"Perona, how many of our people are hurt?"
"Amisu's team on the south side has no injuries I can see. Over here... ah, there are a few. Nothing serious. At a glance, more Marines are hurt. About ten percent... no, not that many yet."
"...Rear Admiral Munchkin."
"Hm."
"I'm sorry," I said, "but please take the Headquarters' forces and join the fight. I need you to push the front line."
"The front line?" he asked, surprised.
"Yes. At the same time, I will send our medical team. They will set up a small aid station and start treatment. And use the space we create by pushing forward as a temporary aid station."
"Yes. In this fight, it would be a shame for the 'Black Cats' if we let soldiers be wasted, whether they are ours or yours."
"......"
Hey, why are you quiet all of a sudden?
"Understood, I will go at once," Munchkin finally said. "But, Kuro."
"Yes?"
"Can you keep Private Hina here with you? She can also act as a messenger."
"I don't mind," I said, confused, "but are you sure?"
Is it really okay to leave a young Marine girl with a pirate?
"You probably already know this," Munchkin said, "but the Navy wants information on you."
"...Are you sure you should be saying that?"
I think that was something we were just supposed to understand... You know, for your own good.
"Honestly, we badly need your skills, especially your tactics. Private Hina will one day be a part of Navy Headquarters. I believe that watching you work will be a great lesson for her."
"...Training the enemy... well, I guess it's too late to worry about that now."
I mean, I already learned all about the Navy's data, positions, basic tactics, and training methods, so I guess it's fine...
It's not like my plans are finished anyway.
"Is that okay with you, Private Hina?"
Come on, don't glare at me.
I mean, I totally get why you are.
But in a real fight, this girl looks like she's gotten a lot stronger. I don't think I could kick her away as easily as I did back then.
Hina must have trained a lot since then, because she feels about as strong as one of my guards.
Well, she's not at the level of the main guards, who have survived Mihawk's training without losing any limbs.
...Wait a minute. Are my main guards already super strong?
"I'm interested in your power, too," Hina said, finally speaking. "And Mr. Garp told me to come and watch you."
......
Why is the name of a Navy hero coming up now?
— Riiing, riiing, riiing
Oh, a Den Den Mushi... This one is...
–
"Hancock! Robin!" Amisu called out as she arrived.
"Amisu! You're here already..." Hancock said, surprised.
The battle against the pirate alliance is moving very fast.
The plan was to attack from three sides: the main force from the north, Hancock from the southwest, and Amisu from the southeast.
"Amisu," Hancock said, her voice low, "something is strange."
The plan was working, and all the teams were pushing forward.
As ordered, they were moving quietly, taking out pirates who ran away, and saving any civilians they found. They were doing better than we expected, and faster.
But the two leaders on the ground were not happy.
"The enemy soldiers are too weak," Hancock stated.
"Yes," Amisu agreed, "I was worried about that too..."
The enemy was just too weak. Something was wrong.
Yes, some were so drunk they couldn't stand, but there were others who were just tipsy and still strong.
But even those strong ones were quickly outnumbered and taken down by Robin's joint locks.
"It's like... the person in charge is just gone," Robin observed. "They are all fighting randomly, with no plan."
"Um... maybe the leaders were all together... in the area we hit with the first cannon fire?" Robin wondered aloud.
A few more pirates, smelling of booze and holding sabers, ran at them.
One of them saw that Hancock had a bow and looked like a fighter. He must have thought Robin would be an easier hostage, so he ran right at her while she was talking to Amisu and Hancock.
But in the next second, the pirate's head was cut off.
Behind him was one of the main guards, who had swung a blade without a sound.
She then quietly cut down the other enemies and disappeared to find the next one.
"At the meeting, Captain said he would aim for the ships first," Hancock recalled. "The sixth and seventh ships are full of our best cannon fighters, so their aim should be very good. And I doubt all the leaders would be on or near the ships during a party."
"Perona checked the area before," Robin added. "She said all the escape boats were in the port."
"...Is there a hidden port?" Hancock suggested.
They were used to building secret things at their home base, which was now like a second Fish-Man Island. A hidden port was the first thing they thought of.
"But when we looked from above, we didn't see any roads like that."
"Then maybe it's underground... Amisu, contact Captain," Hancock told Amisu, but Amisu was already holding a small Den Den Mushi.
— "...Yes. Uh-huh, yes. ...I see. Understood."
"Amisu, what did the Captain say?" Robin asked as soon as she finished the call.
Amisu gave her a strange smile.
"Ah, yes. He said not to worry about that. It's already taken care of."
"...Taken care of?" Hancock repeated.
"...I haven't seen him for a while," Robin mused. "Don't tell me he..."
–
"No... way..." one of the pirates stammered.
Inside a dark tunnel—a wide tunnel that slaves were forced to dig before they were killed to keep it secret—several large men were lying on the ground.
"Th-the Captains were beaten in an instant!?"
"So there was an escape route," a new voice said. "The group was so messy, I thought they might have an exit in the one place that would be left unguarded during an attack... and I was right."
A single swordsman stood before the pirates who were with the fallen men.
He flicked the blood off his sword. The beautiful blade shined even in the dark as he pointed it at the pirates.
"Don't worry. I didn't kill your Captains... If I killed the ones who might have information, it would slow that man down."
The pirates, who had caused trouble in the New World, knew right away who this man was.
"'The Marine Hunter'!? Why are you with the Marines!?" one of them yelled in recognition.
To the pirates, the 'Marine Hunter' was an enemy of the Navy, even if he wasn't a pirate.
They couldn't understand why he was attacking them with the Marines.
"It just happened that way," Mihawk replied. "Don't take it personally."
But that didn't change the facts.
The pirates had to accept that one of the best swordsmen from the New World was here to hunt them.
"D-damn it! You've got to be kidding me!"
"We're not getting caught in a sea like this!"
"There's only one of him! Everyone attack! We just need one person to make it to the ship!"
"I'm sure Kuro already sent one of his guards to secure the ship... but fine," Mihawk said to himself. "I have a deal with him. I can't let you escape."
Less than five minutes later, the hidden escape boat was captured by the Navy and the Black Cats.
Ten minutes after that, all the pirates were beaten, and all the civilians were rescued.
Then the mission commander, Commodore Taki, announced that the mission was complete.