see.
"Human trafficking taking advantage of the population reduction period, huh. No, I was expecting something like this to emerge, but..."
'Yes...'
On the white cloth hung on the wall of the Marines' waiting room that had become an impromptu meeting room, real-time footage of Kuzan was being projected by a special Den Den Mushi.
Yeah, it's been a while.
I didn't think I'd see your face again so soon.
Kuzan is talking with Fleet Admiral Sengoku, but please stop glancing over at me.
"To think they'd approach the Marines with their business proposal, quite the bold ones..."
'They came to us brazenly...'
"Naturally, many Marines witnessed this."
'...Yeah.'
Great job, seriously. The timing couldn't be worse.
It's natural for human trafficking to increase during winter.
Even in the East Blue, some islands had such situations.
That said, I never expected them to approach Marines directly with trade proposals. Impressive.
'If it were a story about kids forcibly gathered through kidnapping, it'd be easier to handle, but we couldn't find evidence that they collected people through illegal means.'
Of course not.
Gray-zone human buying, or rather people gathering, is a seasonal tradition.
Moreover, with everything in chaos from pirate damage, the volume has probably skyrocketed ridiculously.
It's not uncommon to target settlements anxious about surviving winter, gathering "merchandise" for almost nothing, and selling them elsewhere.
"Admiral Aokiji, the people being sold are mostly women and children, aren't they?"
'Ah, exactly right. ...You can tell?'
"Well... Places worried about food would ask someone to take their children or women for almost nothing."
'...What about families? With this many children, they must have parents or relatives?!'
"That's exactly why. ...Even if they can't kill with their own hands, they can convince themselves that they went away to work. Or that they met misfortune and died afterward. Since they weren't directly involved..."
Surprising. I thought he'd have seen some of this during the recent turmoil...
'....!'
Calm down, please calm down, Kuzan.
I caught a glimpse of Daz in the corner of the screen—ah, no, he's desperately restraining Perona, who seems about to say something.
"But I see. The Marines can't openly engage in child trafficking while keeping us waiting. However, if left alone, the children will definitely be sold elsewhere, which could also severely impact morale..."
So they want us pirates to intervene.
Well, there's the option of material aid as compensation afterward... but this is—
"Kuzan, I want to confirm the situation. What kind of people were these merchants?"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, wearing a grim expression, spoke up.
Well, I'd probably make a similar face if I were in Fleet Admiral Sengoku's position.
Really, please don't let any more trouble pile up.
'Well, it was a trio. One of them was young, a bit older than Kuro.'
"What about the merchandise they brought?"
'Twenty-eight people total. Four girls around fifteen or sixteen, and the rest all children under ten... Eighteen girls and six boys.'
Yeah, as I imagined.
They probably gathered them from villages and islands wanting to reduce mouths to feed, since they wouldn't want to give up men who'd become workers once winter ended.
But it's fewer than I expected.
...No, that would be the limit for transporting at once on a single ship?
If so, then like with the Marine slave incident, there's a collection point somewhere for the gathered children "merchandise."
"Admiral Aokiji, how much are they asking?"
'Regarding the amount, they said anything. They want at least five thousand per person, but since they can't work, they'd take two thousand...'
Oof. These definitely aren't merchants.
Real merchants would try to drive up the price with any excuse they could find.
When I made eye contact with Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, both nodded slightly.
(This is... more of an attack than a trade deal.)
To think they'd launch an information war against the Marines.
(Human traffickers contacting the Marines: minus one point. Many Marines witnessing it: another minus point.)
They probably hesitated to respond because they were accompanied by children who looked terrible...
I can't tell without seeing the sellers directly, but they probably disguised themselves as refugees.
(And being forced to take time that hints at slave trading: another minus point.)
The Marines are currently sensitive to the word "slave."
If they ignore it, field morale drops; if they respond, other Marines get agitated.
And if we get involved...
Damn, it's like having a knight placed where it can capture both rook and bishop simultaneously.
"Fleet Admiral, excuse me for a moment. —Hancock."
'I've been waiting, Master. Your orders.'
...Huh? You seem really motivated?
You've got a hardcore outlaw mentality, so I didn't think you'd care about this kind of—ah, because you were almost sold yourself.
"Tighten patrols around Arlong Park Island. The moment you spot a suspicious ship, board it forcibly and check inside. Anyone hiding in the island's shadow with communication equipment can be turned to stone—no, turn them to stone immediately and secure them."
