"All right, boys, fire, fire, fire!" a soldier inside Bege yelled. "We've got plenty of bullets and powder!"
The soldiers inside Capone "Gang" Bege's body kept firing cannonballs at the enemy army. The enemy used small, heavy guns that Bege's men had never seen before. They fired at Bege, who was now a giant castle, but he didn't even shake.
Damn it, what the hell is that..!
But Bege's soldiers were still scared.
It wasn't because of the enemy soldiers, who kept moving and fighting even after taking a direct cannon hit.
Was that kid always that strong!?
It was because of the pirate on the other side of the deck.
On an enemy ship that had tried to circle around them, that pirate was cutting down the "unkillable" soldiers one after another. He was building a mountain of bodies and disabled soldiers.
When the mafioso saw the bloody mess that the pirate had made, they finally understood how scary he was. They had been looking down on him just days before.
And there was more than one. On a different ship, another pirate was doing the same thing. He wasn't vanishing like Kuro, but his sword moves were too fast to see, and he was also making a mountain of dead bodies.
Down on the battlefield below them, a girl who looked like she would be worth a lot of money was fighting. She used a bow and a sharp, clean knife—probably taken from a soldier she killed—to take down enemy after enemy. Two other girls followed her, using long weapons to cut down enemies and protect their line.
Bege laughed, watching the fight. "That new girl, Hancock... she's got a good eye. She's holding the line so our cannon fire is more effective. I like that. Thanks to her, we can fire as much as we want without worrying about hitting our own guys."
Their Father was enjoying watching the pirates fight.
He seemed truly happy that Kuro, the pirate he had his eye on, was getting such good crew members.
"Bege!"
Perona's distinctive laugh followed. "Horohorohoro. I knew devil fruit's could do anything, but this is a hell of a power."
Bege turned, "Oh, you two made it over here safely."
The Father was busy directing his men to bring in the wounded, get them treated, and support the other pirates with cannon fire. He had also ordered some of his men to bring over the two girls—members of the pirate crew—who had just arrived.
–
Perona asked immediately, "What's the situation?"
Bege explained, "Right now, we're defending against the enemies boarding this ship. Two of the other four ships are being handled by Kuro and Mihawk."
Robin added, "One more is a little behind because of cannon fire from your ship and our escorts, but it's about to catch up."
Bege said, "It's mostly going as planned... but the real problem is the soldiers from the enemy's main ship. The one that King-what's-his-name, Judge, was on."
The main group of enemies they were fighting right now was tough.
They were probably the best of the best, even better than the other enhanced soldiers. Their attacks felt heavier.
It was also the biggest ship, so it had the most soldiers.
Robin reported, "They're done rescuing the non-fighters from the cabins. The Guard members—Miakis and the others—are heading this way. If we can just hold on until then..."
Bege muttered, "But we're still outnumbered... We need to keep our forces together. I wish we could slow down that last ship... but we've already seen what happens when our regular soldiers try to board."
Bege watched the battle on the deck below, thinking hard.
He looked at Perona. "Hey, Ghost girl. You said your power didn't work on the soldiers, right?"
"It's Perona!" she snapped. "And yeah. When my Negative Hollows go through them, they slow down for a second, but then they're fine. They just get right back up... And... when my hollows pass through them, I get this... creepy feeling."
Bege asked, "What if you send more—"
Perona cut him off, "I already tried that, stupid!"
"Right, right," Bege said.
He seemed to want a smoke but stopped, probably because the two girls were so young. He stubbed his cigar out in an ashtray, even though it wasn't finished. He thought for a moment—
He looked at Perona. "Hey, Perona."
"What?" she asked.
Bege asked, "Did you try using your power on those giant Den Den Mushi? They're living things, right? They're not human, but if you hit them, won't it slow them down?"
–
Judge roared, "This is impossible! You're saying I'm weaker than some pirate kid!?"
Daz replied calmly, "Yes."
Judge attacked with a spear strike that was faster and heavier, driven by his anger. But he was getting sloppy.
To counterattack, I need to block him... but he's much bigger than me.
But Judge was still a skilled fighter. Daz could block his attacks, but it wasn't easy.
The difference between him and Mihawk is that his attacks have no 'flow'. If I can read his breathing, I can read his attacks.
–
Daz remembered Mihawk's training,
'Daz Bonez. Do you know the best part of your devil fruit?'
'...That I can make any blade I need, anywhere on my body?'
'That's part of it. But there's another advantage in a fight.'
'What is it?'
'I don't know, You have to figure it out. That is how you will grow.'
–
It's fine. No need to rush. As long as the line holds, the Guard and Hancock's group will cut the enemy down, Daz thought.
This was 'Steel Blade' Daz Bonez, the Vice Captain of the Black Cat Pirates.
He had not forgotten his duty.
He trained himself, watched his crewmates train, and ate with them. He knew their conditions and how they were feeling.
If these new soldiers are about as strong as the first ones, our line will not break.
When the Guard trained with Mihawk, they all got beaten so badly they couldn't stand up.
But after fighting Mihawk with all their strength, they would still get up, using only their willpower.
They would fight for ten minutes, fall, and get up again.
The Guard had been training non-stop since Mihawk arrived. Daz and Kuro knew they could count on them.
And Hancock's group... they were his teachers, too, in a different way.
He respected their strength.
I just need to focus on this fight.
A loud "whoosh" sound came from Judge's boots. The heels glowed and shot out hot air.
