"Me? A unit leader?" Hancock asked, surprised.
"Yes. Or more like an admiral, to lead a small fleet," I explained. "I'm... also setting things up so someone can take over, if you decide to leave."
My life had been the same for days.
Wake up, brush teeth, eat.
Check the schedule with the teams.
Go to "hell" (training) to find a way to survive.
Inspect the work sites.
Nearly die in "hell" (training).
Eat lunch.
Almost get thrown back into "hell" (training).
Meet with the princess.
Report our progress.
Eat dinner.
Go to "hell" (training) with Daz or Amisu.
Take a bath.
Chat with my crew.
Brush teeth.
Sleep.
After a few days of this, it was time to get ready for the festival and my return to the Mogwa Kingdom. I decided to talk to Hancock about something I'd been thinking about.
"Are you sure I'm the right one?" she asked. "What about the Guard, or Perona, who was here before me?"
"The Guard is a special unit we can send anywhere. Perona has a job only she can do. She's vital to the whole crew. Besides, you were basically the leader of the 'Hancock team' after the Germa fight. You have the experience."
"Hmm..."
Also, I need to organize our fleets properly, or my own work will just keep piling up.
Helping the West Blue Marines reorganize was good practice for this.
Hancock also learned a bit about running things while I was gone. And, let's be honest, she's beautiful, so she's great for our public image. On top of that, Mihawk and Daz both agree she is strong.
"The fleet will be the 2nd ship as the main one, supported by the 5th and 6th ships," I laid out.
"The 6th... you're trusting me with the escort ship, too?"
"Yes. The more we learn about how it works, the better. I want you to use it freely. We'll use that info to build the next ship."
"...To be honest," Hancock admitted, "just having the escort ship makes our firepower so much stronger. That helps a lot."
I know, right?
Our crew is good, but our ships, including the main one, are just captured merchant ships. They weren't made to hold lots of cannons.
So, I thought, "If we don't have them, let's build them." We took a large captured ship and added as much armor and as many cannons as we could.
We call it an "escort ship" because I thought its main job would be protecting transport ships.
"Your plan from the other day... and to be honest, this place feels like home... Okay. I accept the job," she said with a firm nod.
"Thank you. Before we leave Mopuchi Country, I'm planning an appointment ceremony for you as Admiral of the First Fleet. Let's borrow a room in the palace and plan it."
"Captain... Are you making that a show, too?"
"Ceremonies are important," I explained. "We use our good name as a weapon. We need to clearly show the royalty and the people who is in charge and let them see our faces."
"...You are really not like a pirate."
I'm starting to realize we're weird, too, but it can't be helped.
Popular support is dangerous and you can't trust it, but you can't ignore it either. If we can show our power without pushing them down, we have to.
We can't let them look down on us, but we also have to make them understand that they have a good life because we are here.
We protect them from other pirates and bad ex-Marines.
...Maybe I should show off our military power a bit more.
Once we get our shipbuilding set up and have more ships, maybe we can even have a fleet review.
"...Also, Captain," Hancock said, her tone growing serious. "I have something serious to talk about."
"Hm? What's wrong?"
"My sisters and I have been talking for a while..."
Sonia and the others, too?
I hope they want to stay.
Those two are great at leading small teams.
And they both get along with Daz, and Robin and Perona like them.
Hancock is already one of our main fighters.
"We decided... we want to eat the Devil Fruits you've been holding."
Oh?
"Ah, that's fine," I said. "If you didn't eat them, I was going to give them to you as a parting gift if you ever went back to Amazon Lily."
The two snake fruits are one thing, but the Love-Love fruit... who could even use that?
Maybe one of the Guard, but they also have to be able to save Daz and the others if they fall in the water.
The fish-men aren't part of the crew; they're just allies we're protecting.
"But are you sure? You know you'll be weak against the sea... and won't this just bring back bad memories for you?"
"You are... kind, Captain," she said softly. "...Yes, and that kindness is what makes the 'Black Cat' crew what it is..."
She was wearing the 'Black Cat' suit, which she was used to now.
It was a suit with the three-claw mark, but changed to look more like a dress, with pants that had a slit up the side.
If Robin and Perona are our mascots, Hancock is our idol.
"I really learned this when we fought Germa... I don't have the same power that you or Mihawk have."
"You think so?"
"Yes. ...Even Daz... I am just as good with Haki, but as a fighter, he is probably stronger than me now. He uses his Haki with his devil fruit. Now, Sonia and Marie can't even beat him in a one-on-one fight."
"...He's stronger than those two now?"
Even though they are just kids, the Kuja warriors like to use long weapons like spears and axes to match their tall bodies.
They use their long reach to stop enemies, and they can also use bows for support.
During the attack on the Pirate Alliance base, they made the call to help Cazarie's team rescue the prisoners.
And just a little while ago, Daz was getting knocked around by their Haki-covered spears and had to ask Hack for help.
"I learned this from leading a team," Hancock continued. "On a battlefield—especially on a ship where soldiers are packed together—morale goes up and down very fast. It's hard to control the soldiers."
"Ah, I get that," I agreed. "When a friend next to them gets hurt, fear spreads. When they beat an enemy, confidence spreads."
"Yes. ...And if morale gets too high, soldiers will charge when they should hold the line. If it gets too low, it's hard to hold the line at all."
That's the truth.