If they're playing standard moves, half-hearted checks are meaningless.
I need to capture their pieces before mine get taken.
'I don't mind, but is that alright? If it's a normal ship, you might earn resentment.'
"That's fine. It's something we can do precisely because we're pirates."
'I see. Understood, I'll set sail immediately.'
"Admiral Aokiji, where are the merchants and children now?"
'We have them waiting in separate rooms. The children are in yet another separate room.'
"Daz, apprehend the merchants. There's a high possibility they're connected to that agitator."
Actually, they might be the agitator themselves.
If so, they plan to cry "human trafficking" if the Marines pay to protect the children, and condemn them for "abandoning young lives" if they refuse.
And if we protect them, they'll spread rumors about Marines colluding with pirates.
That's what I'd do if I were the enemy.
'Even maximizing our pirate position, apprehending them in the royal castle now might damage the Marines' reputation.'
"I'll leave the method to you in the field. Just don't take your eyes off them wherever and whenever you capture them. Keep everyone under certain surveillance, including the people they brought. There might be their people mixed in among the children. Don't let appearances fool you into carelessness."
'Roger that, Captain.'
Good, good. Same excellent response as always.
Now, is that enough for pirate work?
The rest isn't my job.
"Kuzan."
'Fleet Admiral.'
"The field Marines are under significant psychological strain. Suppress agitation as much as possible."
'Understood.'
"Carelessly contacting human traffickers isn't praiseworthy, but I understand it was unavoidable given the circumstances."
'Yes, I apologize.'
"Indeed. I'm entrusting this matter to you all. Handle it well."
'Yes sir!'
So you're telling them to handle it well in the field.
Well, that's fine.
It'll be a good challenge for Daz and the others.
Plus, solving challenges together will deepen the relationship between Kuzan and the Marines under him.
(If necessary, we pirates can take the blame and escape, which should calm things down for now.)
"Well, that's about it for now. Anything else?"
If not, that's all.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku wrapped things up, and the meeting ended for now—
"Kuro, got a minute?"
...Well, of course that would happen.
Ah, Garp-san, please just sit there for a bit.
No. No, I'm fine. I'm okay.
No, no.
No, no, no.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
(Surveillance suddenly got stricter? This is...)
In a room inside the royal castle, while two men excitedly discussed how much they could earn from this deal and how they should have had fun with that girl before selling her, the youngest man with glasses looked around, assessing the situation.
(From their movements and incoming information, I thought they were a pirate crew that made good moves despite having strange complications, but their commander is definitely the real deal... I should assume I've been found out.)
Compared to these vulgar two he'd used as convenient cover, the glasses-wearing man of an age that could be called either boy or young adult worked his mind.
(Now, what to do. Coming all the way to the West Blue as a profitable job was fine, but that island that was supposed to be the recovery point for the engineering team has been seized by the Marines.)
The man was an ability user.
Among the diverse range of abilities, his had an extremely wide application range, so this time he'd been assigned operation that also served as power for the special engineering ship, but that plan had been overturned by an unexpected surprise attack.
(I don't need to return to the South Blue, but I was working to create evidence that I'm personnel capable of handling the original job... Even so, there's no sign of recovery, let alone plan continuation.)
The underworld is a world of trust.
If you're thought likely to betray, you can't make it anywhere.
(I've fulfilled my obligations sufficiently. ...It's time to cut and run.)
If so, carelessly leaking information would be fatal.
If escape is impossible, I at least want to negotiate and surrender without revealing anything critical.
Ordinary negotiations would be impossible with the Marines as opponents. They'd try to extract information even through torture.
But with that unusual pirate crew, there's a possibility.
(The ship flying the three-clawed cat flag I saw on arrival. That must be the famous pirate's ship.)
Pirates performing pirate-unlike disciplined fleet actions, maintaining battle formation while patrolling with three ships as if it were natural.
(Probably, the scenario of Marines obtaining child slaves through monetary transactions is already impossible. Moreover, they might soon capture the management ship with the large Den Den Mushi for information warfare. The ship is hidden, but... the plan itself was already broken from the start, so it was probably impossible anyway.)
Soldiers who make no footsteps at all, unlike Marines, have begun moving.
Seeing several of them, the vulgar men started talking about wanting to embrace them and how much they could sell them for.
Of course, for the glasses-wearing man, this wasn't a situation to waste attention on such stupid talk.
He had to decide his move as quickly as possible.