He's not charging. He's trying to get past me and attack from above.
The fight was already over.
Vinsmoke Judge could not beat Daz Bonez.
GOOSSH!
Judge shot forward. He was not as fast as Kuro, but he was fast. He flew past Daz, trying to hit him with his spear as he went up into the air.
At the same time, four soldiers broke through the line and attacked Daz.
Daz shouted to his crew, "Don't turn around! Focus on the enemy in front of you!"
Daz saw some of the Guard and soldiers panic.
But he was calm. He had seen this coming.
The plan was probably for the four soldiers to die holding him in place, so Judge could finish him from the air.
But before they could, Daz did a one-handed handstand. He turned both his legs into blades and spun, cutting all four soldiers in the throat.
He landed as Judge came down, ready to stab him. Their eyes met.
Judge screamed, "—! Daz Bonez!!"
"You trusted your weapons and your numbers too much, Germa."
Daz, now standing, blocked Judge's spear with his right arm. His arm was black with Haki. Sparks flew.
My devil fruit... the Dice-Dice Fruit... I can turn any part of my body into a blade. But I can also just turn it into solid steel.
Judge yelled, "It won't go through!?"
"I've seen moves faster than that. I'm bored."
My other advantage... I can switch between cutting and hitting in an instant.
His fist, hard as steel and black with Haki, had caught Judge's spear perfectly.
"SPARKLING DAISY!"
It was one of his moves.
He would usually clap his fists together and then open them, sending out a big shockwave.
This time, Daz did it with just one hand.
The move should have been weaker, but after fighting Mihawk so many times, his attacks were sharper and more focused.
The Raid Suit, Germa's best technology, was strong.
Even Daz's attack could not cut it.
"G...ah...h..."
But the suit could not stop the shock.
Bloody foam came out of Judge's mouth. His eyes were blank.
The leader of Germa 66, the King of Germa Kingdom, fell to the deck.
"—Mission complete."
The man was still breathing, but Daz did not hit him again.
The Captain told me to 'defeat' him, not 'kill' him.
Daz knew his Captain. He knew what the order really meant.
The Captain was worried about what might happen if this man died. He just wanted him stopped.
Daz knew his job was not to kill. His job was to support the Captain and the crew.
He raised his voice and shouted, "The enemy commander, Vinsmoke Judge, has been captured by 'Steel Blade'!"
The battle was won, but the clones would not stop. This was the only way to boost his crew's spirit.
He yelled, "Their leader is gone! They are confused! Do not be afraid! We are going to clean them up!!"
–
"Hm."
"Oh."
Kuro had been cutting and kicking his way through the enemy ships. He finally got to the last one. This ship was moving slowly, probably because Perona was hitting it with a lot of Negative Hollows.
When Kuro landed, he saw Mihawk, who had just been dropped off by Hack. Their eyes met.
"You're here. This must be the last one.", said Mihawk.
Kuro agreed, "Yeah. And—"
The Germa 66 soldiers, who were supposed to be "perfect" and feel no fear, were starting to panic.
Their command was broken.
They didn't know what to do. Should they go back to the first ship? Should they try to fight Kuro and Mihawk? They were totally confused.
...Mihawk, please stop silently firing off slashes and blowing them up.
"Daz Bonez. He did a good job", praised Mihawk.
"Normally, this is when they would surrender and the fight would be over... but not these guys.", said Kuro.
"Haah" Mihawk smiled, "They are perfect soldiers, so they cannot stop fighting. How ironic."
He then raised his sword and said, "Let's go, Kuro. We still have a lot of land to clear on that island."
You should just become a farmer, Mihawk.
But...
"I'm with you. We have to rebuild, check the land and sea, build roads... and check on the other countries... We have too much to do."
"Kuro, you should call yourself a pioneer, not a pirate", Mihawk replied,
"Look who's talking, Mr. Farmer. But you're right. We're both busy."
All the Negative Hollows around the ship vanished.
Perona must have used a lot of ghosts. She could rest now.
This was their job.
"Let's finish this."
Mihawk agreed, "Understood."
–
(20 years in the Future)
Kuro was explaining to Reiju, "—and that's what happened. About twenty years ago, we, the 'Black Cat' pirates, fought Judge."
Reiju replied, "I know. I've been hearing that story all my life."
"You have?" Daz asked, surprised.
Reiju explained, "Yes. I heard about you, too. 'Steel Blade' Daz Bonez. Every time you were in the news, Father would show it to us. He told all of us kids to be stronger than you."
Daz realized, "...So that's why Sanji looked at me and the Captain so strangely when we first met..."
"It's fate, I guess... Well, it's fine. So... you agree? Judge.", said Kuro.
Judge said, his voice broken, "...Our dream is gone. We trusted the wrong person... and now... this...!"
"I know what I said before... but Big Mom might have accepted the marriage. You were just unlucky that she saw you just as prey."
Judge whispered, "...Kuro."
"Yes."
"We are no longer a part of the World Government. Germa 66... will now serve under the 'Black Cat'."
"...I accept. For now, you will be a special unit. You will be part of our crew. And, Vinsmoke Reiju."
Reiju stood straight, "Yes."
"You are the captain of the special unit."
Reiju bowed, "I understand. I humbly accept."
Kuro looked at Judge.
"Judge, you will be an advisor. I will give you Autumn Island and another one nearby."
Judge said, "Understood... Captain."
He continued, "...I am in your debt. Thank you."
--
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