Fighting in formation puts a lot of pressure on the enemy, but that's also its biggest weakness.
Soldiers in a line are easily affected by what happens to the people next to them.
I can see why crazy, screaming pirates are sometimes strong.
Right now, we can fight well in small battles because the Guard can lead from the front.
That's another reason I want to win with cannon fire if we can.
I'm busy running things here, but I need to study more tactics.
Yeah, making Hancock the Admiral of the First Fleet is the right move.
"The best way to save soldiers from being wasted is to keep morale steady. And to do that, you need a strong person at the very front. But I'm not strong enough. I don't have your speed, and I'm sad to say I don't have Mihawk's talent."
I'm one thing, but she probably shouldn't try to be Mihawk.
"I want a weapon, Captain," she said, her eyes determined. "A weapon that will give me confidence, no matter who I face."
"...I understand how you feel."
I would have kept worrying about the same thing if not for the Bege fight.
And besides, I always thought the Love-Love fruit suited Hancock.
"Do Sonia and Marie feel the same?"
"Yes. ...They lead soldiers too. ...So, they understand."
They think it's faster to just beat the enemy before their soldiers get hurt.
...I wish they could grow past that, but...
No, it's too early to make them think about that.
Damn, I've been in so many bad situations lately that I'm expecting way too much.
I'm the one who needs to relax a little.
"This is good timing. Bring Sonia and Marie to my room."
"This is an early gift for your new job as Admiral of the First Fleet. Take it, Hancock."
"...Thank you, Captain."
--
"So, taking over an island. That's your job, Mihawk?" Rayleigh asked.
"Yes. And developing it," Mihawk replied. "We need to make fields and get water for the survivors and the new people, just so they can eat."
For the past few days, the man called 'Dark King' was just living freely in the port town of Mopuchi Country.
He was famous for sparring with the 'Marine Hunter' for exercise, or for helping train Kuro and the other 'Black Cat' crew members. He hadn't told anyone his real name, so the townspeople and the crew just called him "Mr. Ray" or "Teacher Ray."
"Wa-ha-ha! A man with your skill with a sword is sailing off to hold a hoe and plow a field!" Rayleigh laughed.
"I am a guest general. And since fighting him, my days have been surprisingly good. I don't mind doing him a few favors."
The two were drinking together at the salon counter, a place for both guests and the crew.
"My, if the captain works hard, his crew works hard," Rayleigh observed.
"Amisu and the others are the ones who work hard. ...It's amazing how they keep going on pure spirit. Kuro and Daz are different, but them..."
"Ah..."
Mihawk had made it clear he was a "guest general" and acted that way. Rayleigh, on the other hand, was just a guest.
He was only training people other than Kuro to kill time.
But it was true that he was starting to like these students, who just wouldn't quit.
"Those girls are amazing, too," Rayleigh agreed. "They must really want to be useful... I can't believe they don't give up after pushing their bodies that hard. Kuro wouldn't abandon them even if they weren't that strong."
"...They all have their reasons, but it's nice to see them so hungry for strength. Especially for a group like the 'Black Cat' crew."
"Yes... a strange group," Rayleigh mused.
As a pirate crew, they were already very strong. But to normal people, they were probably the least dangerous pirate crew.
They seemed like a group you could just leave alone. But, because of that girl, they were the opposite. They were the most terrifying group to the World Government—but also one they couldn't easily attack.
"But, why?" Rayleigh asked.
"Why what?"
"From what you said, your 'job' of training the fighters is done, isn't it? The Guard is strong enough for the Grand Line now. The regular soldiers are tough, too, thanks to the Guard."
"True," Mihawk conceded. "They could easily beat a Marine branch."
"You've done more than enough for them. Are you still here just because it's comfortable?"
"...That's part of it."
Mihawk drank the wine—a kind Kuro had bought that he liked—and took a breath.
"But I'm mostly interested in Kuro. I want to see what he chooses to do next."
"Wa-ha-ha, you really like him!"
"...He's the first man who almost broke my sword after I learned Haki. I want to see him grow... but..."
Rayleigh was quietly stunned. He had gotten to know Mihawk's sword skill since arriving here.
"His path will be full of strong enemies and allies... but that's normal for the path he chose."
"My, I was thinking too stiffly," Rayleigh chuckled. "I also never thought someone would try to make a route that doesn't use a Log Pose."
That crazy—but hopeful—plan from the other day had given him the first good laugh he'd had in a long time.
"I also laughed when he said he would unite the non-member nations... He never lets me get bored."
"So you'll follow him?"
"I don't plan to follow under him... but..."
This salon was one of Mihawk's favorite places. He could drink quietly like this, or he could join the crowd and drink with the noise.
"Well, for now, I don't mind swinging my sword on his orders."
— Knock, knock.
Just then, a knock came from the entrance downstairs.
"Hm?"
"A knock? A guest... That's rare," Rayleigh commented.
— "Excuse me. They said I could find the 'Black Cat' crew here. Is this the right place?"
— "Yes, it is. Who are you, sir?"
The Guard member at the door was answering.
Mihawk, feeling curious, got up from the counter and quietly opened the heavy door.
"Thanks to the pirates here, I escaped from being a slave..." the voice said. "I came here with my friend to thank them in person."
"My name is... Tesoro. Gild Tesoro. Please, let me thank the 'Black Cat' crew!"