(I don't know about the lower ranks, but the upper ranks' preferences are extremely gentlemanly. Looking at the soldiers' behavior, they don't seem to prefer blood and violence. If I can provide sufficient benefit, my life shouldn't be taken.)
"Hm? Hey Galdino, what's wrong?"
Once decided, the matter was simple.
He slowly walked toward the female soldier in a suit with the same mark as that disciplined fleet on her chest and back, who had been assigned to watch them.
"What? You going to hit on that beauty?! No way, if you can win her over, I'll pay you two thousand berries!!"
"Then I'll make it five thousand! If you can talk her into working at our brothel, I'll give you ten thousand berries! Gyahahahahaha!!"
—Candle Lock.
The vulgar mouths and both hands and feet of the two fools who had been drinking despite this being a business meeting were sealed by pure white and sturdy wax that appeared from the glasses-wearing man's fingertips.
"Though they were lightweight palanquin bearers, I sincerely apologize for allowing such extremely vulgar words to reach your ears. I'm sorry."
The glasses-wearing man bowed deeply to the female soldier in the black suit who was guarding the entrance with the Marines.
The Marines were bewildered, not understanding what had happened, but all the suited soldiers had their hands on their swords at their waists. However, understanding that they weren't the target, they didn't draw their blades, yet remained ready to catch every move the man made.
"Furthermore, I wish to surrender to your pirate crew."
"Could you let me speak directly with someone higher up?"
◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
"What do you think?"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, going to a separate room with Chief Staff Officer Tsuru is fine, but could you at least include a subject?
"The possibility that the Government itself moved is low."
Well, I can guess what you want to say anyway.
"Indeed, combined with what Vice Admiral Tsuru said, it's convenient for the Government. To end the situation most peacefully, all we need is for us 'Black Cat' to strongly appeal to public opinion that we're extremely close to the administrative side, then have us protect those girls."
Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, what's with that sigh?
You wish that would happen?
I'll state clearly: if they want us, that's all the more reason we shouldn't become that!
If we ever became Shichibukai, the Government would definitely get carried away!
More precisely, those people in the holy land!!
"But the Government side should also understand that the word 'slave' is currently extremely difficult for Marines to handle."
"'Should'... that's sad."
Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, please don't say that now!
It's seriously draining my motivation!
"The Government probably won't directly provoke the Marines any further... but if they're not the culprits yet there's material available, there's plenty of possibility they'd use it."
"So you think this slave trading incident targeting the Marines was coincidental?"
"...No, that's..."
If the First Fleet discovers and secures a ship aimed at information dissemination, it would be confirmed... but there probably won't be enough evidence to reach the main culprit.
We might learn something by capturing the field operative and handing them to the Marines... but the fact that none have been caught so far means we're dealing with quite a sharp opponent.
(If the sellers were the perpetrators, depending on the situation—or rather their side's environment—they might surrender.)
We seized the island that was probably the plan's main axis.
With no movements to retake it, nor signs of other pirates gathering anywhere, it means the pirates were abandoned.
The perpetrators should have realized this faintly.
Yet they continued the information warfare either to break through the situation, create an opening for that Golden Lion guy to intervene again, or—
(Maybe they're surprisingly honorable, or the type who follows underworld rules... Well, anyway.)
"Like the original incident, I think the possibility this is an attack on the Marines and Government is extremely high."
Both probably expected this. They're nodding with "well, probably" expressions.
"And the enemy probably knows the Celestial Dragons and World Government very well."
Whether it's Doflamingo, honestly I'm not certain.
It's just that he's a likely suspect among the original characters I can think of.
Moreover, since the pirate alliance incident began, there are clear differences from the Doflamingo I knew from the manga.
—However,
"From the Marine slave incident to now, accurately stoking the Celestial Dragons' gambling spirit, roughly grasping Government movements, and plotting to drive wedges between the Government and Marines... Masterful work."
"And this time they're trying to discredit the Marines?"
"Probably. The goal was likely to encourage conflicts between member nations by discrediting the Marines. If the Marines' influence decreases, intervening in disputes between nations across seas becomes even more difficult."
Unlike the original Arlong Park situation using pirates, there are already movements seriously aiming to plunder neighboring countries with appropriate excuses.
We've somehow prevented direct confrontations by getting included in Marine patrol routes and applying our own pressure, but some non-member nations have already been attacked.
In the current situation cooperating with the Marines, even we can't intervene.
"By the way, Fleet Admiral, how is the North Blue investigation going?"
"...Unfortunately, it's not progressing."
"As you've probably heard a bit from Kuzan, the North Blue is currently seeing intensified warfare."
Come to think of it, I heard such talk from Kuzan and headquarters Marines.
Something about war being so intense that even the Marines have trouble moving.
"So, meaning—"
"That's right. As I said before, we've confirmed Nico Robin's analysis on our end too. Most of the weapons traded simultaneously during the first Marine slave incident were definitely made in the North... But."
"In the North Blue where war is intensifying, weapon smuggling is an everyday occurrence. Even if not new, civilians scavenge battlefields and sell found weapons and armor for daily bread."
"...So it still doesn't provide definitive proof."
Damn, I wanted the Marines to whittle down their forces somewhat since that guy who can even float islands in the sky might interfere later, but that won't work.
I hoped it would at least serve as a deterrent...
(Whether politically or militarily, we should quickly settle this matter and free up the Marines' main forces...)
But I have things I want to do, and I want the Black Cat to gain some profit.
"Kuro."
"Yes."
"Did you anticipate this would happen?"
"...What specifically are you referring to?"
"That someone would bring further chaos to the West Blue's turmoil."
"Yes."
Well, of course...
You predicted it too, didn't you, Fleet Admiral Sengoku?
"...Why did you surrender yourself to Marie Geoise? If you had stayed in the West Blue, while you couldn't stop pirates who can only rampage, you could have deterred member nations."
"But in that case, the rift between the Government and Marines would have widened further. Preparing for the Government's potential rash actions, wouldn't the deployable military and resources have been further reduced?"
"Couldn't you have managed adjustments while remaining in the West Blue?"
Ah...
Yeah, that itself is...
"I think it would have been possible."
I probably could have done it.
Actually, with Marine cooperation, we could hold meetings using modified Den Den Mushi like we just did.
There's a possibility of eavesdropping, but that's not a major problem.
The Five Elders would have planned with eavesdropping in mind, and we'd do the same.
"But in that case, grasping the Government's movements would become extremely difficult. To restore the situation in a shorter time frame, I had no choice but to come personally. Moreover..."
"Moreover?"
"This might sound inappropriate, but it was also convenient for us 'Black Cat.'"
"...How so?"
"For me to temporarily step away from the organization's main axis."
To face off against the World Government, preparation for emergencies was absolutely necessary.
"Starting with Daz Bonez, whom I entrusted as Vice Governor, I've had everyone who currently forms the organization's main axis experience all the skills I thought would be necessary going forward."
Basic ship operations and combat techniques, anti-ability user combat training, coordinated action and unit command, understanding and managing soldiers' physical and mental states, handling emergencies and survival, scouting techniques. Strategic and tactical construction.
Civil engineering basics through reconstruction work, city structures and experiencing unexpected civilian movements, cultural differences through activities in other countries, emergency triage during rescues for prioritizing and sorting lives in critical situations.
"Furthermore, as with this alliance incident... we need to face human weakness. Therefore, I judged that the current executives who form the organization's core need not only organizational pride but also firm personal pride within themselves."
Especially the guard members, given how they joined, I want them to think about various things at this opportunity.
"Based purely on my experience, when facing truly difficult situations that are extremely hard to resolve, what helps most is not technique or training volume, but strong motivation within the person."
"You mean their personal goals?"
"Yes. ...Or rules they must protect... their pride as well."
It's also a rehearsal for when I die or go missing.
While situations involving the Marines like this one can't be helped, I should familiarize soldiers with the command structure centered on Daz and Hancock once properly.
As our sphere of influence expands, we might need to split fleets for separate operations.
Especially on the Grand Line.
"The Celestial Dragons, who are the reason we became pirates, are in a sense the most human-like existence. Even good, honest people could easily become like that with one wrong turn, and we'll likely witness such things."
"To create an organization that can overcome such phenomena, now is when we need to find our own pride within ourselves."
Well, if something happens, someone like Mihawk would probably just leave, but if by some chance the entire Black Cat force became some "future version with something wrong" that looks like typical Luffy enemies, it would be unbearable.
"...Kuro."
"Yes."
"Are you planning to create a second Navy?"
"Not exactly..."
What I want isn't a second Navy, but a second World Government.
The future prospects are too uncertain, it makes me want to cry.
Please, give me some stomach medicine that fits my body just right.
***
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